Battle Royal
In many works of literature irony plays and important roll in the story. In the short story "Battle Royal" written by Ralph Ellison irony is a key factor on the story. The narrator who is nameless is a young black male in the time slavery recently had been abolished. A time where blacks were free, but looked upon and treated with less than equality. The narrator was awarded for his conduct on the day of his graduation. He gave a speech when he accepted the award but he didn't believe a word he said. He felt that the white folks didn't think of him any different then another black man, but no matter how he felt about his speech it was a great success. He was invited to present the speech in the main ballroom of the leading hotel in front of all the big names of the town. He got to the ballroom and was forced to enter in the night's battle royal. He was lead into a room with nine other boys to put on his fighting trunks and boxing gloves. Then all ten men were brought into
The narrator jumped on the rug and thought only about getting the bills and gold pieces. He went through with it even through everyone was talking and wasn't paying any attention to him and his mouth kept on filling up with blood. The boys had been brought in for only the amusement of the white men. After all this the narrator forgot about what he was there for and left the hotel after getting paid. After the fight was over the boys were led to an electrified rug with coins, gold pieces and crumpled bills and was told to go get there nights pay. He was looked as a clown in the circus and was laughed and was used for amusement. The boys were degraded and humiliated throughout the whole event and didn't once think they were being mistreated. He was given a calfskin brief case and inside was a scholarship to the state college for Negros. When he finished he got a thunderous applause. Then he was called back into make his speech. The boys had been misled, lied to and physically abused, but never spoke out against the white men. He thought the white men were helping him to achieve his goals and would get him where he wanted to go. They were scared of the white men and what would happen if they didn't cooperate. All ten boys were made to go through acts of humiliation before and after they had fought and were made to wear blindfolds during the actual fight. The white men knew they could do and yell what ever they wanted to the boys and get away with it.
Common topics in this essay:
Ralph Ellison,
,
Battle Royal,
fight boys,
amusement white,
story narrator,
narrator awarded,
battle royal,
gold pieces,
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