Chapter 4
Note how many different people the narrator has offended or does not fit in with. In what directions is he pulled?
Chapter 5
The chapel service is an important event. He says he had to attend chapel before meeting with Bledsoe. Think about this, either before or after reading: what do you suppose is represented by the chapel service as a whole? What elements of the service support your assumption?
Point out images, stylistic techniques, and themes contained in Homer Barbee’s sermon.
Does [any aspect of] Homer Barbee represent anything?
Chapter 6
Here the narrator meets with Dr. Bledsoe.
Does anything about Bledsoe surprise you? Confuse you? How has your opinion of him changed, if at all?
Why is Bledsoe doing what he’s doing to (or for) the narrator?
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Chapter 6 Response:
ReplyDeleteBledsoe says he's "helping" the narrator. (Which is ironic, because he's kicking the narrator out of college). It seems like Bledsoe is willing to make himself seem lower than a white man just to assure to himself that he's above him. Why even take all of that energy? Why not just prove directly that your better? He tells the narrator to live like that and it reminds me of what the grandfather said at the beginning of the book. I love how Bledsoe promises Norton that he will not punish the narrator but he ends up giving him a worst possible punishment and then refuses to send Norton a referral. I think that Bledsoe is making it hard for the Narrator and sending him on a wild goose chase.
Chap.4: The narrator doesn't fit in with anyone! Not the boys he grew up with, not the boys he now learns with, he doesn't have any friends. The only person he has really talked with has been Norton and even then he merely answered questions. It seems to me that he is just trying to stay under the radar and please the white and black men in power, to stay in their good graces.
ReplyDeleteChap.6:
ReplyDelete1.At first I thought that Bledsoe was an okay kind of guy, but now i think he's a real butt. The thing that most shocked me was the fact that he called the narrator a nigger. My reaction was much like the narrator's: "It was as though he'd struck me. I stared across the desk thinking, He called me that...". By calling the narrator that, Bledsoe proved that he feels that he is equal to, if not above, the white man and that the narrator is below him in the way of race (which is truely ironic because he is of the same race).
I agree with cdawg!
ReplyDeleteWhat is motivating Bledsoe? What does he stand to gain or lose?
ReplyDeleteResponse to DP(Dairy Product):
ReplyDeleteI think that Bledsoe is motivated by the fact that he was once the boy that cleaned the college and now he's running it. I think he feels that since he had to raise himself through that, that he technically looks down on everyone who is going to college, because your going to get a degree then be thrown into a higher position. He had to slowly rise though. I find it ironic that Bledsoe acts more like a white man than any other character so far in the book. He continues to say how the white man "thinks" he's better than everyone else but he's the one that's acting like that. He contains more white traits than anyother person so far.
CH6 3. Bledsoe does what he does to the narrator because he is afraid of the narrator close relationship with Mr. Norton. Bledsoe just wants the narrator to leave the college to be rid of a problem
ReplyDeleteI think Bledsoe has an hiding intention. He seems to believe he is better than anyone else in the novel because he is so important to the college. I think that with in the novel Bledsoe is going to continue to change...and not for the better. Bledsoe really suprises me when he kicks the narrator out of college and refers it as he is helping the narrator. I'm interested in seeing what is going to continue to happen and how Bledsoe will continue to effect the story in a negative or maybe positive kind of way.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteChapter 4.
ReplyDeleteThe narrator doesn't fit in with anyone. It seems as if everyone gets pleasure out of picking on him. Norton is really the only positive relationship that he seems to have, which is ironic because he is the reason for his dismissal from the school. The narrator dreams of being like Norton; intelligent, successful, and respected.
Chapter 5.
I think Barbee's sermon was concentrated on the Founder’s dream of bringing black people out of the dark age of slavery and into the thought process of how they can achieve knowledge through education. Bledsoe was once a believer in the same thing but went through certain events that led to his demise and deviation from what's right.
Image- "the surreal image of Rev. Barbee’s collar cutting off his head, symbolizing the separation of mind and body (because blacks were not allowed to integrate their mind and body and become whole men)" I think that's a pretty neat representation. And it's true because back then white men tried to take everything from a black man, especially their "man hood" something they took the most pride in.
