Invisible Man Chapter 17 Reading Questions

1. How much time has passed since the narrator's speech?

4 months

2. Describe Brother Hambro.

"A tall, friendly man, a lawyer and The Brotherhood's chief theoretician, he had proved to be a hard taskmaker." The narrator viewed him as a "fantastic teacher."

3. What is Ras' political doctrine and why is it in conflict with that of The Brotherhood?

Ras believes that all Blacks should group together versus The Brotherhood who believes that Whites and Blacks should work together. Ras views Whites as all being horrible and anyone that works with them is a traitor.

4. Who is Tod Clifton? Why do he and the narrator become friends? Note that "tod" means death in German. Why does Ras spare Clifton's life?

He is the leader of the youth. The narrator becomes friends with him because he is black and young with an education just like him.  Ras spares Clifton's life because he's black. He doesn't believe in killing his own kind. He think's its absurd to be fighting Black vs. Black.

5. Ras pleads with the narrator to become a part of the black unity and leave The Brotherhood. His arguments are similar to those of the Black Panthers and other who came to the political forefront in the 1960s. The Communist Party did, in effect, betray the Blacks who helped build the party in the 1930s. What side do you believe Ellison is supporting?

I believe Ellison is supporting Ras/Black Panther side because of how he sets up the plot in the novel. The Brotherhood attempts to change the narrator and Ras is their to point out all the negative sides of it.

6. What is significant about the portrait of Douglass that hangs in Brother Tarp's office? How is Tarp like Douglass? Like the narrator's grandfather? 

It symbolizes the hopes and dreams that he has for the future. They are similar because Tarp believes in the idea of a slave transforming into a wide viewed figure. He is like this grandfather in the fact that they believe they should stand up to Blacks.