Invisible Man Scrapbook Project    Back to home page

   The idea behind this project is to present your impressions of Ellison's novel, Invisible Man, trough a variety of media--either on paper or electronically. It is through these media--journals, editorials, letters, essays, interviews, photographs, drawings, etc.--that you will explore a theme of your choosing.

   Your first decision, obviously, has to be whether you are going to proceed electronically or in the more traditional print format. That, of course, will determine how you collect and archive  your materials. Let me first discuss print.

 

Print:

   You have all seen the traditional scrapbook--literally scraps, bits and pieces of memorabilia, all "mashed" together in a delightful memory format. Old letters and newspaper clippings, along with long-forgotten photographs and elementary art projects get lovingly preserved in the pages. The sum total, of course, is a life.

   Most scrapbooks are arranged chronologically, but some more artful ones are done by theme. If you haven't heard, it's become one of the most popular hobbies in the country right now, and stores such as A.C. Moore devote huge sections of their business to the supplies. All you need for this is some heavy paper for the backing, a couple of glue sticks, and a big table to scatter your materials on.

   Your big opportunity here--not given to the electronic folks--is using crayons, ink, markers, finger-paint, and other arts and crafts goop to decorate and embellish your pages. Keep the glitter out, though; it gets on EVERYTHING.

 

Electronic:

   If you're like me, you hate glue sticks and scissors that don't cut. But you are a whiz (unlike me) at manipulating the digital universe. You can locate, cut, copy, paste, rearrange, highlight, organize, etc. etc. in a variety of electronic forms. For the electronic presentation, you have a number of options. Here are some of my thoughts:

   Inspiration is a program loaded on all the computers at school. It allows you to create elaborate webs of links, all spreading out from a central main idea. You can attach notes, pictures, video clips, sound bites, just about anything to the "idea bubbles," and people can explore your web to their hearts' content.

   Microsoft Word, interestingly, has the ability to connect multiple pages through links, much like a web page. In fact, for the more sophisticated among you, it can be used to create web pages. With this, you could start with an introductory page, put text on it, perhaps a few pictures, and create links from that main page as often as you want. And from the links you create, you can branch off to other links. I thought when I began my web page that I would need a plan, an organizational chart, to keep track of everything. How wrong I was! A web is an ongoing and evolving organism, and you create links upon links upon links as you need them--seldom having any idea what the overall connections look like. It's a quick and easy way to get lots of different ideas into an interactive format that other people can click away at.

   PowerPoint is the program of choice for high-powered junior executive types who want to impress the boss and make their colleagues jealous. If you're good at it, you can put together a really impressive presentation, together with sound and video clips, text, photographs, just about anything you want. The slides can be set to run automatically, or you can manually take us through the presentation, stopping along the way to point out the sights. Colors, decorations, etc. are at your fingertips. If you're good at this, it's a great way to go.

 

Requirements:                                                        

   Because this IS English class, there should be a substantial writing component--what would be the equivalent of 3-4 typewritten pages OF YOUR OWN WRITING. However, this can take the form of made-up editorials, letters, articles, review, newspaper "reports," etc. It does not have to be strictly analytical essay research type writing.

   You should have at least five pieces of writing that are not yours. This can be old editorials or reports from the 1940s to 50s, or it could be short pieces written by acquaintances or relatives. Anything that is taken from another source. These do not have to be long. Letters to the editor, for instance, are typically short.

   Finally, there should be a substantial number of relevant images scattered throughout. Of course you can do more, but this is the minimum. Google Images has literally HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS of images on it FOR FREE, so getting enough will not be your problem. SELECTING them is going to be the real challenge.

   The last requirement is that there should be an idea underlying your scrapbook--a theme. The oppression of the Jim Crow laws, the life of the sharecropper, Harlem in the 1940s, the birth of the civil rights movement, or any other theme you can think of are all acceptable. Just a bunch of pictures of slaves and civil rights workers will not work, however. You may choose, however, rather than illuminating a theme from the novel, to capture several memorable episodes. That works just as well.