Chapter 6.
Bledsoe is EVIL! It confuses/angers me that he told Norton that he would not expel the narrator but he does anyway. Norton gave the narrator the impression that he would save him and he tried. I think he is jealous of the narrator and very insecure and power hungry.
Ch 5 Q3:
ReplyDeletei think the single aspect of Homer Barbee that stands out moreso than anything else is the fact that he is blind. This single image is more powerful than all the others because it connects so strongly to the invisibility theme. We know that the narrator struggles with his self image and in the end, concludes that he is an invisible man. This is ironic in comparison to Homer Barbee's situation. It would seem that the rest of the world would be invisible to him because of his blindness. However, we know from Barbee's speech that he is a great visionary and the images in his mind of the outside world and school campus plainly show he does not see anything as invisible. It's sort of a paradox how a blind man can see what, to him, should be invisible yet the perfectly functioning young school boy cannot make sense of the simplest things, which are plainly visible, in his life.
Ch 4 Q1:
ReplyDeleteExactly! I like what Brook said about the narrator not fitting in with anybody. By being so oucast and secluded, it furthers the narrator's path to invisibility. The boy's constant struggle to "stay under the radar" is almost a catalyst for assuring that sooner or later he is bound to be noticed. By trying so hard to be undetected, the narrator basically shot himself in the foot because one life lesson everybody knows is that you cannot please everyone. Trying to live your life in the style so that it may please everyone is a recipe for disaster and is overall an impossibility.
One cannot go through life as purely invisible and i think this is something the narrator forgot in his older years. He forgot about his younger years as a school boy, when he was definitely noticed and plainly visible to Dr. Bledsoe, and, ultimately, when he was kicked out of college. In all these aspects, either as invisible, as the visible man who was the expelled college student, the lone outcast boy, the bottom line is that he fits in with no one.
Ch 6, Q2:
ReplyDeleteDr. Bledsoe is a pig! I just want to punch this guy in the face. Seriously, how can one read this piece within the book and not be angered at this man's play of his power role? I didn't really know what to think of him in earlier pieces of the book when he was spoken of by the narrator. The only image I had to go on was the narrator's outstanding opinion and almost idolization of Dr. Bledsoe and the fact that he was constantly referred to as "the founder". This title is the main thing that clued me in on the idea that things may not be all what they seem with Dr. B. I didn't like how he was constantly referred to as the founder because it's kind of like an allusion to him being a king. No one ever addresses a king by his name, he is purely referred to as "the King." Similarly, Dr. B is almost singly referred to as "the Founder" and nothing else for the main first portion of the book, as if he is a King and the campus is his castle. I think Bledsoe is a classic portrayal of "the man." He is the one who steps on all the little people to make his way to the top of the corporate and social ladder. He is everything to be despised all rolled up into one character. I find this so ironic because when the narrator later moves to Harlem and is passing on the street, there is a speech in which the blacks are called to stick it to "the man".
I disagree with Sam Dr. Bledsoe isn't "the man" but a pawn of "the man". Dr. Bledsoe hates the narrator because he sees him as a threat to his position in the social hierarchy. Dr. Bledsoe sees himself as the liaison between the white and black communities and doesn't want to push out of his position by some young upstart so he sends him to New York. Dr. Bledsoe is like the older brother in the Prodigal Son Parable. He sees the narrator's sin of showing Norton Trueblood as to great to be forgiven by the father (the whites) so he must be punished or sent away.
ReplyDeleteChapter 5 Response:
ReplyDeleteThis whole chapter was slightly a love/hate relationship with me from the start. I loved all of the symbolism in the sermon scene, but I HATED it all at the same time. The whole scene I think foreshadows what is coming for the narrator. I love how the whole sermon is about the Founder's story and how he escaped slavery. This reminded me of the statue of the founder and how the narrator said "...I am standing puzzled, unable to decide whether the veil is really being lifted, or lowered more firmly in place" Now why would the Founder be the one holding the veil if he himself was the one with the veil on? (BLEDSOE?!)
