Humiliation Of Race In Ralph Ellison's Battle Royal

640 Words2 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Discuss the theme of identity in the novel about ralph ellison

Humiliation of Race
In the short story “Battle Royal” the author, Ralph Ellison structures the story to show the attack on racism. There are many instances in the story where racism is portrayed through white folks who have placed a black teen through many situations, only so he can find himself in constant humiliation. The author’s use of structure empowers the white folks to feel superior because of their dominant white race and how they will never want to reach “social equality” with the Negro race.
The attack on racism begins when the boy enters the fight on the Battle Royal. Although his main purpose for attending the Ballroom was because he was cordially invited to deliver his speech, he ended up being humiliated. The white folks ordered for him to get on the ring and, “there was nothing to do but what we were told” (277). The boy …show more content…

They had no sign of painful emotion towards the black boy, but instead they cheered for the fight to continue, “Get going in there!” (277). Throughout the battle the white folks were very racist on how they directed themselves toward the black boy, one said “Oh, no you don't, black bastard!” (277). The humiliation continued even when the fight was over. Once the fight was over it was time for the money to be given to the winners. Since the boy was a winner he was given an “award”. The money was not given to the contest, but instead it was laid out in an electrifying rug. The body of the boy was moving in all directions as he recalls, “My muscles jumped, my nerves jangled, writhed” (280). While the men jumped and twitched all over the electrifying rug, the white folks were filled of laughter and enjoyment. The whites were being entertained by humiliating the blacks. One may think that the humiliation ends at the electrifying rug, but those white men had no sense of caring emotion, they remained with vigor and overruling

Show More
Related

  • The Whining Nigger and Benjamin Banneker

    1351 Words  | 3 Pages

    It is theorized that the phrase “angry Black man” is a social construct created during America’s Colonial period. It was supposedly used to negatively describe an African-American men who spoke out against what they considered to be an incongruous and xenophobic society and more specifically the institution of slavery. The phrase’s essence had been intentionally misconstrued. The three words together were said to have been used by whites as a dismissive tool; a method of sabotaging the validity of an outspoken Black man’s claims of an unjust and oppressive system. This was done in an effort to detract from the legitimacy of the outraged Black man’s cries of injustice. Purportedly, Abolitionist and Black male orators of the time were becoming increasingly persuasive in their arguments and it was feared that their message would garner support. With this in mind, white supremacists took it upon themselves to attach a contemptuous label to those Black men that dared speak up. The word “angry,” was likely chosen because it typically evokes negative perceptions. This would have been a major factor in the promotion of the trivialization process and also the attaching of the conspiracy theorist stigma. Not only was this a manner of dismissing the Black man’s claims but it also helped to dehumanize him as well.

    Read More

  • White Supremacism In Battle Royal, By Ralph Ellison

    715 Words  | 2 Pages

    Ralph Ellison’s “Battle Royal” is an eye opening story. Ellison introduces us to a black nameless citizen. All the nameless citizen wants is to be acknowledged and to please the white men, which is strange given the white common men are forcing him to brutally fight his black peers. Ellison’s story is focusing on the ignorance of African Americans due to the constant deception of the white supremacist. (Ellison)

    Read More

  • Battle Royal

    659 Words  | 2 Pages

    ...ir eyes off of the naked women dancing. The outbursts towards the black men is farther evidence that during that time, blacks had little to no say and had not felt equal to their white counterparts. Perhaps the most conspicuous symbol of all is the battle itself. The white men pitted a group of black men against each other; the black men were in a no win situation. Instead of expressing their displeasure with the white men, the black men were forced to take their anger out on each other. The narrator also seems to seek approval by the white men; remembering his speech as he fights the other men. According to the protagonist: Should I try to win against the voice out there? Would not this go against my speech, and was not this a moment for humility, for nonresistance?” ( ). He’s worried about defying the white men; letting them down by not performing well enough.

    Read More

  • Theme Of Hunger In Richard Wright's Black Boy

    549 Words  | 2 Pages

    In the autobiography Black Boy by Richard Wright, Wright’s defining aspect is his hunger for equality between whites and blacks in the Jim Crow South. Wright recounts his life from a young boy in the repugnant south to an adult in the north. In the book, Wright’s interpretation of hunger goes beyond the literal denotation. Thus, Wright possesses an insatiable hunger for knowledge, acceptance, and understanding. Wright’s encounters with racial discrimination exhibit the depths of misunderstanding fostered by an imbalance of power.

