Piccoli saggi di V anno

The Invisible man

Composition: do you think that being invisible is a common experience for people? Can yourecognise any individuals or groups among people that you know that are consideredinvisible? By whom? For what reasons? What is your reaction? Write a 300-word paragraphon the topic.

Nowadays, all we live in a world in which people are always in a hurry, especially in citycentres. It seems that they just don't have time to look back and to care for people that arearound them and who may need some help.I'm talking about homeless people, that often abound in our towns and in particular in publicparks. Today more than the people you see out there may be "invisible", and this is just notfair. These invisible men in our society are: immigrants, tramps and gypsies, namely themarginalized, the outcast.But despite the use of this trendy word, the concept is quite vague. Therefore, it is notpossible to indicate the role of this cultural phenomenon in society.The marginalized are those who do not belong to the system and who are excluded from anypossibility of participation in social life. This may be the most accurate description.Many of these individuals are dramatically united by one thing in common: the allegeddiversity in the eyes of most people, a diversity caused by natural factors (race, skin colour) ordisease, or by behaviours that society does not approve of, (drug use, alcohol abuse).Although it is a social phenomenon rooted in society (since ancient times, therefore always),many people are unaware of its existence.Throughout the history of literature there have been many authors who have denounced thisphenomenon to public criticism through their literary works.For example in Italy we have "Rosso Malpelo" by Giovanni Verga, who is an outcast onlybecause of his red hair, and according to popular rumours, he is automatically a bad boy.Charles Baudelaire and Jean-Paul Sartre in France; D.H. Lawrence, Virginia Woolf andGeorge Orwell in England; Thomas Mann and Bertolt Brecht in Germany. We even haveSeneca in Latin literature! And last but not least the painters Van Gogh and Munch also weresort of outcasts.