This unit has four Supplementary AP Projects, related to the theme of race and identity in the United States. Throughout the unit, students will discuss, debate and write about questions mapped to the Common Core standards and modeled on question types from the new (2016) SAT exam. In addition to the reading of the novel, students will read several non-fiction pieces, analyzing how each author develops his or her point of view. Students will trace the major motifs and symbols of the novel, also with an eye to theme development. The primary literary analysis skills focus of the unit will be on analyzing the narrator and how the author uses the narrator’s development to communicate his themes. They will simultaneously analyze Ellison’s use of the narrator’s journey to deliver his own messages on race and racism in American society, including harsh critiques of some of the most prominent figures in African American history.

While reading the novel, students will trace the narrator’s “Hero’s Journey” journey from innocence to self-discovery.

Exploring themes of racism, identity, and truth, Ellison brings readers on a journey of invisibility and self-discovery that poses a harsh critique of American society. This National Book Award winning work follows an unnamed African American narrator from the Deep South to Harlem, New York as he searches for meaning and truth. In this unit, students will analyze and experience Ralph Ellison’s acclaimed 1952 novel, Invisible Man.

Invisible man book ralph ellison