Oratory Motif

1. Oratory Motif

2. Graduation Speech After graduation from high school Invisible Man gives a speech to powerful men He is awarded a scholarship based on his talent

3. Graduation Speech “I wanted to leave but I wanted also to speak and I was afraid they’d snatch me down” (31).

4. Graduation Speech This is the first speech IM gives in front of powerful and intimidating men. IM draws from this experience later when he delivers a speech to a mob.

5. Trueblood’s Tale While IM was driving Mr. Norton, Mr. Norton asked him to stop at Trueblood’s cabin. Trueblood tells of the incestuous relationship he had with his daughter.

6. Trueblood’s Tale “Trueblood’s mouth fell agape, his eyes widened and filled with moisture as he took the bill between trembling fingers. It was a hundred-dollar bill” (69).

7. Trueblood’s Tale IM learns the advantages of good oratory as Norton hands Trueblood money. He learns how to appeal to emotions instead of intellect.

8. Barbee’s Memorial Address At IM’s last chapel, Barbee shares stories of the founder. After the speech, IM discovers that Barbee is blind.

9. Barbee’s Memorial Address “between the gesture and the opaque glitter of his glasses, I saw the blinking of sightless eyes. Homer A. Barbee was blind” (133).

10. Barbee’s Memorial Address The IM learns that you can overcome any obstacles to influence your audience in oratory.

11. Bledsoe’s Lecture After IM comes back with Norton the disgruntled Bledsoe lectures him.

12. Bledsoe’s Lecture “Why, the dumbest black bastard in the cotton patch knows that the only way to please a white man is to tell him a lie” (139).

13. Bledsoe’s Lecture This shows IM characteristics of being overtly honest and lack of fear for powerful people.

14. Eviction Speech The IM sees the possessions of a poor family in Harlem strewn all over the street. He’s moved to speak about the injustices of poverty.

15. Eviction Speech “Something had been working fiercely inside me, and for a moment I had forgotten the rest of the crowd” (270).

16. Eviction Speech This is significant because it gets him the job with the Brotherhood and incites the the crowd to act within a few words.

17. First Brotherhood Speech This is a speech about dispossession given to a crowd at the rally by IM. IM discusses how he has evolved as a person.

18. First Brotherhood Speech “My true people! My true country! I am a new citizen of the country of your vision, a native of your fraternal land” (346).

19. First Brotherhood Speech IM gains more confidence and learns that he needs to be less emotional when he speaks.

20. Sambo Spiel When IM is walking the streets, he discovers Clifton persuading a crowd to buy Sambo dolls.

21. Sambo Spiel “Sambo-Woogie, you don’t have to feed him, he sleeps collapsed, he’ll kill your depression and your dispossession, he lives upon the sunshine of your lordly smile” (432).

22. Sambo Spiel This speech shows the betrayal of Clifton because he is selling the ethnically demeaning dolls.

23. Funeral Eulogy At Clifton’s funeral, IM speaks bluntly to the crowd. He cannot bring himself to speak on the issues of the brotherhood. It is a parody of Brutus’ eulogy.

24. Funeral Eulogy “ ‘All right,’ I called out, feeling desperate. It wasn’t the way I wanted it to go, it wasn’t political” (457).

25. Funeral Eulogy This speech shows the IM taking his own initiative instead of listening to the specific orders of the Brotherhood’s committee.