Monday, December 20, 2010
UNIVERSAL THEME #3: Importance of Invisible People
Enriched by our reading experiences, sharing specific examples from the novel and the short stories provides the chance to internalize key themes. Dig deep. Provide an example from one work that reflects the theme listed. Establish the context of your example. Quotes are ecouraged. Be sure to read through the entire post; do not use the same examples as classmates.
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So called "invisible people" are integral aspects of any work of fiction. "Invisible people" are characters that are not specifically named and described but are assumed to be a part of the plot and the story. An example of invisible characters in The Grapes of Wrath are the thousands of migrants heading west on route 66 that are not directly named but are in the story. Invisible characters can also be people that are not directly mentioned in the plot but do exist in the setting of the book. An example of this would be people living in New York during the setting time period of the Grapes of Wrath. Not once are New Yorkers mentioned in the Grapes of Wrath, but we know through historical context that there were people struggling with economic depression in the setting of the Grapes of Wrath. These "characters" or persons add to the plot by enriching the historical context and historical setting of the book as well as developing the attributes of the "Visible Characters". For example, the Joads moving west were a part of the whole of the migrants, many of which are "Invisible Characters" from The Grapes of Wrath's standpoint. When the reader realizes that magnitude of this migration through the "visible" as well as "invisible" characters, they develop a true sense of the struggles and actions of the "visible" main characters.
ReplyDeleteDo the other shorter works reflect this "invisibility" that Wes refers to? Can being invisible have other meanings beyond what Wes discussed in his quality, lengthy paragraph?
ReplyDelete"Say, who are you that calls out in the dark? And who are you that draws your veil across the stars?" calls out Langston Hughes in "Let America Be America Again". Hughes effectively addresses the "invisible" people in his poetic assertion that America has not yet met the criteria of freedom and equality upon which it was founded. He takes on the personas of a poor white man, a still oppressed African American, a Native American, and an immigrant, giving these marginalized people a voice. He highlights the theme of oppression in saying "Of dog eat dog, of mighty crush the weak"; "Let America Be America Again" brings these invisible people to the attention of its reader. Wesley makes a fair point in saying people of a collective whole are sometimes made to be invisible; this holds true for Hughes description of a collective people.
ReplyDelete"Who said free? Not me?
Surely not me? The millions on relief today?
The millions shot down when we strike?
The millions who have nothing for our pay?"
Langston Hughes insists there are millions of people who would insist that America is not "the homeland of the free", that their voice goes unheard and is dismissed, and is regrettable product of society's natural tendency to form a hierarchy of importance. In his observation of America's dependency yet ironic lack of acknowledgement of the "invisible people", Langston Hughes captures and communicates a picture of those subjected to social prejudice liberating themselves, making invisible people visible.