Trip Proposal

In order to grasp the similar southern hues and themes between "Flying Home," Ralph Ellison's short story depicting the struggle for fixating the Afro-American identity, and Tuskegee, Alabama, Ralph Ellison's influence for the environs of "Flying Home," I will travel to Tuskegee. By visiting the supposed environment of the story, I will comprehend the reconciliation of past African American social pressures and present conditions Todd undergoes, as well as celebrate the progression and advancement of the African American culture through arts and rich history, all implied through Todd's cathartic journey. 

Todd's core issue is seen at the start of the story; the sun blinds him. He is unable to determine whether the faces the stare at him are black or white. Because Todd measured himself throughout his professional career by the approval and appreciation of other men, specifically Whites, his color embodies his shame.  He leans toward the African American bourgeois, and thus his vision is blurred. In contrast, his sense of hearing deviates from his elitist mindset, and he finds comfort in the company of an African American counterpart, Jefferson. Once Todd regains full consciousness, his deviations fall short. His overbearing bourgeois tendencies result in his rejection of Jeffrey because Jefferson represents the humility and degradation of his people. Thus, Todd's "body refuse[s] to laugh"  when Jefferson tells his lie (Ellison 215). Todd laughing would have solidified his union with Jefferson, assuming his undoubted failure. 

The Blues (The Blues)

However, hues of Todd's black heritage are evoked, leading him to laugh at Jeffrey's excellent performance. Todd's memory shifts his mood to the harsh and sensitive essence of the blues. The blues capture the bleak and arduous "details and episodes of a brutal experience" in their "plots," as well as manipulate and triumph over them through hyperbolic and ironic performances (Shadow, 94).  Hence, Todd's trials and tribulations implore me to expand my appreciation for blues and jazz, two fundamental genres of music that helped mold the Afro-American identity. 

Golden Voices Choir ( The Tuskegee University Golden)

Since the inception of Tuskegee University,  music has played a pivotal role in its history and achievements. Booker T. Washington, founder and first president of Tuskegee University,  insisted his "instructors to teach the folk songs and spirituals to their students" (Alabama Jazz). Throughout the 1930's and 1940's, the university's Golden Voices Choir opened for Radio City Music Hall, they performed at the White hours, and the group was the "first African-American performing organization to appear at Constitution Hall in Washington" (Alabama Jazz). Furthermore, Lionel Richie grew up on the campus of Tuskegee Institute as his family worked there for two generations. During his college experience, Richie alongside other students formed The Commodores, which became one of the most successful music groups in the 1970's. Hits included "Easy" and "Brickhouse" ("Alabama Jazz"). I will be listening to their recordings, as well as taking an active role in exploring the cultural arts of the rural, southern African American masses.


Easy by The Commodores (Commodores)


Brick House by The Commodores (The Commodores)


Tuskegee University Golden Voices Concert (Tuskegee University Golden Voices Concert Choir Gospel)


Tuskegee University Golden Voices Concert Choir: Mary Had A Baby (Tuskegee University Golden Voices Concert Choir Gospel: Mary)

Lionel Richie (Lionel)

Tuskegee also provides monuments and historical memories of a rich black history. Although Todd's journey was rough, he reconciled his differences between social pressures and cultural pride, always remembered as one of the Tuskegee Airmen. As Todd laid mangled and helpless, he "watches the old man," because "such old men often came to the field to watch pilots with childish eyes"; that "made him proud" (Ellison 209). Jefferson can't "tell [Todd] how it let to see somebody what look like [him] in a airplane" (Ellison 212). Todd served with the "Tuskegee Airmen, the first African-American aviators to serve in the U.S. military" (Selbert). His pivotal role in the integration of the U.S. military evokes a celebration of the African American people and their successes. Thus, I will visit the Tuskegee Airmen National Historic Site in reverence of those who paved the way toward integration, as well as visit historical monuments and buildings. My experiences, with historic significance explained in my itinerary, will include the Tuskegee Institute National Historic Site and the Tuskegee Repertory Theatre.