Ralph Ellison's Invisible Man (1952) chronicles the journey of a young African-American man's quest for self-discovery amid racial, social, and political tensions. This novel presents a striking parallel with Ellison's own life. Born in Oklahoma in 1914, Ellison was strongly influenced by his namesake, the transcendentalist Ralph Waldo Emerson. Ellison attended Tuskegee Institute on a music scholarship before leaving to pursue his dreams in New York. Ellison's life mirrors that of his protagonist as he drew heavily on his own experiences to write Invisible Man. Ellison uses the parallel structure between the narrator's life and his own to illustrate the connection between sight and power, stemming from Ellison's own experiences with the Communist Party. In the early chapters, the narrator receives a scholarship to attend the "state college for blacks." . He is told that to win the scholarship he must stand up and give a speech to a congregation of the most important members of the community. However, upon his arrival at the hotel where he is to give his speech, he is blindfolded and forced to participate in a "Battle Royale" among other young African-American men. During battle, he is able to lift the blindfold halfway, partially restoring his sight. The fighters swing wildly at each other. The Narrator says: “Blindfolded, I could no longer control my movements. I had no dignity. He is dehumanized, brutalized and demoralized. His blindness is symbolic, because he has no authority over the situation. He is helpless, at the mercy of white men who mock him. The narrator thinks he was attending the convention to get a scholarship to continue his education; however, in reality, he was merely entertainment. H...... middle of paper ...... oops. “Ralph Ellison: Harlem and Richard Wright.” Shmoop. Np, and Web. December 5, 2013. Brucker, Carl. “Ralph Ellison.” Ralph Ellison. Np, and Web. December 10, 2013. Cuneo, Nick. “Appeasement, Conscience, and the New Humanism: Ellison's Criticism of Washington and DuBois and His Hope for Black Americans.” » Duke Edu. Duke University, nd Web. December 10, 2013. Staples, Brent. “The visible man.” The New York Times. The New York Times, May 20, 2007. Web. December 8, 2013. Foley, Barbara. “Ralph Ellison as a Proletarian Journalist, by Barbara Foley.” Ralph Ellison as a proletarian journalist, by Barbara Foley. Rutgers University, nd Web. December 12, 2013. Denman, Scullin and Goracy. “WEB Du Bois.” Black and red. The College of New Jersey, nd Web. December 12, 2013. Ellison, Ralph. The invisible man. New York: Vintage International, 1995. Print.