Vladimir Lenin once said, "A lie told often enough becomes the truth." (BrainyQuote). Unfortunately, in this day and age, with increasing talk of fake news and other forms of distortion of the truth, lies turning into truth seem more commonplace than ever. While some may be comfortable with the phenomenon of the distortion of the truth, others may not be as complacent around it. The distortion of truth, however, is not a new development; it has taken many forms and names over history, whether as propaganda, hoaxes, or fake news. In Invisible Man by Ralph Ellison, the reader observes that the Narrator is both literally manipulated through a distortion of the truth by those around him, as well as Ellison applying light and color-based language
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Famously, the United States has famously employed the distortion of truth in the form of propaganda in many wars and conflicts, whether to promote war bonds, increase enlistment, boost the workforce, defame the enemy, or ignite patriotic passions (Osgood). These famous posters created some of the most iconic faces in American culture today: Uncle Sam, Tokio Kid, Rosie the Riveter, and many others were products of the United States propaganda machine (Allison). Propaganda became a powerful tool to wage psychological warfare upon the enemy. Even nearly fifteen centuries ago in Sun Tzu's The Art of War, Tzu stated the importance of both maintaining fighting morale while destroying the enemy's (Osgood). This tactic is commonly used in wars even nowadays to break enemy morale and force a surrender, demonstrating the importance of the psychological aspect of war. In the early twentieth century, the development of the short-wave radio made it possible for propaganda to reach larger audiences than ever before, increasing the reach of American propaganda. (Osgood). American programs such as "the Voice of America" were broadcast internationally and sought to promote the democratic ideals of America while denouncing the …show more content…
Firstly, he does so in a very overt, plot-based way, with the Narrator being consistently lied and manipulated to by Dr. Bledsoe, the Brotherhood, Brother Jack, and others. But Ellison also explores the nature of truth with his use of light-based wording throughout the story. In the beginning of the book the Narrator states, "The truth is the light and light is the truth." (Ellison). While this could be a variant on the statement in the book "If you're white, you're right" (Ellison), the statement could also be interpreted as to mean that whenever the narrator is in the darkness, or cannot see, then he is being led away from the truth, while when he is in the light, he is being shown the truth. The earliest instance this occurs is the Battle Royale scene in the first chapter. The Narrator, as well as the other boys there are blindfolded, representing how they are not shown the truth of the situation, that the men only considered the boys as a source of entertainment. This same metaphor can be extended to the ending of the book, where the Narrator is stuck inside the sewers, in complete darkness. Finally, all the lies within the book culminate to the Narrator's ultimate fate, being surrounded by the darkness, the lies. In a final flash of light, the burning of the Narrator's papers, a truth is revealed, that Brother Jack had written the malicious letter towards the Narrator. Here we
Famously, the United States has famously employed the distortion of truth in the form of propaganda in many wars and conflicts, whether to promote war bonds, increase enlistment, boost the workforce, defame the enemy, or ignite patriotic passions (Osgood). These famous posters created some of the most iconic faces in American culture today: Uncle Sam, Tokio Kid, Rosie the Riveter, and many others were products of the United States propaganda machine (Allison). Propaganda became a powerful tool to wage psychological warfare upon the enemy. Even nearly fifteen centuries ago in Sun Tzu's The Art of War, Tzu stated the importance of both maintaining fighting morale while destroying the enemy's (Osgood). This tactic is commonly used in wars even nowadays to break enemy morale and force a surrender, demonstrating the importance of the psychological aspect of war. In the early twentieth century, the development of the short-wave radio made it possible for propaganda to reach larger audiences than ever before, increasing the reach of American propaganda. (Osgood). American programs such as "the Voice of America" were broadcast internationally and sought to promote the democratic ideals of America while denouncing the …show more content…
Firstly, he does so in a very overt, plot-based way, with the Narrator being consistently lied and manipulated to by Dr. Bledsoe, the Brotherhood, Brother Jack, and others. But Ellison also explores the nature of truth with his use of light-based wording throughout the story. In the beginning of the book the Narrator states, "The truth is the light and light is the truth." (Ellison). While this could be a variant on the statement in the book "If you're white, you're right" (Ellison), the statement could also be interpreted as to mean that whenever the narrator is in the darkness, or cannot see, then he is being led away from the truth, while when he is in the light, he is being shown the truth. The earliest instance this occurs is the Battle Royale scene in the first chapter. The Narrator, as well as the other boys there are blindfolded, representing how they are not shown the truth of the situation, that the men only considered the boys as a source of entertainment. This same metaphor can be extended to the ending of the book, where the Narrator is stuck inside the sewers, in complete darkness. Finally, all the lies within the book culminate to the Narrator's ultimate fate, being surrounded by the darkness, the lies. In a final flash of light, the burning of the Narrator's papers, a truth is revealed, that Brother Jack had written the malicious letter towards the Narrator. Here we