    Read More

  • Essay On Racism By Brent Staples

    1694 Words  | 4 Pages

    Staples’ claim is made clear through the series of chronological anecdotes that make up his essay. The snippets of his life range from a short story about crossing a street at night in Chicago to being mistaken for a burglar while rushing into his office to turn in a deadline story - all because of the color of his skin. The anecdotes in his essay are meant to show the reader what to believe instead of merely telling them. Staples has a clear reason for writing and has strong beliefs about racism, however the stylistic devices he uses are meant to guide the reader into developing their own opinion on racism, which Staples in turn knows will persuade. Instead of stating his biased opinion from the start, he invites the reader in through his stories, even though the images themselves are hard to stomach. Staples wisely avoids a...

    Read More

  • Ralph Ellison's Life: Invisible Man

    1427 Words  | 3 Pages

    In the opening chapters, the narrator receives a scholarship to attend the “state college for Negros”. He is told that in order to win the scholarship, he must stand and deliver a speech to a congregation of the community’s most important members. However upon arriving to the hotel where he is to give his speech, he is blindfolded, and forced to participate in a “Battle Royale” amongst other young African-American men. During the battle, he is able to halfway lift the blindfold, partially restoring his sight. The combatants swing wildly at one another. The Narrator says, “Blindfolded, I could no longer control my motions. I had no dignity.” He is dehumanized, brutalized, and demoralized. His blindness is symbolic, as he doesn’t hold any authority in the situation. He is powerless, at the mercy of the white men who are toying with him. The narrator believes that he was attending the convention to procure a scholarship to further his education; however, in reality he was mere entertainment. H...

    Read More

  • Invisible Man by Ralph Ellison

    730 Words  | 2 Pages

    The narrator’s father, who was freed from slavery after the civil war, leads a quiet life. On his deathbed, the narrator’s bitter grandfather advises the narrator’s father to undermine white people and “agree’em to death and destruction” (Ellison 21). The old man deemed meekness to be treachery. Despite the old man’s warnings, the narrator believes that genuine obedience can win him respect and praise. However, this is not entirely right because while the whites reward him with a calfskin briefcase, he is made to engage in a humiliating battle royal and the rush for imitated gold coin in an electrocuted rug.

    Read More

  • Blah

    789 Words  | 2 Pages

    The narrator in “Battle Royal”, by Ralph Ellison, is too naive and meek to challenge his place in a society ruled by whites. He is a young, black man trapped in a world blighted with social inequality with limited opportunity to advance in life just because of his race. He is torn apart by his grandfather's advice and by his desire to please members of white society. Ellison uses satire and symbolism to depict the narrators struggle for equality and identity.

    Read More

  • The Importance Of Colonialism In Joseph Conrad's Invisible Man

    2036 Words  | 5 Pages

    Ellison’s narrator states that he has “been hurt to the point of abysmal pain, hurt to the point of invisibility. And [he defends] because in spite of all [he finds] find that [he loves]. ... [He’s] a desperate man – but too much of your life will be lost, its meaning lost, unless you approach it as much through love as through hate. So [he approaches] it through division” (Ellison 567). The narrator articulately uses paradoxes to enthrall the reader in this segment of his epilogue. Still, the contradiction apparent between the narrator’s emotions is entirely possible, as there is no reason that both love and hate cannot coexist in an individual. The speaker, a bona-fide invisible man, despite all the hardship he has faced, still describes his story with some love. The idea of balance is brought into the equation, something that Ellison has seldom told of in the story, a friendly contrast to the rest of the novel’s stark unfairness and disparity. In the end, our storyteller finds that despite the hate thrust upon him, he feels compelled to love just as equally if not more. This gives a positive light to human nature, while suggesting that the antagonistic race of the novel, Caucasians, will ultimately feel that emotion as well and reconcile with African Americans. That’s a message that finally found its way into the minds of the American

    Read More

  • Theme Of Mrs. Turner's Lawn Jockeys

    741 Words  | 2 Pages

    An act call Blackface arose around this time, it was ‘used to imply the patronization of blacks by whites” (Msimang). It was described as a form of comedy for the most part. Painting a white man black and placing him on a stage and having him humiliate the African American culture was considered amusing to the white community. They would jokingly imitate the gestures that African Americans made, they tone of voice, their so called aggressiveness, attire, and they would even mimic slavery on stage. Blackface was just another way a suppressing the African American community, making them ashamed of themselves and their upbringing, making them want to be different,want to be accepted,want to be white. “The main point is how they’re stuck “in bondage” .. and how nothing ever changes”, (Raboteau 2) Characters like the lawn jockeys and Bernie’s father were left questioning the cruelty of society, why was it that they were looked down upon every time they were seen in public? why couldn 't they just fit

