114 lines
7.2 KiB
Plaintext
114 lines
7.2 KiB
Plaintext
ÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜ ÜÜÜ ÜÜÜÜ
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ÜÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛßÛßßßßßÛÛÜ ÜÜßßßßÜÜÜÜ ÜÛÜ ÜÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÜÜÜÜÜÛßß ßÛÛ
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ßÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÜ ßÛÛ ÜÛÛÛÜÛÛÜÜÜ ßÛÛÛÛÜ ßÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÜÛÛÜÜÜÛÛÝ Ûß
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ßßßÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÜ ÞÝ ÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛßßÛÜÞÛÛÛ ÛÛÛÛÛÜ ßßÛÛÛÞß
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Mo.iMP ÜÛÛÜ ßÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÝÛ ÞÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛ ÞÛÛÛÛ ÞÛÛÛÛÛÝ ßÛß
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ÜÛÛÛÛÛÛÛ ÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÝ ÞÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÝ ÛÛÛ ÛÛÛÛÛÛ
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ÜÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÝ ÞÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛ ÞÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛ ß ÞÛÛÛÛÛÛÜ ÜÛ
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ÜÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÝ ÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛ ÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÝ ÞÞÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛß
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ÜÛßÛÛÛÛÛÛ ÜÜ ÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÝ ÛÛÞÛÛÛÛÛÝ ÞÛÛÛÛÛÛßß
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ÜÛßÛÛÛÛÛÛÜÛÛÛÛÜÞÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛ ÞÛ ßÛÛÛÛÛ Ü ÛÝÛÛÛÛÛ Ü
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ÜÛ ÞÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛß ÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛ ßÛÜ ßÛÛÛÜÜ ÜÜÛÛÛß ÞÛ ÞÛÛÛÝ ÜÜÛÛ
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ÛÛ ÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛß ÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÜ ßÛÜ ßßÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛß ÜÜÜß ÛÛÛÛÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÛÛÛÛÛß
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ßÛÜ ÜÛÛÛß ßÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÜ ßßÜÜ ßßÜÛÛßß ßÛÛÜ ßßßÛßÛÛÛÛÛÛÛßß
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ßßßßß ßßÛÛß ßßßßß ßßßßßßßßßßßßß
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ARRoGANT CoURiERS WiTH ESSaYS
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Grade Level: Type of Work Subject/Topic is on:
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[ ]6-8 [ ]Class Notes [Essay on the invisible ]
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[ ]9-10 [ ]Cliff Notes [man. ]
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[x]11-12 [x]Essay/Report [ ]
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[ ]College [ ]Misc [ ]
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Dizzed: 07/94 # of Words:1034 School:Public State:NY
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ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ>ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ>ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ>Chop Here>ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ>ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ>ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ>ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ
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The Liberty Paint Factory in Ralph Ellison's Invisible Man provides
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the setting for a very significant chain of events in the novel. In
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addition, it provides many symbols which will influence a reader's
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interpretation. Some of those symbols are associated with the structure
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itself, with Mr. Kimbro, and with Mr. Lucius Brockway.
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The first of many instances in these scenes that concern the invisible
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man and the symbolic role of white and black in the novel is when the
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narrator is sent to the paint factory by the young Mr. Emerson to try to
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find a job. Mr. Emerson, however, only sends him out of pity. The
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narrator arrives and immediately notices the huge electric sign that reads
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"KEEP AMERICA PURE WITH LIBERTY PAINTS". Later on, the reader will learn
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that Liberty Paint is famous for its white paint called none other than
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"Optic White". In effect, the sign advertises to keep America pure with
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whites and not just white paint. Next, the invisible man must walk down a
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long, pure white hallway. At this time he is a black man symbolically
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immersed in a white world, a recurring idea of the novel.
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After receiving his job, the narrator goes to meet Mr. Kimbro. In
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this scene, Kimbro teaches the narrator how to make the ordinary white
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paint into "Optic White": Ten drops of a black formula must be mixed in to
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the white paint, of which the surface is already brown. The narrator does
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not understand this, and inquires about it, only to be insulted by Mr.
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Kimbro. Mr. Kimbro, in no way what so ever, wants any of his workers to
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think. He just wants them to obey. So the invisible man, although still
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unable to comprehend this idiosyncrasy, does not persist. The white paint
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may represent the white world, perhaps even America, as alluded to in the
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company's advertisement. The black formula is what makes the white paint
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into "Optic White", a much better, whiter, white. The formula, perhaps,
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represents the behind the scenes blacks that worked for the whites so that
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society persisted as it did in that time period. This idea will be touched
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upon once again later on in this series of scenes.
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The invisible man then falls victim to a bad set of circumstances. He
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runs out of formula, and since Kimbro is not around, he tries to get
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himself some more. However, there are two containers with what appear to
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be the same kind of formulas, just with different markings. Naturally, the
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narrator uses his intuition and discovers that the two liquids in the tanks
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smell differently, and one smells like the formula he was using. He gets
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more of that solution, and continues his work, only to be scolded later by
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Kimbro that he chose the wrong one. Once again, Kimbro states that he does
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not want any thinkers working for him. He wants a submissive black that
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will just follow the "rules" established in his "society". After fixing
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his mistake, the narrator is sent back to the office to find another
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position: Kimbro does not want the invisible man working for him. In the
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scene that follows, the invisible man meets Mr. Lucius Brockway, deep down
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in the paint factory.
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Mr. Brockway, a black man, can be thought of a symbol himself. He is
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the black formula that makes the white paint work. He is one of the many
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blacks that keep the paint factory working. He is one of the many blacks
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that keep society as the whites like it. Mr. Brockway makes the powder
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that is the base of the paint. Again, a black influence that makes the
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"Optic White" paint possible appears. When the narrator returns from
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getting his lunch, he is confronted by Mr. Brockway about the union. It is
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here that the reader learns that the blacks that, in effect, run the paint
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factory, are being hired so that the company does not have to pay union
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wages. This is important because it shows that the blacks are once again
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being taken advantage of by the whites, yet they are still working behind
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the scenes to make things run like clockwork.
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Through out this commotion, the narrator has not been fulfilling one
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of his duty by watching the pressure gauge. The pressure builds up, and
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right before the narrator has a chance to turn it off, it explodes. Once
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again, he is a black man immersed in a world of white. This explosion
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leaves him in the factory hospital. In the hospital, he is given
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electroshock therapy. After the "doctors" are convinced that he is "cured,"
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(i.e. he can not remember a thing), he is then given a name and is sent on
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his way after signing a release and being given some money. Once again,
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the whites are taking advantage of the blacks.
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All of these events, besides being highly important on a symbolic
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level as explained, also contribute to the rest of the novel. The college
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is a perfect example of a parallel environment. Dr. Bledsoe only wants the
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narrator to please the whites, with out question. And because the narrator
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did not, he ended up getting kicked out, just like in the paint factory.
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Also, the Brotherhood provides another parallel. They only want the blacks
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to work for the Brotherhood's causes, and not for the individual member's
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needs. For example, Brother Wrestrum accused the narrator of using the
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Brotherhood to attain his own needs, and the narrator was put on a kind of
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probation for it, so that the matter could be investigated.
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In a way, the Liberty Paint Factory is a microcosm of America. There
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are blacks and whites. However, on the surface both appear to be white and
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right. In effect, it is really the blacks that work behind the scenes to
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make things flow. They are taken advantage of, and controlled by ideas put
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into their heads. The paint factory itself, Mr. Kimbro, and Mr. Lucius
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Brockway all help portray this image to its fullest, while contributing to
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the rest of the novel.
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