Most individuals do not live life to the fullest because they place the expectations of society above themselves. Society includes many principles of conduct that can perhaps inhibit a person from discovering who they truthfully are. However, society affects everyone differently. “Battle Royal,” The Piano Lesson, and “The Lady of Shalott” are three different stories that demonstrate the diverse influences and effects civilization has on its characters.
“Battle Royal” is a chapter of the novel Invisible Man, written by Ralph Ellison. This chapter is about an educated African-American recalling the days of his youth where he was searching for himself, but facing a few complications with discovering that concept due to his continuous determination …show more content…
With his acceptation of participating, he allows the men of the club to have complete control over him because of his mindset giving him enough tolerance from the thoughts of pleasing them with his speech. He even endures the men ignoring and interrupting him when he finally gives his speech. The narrator states he eventually changes that strict way of thinking and begins to care more for himself in the future, but for a large portion of his life, the boy only lived for the approval and acceptance of the society he deemed more powerful than …show more content…
The play is about a brother and a sister fighting over the fate of their family legacy; a piano. The brother, named Boy Willie, wishes to sell the piano because he wants to use the money to buy his own land, and the sister, Berniece, refuses to allow Boy Willie to sell the piano because she feels the piano is powerfully connected to the past. An example of how the play’s society effects its characters, Boy Willie believes that he will not be equal with the white men and that the society will not see him as a true man until he possesses his personal land. Another instance includes Boy Willie believing his words are more authoritative than Berniece’s because the play is set in a time when men were deemed to have more power than women. Another example is Berniece telling her own daughter to not go out into public “showing her color,” also known as being herself. This example demonstrates that Berniece did not believe she was equal with civilization enough to be herself in public because of how much she held onto the past. However, the society the two siblings have remained living in their entire lives drastically affects the skirmishes caused by the piano. Perhaps if civilization would have been more accepting and equal during their time, there would have been little to no conflict over the piano at
“Battle Royal” is a chapter of the novel Invisible Man, written by Ralph Ellison. This chapter is about an educated African-American recalling the days of his youth where he was searching for himself, but facing a few complications with discovering that concept due to his continuous determination …show more content…
With his acceptation of participating, he allows the men of the club to have complete control over him because of his mindset giving him enough tolerance from the thoughts of pleasing them with his speech. He even endures the men ignoring and interrupting him when he finally gives his speech. The narrator states he eventually changes that strict way of thinking and begins to care more for himself in the future, but for a large portion of his life, the boy only lived for the approval and acceptance of the society he deemed more powerful than …show more content…
The play is about a brother and a sister fighting over the fate of their family legacy; a piano. The brother, named Boy Willie, wishes to sell the piano because he wants to use the money to buy his own land, and the sister, Berniece, refuses to allow Boy Willie to sell the piano because she feels the piano is powerfully connected to the past. An example of how the play’s society effects its characters, Boy Willie believes that he will not be equal with the white men and that the society will not see him as a true man until he possesses his personal land. Another instance includes Boy Willie believing his words are more authoritative than Berniece’s because the play is set in a time when men were deemed to have more power than women. Another example is Berniece telling her own daughter to not go out into public “showing her color,” also known as being herself. This example demonstrates that Berniece did not believe she was equal with civilization enough to be herself in public because of how much she held onto the past. However, the society the two siblings have remained living in their entire lives drastically affects the skirmishes caused by the piano. Perhaps if civilization would have been more accepting and equal during their time, there would have been little to no conflict over the piano at