Instructional Video
PBS

Pbs Learning Media: Ralph Ellison on Writing

9th - 10th
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.
Instructional Video
PBS

Pbs Learning Media: Ralph Ellison and the Black Arts Movement

9th - 10th
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...
Instructional Video
PBS

Pbs Learning Media: Dr. Bledsoe: A Fictional Booker T. Washington

9th - 10th
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.
Instructional Video
PBS

Pbs Learning Media: Ralph Ellison: Renaissance Man

9th - 10th
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...
Instructional Video
PBS

Pbs Learning Media: The Brotherhood: A Critique of the Communist Party

9th - 10th
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...
Instructional Video
PBS

Pbs Learning Media: Jazz: A Metaphor for America

9th - 10th
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...
Instructional Video
PBS

Pbs Learning Media: Invisible Man: The Trueblood Incident

9th - 10th
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...
Instructional Video
PBS

Pbs Learning Media: Invisible Man: The Hero's Journey

9th - 10th
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...
Instructional Video
PBS

Pbs Learning Media: Invisible Man: Battle Royal

9th - 10th
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...
Instructional Video
PBS

Pbs Learning Media: Invisible Man: Plot Summary

9th - 10th
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...
Instructional Video
PBS

Pbs Learning Media: An Introduction to Ralph Ellison

9th - 10th
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....