Invisible Man Essay

In an excerpt from Invisible Man by Ralph Ellison, the often-ignored truth about the issue of racism is brought to light through the feeling of being “invisible”. Ralph Ellison opens readers’ eyes to show them the hideousness of walking through life unnoticed and uncared for; he brings to our attention what we have historically chosen, and continue to choose, to ignore. Ellison gives readers a new perspective by his use of emotional figurative language and strong diction throughout the excerpt. Ellison’s emotional use of figurative language helps to convey his feelings regarding “invisibility”. In the very beginning of the excerpt, Ellison proclaims, “I am an invisible man”. He uses this strong metaphor to convey to readers the degree to which he feels unrecognized. The fact that every day of his life he feels invisible only shows just how much people really do ignore him on a daily basis. He feels as though he has been “surrounded by mirrors of hard, distorting glass.” This description illustrates the warped perception of society. The same way these carnival mirrors distort the images of people in fun houses, society warps Ellison’s public image. Ralph Ellison also describes himself as feeling like “the bodiless heads you see sometimes in circus sideshows”. Instead of feeling like he’s seen as a real person, he feels as though he is seen more as a spectacle to the public eye – something odd and inhuman. This comparison, again, shows the distortion which society associates with him. Ellison’s use of figurative language helps to show readers the twisted judgments placed upon him on a daily basis. Ralph Ellison also makes use of strong and interesting diction to convey his message. From the beginning of the excerpt, Ellison makes repeated use of the words “no” and “nor” in reference to the fact that he is not literally “invisible”. This shows how persistent Ellison is in assuring readers of the fact that he isn’t physically invisible, rather, he is