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Ralph Ellison Use Of Music In Invisible Man

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Option 2 – Music Motif - What role does music play in this passage? Why do you think Ellison chose this music for this section of the novel? How does it relate or add to the meaning? The funeral scene of Tod Clifton in Ralph Ellison's "Invisible Man" is a powerful and emotional moment, and music plays a significant role in conveying the mood and themes of the passage. The mournful dirge is a solemn and respectful tone for the occasion, and the music changes to a more lively jazz tune, reflecting the resilience and vitality of the African American community in the face of adversity. The music serves as a metaphor for the narrator's journey toward self-discovery, and liberation and highlights the themes of loss, resilience, and transformation that are central to the novel. It also underscores the importance of music in African American culture as a means of expressing emotion, …show more content…

Through the use of music, Ellison often portrays the feelings of his characters without simply telling the reader their feelings. Readers would not understand the feelings of the characters if the music were not present in the novel. According to the passage given, “They had touched upon something deeper than protest, or religion; though now images of all the church meetings of my life welled up within me with much suppressed and forgotten anger.” It has shown that the music somewhat changed the setting of the funeral in a more moving way. As the old man was singing the song “There's Many a Thousand Gone", he is joined by a band. Despite the crowd's quiet, something deep shakes the narrator, something resulting from the song. He has no words that were appropriate to say during the time of the funeral. The narrator becomes angry at the expectations of the crowd and begins by telling the crowd to go home. According to him, they already know what happened to Clifton, and he has nothing else to

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