Invisible Man
The short story "Battle Royal" is the opening chapter of Ellison's historic novel Invisible Man. It contains just as much power and drama as the world renowned novel. It opens giving you the story of a boy who is graduating from high school. He is a young African American and is an amazing oracle speaker. An all white "smokers club" invite the young man to give a speech to them about the African American's place in society. At this time the young man followed the beliefs of Booker T. Washington. He was going to speak of how the African American should be content with the placement they have in society. They should not strive for political power or high paying jobs. They should be satisfied being farmers and manual laborers. That was the speech he was invited to give to his audience, but before he gave it the "club" had a surprise for him. In the middle of the room was a makeshift boxing ring. There was a group of Negro boys getting ready to fight and the narrator was forced to join them against his will. The battle royal,
There were coins on the ground hooked up to a battery that sent a shock through the boys after they touched them, giving the men a good laugh as they yelled for the boys to get there money. After the fight was over the boys were to get a reward, money was dumped onto the ground and the boys all dove for it fighting with each other once again. Ellison captures the moment as if it were taking place this instant. I saw the blood on my face and felt it rise up in my throat with each blow by the blindfolded and terrified men. This short story is one of my favorites not because of the unbelievable carnage that took place but because it was so engrossing. He began his speech and during it he realized that the men weren't paying him any attention. which it was called, lasted a while. His use of tone, detailed description, and heightened drama keep the reader interested and enthralled. Instead of just letting the participants get there money the so called gentlemen had another surprise for them. When fighting Tatlock alone in the ring, I can vividly picture the scene as, They were yelling for us to break it up and Tatlock spun me half around with a blow, and as a joggled camera sweeps in a reeling scene, I saw the howling red faces crouching tense beneath the cloud of blue-gray smoke. The narrator continued until he was finished and was given a leather satchel as a reward and a scholarship to the Tuskeegee Institute in the south. I felt the fear when being led to the ring. This portion of the story displayed the beginning of the south's plan to turn the African Americans against one another. Ellison uses harsh detailed realities to bring this story to light. ± I commend Ellison for writing, what must have been an unbelievably embarrassing scene, so truthfully and beautifully.
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