Chapter 5:
ReplyDeleteThe fact that Homer Barbee is blind ties back into the prologue because the narrator is not seen by others. There are a number of times when certain characters in the book are blind to what is around them. The narrator is very naïve in the ways of the world and the white townspeople are blind with prejudice.
Chapter 6:
ReplyDeleteBledsoe’s views were very surprising. Since he is an educator, you would think that he would want to enlighten his students. Instead, he wants the narrator to remain ignorant and have no sense of dignity. Bledsoe acts like he is better than everyone else, and believes that he can beat the white men at their own game.
Chapter 6:
ReplyDeleteI think that Beldsoe acts the way he does because maybe at one time he too was a young, naïve college student. Now that he has moved up in the world, Bledsoe has become power hungry. In a way, he even believes that he is above the white men in the novel.
Chapter 5: I believe the narrator subconsciously feels like that if he attends church service, his sins will be forgiven by God, the white man, and Bledsoe. But in the course of the service he feels more and more guilty as Barbee delivers his speech about the Founder. In the course of his realizing what wrong he has committed in the eyes of the “world” he escapes into the night to avoid the threatening fear of living college.
ReplyDeleteChapter 6
ReplyDeleteI believe that Dr. Bledsoe is treating the narrator this way because he wants the narrator to understand the subservient role he must play if he is to be successful in his life as a black man. Dr. Bledsoe feels that he has had to learn the hard way that it is better to act the way that the whites want him to rather than be honest with them. I believe Dr. Bledsoe is trying to mold the narrator into a respectable black man that can one day come back to the college and pass on this knowledge. By allowing the narrator to travel to New York and find a job, it's almost as if Dr. Bledsoe is trying to give the narrator some real life experience that will be useful instead of simply returning him home and expelling him for good. Although the narrator does not see any good in his present situation, I believe some good will eventually come of it, even if he is only exposed to the world around him.
Chapter 4
ReplyDeleteIt's actually quite odd how many people the narrator doesn't get along with. Upon meeting Mr. Norton, the narrator feels uncomfortable simply because he is black and Mr. Norton is white. Then when Mr. Norton makes the narrator stop to talk with Trueblood, the narrator also feels out of place. It's like the narrator feels superior to Trueblood because of all the stories he's heard. Even though they are both black, the narrator excludes himself from association with Trueblood because of his sins. Later at Golden Day, the narrator also feels out of place because he is a student while the others are veterans from the mental hospital. Even with the other students on campus, the narrator doesn't seem to fit in. He asks another student who the speaker is and is scoffed at. Later he walks around behind some fellow students and doesn't even notice when they turn into their dorms. His lack of getting along with others who should be seen by him as his equals is also strange to me. It is quite obvious that the narrator has disappointed Dr. Bledsoe although Dr. Bledsoe is a little backwards in his reasoning. Nonetheless, Dr. Bledsoe is simply one more person that the narrator does not fit in with, adding to the overall idea that the narrator is invisible to those around him. I think that the narrator chooses to make himself invisible by not communicating with those around him. He excludes himself making the others wary of him.
I agree with Heather that Homer Barbee's blindness is significant to the plot. Besides Dr. Bledsoe, Barbee is the only black man on the Board. His blindness seems to show that he is unable to see the corruption that has developed in the "wonderful" school that the Founder created. Throughout Barbee's entire speech, he wears dark glasses so that the narrator is oblivious to the fact that he is blind. It is only after hearing the story of the Founder's life and the fluff that the Board wants to hear that Barbee's glasses fall off and reveal him for what he is--a blind man. I think this mirrors the blindness that the narrator is currently under. Only after commiting what Bledsoe regards as a terrible crime is the narrator able to see Bledsoe for what he truly is--a man who has gained power through his manipulation of others.
ReplyDeleteI agree with bluejay that the main character will feel that throuhg the chapel service he will be forgiven for what he has done. Although that doesn't happen andhe ends up kicked out of school.
ReplyDeleteAgain like jennifer said anyone that the main character has meet he ends up not liking them, fighting them, or thinking that he is above that person.
