Blindness, The Sad Human Nature

This blindness was based on his cognition creating false images although the blindness in the book is based on the bewilderment of the whites who fail to admit to the intolerance and discrimination toward the blacks.

“Perhaps only in a world of the blind will things be what they truly are” (Saramago 114) quoted a doctor struck with the disease called the white blindness. This quote demonstrates how when the whole world is blind, humanity will be able to see each other for what they really are. Blindness, by Jose Saramago, describes the journey of 7 unlucky people in a world gone blind by a milky white sea. Led by the doctor’s wife-whose eyesight remains-, they struggle to fit into society where race, gender, religion, and class are no longer applicable. When humanity is equal and can no longer see the differences among them, the true leaders of society are able to rise. Saramago shows the genuine power and role of women in a patriarchal society where sight no longer exists by flipping the gender roles.

Throughout his life, Bigger, had been bound by the stereotyping of a whole society. The man versus society conflict in this novel is what this book is focused around.. Bigger is constantly intimidated by the white man and what they stand for. He is content in his efforts to rebell against they 're castes. "Let 's play ‘white, ' Bigger said, referring to a game of play actingin which he and his friends imitated the ways and manners of white folks." During this scene Bigger plays the President who is ordering a cabinent meeting.

Many people wonder what it would be like if they were to be invisible; stealthily walking around, eavesdropping on conversations, and living as if nothing is of their concern. Invisible Man, by Ralph Ellison, is centred on an unnamed fictional character who believes himself to be, indeed, invisible to the rest of the world. He is not invisible in the physical sense, but socially and intellectually. As the book develops, readers are able to experience an authentic recollection of what life is as a black man living in a white man’s world. This man wants to achieve so much, but is severely limited by the colour of his skin. This novel, which has become a classic, addresses the themes of blindness in fighting stereotypes and predestined

In Chaim Potok’s book, The Chosen, blindness is a recurring theme. Although there are some instances of physical blindness, such as Billy in the hospital, most of the situations in this book are of the figurative sense. In these circumstances, the person has good physical vision, however, due to their previous experiences, they are not able to see the true situation.

The use of symbolism such as the physical and emotional meanings of blindness can describe different meanings behind elements of the story. In the critical essay, the author discusses why an author might choose to make a character bling and what it means. Diane Andrews Henningfeld, the author of the critical essay explains, “clearly the author wants to emphasize other levels of sight and blindness beyond physical.” Blindness can be more than just the levels of physical sight and the author wants that to be understood. The author wants to emphasize and make it very clear that other levels of sight and blindness exist like not seeing the beauty in life and being blind to it beyond just being able to see with your eyes. The quote can feel something about the characters traits and how they can be so opposite from their physical abilities. This quote Conveys the facts. People can see in different ways. It is stated that,“although he is blind, he ‘sees’ how to get along with others in profound and important ways. By contrast, the narrator, although sighted, does not see how his isolation damages himself, his wife, and their relationship. He is

People who are blind face many different problems in accomplishing everyday activities and becoming an independent individual. Some are able to overcome this issue while others struggle through it in their lives. In “Helen Keller’s Address before the New York Association for the Blind, January 15, 1907” she makes an appeal to the audience that the blind should be helped and made independent so that they can stand up and support themselves. She uses pathos or emotionally packed words, examples and anecdotes and cites from a prominent source to convince her audience that the blind are not helpless, but they are in need of guidance from people who can see in order to live and thrive independently.

The Invisible Man by Ralph Ellison is about a young African American male. Who takes a journey into his past through oppression, and segregation down south and up north. In the first pages of the book in the prologue the narrator labels himself as invisible, after he explains that he is not a ghost nor an ectoplasm seen in movies but instead he is of regular flesh and bone he says “i am invisible understand simply because people refuse to see me” (Ellison 3). This leads us into one of the many themes that Ellison is trying to convey. Blindness, in the story The Invisible Man, a select number of black people are blind, they can be blind because they lack sight or vision of ideology.

