An Awakening Through a Eulogy

A detailed Summary of An Awakening Through a Eulogy

In Todd Clifton's funeral speech, IM attempts to liberate himself through the use of rhetorical language. He breaks free of the Brotherhood's "blueprints" by speaking with no set framework, going against the brotherhoods belief in social vs. racial equality by implying Todd was a hero in a world of white supremacy. He uses repetitiveness when calling out Todd's name, attempting to give Todd some sort of identity. By calling out to Todd's identity, IM slowly acknowledges the truth of his own invisibility, and in fact, the truth and reality of the black man's existence. IM also uses the reverse psychology of irony and dry humor to accent the double sidedness of Todd Clifton's death; on one side Todd was just another dead black man, and on the other Todd was a human being, an individual.

Subconsciously, the Invisible Man observes that all blacks are "Invisible" to others. First, IM says to the crowd that they must "go take a drink and forget [the funeral]," since this sort of tragedy happens on a regular basis; it is "an old story." The crowd will forget about Todd's funeral for one reason: no one knew him, there wasn't "even a young wife up [there] in red to morn him." By pointing out that Todd had no next of kin, a family to know

Even though Todd "had struggled for Brotherhood on a hundred street corners," his message was not seen. The Invisible Man, for some time now, has been part of the Brotherhood and has adapted the idea that the organization is based upon equality. However in one part of his speech, the Invisible Man refers to Todd Clifton's death as an act of racism, and therefore, warns the people that they must not forget the reality in which they live. He cried, "Let me tell it as it truly was! His name was Todd Clifton and he was full of illusions...He thought he was a man...but he forgot his history. He lost his hold on reality." As IM sought to find his own identity through bringing forth Todd Clifton's, he also surfaces the truth of his own illusions, though he may not have come to terms with his own as easily or quickly as Todd's. IM is always seeking white approval, disregarding his own black heritage and forgetting his own history. In his past, IM saw white sanction as a validation of his !

of, the idea that Todd was dispossessed of any true connection to humanity became evident. Yet IM repeats Todd's name, and pieces of Todd's life, death, and beliefs, drawing a contrast between a racial blindness and the truth, shining light upon the harsh reality of the Tragedy of the Black situation like a hot sun. Through the metaphor of the sun, IM implies that racial inequality towards black's can be as damaging as a sun inferno, drying up a man's vital fluids like a mans own self-worth.

IM brings a dynamic reality through his concrete images and clean-cut factual descriptions of Todd's 'fall'. He reduced three gunshot wounds to a science, and Clifton's dried up blood to simple fact, rather than dramatize the situation by bringing any sense of horror to the sequence of events. Yet, by repeating over and over that Clifton's veins were filled with blood, and that it spilled, gleamed and dried, the event did become an emotional trigger,

own self worth, unknowingly setting himself subordinate to those he sought validation from, rather than leveling out the

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Approximate Word count = 1386
Approximate Pages = 6 (250 words per page double spaced)

Category: English