Curriculum / ELA / 12th Grade / Unit 1: Invisible Man / Project
ELA
Unit 1
12th Grade
Project
Jump To
(ON DEMAND)
In the documentary, Ralph Ellison: An American Journey, Professor Cornel West claims that, “It is impossible to be a serious student of American culture and Afro-American culture without working through Ellison. He is a brook of fire through which one must pass.”
Write an essay in which you take a position on West’s argument that reading Ellison is “a brook of fire through which one must pass.” Use appropriate, specific evidence to illustrate and develop your position.
An Introduction to Ralph Ellison
Ralph Ellison: An American Journey
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Where in the corresponding English unit we recommend teaching this lesson
Lesson 1 of English 12 Unit 1 on Invisible Man includes an excerpt from the documentary referenced in the prompt. The essay could be completed immediately following Lesson 1, but students’ answers will likely be more well-developed after having read a portion, or even all, of the novel.
How this projects connects to the AP English Language and Composition Free Response Questions
This essay is aligned to the type of writing students are asked to do for FRQ 3 on the AP English Language and Composition exam.
Suggested objectives and lesson structures for this project
Identify the setting, infer the major themes of the novel, and identify the author’s purpose for writing the novel.
Explain the narrator’s attitude towards his own “invisibility” by analyzing elements such as diction, tone, motifs, and style.
Explain how the author develops the motifs of invisibility and blindness in Chapter 1.
Explain the connection between the novel and the article.
Explain the impact of the Battle Royal on the narrator.
Explain how the author uses the motif of blindness/invisibility to develop theme.
Analyze the impact of Ellison’s portrayal of the Founder, the trustees, and the university.
Explain how the author uses the Trueblood family as a social critique.
Analyze how the author uses the incident at the Golden Day and the character of the veteran to develop the motifs of invisibility and blindness.
Analyze the motif of masks and how the author develops it in Chapter 4.
Explain the significance of Reverend Barbee’s characterization of the Founder and Dr. Bledsoe.
Use evidence from the chapter to analyze Dr. Bledsoe’s character and its impact on the narrator.
Analyze the narrator’s initial experience in New York, contrasting it with his previous experiences in the South.
Explain how the author develops the motif of blindness in Chapter 9.
Analyze the metaphor of the Liberty Paints plant, tracking how the author introduces and develops the metaphor over the first ten pages of Chapter 10.
Track how the author continues to use the metaphor of the Liberty Paints plant to develop the theme of racism in the United States.
Analyze how the author develops the theme of racism in the North and the theme of identity in this chapter.
Analyze the narrator’s internal conflict and be able to explain where he is in the Hero’s Journey stages.
Write an essay response to the prompt using evidence from the first five pages of the chapter.
Analyze the author’s characterization of Brother Jack.
Describe how the narrator evolves in Chapter 13.
Analyze the impact that the Brotherhood has on the narrator’s developing identity.
Explain how the author uses symbolism and imagery to reveal character and theme in this chapter.
Interpret the author’s extended metaphor of blindness as it is developed in this chapter.
Analyze the mood created through the events and images of this chapter.
Analyze Ras the Exhorter’s critique of the Brotherhood.
Writing
Analyze each document and select evidence for use in answer to the essay prompt.
Use evidence from both documents to support an answer to the prompt.
Explain how the narrator’s attitude toward the letter changes over the course of the chapter.
Explain how the author uses diction and other techniques to foreshadow the events of the chapter.
Explain how the author builds suspense in Chapter 20.
Track the shift in the narrator’s attitude toward the Brotherhood by analyzing author’s craft.
Analyze Ellison’s portrayal of the leadership of the Brotherhood and their conflict with the narrator.
Explain how the author uses symbols to develop theme.
Analyze how the narrator’s attitude and actions toward the Brotherhood are shifting.
Analyze the development of the symbol of the briefcase.
Analyze this scene as the Supreme Ordeal of the narrator’s journey and explain his Reward.
Describe how the narrator’s ideas about identity have evolved and what theme the author is conveying.
Assessment
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