高级英语unit_7-Invisible man

InvisibleManRalphEllisonBackgroundinformationInvisibleManTextanalysisStructureofthearticleAbouttheauthorAboutthetextGuidetoReadingAfrican-AmericanLiteratureBlackliteraturewasonceaneglectedareaofAmericanliteraryscholarship.BlackshavemadesignificantcontributiontoallaspectsofAmericanlife.Besides,withtheCivilRightMovement’sdevelopmentin1960s,moreandmoreblackwritersputtheirconcerntotheiridentity,howtosurviveandkeeptheirnationalcharacteristicsinsocietywhichwhitepeopledominated.BlackliteratureconstituteamajorforcechangingtheearlierAmericanliteraryworldofthewhitemiddleclass.IthasbecomeanindispensablepartofAmericanliteraturenow.RepresentativeWorksofAfricanAmericanLiteraturea.RichardWright:NativeSon土生子b.RalphEllison:InvisibleMan隐形人c.JamesBaldwin:GoTellItontheMountain向苍天呼吁d.ToniMorrison:TheBluestEye,Sula,SongOfSolomon,Belovede.AliceWalker:TheColorPurple艾里森和《看不见的人》艾里森：《看不见的人》（InvisibleMan，1952）。着重探讨的是“寻找自我”这样一个具有普遍意义的命题。“我一直在寻找自我，曾有过许多只有我自己才能够回答的问题。我不问自己，却老是去问别人。只是在经过漫长的时间，体验过种种期望遭到毁灭的痛苦以后，我才获得别人与生俱有的认识：我就是我自己。”AbouttheAuthorRalphEllison,1914-1994RalphEllisonBornMarch1,1914inOklahomaCityFatherdiedin1917andresultedineconomicstruggleMotheractiveinsocialistpoliticsAttendedcollegeattheTuskegeeInstituteinAlabamaMovedtoNewYorkCityTooksevenyearstowriteInvisibleManDiedApril16,1994MajorWorks：InvisibleManShadowandActGoingtotheTerritoryAnalysisoftheInvisibleManInInvisibleMan,Ellisondepictsablackindividualsearchingforhisidentityorplaceinsociety.Forexample,whentheyoungblackmenareintheBattleRoyal,theyareforcedtowatchanudewhitewomandance.Thewhiteobserversabusetheseyoungblackmenfornotwatchingandalsoabusethemforwatching.Theseblackfellowsdonotknowhowtheyareexpectedtobehave;therefore,theydonotknowtheirplaceinsociety.BattleRoyalBattleroyal:(inthedictionary)1)n.pl.battlesroyal;Abattleinvolvingmanycombatants.混战(许多斗士、参赛者参与)2）Afighttothefinish.决斗战，殊死战3）hereitmeansabattleinvolvingmanyblackboys,fightingindisorder,untilonlyoneisleft.Battleroyalswereusuallyfoughtamongblackfighters.Theseeventsoftentookplacebeforeformalfightsstarted.Thewinnerwouldcollectafewcoinstossedtohimbythespectatorsattheconclusionofthefight.BattleRoyalBattleRoyalBattleroyalsbecamecommonplaceattractionswiththeresurgingofboxingin19thcenturyAmerica.IntheAmericanSouth,thebattleroyalwasaritualandusedtobebenignlyfoughtamongNegrokidsthemselves.Butwhentheracialthingentered,andwhenthenotionofwhitesuperioritywasintroduced,thebattleroyalwastwistedintosomethingelse.BattleRoyalTakethe‘BattleRoyal’passageinmynovel,wheretheboysareblindfoldedandforcedtofighteachotherfortheamusementofthewhiteobservers.ThisisavitalpartofbehaviorpatternintheSouth,whichbothNegroesandwhitesthoughtlesslyaccept…Thepatternswerealreadythereinsociety,sothatallIhadtodowaspresenttheminabroadercontextofmeaning.----RalphEllisonTextorganizationPart1:(para1)theopeningPart2:(para2)historicalbackgroundofthestoryPart3:(para3)thetremendouseffectofthegrandfather’swordsuponthenarratorPart4:(paras4-90)themainbodyofthebattleroyalincidentPart5:(paras91-94)theendingTextorganizationPart4:(paras4-90)themainbodyofthebattleroyalincidentsetting;people(4-5)thenakedwhitegirl’sdance(6-9)5thefightitself(10-28)subsectionsthegrabbingfortheprizemoney(29-46)thenarrator’sspeech(47-90)TextanalysisWhatisthefunctionofparagraph1?1.Bysaying“Itgoesalongwayback,sometwentyyears,”theauthortellsusthatthestorytookplaceinthepast.Thisisacommonwayoftellingastory:Thenarratorhasreachedacertainstageofhis/herlifewhenhe/shedeemsitnecessarytolookbackatapasteventthatwasmeaningtohim/her.Textanalysisparagraph1Wordslike“Iwaslookingformyself”and“Iamnobodybutmyself”pointoutthecentralthemeofthenovel---searchingforself-identity.Ittookmealongtimeandmuchpainfulboomeranging...butmyself.boomeranging:aboomerangisacurvedstickfromAustraliathatfilesinacircleandcomesbacktoyouwhenyouthrowit.Hereitisusedmetaphorically,implyingthatthenarratormovedinacircleandcamebacktowherehehadstarted.ThisideaofcirclingisalsoexpressedintheProloguewherethenarratorsays“theendisinthebeginning”.Themeaningofthesentence:IttookmealongtimetogetridofillusionsandrealizethesimpleandapparenttruththatIamnobodybutmyself.Itwasapainfulprocess.Istartedwithhighexpectationsonlytobedeeplydisappointedandthoroughlydisillusioned.我花了很长时间，兜了许多痛苦的圈子，才明白别人生来就明白的一个道理：我就是我自己。但首先我得发现我是一个隐形人。ButfirstIhadtodiscoverthatIamaninvisibleman.InvisibleManisthetitleofthenovel,andinvisibilityisoneofthecentralmotifsofthiswork.Theword“invisible”isusedfiguratively,meaningnotbeingrecognizedbysociety.TodiscoverthatIamaninvisiblemanisthefirststeptowardsrealizingwhoIam.Thebattleroyalsceneestablishesinvisibilityasamajorsymbolofthenovel.TextanalysisWhatisParagraph2about?Thisparagraphtellsusabitaboutthehistoricalbackgroundagainstwhichthestorytookplace.Italsointroducesanewcharacter---thenarrator’sgrandfather.Onhisdeathbed,hesaidsomethingthatalarmedandpuzzledthewholefamily.AndyetIamnofreakofnature,norofhistory.freak:anabnormalpersontheimpliedmeaningofthesentence:By“nofreakofnature”thenarratormeansthatheisperf