Comparing Story Of The Good Little Boy And Battle Royal

In the short stories “The Lesson,” by Bambara and “Battle Royal,” by Ralph Ellison, the authors use the idea of race determining the social structure in America where blacks are the socially inferior. In the short story “The Lesson,” by Bambara through fictional characters makes a serious social commentary. In the short story “Battle Royal,” by Ralph Ellison shows weakness and disorder of black identity in the early 1900s through the subjection of his young black narrator to a series of monstrous treatments by white man.

Maybe it did more for them than algebra could.”(Baldwin, 250). The narrator seen the kids all as junkies, the narrator also thoughts these kids would never make it out of harlem. The narrator saw the reflection of himself through the kids. While in “Battle Royal” the narrator allowed himself to be humiliated in a ring for what he thought was worth wild, a scholarship. The narrator states“Blindfolded, I could no longer control my motions. I had no dignity”(Ellison 235). The narrator knew he had depicted his humiliation once he stepped foot into the

The electrified rug is another important piece in this story. The boys are given the opportunity to take bills and coins off of a rug, after the battle royal has been completed. As they grab for the money they receive jolts of electricity from the rug. The boys find it extremely hard not to reach for the money even though they will go through much pain in doing so. These activities again represent the African American's struggle for equality. Even though segregation became an eventual realization the blacks had to suffer much. Blacks attending schools with whites still had to endure racial prejudices and misjudgments by much of the population. The boys in "Battle Royal" were given the opportunity to get money, but they had to endure the physical pain of being electrocuted in the process. The white men again are amused by these activities just as men throughout the years were amused by the activities of African American's. The blacks were given things but with a price attached to it just as the boys were.

Racism was a harsh reality for African Americans after the American slave era and is a prominent theme in the short story “Battle Royal”. This story highlights how racism is not only a powerful tool used to keep people down but can also promote savagery. The author, Ralph Ellison, uses vivid imagery to depict the acts of savagery shown by both the slaves and the white crowd.

Ellison once said, “Our social mobility was strictly, and violently, limited” (German 2). The black society is portrayed in a special way in “Battle Royal.” The boxing ring of the Battle symbolizes the confinement of blacks in their society (German 2). The whites are always superior, and the blacks are constantly held back and left fighting. “The story’s title, ‘Battle Royal,’ suggests that the incidents described in the narrative are just one battle in the ongoing racial war” (Brent 2). There is constant controversy between whites and blacks, so far as it is described as a war. In the grandfather’s speech, he describes it as a war, and he states that he wants the narrator to “keep up the good fight.” He then explains how the narrator should do so; he orders him “Live with your head in the lion’s

His life's passion and pure talent permitted Jacob to prove that hard work is the key to achieving success, not a high economic upbringing. In addition to his abilities, Finally, Jacob Lawrence's passion for beauty has driven him away from poverty and into the new light of African American stardom in the

“Battle Royal” begins with a young man trying to do everything he can to make sure he receives his scholarship. He endures so many obstacles during that short period of time. He had to fight during the battle royal, then he had to get electrocuted all because he wanted to perform the speech that he was hoping to get him the scholarship that will allow him to go to college. Although he should not have been a part of the fight, the

The story starts by explaining how Jacob has always tried his hardest to be a good little boy like in the Sunday-school books he reads. It gives you many instances of this but instead of the praise Jacob is seeking, he always ends up in trouble, normally because the situation is misunderstood. In the end it takes this to the extreme with Jacob trying to undo what some bad boys did and dies tragically, without saying the last words he had prepared.

Just like the Europeans, the children feel hopeless and unable to grow and stuck in mental decay. When Jacob enters into their lives, he manages to give them a sense of meaning, value, and camaraderie. Without these values, the peculiars’ lives would have been an endless void stuck in an infinite spiral. The protagonist serves as an example of how people should live their everyday lives. When people are trapped in a state of gloom, only one person is necessary in order to spread hope and ensure humanity’s overall progress. The one person who stands up for what is right does not have to be “peculiar” or have any sort of superpower; to act as a voice for the people is a superpower alone. Action based off of bravery is easier said than done, but no one has ever gained anything out of cowardice. Muhammed Ali once said, “he who is not courageous enough to take risks will accomplish nothing in life,” meaning that nothing ventured is ever gained. Bravery is an inherent characteristic of human beings, and it is all about taking risks, making a difference, and changing the lives of

As God molds and guides Jacob over the course of the Jacob Cycle, God interacts with Jacob in increasingly personal ways.

The strongest point of comparison between the two characters in question is their mutual descent into mental instability and the degree to which this influences their behavior. Indeed, the common ground in the two stories is at the outset, when an ailing ruler is manipulated into divided his kingdom amongst his children. This division of territories, an event stimulated by individual vanity and infirmity, would have consequences kingdom-wide. The unraveling of civility and familial bonds which would occur thereafter is common to both tellings.

Racism is an issue that blacks face, and have faced throughout history directly and indirectly. Ralph Ellison has done a great job in demonstrating the effects of racism on individual identity through a black narrator. Throughout the story, Ellison provides several examples of what the narrator faced in trying to make his-self visible and acceptable in the white culture. Ellison engages the reader so deeply in the occurrences through the narrator’s agony, confusion, and ambiguity. In order to understand the narrators plight, and to see things through his eyes, it is important to understand that main characters of the story which contributes to his plight as well as the era in which the story takes place.

As mentioned before, Jacob is the youngest child of the family. He is fighting for attention from his siblings and his parents almost every day. Most of his art projects are displayed around the house, along with his sibling’s art. He does fight for attention from his

This little boy’s major issue might have not been in his actions, but in what his real motives were. Jacob Blivens idolized the innocent young boys that he read about in his Sunday-school

Jacob presents a more “freedom” lifestyle but still uniformed at the same time. Even with this modern style of living though, there were rules that may seem unusual to someone living in this time period.