Ralph Ellison, the author of Invisible Man,shocked the readers of the 1950's because he wrote the first book about what it meant to be black in America. Through out his childhood and early days in his career, we can see what influenced his writing the most. Although he didnt grow up in the best conditions, he was able to become a famous author and civil rights spokesman.
Economically, Ellison was not a wealthy person while growing up. He was able to use his intelligence and talent to get a scholarship to an all black college in Alabama. After he had begun to build his future, the great depression left him poor and in search of a job. He also became a major spokesman for the civil rights movement which is why this story includes many racial protests. He also lived in the deep south where racism was at its strongest. Because he experienced racism first-hand, his experiences will be in the writing.
Invisible Man started when Richard Wright convinced Ellison to try writing for a living. He took a job interviewing for the Federal Writers Project. The experiences that he ad with the interviewing. The experiences fueled his stories when one day he wrote "I am an invisible man". This incredible sentence led to over 500 pages of writing. This is one sentence with a lot of meaning.
No comments:
Post a Comment