The Battle Royal (1952) A contest in which gladiators fight to the death until one remains alive was an experience the narrator of the short story, written by author Ralph Ellison, Battle Royal. It is the slave sport the narrator accidentally gotten involved in, as he was about to tell a speech for the high white authorities. The story is a narration of the biography twenty years or more from the narrator 's current age as was looking back as he tries to find his identity in the present. The story is somehow related to the author which had a rough time growing with a deceased family memeber and a will to change the view of people on the colored people. Just as slavery was abolished during his earlier age, there was still great hidden tension
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With his grandfather 's last words, he is confused if he would do everything to please the white hierarchy, or fighting them for equality by using his intelligence. The story is a metaphor of this quote by the narrator “I am nobody but myself. But I have to discover that I am an invisible man!”(Ellison 284) to how each people are individuals, but are invisible when distinguished from the group point of view. The narrator believes that if he fights the white ideology like his grandfather 's last words was said, it would not be himself, nor he would be upset if he disappoints his …show more content…
As the anchor man places the prices of gold and coins in the floor. The narrator felt the adrenaline to rush on that piece of gold and would fight to the death even more for it as he have blocked with his whole body and grabbed with both hands the bills and yellow coin above the rug. Parallel to the actions before by this high class people, They were rowdy loud, shouting “Pick them up niggers” (Ellison 290). After every kid has taken his price and was given 5 dollars for the losers and 10 dollars for the winner everyone was sent home but the narrator. He was given a chance to deliver his speech in front of the crowd like it was promised to him. Bleeding and barely conscious. Narrator was involved in a battle royal before giving his speech, he still stood there proud trying to deliver his speech. It might not have been the greatest outcome for the narrator, but he still got to deliver his speech that influence the other white supremacist in his community. After that he was given a suitcase with a scholarship to state college for negroes inside. It was confusing if this was a true university and scholarship or they was just still mocking the narrator. This is an example of the white ideology of when pleasing the white people you will be rewarded. The narrator also dreamt about his Grandfather opening the suitcase without a scholarship but a gag letter saying “Keep this nigger- boy running”(Ellison 294). The Ideology
With his grandfather 's last words, he is confused if he would do everything to please the white hierarchy, or fighting them for equality by using his intelligence. The story is a metaphor of this quote by the narrator “I am nobody but myself. But I have to discover that I am an invisible man!”(Ellison 284) to how each people are individuals, but are invisible when distinguished from the group point of view. The narrator believes that if he fights the white ideology like his grandfather 's last words was said, it would not be himself, nor he would be upset if he disappoints his …show more content…
As the anchor man places the prices of gold and coins in the floor. The narrator felt the adrenaline to rush on that piece of gold and would fight to the death even more for it as he have blocked with his whole body and grabbed with both hands the bills and yellow coin above the rug. Parallel to the actions before by this high class people, They were rowdy loud, shouting “Pick them up niggers” (Ellison 290). After every kid has taken his price and was given 5 dollars for the losers and 10 dollars for the winner everyone was sent home but the narrator. He was given a chance to deliver his speech in front of the crowd like it was promised to him. Bleeding and barely conscious. Narrator was involved in a battle royal before giving his speech, he still stood there proud trying to deliver his speech. It might not have been the greatest outcome for the narrator, but he still got to deliver his speech that influence the other white supremacist in his community. After that he was given a suitcase with a scholarship to state college for negroes inside. It was confusing if this was a true university and scholarship or they was just still mocking the narrator. This is an example of the white ideology of when pleasing the white people you will be rewarded. The narrator also dreamt about his Grandfather opening the suitcase without a scholarship but a gag letter saying “Keep this nigger- boy running”(Ellison 294). The Ideology