Invisible Man & The Souls of Black Folk Study Guide PDF

Here is a study guide based on the provided sources: Invisible Man by Ralph Ellison Invisible Man was Ellison's first novel, published in 1952. It covers social and intellectual issues faced by African Americans in the early 20th century, including Black nationalism, differences between Booker T....

Here is a study guide based on the provided sources: Invisible Man by Ralph Ellison Invisible Man was Ellison's first novel, published in 1952. It covers social and intellectual issues faced by African Americans in the early 20th century, including Black nationalism, differences between Booker T. Washington and W.E.B. Du Bois's approaches, and issues of identity. The novel won the U.S. National Book Award for fiction in 1953. Ellison began writing Invisible Man during the summer of 1945 while on leave from the Merchant Marine. Ellison was born in Oklahoma City in 1913 and was named after Ralph Waldo Emerson. His father died in a construction accident in 1916. In 1921, Ellison's mother moved her family to Gary, Indiana, believing her children would have a better chance at reaching manhood if raised in the North. When his mother couldn't find a job, she moved the family back to Oklahoma, where Ellison worked a variety of jobs before graduating high school. In 1931, Ellison graduated from Douglass High School and went on to study music at Tuskegee Institute. While at Tuskegee, Ellison was influenced by his English teacher, Morteza Drexel Sprague, who helped him see the possibilities of literature. Ellison died on April 16, 1994. The ideology of not being seen as his true self heavily influences the narrator. The narrator tries on seven different identities throughout the novel, but never feels like any of them are truly him. This leads him to understand that he is essentially invisible. The narrator states, "I am invisible, understand, simply because people refuse to see me." The Souls of Black Folk by W.E.B. Du Bois In the first chapter, "Of Our Spiritual Strivings," Du Bois presents his thesis: Black people in the South need a good education, the right to vote, and equal treatment under the law. Du Bois coined the term "double consciousness," defined as the sense of always looking at oneself through the eyes of others, of measuring one's soul by the standards of a world that looks on in amused contempt and pity.  The second chapter, "Of the Dawn of Freedom," covers the period from 1861 to 1872. It explores the Freedmen's Bureau as one of the most notable attempts by the nation to address the issues of race and social conditions after the Civil War. Du Bois also introduces the concept of "the problem of the color-line." The third chapter, "Of Mr. Booker T. Washington and Others," critiques Booker T. Washington's focus on industrial education for Black men. Du Bois instead advocates for a classical education and the establishment of Black leaders and educators. The fourth chapter, "Of the Meaning of Progress," explores Du Bois's own experiences teaching in Tennessee. The fifth chapter, "Of the Wings of Atlanta," is a reflection on the importance of widespread higher education in the South. Ann Petry Ann Petry was born in 1908 and died in 1997. She was an American writer of novels, short stories, and children's books. Her 1946 novel, The Street, was the first novel by an African American woman to sell more than a million copies. Petry was born in Old Saybrook, Connecticut, the youngest of three daughters. Her family was one of the few Black families in the primarily white town. Many of the women in Petry's family, including her mother, were businesswomen. Although her family was shielded from much of the class and racial prejudice of the time, Petry still witnessed incidents of racial discrimination. Petry's desire to become a professional writer was sparked in high school. She graduated from the Connecticut College of Pharmacy in 1931 and worked in her family's pharmacy for several years. She married George Petry in 1938 and the couple moved to New York. In New York, she worked for several publications, including the Amsterdam News, and she published her first story in 1941. Her time living in Harlem heavily influenced her writing, and her experiences in the neighborhood led her to write The Street.  In 1946, The Street was published by Houghton Mifflin and quickly became Petry's most popular novel. The Street sold over a million copies and was adapted into a film. The Street is set in World War II era Harlem. It follows the story of Lutie Johnson, a single Black mother who tries to create a better life for herself and her son in a hostile urban environment. The novel is a commentary on the societal injustices and racism experienced by Black women during this period. Study Guide - Quiz #4 The quiz will cover material related to the city in African American fiction. Some key concepts to study include the idea of the city as a space of both opportunity and confinement, the impact of emancipation on Black migration to urban areas, and the ways in which the city serves as a controlling setting in the works of Harlem Renaissance writers. The quiz will also cover The Street by Ann Petry, Invisible Man by Ralph Ellison, and The Souls of Black Folk by W.E.B. Du Bois. When studying The Street, focus on the characters of Lutie Johnson, her son Bub, Bub's father Jim, Super Jones, Mrs. Hedges, Junto, and Boots Smith. For Invisible Man, focus on the social and intellectual issues faced by African Americans in the early 20th century, the influence of Morteza Drexel Sprague on Ellison, the underlying meanings of the novel, the narrator's search for identity, the quote, "I am invisible, understand, simply because people refuse to see me," the character of the nameless Black man, and the significance of the "Battle Royal," Dr. Bledsoe, and Mr. Norton. When studying The Souls of Black Folk, focus on Du Bois's role as a protest leader, the concepts of "double consciousness" and "the problem of the color-line," the differences between Du Bois and Booker T. Washington, the importance of education and civil rights for Black people, and Du Bois's experiences as a teacher in Tennessee. This study guide should help you prepare for your 40-question multiple-choice test. Good luck!