In the Prologue of Invisible Man by Ralph Ellison, the narrator explains how he is
invisible not because he doesn't want to be seen but because people chose not
to see him. He lives in a hole that is "warm and full of light" (6).
Light to him is "the truth" (7) and blackness represents confusion. He says that he has “illuminated the blackness of my invisibility” (13).
This serves as a paradox. This portrays that by illuminating/ bringing to light
the blackness, he is finally starting to realize everything he didn’t
understand about invisibility. Even though he implies that he would rather be a
regular person, he is happy because of the advantages he gets from being invisible
such as free electricity for the lights. People choose not to see him because
they only see “themselves, or figments of their imagination” (3). They do not
want to accept him therefore he is an “invisible man” (3). His "illuminates" and brings to light this fact by understanding it.
5. The structure of the paragraph is good, but the analysis is weak. The blackness here is his form not necessarily confusion but it still works within the confines of his illumination. Here you will need to deepen and explain this further for understanding. Towards the end you pull in another idea about the figments of their imagination. Stay focused on how light is reflected in this.
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