Racism is one of the most controversial issues all around the world. Even after allowing African American’s freedom and equality in the 19th century, racism is still very alive during the 20th century. Battle Royale by Ralph Ellison uses irony and imagery to reveal a young man’s battle of searching for acceptance in a world still struggling with racism.
While reading, a lot of questions are raised. What is happening is the most common question. The story does not really walk you through a lot of background information. However, one of the important literary devices that Ellison uses to really develop the story is imagery. Throughout the entire story, Ellison uses descriptive words to his advantage. Ellison goes into detail about the location and the events happening around him. For instance, when describing the naked woman in front of him, he describes her hair as being yellow like a circus kewpie doll and the blue of her eyes like the color of a baboon’s butt (3). He describes the woman so well that the reader can create a perfect image of her; all the way down to the sweat around …show more content…
The audience roars with applause and the narrator is given a gift (Ellison 11). The gift is a calfskin briefcase that contains a scholarship to the state college for Negroes (Ellison 12). This is a heart touching moment. The narrator feels relieved off his grandfather’s words after receiving such an extraordinary gift (Ellison 12). The narrator was not even bothered by the fact that gold pieces were brass tokens advertising an automobile (Ellison 12). Battle Royale by Ralph Ellison demonstrates a young man’s struggles of searching for acceptance in a world struggling with racism by using irony and imagery. Through Ellison’s detail the reader can imagine being in the crowd during this time, but what kind of feelings the reader experience is what leaves a lasting impression. Works
While reading, a lot of questions are raised. What is happening is the most common question. The story does not really walk you through a lot of background information. However, one of the important literary devices that Ellison uses to really develop the story is imagery. Throughout the entire story, Ellison uses descriptive words to his advantage. Ellison goes into detail about the location and the events happening around him. For instance, when describing the naked woman in front of him, he describes her hair as being yellow like a circus kewpie doll and the blue of her eyes like the color of a baboon’s butt (3). He describes the woman so well that the reader can create a perfect image of her; all the way down to the sweat around …show more content…
The audience roars with applause and the narrator is given a gift (Ellison 11). The gift is a calfskin briefcase that contains a scholarship to the state college for Negroes (Ellison 12). This is a heart touching moment. The narrator feels relieved off his grandfather’s words after receiving such an extraordinary gift (Ellison 12). The narrator was not even bothered by the fact that gold pieces were brass tokens advertising an automobile (Ellison 12). Battle Royale by Ralph Ellison demonstrates a young man’s struggles of searching for acceptance in a world struggling with racism by using irony and imagery. Through Ellison’s detail the reader can imagine being in the crowd during this time, but what kind of feelings the reader experience is what leaves a lasting impression. Works