ReplyDeleteEveryone seems to think that Beldsoe is a jerk , but universities don't tend to give out second chances. The main character screwed up by taking Norton to places he shouldn't see; and could have messed up the university reputation by doing that. Beldsoe seems to give the narrator a good serving of tough love.
ReplyDeleteI like Big B's comment because it makes us look at all sides. Consider what is motivating Bledsoe; it might be more complex than just that he's power-hungry. One thing that comes to mind is that he has worked long and hard to manage a difficult balancing act, and it's working. And now here comes a young upstart who threatens to ruin everything.
ReplyDeleteI think that the significance of Barbee’s blindness is that no race has a clear view of the other. Norton views the narrator as an experiment. Norton has no compassion for the narrator, in reality he is more concerned about the narrator’s outcome and how he will look as a founder of this black college. Dr. Bledsoe views the white man as his puppet instead of the other way around, Bledsoe may believe he is the puppet master in this play but I think he might be overestimating himself. Also Barbee’s blindness may be a symbol or foreshadowing how the narrator will live his life…he may believe that he is invisible to everyone, but maybe everyone is invisible to him?
ReplyDeleteBack to what HGMorris said about Bledsoe in Chapter 6... I agree what was said about Bledsoe wanting the narrator to remain ignorant. You would think that as a black educator he would want to help raise his students to the top, to show the white man that the black man has a place with the educated. Instead it seems that Bledsoe is a selfish man that wants to be the only educated man on top…. Could he have possibly poisoned the Founder because of his strong ambition the be someone???
ReplyDeletech. 5:
ReplyDeleteIn Barbee's speech he makes speaks of "the barren land" that was there before the school was built and there was one part where he recalls Bledsoe asking him "Barbee, friend, did you see?" and he replies" Yes, Doctor, I saw.". And there's other mentions of the way things looked meaning that Barbee must not have been born blind but lost his sight at some points due to cataracts or something. His loss of physical sight represents his inability to see the possible corruption of Bledsoe's period of control over the college and his abandonment of the principles that the Founder had built it on.
ch.5:
ReplyDeleteI thought that it was extremely odd that during his speech, Barbee always refers to the Founder as "the Founder" or "the Leader" or something, never his name. As one of his closest friends, wouldn't it be more natural for him to actually use his name? It's like the Founder, even for his close personal friends, has become this lofty ideal or the embodiment of a long sought after dream instead of a man.
I tend to agree with Beth about Bledsoe. I don't necessarily think that he's an awful person who is trying to ruin the narrator's life. I think that he has the college's best interests in mind, but is simply misguided and has lost sight of the ideals that the Founder had originally based his teachings on.
ReplyDeletethat is soooo creepy!! how did you agree with me when i hadnt even commented????? oh well. DP's comments were dumb and not helpful at all(jk dont fail me:)) neway...speech was long and boring. ugh. i almost shot myself. not sure the whole point of it but hes comparing the Founder to Moses and i think Jesus too. i agree with katy that the name thing is weird but maybe (just a thought) it gives him a more sacred feel, like a mortal name wouldnt do him justice. what was that about Barbee(i cant take him serious...im waiting for ken) carrying the Founder down the road after he died...was that literal b/c thats slightly odd. but who am i to judge?
ReplyDeleteBledsoe's speech about really being in control and not the whites relates back to what his grandpa said and what hes been trying to avoid. maybe its good hes leaving the school if he wants to stay away from that ideal.
ReplyDeletethe letters of recommendation seem suspicious to me. I wonder whats really in them b/c Bledsoe really didnt want him to read it. maybe its like the dream letter earlier that said "Keep this Nigger-Boy Running". wonder if that was on purpose:0?
ReplyDeleteBledsoe is a very fake black man in my opinion, just like what the vet talked about in chapter 3. He is like the narrator, but is bitter underneath. He puts on this kind of facade in front of Norton, but when Norton is out of site he blows up at the narrator. I think Bledsoe is very much out for himself and doesn't want any type of transgression or even a mistake to mess up his power over the school. Bledsoe knows he is trusted by white men and taunts the narrator with this fact. He thinks his position at the school is ensconced and knowing this allows him to discipline and lie as much as he wants to. Yet, he doesn't want to look bad because of situations the narrator cause, which could cost him this powerful position. We don't really know much about Bledsoe until these chapters, so before I read them I was indifferent about Bledsoe. Now I'm not very supportive of him because I think he could be more understanding and strive for the betterment of his people, not his own personal position.
