Question 6 RALPH ELLISON: Invisible Man
Consider Barbee’s sermon as a eulogy.
Observation
This question requires the candidates to give an account of Barbee’s sermon as a eulogy.
Candidates were expected to discuss the following:
- Statement of the theme of racial discrimination, invisibility of the blacks, etc.
- Identification of Rev Homer A. Barbee and explanation of eulogy
- Rev. Babee’s narration of the Founder’s exploit: the founder is portrayed as an avid learner/student. He is from a poor background. He escapes an assassination attempt on him. He tours the states of America ‘building the dream… throughout the land’ with Dr. Bledsoe.
- Founder’s Legacy: the Founder’s health fails. Rev. Barbee sees the Founder’s end coming. The Founder asks for Dr. Bledsoe on his deathbed. The Founder urges Dr. Bledsoe to ‘take on the burden’.
- The subsisting vision: Dr. Bledsoe makes a pledge to the Founder. He has kept that pledge. The school has improved greatly. In Dr. Bledsoe, the Founder lives on
Candidates performed creditably well.