Archetype Marked for Greatness Archetype Marked for Greatness

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Archetype: Marked for Greatness

Archetype: Marked for Greatness

Archetype: Marked for Greatness • Physical/Literal Mark Indicates Psychological/Thematic Point About the Character •

Archetype: Marked for Greatness • Physical/Literal Mark Indicates Psychological/Thematic Point About the Character • Physical deformity symbolizes Moral/Character Deformity • Beauty symbolizes civility • Scars symbolize violence and aggression • Hideous outer form can hide compassionate inner character • Beautiful outer form can hide aggressive or selfish inner character • Difference sets characters/objects/settings apart

Marked for Greatness in Invisible Man Trueblood: Trueblood is a Black man who lives

Marked for Greatness in Invisible Man Trueblood: Trueblood is a Black man who lives beyond the edge of the College Campus who impregnated his daughter and gained a nasty open wound. "The man had a scar on his right cheek, as though he had been hit in the face with a sledge. The wound was raw and moist and from time to time he lifted his handkerchief to fan away the gnats. "

Symbolism of Trueblood's Wound • Immorality- for how he gained his wound • Contemptibility-

Symbolism of Trueblood's Wound • Immorality- for how he gained his wound • Contemptibility- White college students listen to his story to reinforce their notions of Black men's nature • Permanency- continued use of the story for subsistence, unchanging social structure • It cannot represent Guilt- Trueblood does not regret his incest because the its tale has kept the family fed and the house secure • Falsity- The wound could not possibly remain open throughout daughter's pregnancy, so it must be repeatedly reopened to get subsidy from White men. • Love- Wound is used to care for family • Reinforces Theme: The Price of Sustaining Loved Ones

Marked for Greatness in Invisible Man The Protagonist: The protagonist goes unnamed and not

Marked for Greatness in Invisible Man The Protagonist: The protagonist goes unnamed and not physically described. He is marked by his lack of distinguishing form, and by his oratory skill. • Lack of identity (physically and figuratively) • Universal: the protagonist could be almost anyone; invisibility applies to all African-American males • Utility without humanity: oration makes him useful, but lack of form renders him a tool (heard v. seen)

Two Other Works • Curious George • Man with the Yellow Hat • Bold

Two Other Works • Curious George • Man with the Yellow Hat • Bold exploration and discovery, which leads him to bring a monkey to the city from the jungle. • George brings adventure and joy, so the man's hat demonstrates the excitement that curiosity and subsequent inquiry yield.

Two Other Works • The Odyssey • Odysseus' scar on the thigh, obtained in

Two Other Works • The Odyssey • Odysseus' scar on the thigh, obtained in an accident in a boar hunt as a child • Ferocity, Endurability, and the damage life inflicts • Through its placement, the scar represents Intimacy and Familiarity. • The damage Odysseus receives to such an intimate area parallels the damage life inflicts on his wife and family. • This parallelism strengthens theme that people and families are shaped by their hardships.