Rebirth in Invisible Man

Thoughout Ralph Ellison's Invisible Man, the narrator struggles with his identity. His inner turmoil is caused by a lack of freedom that he experiences as he is constantly controlled by outside forces.

In the middle of the novel the narrator goes through a period of rebirth after his explosion in the paint factory. This rebirth readies him to be manipulated and controlled by more forces, and instead of a natural birth, it is a mechanical one. A birth powered by electricity, representing the power that the forces in his life use to manipulate others. The explosion which causes his symbolic death happens because the pressure builds up, literally and symbolically, as the "needle on one of the gauges swinging madly, like a beacon gone out of control" (229). The pressure that weighs down on the narrator from the expectations and constant control of others causes him to explode. He wakes up in a hospital, with a doctor staring at him. He is referred to as an infant, with infant eyes as he recounts the experience. While he undergoes the procedure and he slips in and out of consciousness he mentions Beethoven's fifth symphony. The rhythmic beat of the song that he discusses almost sounds like a heartbeat. The song is even described to mean "fate knocking on the door", his rebirth. Next, the narrator is in a state of confusion about his identity, he thinks he is Brer Rabbit, a character from a children's story, and he confuses the machine as his mother, "mother, who was my mother? Mother, the one who screams when you suffer- but who?... But the scream came from the machine. A machine my mother?...Clearly, I was out of my head" (240). This machine-like birth demonstrates how society mechanized individuals, using them for specific purposes. Before the rebirth the narrator even describes himself as "We the machines inside the machines". Mechanizing his birth demonstrates that he is a product of unnatural means. He is only a part to be used in society, not meant to stand out. After his rebirth he is the perfect clean slate to be recruited by the brotherhood, needing a mentor in his state of infancy. 

Born again, the narrator is an infant susceptible to the control and manipulation of others. "he'll experience no major conflict of motives, and what is even better, society will suffer no traumata on his account". Perfect for him

to fall under the control of the brotherhood and not question society's authority and utter control. When he gives his first speech at the elderly couple's eviction, he picks up various objects from the ground that are aged objects about children. Baby's boots, a grandchild's postcard, and more are thrown onto the street as the narrator himself is going through his childhood. In this state of youth, the Brotherhood lures him in and teaches him, gives him a place to belong. They tell him that the old have fallen outside of history and convince him that he is their future. His rebirth carved the path for this to be able to happen. 

My college rant... Why not?

My little rant on the conflict caused by high tuition rates. 

The college process is a grueling one, and the past few months have been filled with stressful applications, an extraordinary amount of essays, and a lesson in patience. And ironically enough, result of this rollercoaster of emotions is another rollercoaster of emotions. 

After the utter euphoria that came with receiving a college acceptance, reality kicked in as I stared at the cruel, mocking numbers on my computer screen. Apparently, going to college costs a lot of money. With parents who dont believe in college funds and don't want me to take out student loans, all that's left for me to do is hope for the best. When discussing my future, I've heard from almost every adult in my life that I must "be practical", and that I don't yet understand what a burden it is to have to pay back thousands of dollars in loans. While I do see their point, and I do concede that their experience may lead them to be wise in this area, I simply cannot let go of my dreams. In a society where money is valued above all other things, some people can't comprehend why I would choose a tremendous amount of debt over  attending a school for practically nothing AND stay closer to home. 

But dreams are called dreams for a reason, they haunt us in the best way possible, and I feel passionate about achieving what I've worked for. The costs of attending the school I want to attend do not outweigh the higher level of education that I would receive compared to going to a local school. Even if I have to go through massive culture shock, be distanced from family and friends, and eat ramen noodles for the rest of my life, I would still rather go to the university I desire. Perhaps I see it differently because I'm not going to college to earn a degree in order to score a high paying job. I'm truly passionate about my education, I'm thirsty to learn and apply my knowledge somewhere where it counts, and this to me is more valuable than the money in my pocket. We only live on this earth for a limited number of days, and so many people live for green little printed sheets of paper. People surround their careers around it, make decisions by it, even kill for it. Maybe I'm still young and naive (granted, I've never had a job), but I'd like to believe that my life is going to be about more than superficial aspects such as money. I hope I'll be following my dreams, living in a way that makes an impact in the world, taking advantage of every moment I have on this earth and living it to the fullest.  

My conclusion is that if you're truly passionate about something, you sort out your priorities, and make the necessary sacrifices. Life is short, and there's no do-over where we can do all that we miss, so as cheesy as it sounds, follow your heart. 

Sonnet 67

Like as a huntsman after weary chase,
  Seeing the game from him escaped away,
  sits down to rest him in some shady place,
  with panting hounds, beguiled of their prey:
So, after long pursuit and vain assay,
  when I all weary had the chase forsook,
  the gentle deer returned the self-same way,
  thinking to quench her thirst at the next brooke.
There she, beholding me with milder look,
  sought not to fly, but fearless still did bide,
  till I in hand her yet half trembling took,
  and with her own good will her firmly tied.
Strange thing, me seemed, to see a beast so wild,

  so goodly won, with her own will beguiled.

Spenserian sonnets are based on Edmund Spenser's courtship of Elizabeth Boyle. They are written in a very intricate form, with an interlocking rhyme scheme. In sonnet 67, the speaker portrays the pursuit of love as a chase, comparing his adventures to a hunt. This Spenserian sonnet describes the object of his affections as his prey, comparing himself to the effortless hunter who ultimately claims victory by putting forth no effort at all. The intricate rhyme scheme in this sonnet demonstrates how intertwined our actions and efforts are, with one person's circumstances and efforts affecting another's choices.  

In sonnet 67, the first quadrant describes the "weary chase", where the hunter would sit down "with panting hounds, beguiled of their prey". At this point in the sonnet the hunter's chase seems hopeless and full of meaningless effort since the prey continues to escape from him. The prey in the poem is the woman which Spenser is courting, at first showing no interest in his pursuit and escaping from him. The hunter is discouraged from his chase, sitting under the shade to rest after a long, weary journey.  The second quadrant then illustrates how the prey, a deer, returns to where he sits to "quench her thirst". This demonstrates how after the hunter has given up his pursuit and sits down to rest, the deer comes back to him to fulfill its own needs. This compares to a loving pursuit between humans. Spenser is portraying this scene to show that when a person ceases to effortfully pursue someone else, the object of their affections will come to them, realizing how much they themselves care for the pursuer.  The last quadrant depicts a scene where the deer is captured "half trembling" yet "fearless". This image demonstrates the victory that the speaker holds in his chase for the prey, who has walked up to him and given itself over to him. The prey comes to the hunter by its own free will, ironic since this is at a point where the hunter has given up his pursuit. The same victory is seen between Spenser and the woman he courted, Elizabeth Boyle, who later on in life became his wife. Spenser must have ultimately stopped "chasing" her for her to realize how much she cared for him. 

The last couplet in the sonnet reads "strange thing, me seemed, to see a beast so wild/ So goodly won, with her own will beguiled". This demostrates the speaker's victory in his pursuit of the "game from him escaped away" earlier in the poem. The chase was won when the hunter finally ceased his efforts, leading the prey to realize how much it "thirsted" for him. These interlocked situations, a reaction from one action leading to another, are emphasized with Spenser's intricate rhyme scheme. Also, the idea of wanting what one cannot attain is seen clearly throughout the poem, first with the hunter, and then with the prey once it realizes it is no longer being chased, returning to the hands of the hunter.