86 pages 2 hours read

Ralph Ellison

Invisible Man

Fiction | Novel | Adult | Published in 1952

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Activities

Use this activity to engage all types of learners, while requiring that they refer to and incorporate details from the text over the course of the activity.

 “What’s in a Name?”

In this activity, students will create a character and tell a story without using that character’s name to analyze and demonstrate the power in being both named and unnamed.

First, take five minutes to design and develop a character. Imagine them in their entirety and write down answers to the following question:

  • What are three adjectives or traits you would use to describe the character?
  • What are the character’s strengths and weaknesses?
  • How does the character respond to conflict?
  • What are the character’s goals?

Next, write one-paragraph narrative from your character’s perspective without naming them. Be sure to develop the characteristics you identified in the first part of the activity.

Finally, as a class or in your reading journal, discuss the following questions:

  • What was it like to tell a story in which you could not give your main character and narrator a name? How did that affect the way you told the story?
  • What power is there in a name?
  • What power is there when someone is unnamed?
  • What did we learn about the protagonist as an unnamed character?