Often times we are taught that education is the key to success in our modern society but many authors argued that for black people, education can be more harmful than helpful.
Written in 1933, The Miseducation of the Negro by Dr. Carter G. Woodson was a precursor to Ralph Ellison’s Invisible Man. In The Miseducation of the Negro,Woodson writes “The ‘educated negroes’ have an attitude of contempt towards their own people because [...] Negroes are taught to admire the Hebrew, the Greek, the Latin, and the Teuton and to despise the African,” “There would be no lynching if it did not start in the school room. Why not exploit, enslave, or exterminate a class that everybody is taught to regard as inferior,” and all of these ideas were restated in many later works of literature.
In Invisible Man this scorn for education is very clear in the story. The narrator shows a clear disdain for the other boys at the battle royal whom he does not identify with as he is a good student and they are not. This illustrates Woodson’s point in that when black people receive the same education as white people they will grow to be ashamed of themselves and dislike their people. As the narrator says “I didn't care too much for the other fellows who were to take part. They were tough guys.” The narrator feels that he is smarter than them and headed on the “right path” and thus feels superior.
Also, the way the narrator describes the statue of Booker T. Washington in the terms of either lifting the veil of blindness or pushing it down further is very suggestive of Dr. Woodson’s argument that lynching starts in the school room and that education is an easy way to keep people in line. The author describes how in his younger years he gave the speech on humility to get the scholarship from the older white people. By the nature of the assignment, the narrator is being educated for the satisfaction and pleasure of the white people and he is saying the things they want him to say. He’s being trained to go down the path that they want him to be on.
This is especially visible in the end of his dream about his grandfather in the last letter that he is told to read aloud. For the letter to say keep the narrator running implies that he’s gonna be made to keep running and running where the white people want and still not really getting anywhere. The entire Battle Royal scene shows that the narrator is just there for their entertainment and benefit. And one can argue that education for the benefit of others is no real education at all. So either the blind is being raised as he is getting his education, or according to Woodson’s perspective, the more he is being educated by the white man, the blinder he is becoming.
This is a really interesting post, especially what you wrote about the battle royal compared with the school. Reading your post, it occurred to me that Ellison seems to be using the white elites in control of the college to fill a similar role as the Daltons in Native Son- they both think they're helping, but in reality all they're doing is assuaging their own conscience with shallow gestures.
ReplyDeleteGreat point on Invisible Man using the idea that black people shouldn't be educated in the Battle Royal scene, I didn't originally see that dynamic. Ellison seems to be alluding to a broken cycle of black education; due to a white supremacist system, the few that acquire educational opportunities harbor contempt for others of their own race that don't, for fears of "dragging them in the mud" as Bledsoe might say. This cycle only serves to lessen opportunities for black people in the long run. Good catch.
ReplyDeleteI think that Norton's quote "What he did affected your whole race," (right before he talks about how the narrator shouldn't be a defective cog) can also be applied to this situation. The narrator especially feels awkward when discussing or interacting with less savory people of the same race as he is. He feels like white people will associate them with black people as a group. He might have learned this or it might have been something that he has always thought, but it also adds to the separation the narrator feels from other black people. As he becomes more educated, this gap seems to grow, which goes along with Woodson's perspective.
ReplyDeleteYour blog post brings up a really interesting point. I like the idea that the education system is effectively blinding the narrator and turns him against his own race and make him willingly serve the white people. Yamini's post mentions the Golden Day scene where one of the vets called Mr. Norton a "lyncher of souls" and how that shows the narrator's blindness in completely disregarding the comment, too worried about displeasing Mr. Norton. I think that relates to Dr. Woodson's argument that lynching starts in the schoolroom, "educating" black people to serve whites.
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ReplyDeleteYou bring up a really good point. The point of school has not (and sometimes, is not) always to educate. If that were the case, there would be way more classes helping us to find our identity; there would be more classes with more effective teachers and curriculum. The historical "brainwashing" or "white-washing" of kids has been blatant. Ellison's evaluation of the narrator's college experience makes sense in this context. And I think the veil scene you bring up is a key description of this. Really interesting post! I'm glad you brought up another supporting text too.
ReplyDeleteGreat post. Your point emphasizes the importance of diversity and how teaching students just about white culture creates adverse effects. For the narrator, it caused him to separate himself from black people, claiming that he was different and better than them. Connecting this idea to modern day this problem is still present. There are some cases where black people look to distance themselves from other black people because they have this idea ingrained in their mind from years of being exposed to just white culture that they need to be better than what is stereotypically said for their race. Unconsciously (or even sometimes consciously) they are looking down upon their race claiming that they are better.
ReplyDeleteI'm really glad you made these points, I'd never thought about how Ellison portrays the education system in Invisible Man. There are many moments throughout the book where the narrator views himself as superior to others. Maybe his education is even why he started out liking white people, which Bledsoe was determined to change. I think it's interesting that the narrator spends the beginning of his life hoping to go to college and end up working there, but throughout the book we watch as he travels further from these goals.
ReplyDeleteThis is a very compelling post. I didn't know that Woodson's argument is an idea that didn't occur to me the first time I read Invisible Man, but with the examples you provide, it becomes very clear. Something I wonder is whether or not you could make this argument in a modern society, since due to increasing rates of unemployment and inflation our culture believes education is essential to success, regardless of race. On the other hand, there is still lots of white washing present in not only our culture, but the American education system specifically, which is especially problematic to impose upon young black children.
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