In his memoir, Planet of the Blind, Stephen Kuusisto details his experience of living with a disability of sight, including his initial denial of his legally blind status. His tiring work at passing and his parents’ own denial and support of his refusal to be openly blind both stem from and reflect views of society at large. Members of Kuusisto’s life, just like many people today, ignore blindness and the challenges those with visual impairments have and continue to face. It’s not until he’s struggled for years pretending to see that he fully accepts his legal blindness and begins using a cane and a guide dog.

The man helps the narrator overcome his “blindness” by teaching him a new way of seeing. The experience of this effective communication transforms the narrator and the way he sees the external world. He is no longer an ignorant and distant

I would argue, however, that Bigger always detested whites treating him like a nobody and after accidentally killing Mary Dalton, he began being more open about he he feels since he had little to lose. Anyway, Bryant’s main argument is that the white world does not see Bigger, and this is one of Bigger’s biggest fears. Indeed, when they accuse him of rape, this takes away the subjectivity that would have been associated with him had he simply been called a murderer. In addition to making Bigger seem less than human by labeling him as a rapist, the authorities do not think that Bigger is intelligent enough to carry out a murder as complex as Mary Dalton’s. All this goes to show that Bigger is a symbol that whites have used as an excuse to discriminate against Blacks, and who Bigger is as a person is not something that really matters. The reason Bigger has negative feelings towards all Whites for the majority of the book is because they only see his skin color.

Much like in today’s society, people have been blinded by racial stereotypes when confronted with differences and disagreements. These confrontations lead to hate and misunderstandings between those of different races or cultures. Even within the same culture there are differences that cause individuals to misjudge one another and discriminate against those who are like them. “Racist whites sarcastically project undesirable traits upon black bodies (Hsu).” Hsuan Hsu states that “as a result of such racial projections, blacks are susceptible to both the over-identification with white ideals which Ellison’s protagonist often feels and the counter-identification which fuels the racial nationalist crusade against any interaction whatsoever with whites (Hsu).” The words of the Invisible Man’s grandfather follow the protagonist throughout his life and serve as a reminded to him that he should not let the white men that tower over him control him. He believes that in order to survive without betraying his own race one must be underhanded in the way that they live their life. Due to conflicting ideals and frames of mind the Invisible Man is tossed about his life without proper direction. Unknowingly, the protagonist of this story is one that is taken advantage of easily due to his naivety and willingness to obey those that he perceives to be superior to him.

Several times the author alludes to the narrator’s naivety and ignorance of how he, as a black man, was viewed in society. The narrator first shows that he believes he makes his own decisions, when in reality he is manipulated by white men at the club, “Blindfolded, I could no longer control my motions.”(p.22). Moreover, he thinks that his perception of the world is clear and is confused at the lack of respect he is afforded, “I was unused to darkness.”(p.21). By foul actions of the men the narrator looked up to, his bright world is destroyed and all that is left is the darkness; a brutal realization of what it means to be black.

Bigger wants to break through that blindness, to discover something of worth in himself, thinking that "all one had to do was be bold, do something nobody ever thought of. The whole things came to him in the form of a powerful and simple feeling; there was in everyone a great hunger to believe that made them blind, and if he could see while others were blind, then he could get what he wanted and never be caught at it" (p.120). Just as Bigger later hides himself amidst the catacombs of the old buildings, many people hide themselves deep within their minds in order to bear the ordeal of life and the oppression of an uncaring society. But their blindness allows them something that Bigger cannot achieve: it allows these people to meld into the society that is the city, while Bigger must stand at the outside of that community alternately marvelling and hating the compromises of those within.

When defining the word blindness, it can be interpreted in various ways. Either it can be explained as sightless, or it can be carefully deciphered as having a more complex in-depth analysis. In the novel Blindness, Jose Saramago depicts and demonstrates how in an instant your right to see can be taken in an instant. However, in this novel, blindness is metaphorically related to ‘seeing’ the truth beyond our own bias opinions.