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, which it was called, lasted a while. The boys beat up on each other while all the white men were sitting around yelling, laughing, and taunting the participants. 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. Instead of just letting the participants get there money the so called gentlemen had another surprise for them. 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. This portion of the story displayed the beginning of the south's plan to turn the African Americans against one another. After all the trials and tribulations which the narrator had to go through that night he was finally allowed to do his speech. There he stood, bleeding and almost unconsci...