Ralph Ellison "Invisible Man" Page 2298

In this story of the invisible man the character takes great pride in what he has accomplished in falling off the grid. He has managed to secure an abode without a specific address but has also successfully managed to draw utilities from what he perceives to be a white establishment. He is so pleased with his pirating of energy that he makes every attempt to increase his consumption by putting a ridiculous amount of light bulbs in an otherwise dark and dreary cave. Additionally the character has fallen from society’s grid. He seems to have no known associates and no occupation. Truly he has become an insignificant member of the social structure so far as perpetual contribution is concerned.

The invisible man identifies himself as the vehicle of his grandfathers legacy. In his dying hours his grandfather expressed deep regret for having conformed to the demands of the white society. The invisible man viewed any success or praise from the society as evidence that he too was falling victim of the system as his grandfather had done so many years before. When he graduated from high school and went through such dehumanizing events as being forced to fight those with whom he had no quarrel, and being tantalized by a white goddess he could never have under the societal norm, he farther realized the wisdom of his dying grandfather. The honor of giving the speech and receiving the offer of scholarship at a black university were the praises of the establishment. The juxtaposition of the honor of the speech coupled with his beaten and bloodied condition furthered the budding of invisibility that was growing within him. The realization of the mockery that was made of his accomplishments resonated in him like the countless “atta-boy’s” that his grandfather must have received from days of hard work in his backbreaking background as a slave. As my own father has told me a thousand times, “Morgan, It don’t matter if you collect 10,000 atta-boys, it only takes one awe shit to get you in trouble.” No matter how significant the achievements the invisible man realized, he would never be on equal standing with the establishment. He decided to cease playing the game. By falling off of the grid he did sacrifice the ability to gain approval of those in control, but he also allowed himself the freedom to exist without their scrutiny. His invisibility could have been referred to as insignificance by the power company.

"Those Winter Sundays" by Robert Hayden page 2264

This poem about Winter Sundays seems not be about winter Sundays at all. It serves as one of many small examples of the selflessness of the speakers father that were realized through the crystal clear images provided by the lens of hindsight. In the first line Hayden chose the word “too” which carries tremendous meaning. The implication of course is that the speakers father woke early every day of the week, and Sunday which would be a day of rest, was no exception.
As the father woke early and made “banked fires blaze,” he did so with “cracked hands that ached.” Here the poet is showing us the type of man that his father is. He is implying a strong work ethic and lasting endurance in providing for his family through hard manual labor. I believe that when the poet referred to banked fires which were made to blaze that there is also the implication that the coals that were banked were the remnants of his father’s labor the night before when stoking the fire.
Hayden ends the first stanza with the line “No one ever thanked him.” I believe that this was to serve a couple of different purposes. The first and presumably more obvious reason was to illustrate the speaker's remorse for the ingratitude that he as a child had shown. Also for that of the rest of his family. Truly they took for granted the warmth that was provided without acknowledgement. The second purpose I believe the author intended in presenting the omitted thanks, was to show that it was not necessary. This was part of the explanation of his father. He didn’t work hard every day so that he could be praised for his efforts, he did so out of a sense of duty to his family. We can see by the willingness of the speakers father to endure the cold while forgoing the most restful hour of the night that he was truly a selfless man. He abstained from those small luxuries to afford them to those he loved.
When the speaker awoke it was not to the call of his father. It was to the sound of the crackling wood as the cold splinters succumbed to the persistent flames. Then as the speaker laid in the warm bed he waited to hear his father’s call. When his father called it was to give the “all clear” to the household to let them know that the cold demons of the night had been exercised. Then it was safe for his family to rise. The young Hayden would then rise slowly. This too I feel is an important piece of information. Later in the poem we are told that his father had not only prepared the warm home for him, but also that he had taken the time to polish the boys shoes. In doing this the father has also afforded the boy the luxury of rising slowly to prepare for church. The tedious chore of shoe polishing which presumably would be necessary to look his Sunday best was already taken care of.
In the final stanza the author reiterates the ingratitude toward his father as he mentions the indifferent way he spoke to him. Then twice he asks “what did I know.” I believe that the first was to address the lack of gratitude that was shown, along with the associated remorse. The second time the author asks the question I believe served the purpose of addressing the character of his father and the role he played in the family. “Love’s austere and lonely office” was held by the father. Love and compassion for his family was shown through a strict routine which seemed to be completely void of selfish pleasure. The speaker referred to the role of the father as an office to indicate the sense of duty felt by the father and entitlement by the family, a realization appreciated through the perspective of hindsight.

I have hit the mother load. I was going through an old chest that my grandfather bought several decades ago and I found a very curious piece of literature. I read through it several times and I believe that it may be a lost piece of work from Mark Twain.

It bears many of the ear marks of some of his stories. The speaking in the story is very similar to the way that Twain writes in that it seems to have a southern flavor. The story is also very full of dry whit and humor which is indicative of Mark Twain as well.

I intend on presenting the story in its entirety. Once I have presented the story I will of course be burdened with the near impossible chore of drawing the parallels between this new found literature and some of Mark Twain's previous work. I will attempt to show similar progression of ideas, similar character development, as well as similar characters in general. Any more description of my idea would ruin the surprise and would likely be just fluff.

Pi-Ku I wrote on Pi day

Pi- holla
Yum
Tasty and round
Plus
A la moded up
It’s creamy and smoother going down.

While Cakes,
Though fluffy and good,
Will do in a bind,
Pi alone,
Is truthful to form
Pleasant, round, and scrumptious each time.

