Civil rights, social equality and the battle between separate but equal amongst all races was a cry that needed to be heard long before the 1950s. Ralph Ellison’s short story Battle Royal is the first chapter of a larger work called the Invisible Man. It begins with a narration of the young black boy’s struggle with identity due to racial prejudices brought on by the community where he lives. When his grandfather, a former slave, dies he tells him to “keep up the good fight” and that he “has been a traitor all of his born days” (Ellison, 1952). The boy graduates high school and delivers his graduation oration and is then invited to give the speech again to the white people in the town. He views this as an honor and takes part in the battle
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The protagonist’s grandfather is described as “the meekest of men” and “quiet old man who never made any trouble” (Ellison, 1952). On his grandfather’s deathbed his dying statement was “after I'm gone I want you to keep up the good fight. I never told you, but our life is a war and I have been a traitor all my born days, a spy in the enemy's country… live with your head in the lion's mouth” (Ellison, 1952). This is a great insight to the oppression black Americans faced of this time. He is referencing their life as a daily war against white people due to inequality. When the young boy is delivering his speech to the prominent white men he repeats the words “social responsibility” several times. One of those times he replaces responsibility with “social equality.” Social equality is not what the white people want to hear or even think about. It would mean that their power is less and the power of blacks in the community is becoming greater. The phrase “living with your head in the lion’s mouth” is in reference to doing something dangerous or living your life on the edge. The young black boy is doing just that by pointing out the social inequality in the …show more content…
From the moment of the grandfather’s death until the very end you are taken back to a place in history that is difficult to read about. Ellison's use of the characters and words the grandfather spoke show the continuous battle for racial equality that the black community faces every day. The grandfather’s words are guidelines on how to stay safe and defend themselves against more hard from white power. The stripper and the blindfold are used by Ellison as symbols of racial inequality and the everyday fight blacks are up against in a time when whites controlled everything. The Battle Royal is truly a battle and an eye opening account of the struggle for racial and social equality for an entire community of
The protagonist’s grandfather is described as “the meekest of men” and “quiet old man who never made any trouble” (Ellison, 1952). On his grandfather’s deathbed his dying statement was “after I'm gone I want you to keep up the good fight. I never told you, but our life is a war and I have been a traitor all my born days, a spy in the enemy's country… live with your head in the lion's mouth” (Ellison, 1952). This is a great insight to the oppression black Americans faced of this time. He is referencing their life as a daily war against white people due to inequality. When the young boy is delivering his speech to the prominent white men he repeats the words “social responsibility” several times. One of those times he replaces responsibility with “social equality.” Social equality is not what the white people want to hear or even think about. It would mean that their power is less and the power of blacks in the community is becoming greater. The phrase “living with your head in the lion’s mouth” is in reference to doing something dangerous or living your life on the edge. The young black boy is doing just that by pointing out the social inequality in the …show more content…
From the moment of the grandfather’s death until the very end you are taken back to a place in history that is difficult to read about. Ellison's use of the characters and words the grandfather spoke show the continuous battle for racial equality that the black community faces every day. The grandfather’s words are guidelines on how to stay safe and defend themselves against more hard from white power. The stripper and the blindfold are used by Ellison as symbols of racial inequality and the everyday fight blacks are up against in a time when whites controlled everything. The Battle Royal is truly a battle and an eye opening account of the struggle for racial and social equality for an entire community of