English III GT (Guillot/Goebel)
Summer Reading 2015 Assignment
Ralph Ellison’s Invisible Man
(Do Not Confuse this with The Invisible Man by H.G. Wells!)
Read Ralph Ellison’s novel Invisible Man and choose one of the following prompts. Respond in
a five paragraph essay.
Prompt A for Ralph Ellison’s Invisible Man Once, e.e. cummings claimed that “to be nobody but
yourself – in a world which is doing its best, night and day, to make you everybody else – means to
fight the hardest battle which any human can fight, and never stop fighting.” In Ralph Ellison’s
Invisible Man, the main character experiences this battle firsthand. Eventually, he comes to terms
with his own identity, yet the expected gratification seems to evade him. Explain the truth
Ellison is trying to reveal about the American Dream and the effect the pursuit has on both the
individual and society.
Prompt B for Ralph Ellison’s Invisible Man One definition of madness is “mental delusion or the
eccentric behavior arising from it.” But Emily Dickinson explains, “Much madness is divinest Sense- /
To a discerning Eye.” Ralph Ellison sees madness with a “discerning Eye.” Invisible Man’s
seeming irrational behavior plays an important role. Write a well-organized essay in which you
explain what this seemingly delusional or eccentric behavior consists of and how it might be
more accurately judged as reasonable or sane. What does the lack of the “discerning eye” by
other characters in Invisible Man’s life suggest about society?
The Essays: Introduction with hook (uses quotations, statistics, anecdotes, etc. to get the reader interested),
titles, authors, and compelling thesis which makes an assertion to be proved. Make sure thesis is significant,
debatable, and applicable to a universal audience. Three complete body paragraphs with a minimum of two
chunks (1 CD to 2 CM ratio) per body paragraph. Make certain you use direct quotations for CD’s and that you
introduce the quotations with *transitions and *lead-ins that help the reader see the significance of the quote or
weave the quotation into your own sentences where the context is made clear. *Cite the pages of the CD’s
parenthetically according to MLA Handbook guidelines. End with a conclusion paragraph that enlightens the
reader about the universal truth revealed through the work. 100 points
*Transitions are words that lead the reader to the idea – words such as first, for example, therefore, as a result,
finally, clearly, specifically, in fact, consequently, however, etc.
*Lead-ins establish the situation, the speaker and/or person spoken to, and the place/time setting of the
quotation
*Citations – Use MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers (most recent edition) by Joseph Gibaldi
All summer reading assignments DUE on the first day of school. You should have typed and double spaced
paper copies of your essay to turn in on the first day of school. Use Times New Roman, 12 pt. font with true
double space (Set your Word to no spacing before and after sentences). Prior to that, you will need to save your
essays digitally and will be given instructions on how to submit your summer reading essays to your teacher’s
turnitin.com account on your first day of school.