(Please note that the syllables per line follow the first numbers in pi and as with pi this poem is irrational and cannot ever be completed.)

Ezra Pound's "A Retrospect" p. 1506

Ezra Pound is the absolute authority and expert on how poetry should be written. Just ask him. The tone of “A Retrospect” is very preachy and arrogant. I believe that the author realized this as he wrote it because he felt it necessary to ask for the reader’s pardon right up front. He did recognize though that not everyone who reads this would necessarily agree that he was qualified to make the claims that he did so he felt the need to drop the name of another person, Richard Aldington, to lend credibility to his case or perhaps to deflect a portion of the blame in the event that this work did not enjoy the reception he was hoping for.

Moving into the 3 commandments which he postulated would enrich the world of poetry I find myself torn. The first one, to treat the “Thing” directly, is what I both like and dislike about reading this stuff. On one hand, there is great value in just coming out and saying what you mean rather than dancing around it, but on the other, I believe that if all poets just said what they meant and wrote literally at all times that poetry would be very boring to read, not to mention that classes on literature would become very dull and potentially obsolete.

The third commandment, preceding the second for reasons later explained, of metonymical abstinence farther reduces the appeal of poetry to me. While I am not a huge fan of the art of poetry, one of the things I have learned to appreciate about it most is that it provides many levels for the consumer to enjoy. Students get to enjoy the dual meanings of the ideas presented. Scholars and Philosophers get to massage deeper meaning from the words still. On a very basic level, one enjoyed by anyone with language, the cadence and rhyme of poetry can be enjoyed.

The second commandment I saved for last because it is the one that cannot stand on its own. The minimal use of words seems ridiculous for tradesmen who use words as tools. I certainly would not prefer a contractor to build my home with that attitude. The author says that words should not be used unless they contribute to the presentation but he fails to recognize rhyme and meter as valid contributions. Poetry has from its inception been a form of art. While art does not have to be beautiful it should invoke some emotion. If all poets adhered to the commandments of Ezra Pound then the only emotions people would pull from consuming poetry would be boredom and longing for something beyond boredom.

Frost's "Neither Out Far Nor in Deep," p.1406

On first reading I thought that this was a fun little grass is greener on the other side type of poem, but upon closer examination, I determined that while that may be true on one level, it is just a few moments contemplation away from being a captivating 450 word blog post.

Robert Frost begins by painting a picture of the inherent curiosity of people as they turn to pay attention to the sea. I don’t believe that it was by accident or necessity of rhyme that he is speaking about “people along the sand.” The ones along the sand are those who notice the sea most prominently, thus they are the ones tormented by it. It also should be noted that I read the land as being what we have or may have and the sea being what we may not. As people “turn their backs on the land,” they are ceasing to appreciate the things that they do have or can obtain. Then as they “look at the sea all day,” they covet the wives of their neighbors.

I suspect that when Frost mentions the ship continuously raising its hull as it passes by he is talking about the flaunting of what the people on the beach desire, as well as the duration of their obsession. Perhaps this is even a reference to envy that people feel as they see the ship indulging itself on the glass-like wetter ground that they lack the buoyancy to enjoy. I have to admit that I fail to see the symbolism of the standing gull being reflected in the water. Maybe the purpose for including this line is to show that the reflection of the gull standing on the pier gives the illusion that the water is in fact just wetter ground and not impossible for the people to inhabit.

Regardless of whether or not the people have more options and opportunities on “land” then they do at “sea” the temptations (waves) of the things that people may not have persist indefinitely and in response they will always lust for those things.

The final section of the poem addresses the mystery of the desire. “They cannot look out far” and “cannot look in deep” to learn more about their dream. The mystery of the ocean is largely responsible for the appeal it possesses. An adventure with a known end is not and cannot be as exciting. The last two lines of the poem further confirm my suspicion that the poet is describing a yearning for what cannot be obtained. The sea is just one example of the flirtatious unknown. Those people who are not on the shore are finding their own objects of affection to channel their desires.

Booker T. Washington's "Up From Slavery" p.665

Booker had a very different way of seeing the world then any other I have heard of from his time. When others resented the white people for their sins against the slaves, he recognized the troubles that slavery had caused the white people. He states that "not one, so far as I know, ever mastered a single trade or special line of productive industry." He actually feels that the very fact that his race had been forced to perform manual labor in the service of the white people had given them an advantage.

Despite the advantage that he felt his people had in that they were skilled laborers and craftsmen, the author coveted the whites ability to read and write. "I determined, when quite a small child, that, if I accomplished nothing else in life, I would in some way get enough education to enable me to read common books and newspapers." This today is something that we all take for granted in that we are all expected to be able to do such things long before adulthood. In the time shortly after slavery such an achievement must have seemed to be nearly unattainable for the author to say that he has no greater goal.

Unfortunately as we progress through the Text for this course I am finding more and more that it is just a tease of many works rather than a complete set. "Up from Slavery" skips several chapters and drops the reader of this book right into the Address at the Atlanta Exposition. This was truly an inspired speech. I hesitate to break it down and analyze it because it was so well written to begin with. I enjoyed his call to his race to "Cast down" their buckets. This was a message to establish themselves and to root themselves in the culture which they were already a part of. It was also a call to the white people in the South to fill the buckets of the former slaves with fresh water when their buckets were cast down. It seems as if the author believed that there was a mutual respect between the people of the South of both races. He believed that the white people had grown to love the Black due to the mutual dependence on each other and that they needed to continue to depend on each other and work together in their new capacity as free people of two separate races.