Curated Video
Richard Wright
At a time when Jim Crow laws made racial segregation legal across much of the United States, author Richard Wright gave voice to a struggle – as the first African American author to achieve widespread critical and commercial success.
PBS
Ralph Ellison and the Black Arts Movement
The ideas of the leaders of the Black Arts Movement were in direct contrast to those of Ralph Ellison. A clip from the American Masters film Ralph Ellison: An American Journey clarifies these conflicts between Ellison and the younger...
PBS
Dr. Bledsoe: A Fictional Booker T. Washington
Many critics believe that the character of Dr. Bledsoe in Ralph Ellison's Invisible Man was modeled after Booker T. Washington. After watching a clip from the film Ralph Ellison: An American Journey about the Washington Bledsoe...
PBS
Invisible Man: The Trueblood Incident
How is the reader of Ralph's Ellison's Invisible Man supposed to react to "The Trueblood Incident" of Chapter 2? A short clip from the American Master film Ralph Ellison: An American Journey offers differing critical analyses from two...
PBS
Invisible Man: Battle Royal
A film reenactment of the "Battle Royal" scene in Chapter 1 of Ralph Ellison's Invisible Man offers readers a chance to compare the film version of the scene to the novel's depiction. The discussion questions ask readers to consider the...
PBS
Invisible Man: Crash Course Literature
John Green, the narrator of a Crash Course Literature episode focusing on Invisible Man, offers his analysis of Ralph Ellison's novel. Using evidence from the text, Green details why Ellison's novel should be considered as a seminal work...
PBS
Invisible Man: The Hero's Journey
The narrator of Invisible Man is on a quest, a quest to find out who he is and what his place is in a deeply divided American society. An episode from the American Masters series asks readers to consider Ralph Ellison's acclaimed novel...
PBS
Invisible Man: Plot Summary
Although labeled as a plot summary, this resource from the American Masters series is so much more. In addition to clips from the American Masters film, the packet contains teaching tips, discussion questions, a background reading, and...
PBS
Invisible Man by Ralph Ellison
Created for the Great American Read series, a short video encourages viewers to vote for Invisible Man. Musician Wynton Marsalis and Dr. Carla Hayden, the Librarian of Congress, among others, share their rationale for why Ralph...
PBS
An Introduction to Ralph Ellison
Powerful and painful, Ralph Ellison's acclaimed Invisible Man is a must-read. A short video from the PBS American Masters series introduces viewers to Ellison and the major themes of the novel.
PBS
Pbs Learning Media: Ralph Ellison on Writing
In this video [0:42] from the American Masters film Ralph Ellison: An American Journey, Robert O'Meally discusses the author's unique approach to writing. This resource is best used in a class or lesson on fiction writing.
PBS
Pbs Learning Media: Ralph Ellison and the Black Arts Movement
In this video [5:00] from the American Masters film Ralph Ellison: An American Journey, scholars discuss conflicts between Ralph Ellison and the leaders of the Black Arts Movement. Ellison was often criticized for prioritizing aesthetics...
PBS
Pbs Learning Media: Dr. Bledsoe: A Fictional Booker T. Washington
This video [2:33] from the American Masters film Ralph Ellison: An American Journey explores the legacy of Booker T. Washington, the controversial leader of the Tuskegee Institute and model for the character of Dr. Bledsoe in Invisible Man.
PBS
Pbs Learning Media: Ralph Ellison: Renaissance Man
In this video [5:17] from the American Masters film Ralph Ellison: An American Journey, scholars discuss the influence of the Harlem Renaissance on Ellison's writing. Alain Locke's "The New Negro," jazz music, and painter Aaron Douglas...
PBS
Pbs Learning Media: The Harlem Riot
This video [1:38] from the American Masters film from Ralph Ellison: An American Journey describes the Harlem Riot of 1943 and its influence on Ellison's writing. Ellison covered the riot for the "New York Post" and witnessed many of the...
PBS
Pbs Learning Media: The Brotherhood: A Critique of the Communist Party
This video [1:57] from the American Masters film Ralph Ellison: An American Journey explores the relationship between the fictional Brotherhood in the novel Invisible Man and the real-life Communist Party. Both Ellison and his literary...
PBS
Pbs Learning Media: Jazz: A Metaphor for America
In this video [6:05] from the American Masters film Ralph Ellison: An American Journey, scholars discuss the author's ideas about jazz music. Ellison recognized jazz as an art form that represented the complexity of America's...
PBS
Pbs Learning Media: Invisible Man: The Trueblood Incident
This video [2:13] from the American Masters film Ralph Ellison: An American Journey features critical analysis of the protagonist's encounter with Jim Trueblood in the novel Invisible Man. Scholars discuss the possibility that Trueblood...
PBS
Pbs Learning Media: Invisible Man: The Hero's Journey
This video [2:41] from the American Masters film Ralph Ellison: An American Journey provides a plot summary of Invisible Man focusing on the protagonist's journey from innocence to maturity. The background essay describes the stages of...
PBS
Pbs Learning Media: Invisible Man: Battle Royal
This video [6:38] from the American Masters film Ralph Ellison: An American Journey features a reenactment of the famous Battle Royal scene in Chapter 1 of Invisible Man. Columbia University professor Farah Griffin discusses the...
PBS
Pbs Learning Media: Invisible Man: Plot Summary
This video [8:21] from the American Masters film Ralph Ellison: An American Journey features a plot summary of Invisible Man and discussion of the novel's significance in the history of African American literature. Students should watch...
PBS
Pbs Learning Media: An Introduction to Ralph Ellison
This video [3:14] from the American Masters film Ralph Ellison: An American Journey introduces students to Ellison's groundbreaking novel The Invisible Man. Scholars discuss Ellison's legacy and his place in the American literary canon....
Crash Course
Crash Course Literature #308: Invisible Man
This video focuses on Ralph Ellison's novel Invisible Man. This week, we're reading Ralph Ellison's great novel about the black experience in America after World War II, Invisible Man. John will teach you about Ellison's nameless...
PBS
Pbs Learning Media: Crash Course English Literature: Invisible Man
This week, we're on to reading Ralph Ellison's great novel about the black experience in America after World War II, Invisible Man. John will teach you about Ellison's nameless narrator, and his attempts to find his way in a social order...