The Battle Royal
Ralph Ellison's "The Battle Royal," shows the relationship between the white and black community in the 1940s. Ellison has the narrator believing that he overcame the stereotypical black man when he is "invited to give a speech at a gathering of the town's leading white citizens" (579). Only to find out, he is just "part of the entertainment" (579). Ellison uses the events of "the battle royal" to symbolize the battles the black society had to endure while trying obtain "social equality" (586). The Civil War gave blacks their freedom, but the white society did not allow the black society to embrace their new found freedom or the American dream. A white naked woman is used to symbolize the American dream, which the black community could partake of. Be fore the battle royal all of the fighters are ushered "to the front of the ballroom... [where] a sea of faces, some hostile, some amused, ringed around [the fighters], and in the cent
Ellison writes: As the dancer flung herself about with detached expression on her face, the men began reaching out to touch her. The narrator states, "Quite a struggles was going on. The black community wants the chance to embrace the American dream and to really know what it is like to have the wonderful gift of freedom but is held back by the white community. The men scream, "Slug him, black boy! Knock his guts out! Uppercut him! Kill him! Kill that big boy!" (582). Had the price of looking been blindness, I would have looked" (579-580). they caught her just as she reached the door, raised her from the floor, and tossed her. The narrator states, "Everyone fought hysterically. I could see their beefy fingers sink into her soft flesh. When the battle royal states the narrator hears " the sound of feet scuffling forward [then a] glove [smacks] against [his] head" (581). stood a magnificent blonde-strake naked" (579). As all ten fighters are " order to get into the ring" they felt like "there was nothing to do but what [they] were told" (581).
Common topics in this essay:
Civil War,
Royal Freedom,
Battle Royal,
Kill Kill,
battle royal,
american dream,
black society,
white society,
black community,
freedom white society,
society black,
white community,
581 narrator,
582 white,
naked woman,
|
Acceptance Essays
