Prejudice And Racism

Dr. Bledsoe believes that black people must lie and act like stereotypical black people in front of white people in order to gain power in society; likewise, Dr. Bledsoe believes that black people should act with the upmost respect in from of white people in order to gain power. However, the narrator’s grandfather believes that black people should stand up and defy white people in order to gain rights and fight oppression.

Ralph Ellison’s short story, Battle Royal, is mainly an account of the African American struggle for equality and identity. The narrator of the story is an above average youth of the African American community [Goldstein-Shirlet, 1999]. He is given an opportunity to give a speech to some of the more prestigious white individuals. His expectations of being received in a positive and normal environment are drastically dashed when he is faced with the severity of the process he must deal with in order to accomplish his task.

Using money that was embezzled from his father's firm, he checks himself into a fine hotel to live this life long dream. He wraps himself up in all the luxury that he knew would one day come to him. He dressed himself in fine clothes, ate in the dining hall, and went out on a night on the town with a college boy that he met. The atmosphere of living grandly unfortunately collided with the thought of going back to Cordelia Street when his money ran out.

The language his grandfather uses his on his death bed in 1932 tells of the internal conflict at how he lived his life. The grandfather talked of “keeping up the good fight” (Ellison, 418), and “our life is a war” (418); “I have been a traitor all my born life” (418). His advice to his son is to not live as passive and meek as he did. And “learn it to the younguns” (418), to pass it onto his kids, including the protagonist. This same inner conflict is passed on to the narrator. At least until graduating high school, the protagonist lived as his grandfather did, the evidence is in his oration on graduation day. Noted in the oration was the statement “humility is the secret, indeed the very essence of progress” (419). However, he caught the attention of the school superintendent, and was invited to deliver the same speech to the town’s most influential citizens. Initially the Protagonist considered this opportunity to draw the two communities close thinking the speech was a “triumph for the whole community”

Finding a job opportunity was hopeless, or even a restroom that blacks were allowed to use. With him travelling, he did not have much cash, only checks. Clerks refuse to cash his checks, and he nearly gets attacked by a white bully. Even with all the traumatic events he experienced in New Orleans, he decided to travel into the Deep South of Mississippi and Alabama which were said to be worse for blacks. Feeling down, he talks to an old friend to help him cheer up.

The narrator of the novel, Grant Wiggins, is an educated African-American individual who teaches at a coloured school in a rural community in Louisiana. He questions his position in society, as to whether he “should act like the teacher that [he] was, or

As the narrator starts his life in college as he has many situations that he is forced to deal with that will shape his journey to his self-discovery. The time his spend in college he is able to look back on the philosophy of the college is inessential to become who he is in the future.

He only really sees his father twice throughout his life. His mother passes away from an unexpected illness so he enrolls at Atlanta University. His money is stolen so he begins to work as a cigar-maker/reader but the company shuts down and he moves to New York where he discovers ragtime. He is hired by a white millionaire that hears him play. The narrator witnesses a murder and feels somewhat responsible even though he wasn’t and hitches a ride with his millionaire friend to

Although, the grandson fears his grandfather’s words, he begins to follow them. Once he delivers his graduation speech he says, “Everyone praised me and I was invited to give the speech at a gathering of the town's leading white citizens.” (3) Now the narrator has excitement because he is being praised, but he does not realize he said yes to giving his speech to

The narrator delivers a well-received discourse at his graduation, which he describes by saying, "On my graduation day I delivered an oration in which I showed that humility was the secret, indeed, the very essence of progress. (Not that I believed this -- how could I, remembering my grandfather? -- I only believed that it worked)" (Ellison 938). The acceptance of the narrator's speech affords him the opportunity to address an assembly of prominent members of the white community, but first he must survive the Battle Royal, a boxing war in the ring against fellow African Americans. The Battle Royal is symbolic of the fight that many blacks wage against themselves to gain money, position, and prominence. The narrator is forced to participate in a battle against blacks before he speaks. This conflict illustrates a powerful tool used by the southern white man, by encouraging infighting, the African American community is kept from uniting, in unity, freedom could be gained.

Shortly before his grandfather passes away he asks after his son and utters some words to him “Son, after I’m gone I want you to keep up the good fight. I never told you, but our life is a war and I have been a traitor all my born days, a spy in the enemy’s country ever since I give up my gun back in the Reconstruction…” (Ellison 418) The young mans parents warned him to ignore his grandfather last words but he just couldn’t get it out of his mind, to the young man those words haunted him like a curse. The grandfather went on to say, “Live with your head in the lion’s mouth. I want you to overcome ‘em with yeses, and undermine ‘em with grins, agree ‘em to death and destruction, let ‘em swoller you till they vomit or bust wide open.” (Ellison 418) The young man didn’t quite know how to interpret those words from his grandfather but at this stage he could follow only one of two choices. One to either follow his grandfathers life and not try to impress the white citizens of the small town; or the two, to follow the white men’s laws and desires and just live the life the white men believed that black men of that society should lead. This communications vastly about the generation the short story was written in and how the African American people of that generation felt as if they had to act a certain way to be accepted within the white

The protagonist is finally seeing an environment around him where his grandfather is right. The protagonist uses the grandfather’s advice to then write a speech.

Ellison begins by introducing the narrator, who is considered to be an above average African American. He is invited to deliver his graduation speech, which is influenced by his grandfather, to a group of individuals much more superior than himself. The narrator's grandfather encourages him to "keep a good fight" to end racial issues, and his advice

Preference, segregation, or enmity coordinated against somebody of an alternate race in light of the conviction that one 's own particular race is superior is prevalent. Prejudice is as old as human culture itself. For whatever length of time that individuals have been around, the contention has remained alive; people have constantly despised or dreaded individuals of an alternate country or skin color. It is said that racism or prejudice is simply some portion of human instinct, but we are not born with racism. We learn to discriminate from our societal norms.

The struggles of many black is should never be described lightly. Many african americans were treated like animals and never was given the respected deserved. In the story, Battle Royal, by Ralph Ellison, a young African American man is trying to fit into white society that holds majority of blacks back. During the beginning, the narrator is bewildered by his grandfather 's last words. His grandfather spoke out about being a traitor in front of his family. The family was confused and concerned about the remarks that the grandfather 's had made. His words have been kept behind his mind. Soon after the grandfather death, the narrator is anticipated to give a speech at his high school graduation party located in the nearest local hotel. Little does he know, he is forced to participates in a duel between other young American men in his class in front of local white leaders. Throughout the fight the young African man becomes very concerned about giving his speech. Through the story of battle royal, the author sends the message of the struggle of poor treatment to color people and shows being meekly will help your situation.