    Read More

  • To Kill A Mockingbird Rhetorical Analysis Essay

    1246 Words  | 3 Pages

    As the American people’s standards and principles has evolved over time, it’s easy to forget the pain we’ve caused. However, this growth doesn’t excuse the racism and violence that thrived within our young country not even a century previous. This discrimination, based solely on an ideology that one’s race is superior to another, is what put many people of color in miserable places and situations we couldn’t even imagine today. It allowed many Caucasian individuals to inflict pain, through both physical and verbal attacks, and even take away African Americans ' God given rights. In an effort to expose upcoming generations to these mass amounts of prejudice and wrongdoing, Harper Lee 's classic novel, To Kill A Mockingbird, tells the story of

    Read More

  • Themes In Battle Royal, By Ralph Ellison

    1197 Words  | 3 Pages

    The narrator is not the only black male in the story to have experience the racism with the white men. The narrator tries to get away from the racism but struggles to, he come across multiple African Americans that attempt to do the same thing. All of these provide an idea to the correct way to be black in America and it also demonstrates how blacks should act. It is said that anyone who doesn’t follow these correct ways are betraying the race. In the beginning of the story, the narrator’s grandfather says that the only way to make racism become extinct that African Americans should be overly nice to whites. The Exhorter named Ras had different beliefs of the blacks rising up to the whites and take power from the whites. Even though these thoughts come from the black community to take the freedom from the whites, the stories reveals that the are just as dangerous as the whites being racist. The narrator has such a hard time throughout the whole story exploring his identity. While doing so, it demonstrates how so many blacks are betraying their race because the have such a hard time dealing with it. In the end of the story once the battle was over the boys are brought to get their payment. That is when the narrator is able to present his speech to everyone. He was completely beat up and bruised and blood coming from his mouth and nose when he begins his speech. All the other men are laughing and yelling at him,

    Read More

  • Power Struggle In A Journey Southward And Battle Royal

    1144 Words  | 3 Pages

    Through Charles W. Chesnutt's "A Journey Southward" and Ralph Ellison's "Battle Royal," both authors depict a brutal power struggle that fails to unite white and black Americans. The hegemony consists of white people whose power stems from their belief in racial superiority and alignment with the norm; they use this thought process to label black people as socially inferior and subaltern. Towards the beginning of both texts, the main black protagonists appear to have an opportunity to challenge a white authority or crowd, but the hegemony coerces subaltern deference. After the white characters assert their dominance over blacks, the hegemony hide their racism by talking and joking in two different ways depending on their audience. Throughout

    Read More

  • Battle Royal, by Ralph Ellison

    988 Words  | 2 Pages

    In contemporary America, the blacks have searched for companionship, success, and freedom, both physical and mental. Even after several years of [the] abolition of slavery, the blacks were not able to see [a white=whites] eye-to-eye. They were still [a puppet=puppets] for the white men?s show. During this era, several blacks tried to achieve success and bring themselves up to the level of whites by conforming to their direct or indirect, reasonable or unreasonable, and degrading or respectful commands. [Focus more on the rebellion/conformity aspects and the specifics of the story as you explain the issue.] In this chapter (?Battle Royal?) of [the] novel [?Invisible Man,?=title format] the narrator conforms to all humiliating orders to get a chance to express his views on ?social equality? and ?social responsibility?. Good thesis statement. The first chapter is like the worst nightmare for the narrator who is a young, graduating Negro boy. He timid[ly] and obedient[ly] comes to a white men?s gathering in a Southern town, where he is to be awarded a scholarship. Together with several other Negroes he is rushed to the front of the ballroom, where a [blonde frightens them by dancing in the nude=ambiguous. They are not afraid of her. They are afraid of the white men who demand that they look at her. That could mean beatings or even death for black men in times past]. Blindfolded, the Negro boys stage a "battle royal," a brawl in which they batter each other to the drunken shouts of the whites. After such [a] humiliating and ghastly experience, the terrified boy delivers a prepared speech of gratitude to his white benefactors.

    Read More

  • Racism in Battle Royal by Ralph Ellison

    1100 Words  | 3 Pages

    Everyday, racism is perceived as one of the most negative aspects of society. When people think of racism, they obviously see hatred, evil , and ignorance. It has been a part of world culture since recorded history and , no doubt , before that. When one thinks of racism in the United States, invariably , though not only , the struggle of the African-American is singled out. That is the main issue Ellison so powerfully addresses in his short story "Battle Royal". In it the author allows us to see the world through the eyes of a young black boy who is struggling to succeed in a predominantly white society. The thing that is absolutely essential to our understanding of the story

    Read More

More about Humiliation Of Race In Ralph Ellison's Battle Royal

Open Document