ReplyDeleteI totally agree! I couldn't believe that he said all of those things. I was in shock! Especially when he said the n word. Especially in that time period thats like one of the worst things to say. He really showed his true colors there. And it doesnt even seem like he's on one side or the other (black or white) he is just selfish. And just like you said Sara, you would think he would help people strive to get better after everything he went to to get where he was. It was definitely unexpected
DeleteI think Bledsoe is sending the narrator away for his own personal benefit. He is trying to appear kind by giving the narrator another chance through living and working in New York, when really he is doing so to keep the narrator from telling Norton and others about Bledsoe's lies. Bledsoe thinks that by sending him far up north, he is getting rid of him. This way the narrator will not be able to cause anymore trouble or tell on Bledsoe's lies. Bledsoe claims that this exile to New York is for the narrator's on good so that he will learn judgement. I think there is a catch in Bledsoe's gift of writing the narrator recommendations for a job. Maybe Bledsoe writes bad recommendations for the narrator.
ReplyDeleteFurthermore, Bledsoe sees all the students a the school as "niggers," as he called the narrator, and doesn't care about their future as long as it doesn't affect his.
I agree with the earlier comments that Barbee 's blindness is significant. He is just another example of blindness in the book. I was still a little confused by his presence, but I feel that he must have a greater purpose and may explain a lot through his blindness. In chapter 2, the vet speaks of the narrator's blindness of not being able to see his own actions toward the white people. Also, the beginning of the novel mentions the narrator's collection of bright lights, as if they are to ward away the blindness. In addition, the narrator is blind to Bledsoe's evil, fake motives. It is ironic in a way that Barbee relies so strongly and believes so heavily in the story of the Founder and the good of Bledsoe when he doesn't even have the sight to see these things. I feel that blindness will occur more within the novel and may even be discarded at the end if the narrator grows out of his own blindness.
ReplyDeleteI think that the blindness may represent the blindness of the narrator. He is oblivious to the things happening around him in a metaphorical sense, whereas the preacher is blind to all of the physical things. Perhaps the image of blindness will reappear in this book. I believe that it will serve a sort of metaphorical purpose.
DeleteSome of the things Bledsoe said reminded me of the things the narrators grandfather said. Bledsoe talked about how he worked from the inside by saying "yes and no suh" to the white people. I think that's what the grandfather was trying to say. That the black people can get far in this world is they just do what the white people think they want them to do. The grandfather (or maybe it was the narrator I don't remember) said that the white people don't really know how they want the black people to behave. Bledsoe made a similar comment about Mr. Norton. Even though he told the narrator that he did want to go to the truebloods house he didn't really know how it would effect him. He didn't think things would be that way because of how the people of that community had sheltered him and made him believe that things didn't work like that and that things around there weren't that bad and crude. I like the way the grandfather and Bledsoe think because it's helping them get where they need to be and they aren't treated bad by the white people. But I don't like the way they lie and hide things to get what they want. I mean I guess it's the same thing that the white people do to them, but that doesn't make it any better. It's a good way to get ahead but I really don't think things are going to go as well as they planned. Maybe that's why the grandfather acted the way he did on his deathbed, he seems to feel guilty about the way he acted throughout his life even if he was a pretty well known person in the community.
ReplyDeleteI think that Bledsoe helped the narrator a little just so he could seem like a good guy. The narrator saw how Bledsoe really was and I don't think he wanted anyone to know how bad of a person he really was. Everyone looked up to Bledsoe and thought he was such a good person who got where he was by hard work and the narrator could expose him. Sure he told the narrator that no one would believe him, but a threat like that probably worried him a little bit. So I think he was helping the narrator so he could get him out of the way and keep his reputation spotless
ReplyDeleteTruthfully I don't think that Bledsoe even cared about the narrator. He did what he did for a reason I personally do not understand. If he cared about his reputation, he would not have gotten rid of the narrator. I believe he is using him in order to benefit his white superiors by providing them with cheap labor.
