Please write an essay in response to the following prompt using the Invisble Man by Ralph Ellison
Prompt
The practice of democracy requires (among many other things) that all of us as individuals
figure out how to live together with other people that differ from us. As one scholar has put
it: democracy requires that each of us put our fates into the hands of strangers. With this in
mind, write an essay that explores how IM’s experiences and development might provide
some lessons for the practice of democracy. For example, consider how certain moments in
the novel might inform how we think about citizenship, community, freedom, sacrifice,
and/or the ideas of obligation and responsibility within a democratic context (feel free to
move beyond these particular suggestions—just ensure that you connect up your discussion
of specific parts of the novel with some aspect of the practice of democracy).
Note:
This prompt requires that you develop your own thesis as a way of structuring your essay
and answering the questions posed. Be sure to take time to think through what you will
include (and what you will necessarily have to leave out) in order to do this and hence write
the best paper you can. You must refer to specific sections of the novel when writing these
papers.
Format:
This essay should be between 5-6 pages long (typed, double-spaced, 12-point Times New
Roman font), excluding reference page and title page.
