Outside influences usually hinder your identify. Outside influences can cause you to be someone you really aren’t. By having different versions of ourselves, we are able to see whether identity is merely just a product of the people we hang around or a product of certain circumstances we have to attend to. I think identity should not be a product of outside influences because you are now forced to conform to a standard that may make you lose pieces of your identity. However, if the outside influence is extremely positive and strong it can become a part of one’s identity. This concept is presented in many novels with literary merit.
“Respectfully, I am your humble servant, A. Hebert Bledsoe”. Invisible Man by Ralph Ellison follows an anonymous narrator who is on the search to find his true identity. One of the major events that occurred during the narrator’s journey was when he got kicked out of college. The key player in this event was the president of the college, Mr. Bledsoe. Throughout the novel, Mr. Bledsoe has conflicting personas. On one end, he represents a strong individual who cannot be undermined by race and on the other end; he represents an individual who is controlled by race. This is the perfect example of essential question #4 which is how do we respond to outside influences while remaining true to ourselves? We respond to outside influences while remaining true to ourselves by having different versions of ourselves. The first version of Mr. Bledsoe occurs when he is around his own race. As evidence, “No sir, they don’t control this school, nor white folk either. True they support it but I control it…I’m still the king down here”. As Mr. Bledsoe is having this conversation with the narrator, the reader can sense some sort of confidence within the character. Mr. Bledsoe is confident in his role and despite the downfalls of his race he knows that he is on top. However in the contrary, Mr. Bledsoe has a version of himself where he lets go of this confidence to cater to the white society. This can be seen when Mr. Bledsoe signs what was supposed to be the narrator’s recommendation letter with “I am your humble servant”. Mr. Bledsoe lost all control once he began addressing a member of the white society. There is this sense of vulnerability that was present at this moment.
The outside influence for Mr. Bledsoe was white society. He responded to this influence by acting as a servant towards them. This hindered his identity because in order to please this outside influence he had to create a version of himself that he initially did not agree with. This just goes to show that one should only let outside influences change who they are when they are changing for a positive reason instead of changing as a way to please people. This is the ultimate way one can respond to outside influences while remaining true to his or her self.
“Respectfully, I am your humble servant, A. Hebert Bledsoe”. Invisible Man by Ralph Ellison follows an anonymous narrator who is on the search to find his true identity. One of the major events that occurred during the narrator’s journey was when he got kicked out of college. The key player in this event was the president of the college, Mr. Bledsoe. Throughout the novel, Mr. Bledsoe has conflicting personas. On one end, he represents a strong individual who cannot be undermined by race and on the other end; he represents an individual who is controlled by race. This is the perfect example of essential question #4 which is how do we respond to outside influences while remaining true to ourselves? We respond to outside influences while remaining true to ourselves by having different versions of ourselves. The first version of Mr. Bledsoe occurs when he is around his own race. As evidence, “No sir, they don’t control this school, nor white folk either. True they support it but I control it…I’m still the king down here”. As Mr. Bledsoe is having this conversation with the narrator, the reader can sense some sort of confidence within the character. Mr. Bledsoe is confident in his role and despite the downfalls of his race he knows that he is on top. However in the contrary, Mr. Bledsoe has a version of himself where he lets go of this confidence to cater to the white society. This can be seen when Mr. Bledsoe signs what was supposed to be the narrator’s recommendation letter with “I am your humble servant”. Mr. Bledsoe lost all control once he began addressing a member of the white society. There is this sense of vulnerability that was present at this moment.
The outside influence for Mr. Bledsoe was white society. He responded to this influence by acting as a servant towards them. This hindered his identity because in order to please this outside influence he had to create a version of himself that he initially did not agree with. This just goes to show that one should only let outside influences change who they are when they are changing for a positive reason instead of changing as a way to please people. This is the ultimate way one can respond to outside influences while remaining true to his or her self.
Hey Bethany! Good post, I definitely agree that the outside influence that is challenging Mr. Bledsoe is white society. However I agree for different reasons than what was stated in your post. I believe that white society challenges Mr. Bledsoe in way that he has to make them believe he is loyal to them when in reality it's just a ruse to keep his power. Mr. Bledsoe does act as a servant to please them, but not because their influence made him do so. He says all of that fully aware that he doesn't mean any of it. It's just a matter of him hiding his true intentions. With that being said I do think he responds to this outside influence positively as he does not lose himself within his second persona and he gets away with it. It may be conniving and selfish, but he is aware that it is one of the only ways to keep his control and that's by letting others think that they are in control.
ReplyDeleteBethany, I loved the example you used pertaining to Dr. Bledsoe to get your point across. I used that example as well when we talked about this essential question in class. I agree with and enjoy a lot of what you said in this post. Especially your last paragraph. I feel as though that was a really good way to collect all of your thoughts. Great job!
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