DeleteTruthfully I believe that Bledsoe was not trying to be nice at all. I do not understand his reasoning behind what he did. I believe that he is going to benefit his white superiors by providing them with cheap labor.
DeleteThe narrator is being pulled between Dr. Bledsoe and the college and between people such as Trueblood and the men at Golden Day.
ReplyDeleteThe chapel is a place where the black people can meet and be themselves without persecution by the white man. This belief is supported by the fact that a black man gives a sermon about how black men overcame their past to create a better future for other black men.
ReplyDeleteThe image of Barbee looking like a little Buddha represents the power that Barbee holds as a preacher. In addition, the stylistic techniques here represent parts of the narrator’s life such as underground and a conspiracy. The theme of overcoming oppression is prevalent throughout the sermon when Barbee must overcome many obstacles to reach his goal.
Homer Barbee’s ability to tell a meaningful story despite his blindness represents Barbee’s ability to perceive the world without seeing different colored races.
I was surprised to find out how racist against blacks Bledsoe actually is. It is a little confusing that he would hate blacks so much despite himself being black and having to work for his position. I did not like Bledsoe much before, but now I think he is an awful person who needs to be stopped.
ReplyDeleteI think Bledsoe is trying to get the narrator far away from the college so that he will not negatively impact Bledsoe’s position at the college.
I found the chapel scene to be very abnormal. It seems to conflict with the novel as a whole. The preacher says things that seem to promote the cooperation of the blacks in order to better their place in society, but the events in the novel suggest an "every man for himself" idea. This is supported by Dr. Bledsoe's attitude towards the narrator while he is being expelled. Bledsoe has no sympathy for the narrator, and only wants to defend his own reputation.
ReplyDeleteThe narrator is being pulled in different directions with different people. I don't think that he fits in with any body really. He offends Bledsoe by taking Norton to Trueblood's. Bledsoe tell the narrator that he only needs to take people to places that Bledsoe wants them to see. Certainly not the Golden Day or Trueblood's.
ReplyDeleteI think that the chapel service is like a meeting for the blacks to talk about how to make a place in society better for them. It is weird because it doesn't seem to really fit with the novel. It is strange that Barbee is blind. I think that it represents the fact that everyone should be equal and that the color of their skin is not important tithe worth of the person.
ReplyDeleteI do not trust Bledsoe now at all. at first impression I thought he might actually cares little for the black people. I feel that he is very untrustworthy and is a vengeful person. He tricks the narrator into thinking that he is helping him but in actuality is expelling him from the school.
ReplyDeleteDoes any aspect of Barbee represent anything?
ReplyDeleteBarbee's blindness is the most striking characteristic about him. This could represent a blindness to society's "game" against the black community. It likely represent a blindness to the behind-the-scenes game, giving him a sort of innocence, meaning that his words are genuine and without ulterior motives. He is also noted for having an unattractive appearance. His ugliness and blindness together may represent his ignorance of the "ugliness" that is very near him.
Does Bledsoe surprise you?
ReplyDeleteBledsoe "wears the mask". With such a powerful position, it would seem that he'd have high esteem for himself and other blacks with the same potential. Instead, he remains a slave to the "game". The game seems to have clouded his vision of helping the race (if that vision was inside him at all). He mistreats the main character, even calling him a nigger, forgetting that his job is all about the students, instead of about his name or position. I wonder if the Founder shared the same opinions.
Why is Bledsoe...?
ReplyDeleteInitially, I thought that Bledsoe was helping the narrator, helping him survive on his own while the school cleared up its reputation. I likewise thought it was a test of integrity for the narrator by not looking at its contents. Bledsoe seemed to have given the narrator another chance because of his potential, but ultimately ended his time at the school.
I still don't feel resentment towards Bledsoe. If anything, he deserves sympathy for his hard life, having to lie to remain on good terms with powerful people.
ReplyDelete