1、Ralph Ellison 拉尔夫埃里森,1914-1994,Ralph Ellison,Named after Ralph Waldo Emerson in the hope that he would turn out to be a great writer, Ralph Waldo Ellison was born and raised in Oklahoma（美国俄克拉荷马州）,His father was a businessman and construction foreman. His father died when he was 3 years old.His mothe
2、r was a domestic maid. Though poverty-stricken, the mother tried her best to keep her son in school. Ralph was so excellent in school that he won a state scholarship in 1933 to the well-known Tuskegee Institute(now Tuskegee University)塔斯克基大学to study music.,In 1936, Ellison met the writer Richard Wri
3、ght, who encouraged him to be a writer rather than a musician. With Wrights encouragement, Ellision began writing reviews and short stories. From 1970 to 1979, Ellison was a professor at New York University.In 1985, he became one of the first recipients of the National Medal of Arts.,Ellison died on
4、 April 16, 1994, of pancreatic cancer, but his works continue to be published. In 1996, Flying Home and other stories was published after being discovered in his home. Ellison is often criticized for not using his writing as a propaganda tool to elevate the “black man in society.“,Main Works,Shadow
5、and Act 影子与行动1964,Going to the Territory 走向领域 1986,Main Works,Invisible Man 看不见的人1952,Juneteenth 六月庆典 1999,Invisible Man 看不见的人,About the Book,Starting from 1945, Ellison had been working on it, which did not appear in print until 1952.The book is about a nameless black mans search for his identity a
6、nd place in society.The book won the National Book Award（美国国家图书奖） in 1953 and many other prizes.,Theme,Racism (种族主义)Loss of self-identity (自我身份的丧失)The limitation of ideology (意识形态的限制) Seeking individual identity (自我身份的寻求),Feature,Symbolism is a tool Ellison uses often in his writing. For example, in
7、 Invisible Man, the blindfold symbolizes mans inability to see who he is within society and the reality of society. Another example could be the contrast between light and dark. Light can symbolize understanding as well as the “good“ of society, whereas dark can symbolize confusion and the “lower scale“ of society.,Thank you,
