Essay about Battle Royal, by Ralph Ellison

"Battle Royal" gives the reader a frightening look at just how society looks at blacks. In the

In Ralph Ellison’s short story “Battle Royal,” the experiences of a Black narrator, specifically those molded by the brutal hands of anti-black violence, paint a pessimistic outlook on race relations and the ability for marginalized individuals to overcome the oppressive structures embedded in civil society. To construct this commentary, the text employs symbolism to communicate the ways in which systemic and structural anti-blackness suppresses and oppresses Black communities.

(An emotional appeal to the audience) We are all a prostitute to something in this world doing things we don't want to do just to continue in life dealing with the forces that are constantly in our way. This is a relentless reality to the African-American people throughout the history of the United States. How much is one willing to let white men abuse and torment themselves as they dangle the keys to success right in front of oneself, all the while laughing at this “animal” that they see as nothing more than an inferior human to that of themselves as they believe that their skin color makes them superior to all of those unlike them. Ralph Ellison's Battle Royal is a story of just that, as a young, black man yearns to learn who, and what, he is in this world. He takes his grandfather's dying words to his soul of “I want you to overcome ‘em with yeses, un-determine ‘em with grins, agree ‘em to death and destruction” (Ellison 278) even then feeling uncomfortable and guilty. Through this young man's journey to find himself in this world that still laughs at the notion of racial equality, Ellison uses a viscous cast of society's highest “class”, along with men, who are both like and unlike him, who scrap at the scraps of leftovers from these white men to show this young, black man how worthless he is to white men and teach him an important lesson in his first step forward in his dive to the heart to find himself as person and the start of his journey in life as he faces racism

In Ralph Ellison’s “Battle Royal,” the narrator begins with an old memory that haunts him; his grandfather’s last words to his family. Though the old man lived a quiet life in the shadows of the white man, he tells them to do the same, but also to not get undermined by them and be a “spy in the enemy’s country.” The speaker transitions to a specific night that he lived through the day after his graduation. Due to his brilliance and accelerated knowledge he is invited to a “smoker” event where all the topnotch white men go to smoke, drink, and for their peculiar entertainment. The event begins with young black men being rounded up as cattle and forced to witness a naked woman sensually dance for the men. As all men are aroused the white men

The author, Randy Roberts in his article “Jack Johnson wins the Heavyweight Championship” sheds light on the fight of Jack Johnson with Tommy Burns, he highlights the racial attitude in the twentieth century. Roberts opens his article by mentioning about the concerned whites, as the author proceeds, according to the whites it was a tragic and saddest day of their lives as the race won. While Dixie was agitated, firstly because of the Booker T. Washington dined at the White House and secondly was the victory of Jack Johnson. However, the blacks rejoiced all over the United States with this news. Roberts mentions about a journalist report, it stated that the genuine satisfaction the blacks experienced with the single victory of Johnson was not been observed in forty years.

Ralph Ellison’s short story “Battle Royal,” is set in the deep south during the late 1940’s era. Racial tension in the south has always been exorbitantly high. In the 1940’s keeping segregation is still a priority for half the population in the southern states, slavery may be abolished but the physical act of welcoming African-Americans as “Americans” is far from the minds of many Americans. Ellison’s short story accentuates this idea of racial tension and social standards, between the elites of the town and the very intelligent former high school graduate. The story touches on a sensitive topic that America has yet to realize, and it is that people that are considered to be minorities can be subjected to be oppressed, based on their

In the world of segregation crises “Battle Royal” by Ralph Ellison is about a boy who just finished high school years and receives an invitation to present his valedictorian speech to the wealthy white men in town. Ellison’s protagonist reminisces about his naive life, 20 years before when the story was published in 1947. He grew up in the deep south of America in a town where prejudicism and racism was prominent. During this time the South is segregated because of the Jim Crow Law. The story shows the conflict between the races of black society and white society back in the early 1900s when segregation laws was in place. As I was reading the story I can see clearly that the battle the African-Americans are fighting for, are both mentally and physically. “Battle Royal” helps us understand the struggle of a young black man who is trying to survive in a society where white people are dominant over the lives of the black people. The young man is feels conflicted on how to live a life that is successful and prosperous in life. He is torn between his grandfather’s last words of advice and the wishes of the white society in which he longs to please but because of the lack of equality between black and white in the setting he is unsuccessful in achieving anything.

Blindly, our nation’s black population fought, not always knowing what for, just as the boys in this story fought. The segregation of schools, restaurants, and other public facilities were issues that were fiercely fought over.

In order to understand the significance of the Battle Royale, one must know that white men of higher class would blindfold men of minorities in order for them to fight each other.

Although slavery had been abolished eighty-five years earlier, the black community found themselves in a similar predicament as before in terms of racial inequities, discriminations and, overtly white supremacy in every capacity of life; in response, the black community formulated a strategy of appeasement and become submissive to survive in this pseudo “Post-Racial Society”. However, in Ralph Ellison’s short story “Battle Royal” he further asserts this claim;

The racism within this story is easily spotted, and it effects how the white and black men interact with each other. The class Ellison and the other blacks are in is different from the white mens’ ,in part, because of race and race relationships in that time period. If Ellison and his fellow African Americans were not African American, then the story would be very different. However, race is only one aspect that separates classes within Battle Royal.

Ralph Ellison’s excerpt “Battle Royal” from his novel “Invisible Man” reveals the African American’s struggle for social equality. It was written during the Cold War and Civil Rights movement and made an impact in the literature world and won an award. Ellison never provides a name for the narrator who refers to himself as the invisible man. The story begins with the narrator’s grandfather on his death bed instructing on how to deal with white people. The narrator felt this advice was more of a curse than helpful. The determination exhibited by the narrator during his encounter at Battle Royal is impressive. The level of abuse endured in his pursuit to deliver his graduation speech is both baffling and admiring.

"Battle Royal" is the story I chose to write about and it is written by Ralph Ellison. The reason that I chose this story is because the way the author uses symbolism. The author tries to show through symbolism that there is a different meaning than what the story says. In the beginning, the story seems to be about one black boy's struggle to get ahead in a white society. He tries' to accomplish this goal by living to his grandfathers dying words. His grand father told him to "live with your head in the lion's mouth, I want you to overcome ‘em with yes, undermine ‘em with grins, agree ‘em to death and destruction, let ‘em swoller you till they vomit or bust wide open." What he meant was his grandfather was telling him

Race is a major theme found in these types of literature as a result of the colonist's and anticolonist's worlds colliding. Ralph Ellison's “Battle Royal,” shows racism in the acts of the white men against the African Americans, like the narrator. The narrator is invited to a special gathering whether he learns that he is only there as entertainment for the drunk white men. The Caucasian men make the African American men take part in the “Battle Royal” where they fight each other while being blindfolded and are tricked into being electric shocked. The white men drink, laugh, and poke fun of the African American men as they wither on the floor bloody and in pain.

How institutionalized racism remains as one of the more dominate ways a race stays in control of another, “Battle Royal” by Ralph Ellison illustrates the theme of institutionalized racism social, African Americans “were told that they were free, united with others of our country in everything pertaining to the common good, and, in everything social, separate like the fingers of the hand. And they believed it. (p. 311)”. Also, economically the African American’s, the men especially had no real wealth and had to participate in the unspeakable acts for money “the battle royal to be fought by some of my schoolmates as part of the entertainment. The battle royal came first. All of the town's big shots were there in their tuxedoes, (p. 312)”. These two issues are the more favored ways in which the elite whites kept control over African Americans during this time.