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ENGLISH 3B
Assignment 2: Invisible Man/The Reluctant Fundamentalist
Due Date: 01/10/2021 (Friday) @ 23:59 (end of day)
INSTRUCTIONS:
1. Choose one of the topics on page two to write your essay on.
2. Your essay must be typed in 1.5 line-spacing, using Arial size 12 font.
3. It must be at least four (4), but no more than five (5) pages long, excluding the
cover page and the bibliography.
4. You must include a fully completed cover page, signed and dated.
5. Please provide a bibliography.
6. Please make sure that you use the correct format for the bibliography, and for
in-text referencing. Consult the Study Guide for guidance on how to reference
your assignment.
7. You must upload your essay to Turn-it-in. The portal link for this
assignment will be under “Assessments” on the English 3B Blackboard
site.
8. If you are unable to submit via Turn-it-in, you must contact the course
coordinator, Shameema Sarang to make other arrangements. You should
also contact Shameema Sarang at sarangsshamz11@gmail.com if you
have a valid reason for being unable to meet the deadline.
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Topic 1:
Write an essay in which you consider the possibilities for and limitations of
Changez’s assimilation into American life. Your essay needs to address the time
Changez spends as an employee at Underwood Samson, his reasons for leaving this
job, and his relationship with Erica. You can, of course, raise other relevant aspects of
the text if you wish to do so. You are also encouraged to make use of appropriate
secondary material.
OR
Topic 2:
“A little child shall lead them,” the vet said with a smile. “But seriously,
because you both fail to understand what is happening to you. You cannot see
or hear or smell the truth of what you see — and you, looking for destiny! It’s
classic! And the boy, this automaton, he was made of the very mud of the
region and he sees far less than you. Poor stumblers, neither of you can see the
other. To you he is a mark on the score-card of your achievement, a thing and
not a man; a child, or even less — a black amorphous thing. And you, for all
your power, are not a man to him, but a God, a force —”
Mr. Norton stood abruptly. “Let us go, young man,” he said angrily.
“No, listen. He believes in you as he believes in the beat of his heart. He
believes in that great false wisdom taught slaves and pragmatists alike, that
white is right. I can tell you his destiny. He’ll do your bidding, and for that his
blindness is his chief asset. He’s your man, friend. Your man and your destiny
(1952:75).
The above quote is one of the several instances wherein Invisible Man’s own
blindness is highlighted and addressed. In your essay, discuss Invisible Man’s
blindness and subsequent disillusionment.
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References for electronic copies
Ellison,
Ralph.
[1952]
n.d.
Invisible
Man.
Available
at:
http://aplitmorse.weebly.com/uploads/1/3/4/9/13497129/invisible_man_pdf.pdf
Hamid, Mohsin. [2007] n.d. The Reluctant Fundamentalist. Available at:
https://literariness.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/Literariness.org-Hamid-MohsinThe-Reluctant-Fundamentalist-2007-Harvest-Books.pdf