King of the Bingo Game is a short story written by Ralph Ellison, first published in 1944. The key characters in the story are the game announcer, the King, and the dying woman, Laura. Laura is the embodiment of equality sought by African-Americans. The King represents the aspiring African-American. The bingo announcer represents the unobtainable status of the white man. The characters in King of the Bingo Game are used to explain the situation of African-Americans during the early 1900s. The bingo announcer in the story represents the unobtainable status of the white man. In the story, the bingo announcer is described as a “slick looking white man with a slick suit.” The man is on a stage, set above the audience, bathed in bright flashing lights. When the King enters the bingo announcer’s territory, the narrator says the lights “blinded him, and he felt that he had moved into the spell of some strange mysterious power.” The King’s knees tremble, the announcer’s pomade makes him feel faint, and he feels like he must quickly exit the stage before he makes a fool of himself. Jerry Watt...
The symbols and language used in “Battle Royal” allow readers to understand the concept of being black in America; fighting for equality. Symbols such as the white blindfold, stripper, and battle itself all give a suggestion about how the unnamed protagonist felt, but more importantly, Ralph Ellison’s “Battle Royal” depicts the difficult struggles facing the black man in what’s supposed to be a post-slavery era.
"King of the Bingo Game" tells the story of the separation between whites and black in America. A young black man, the main character of the story, who remains nameless throughout the story, cannot find work. The king of bingo seems to only have his wife as a friend and she is extremely ill ,to the verge of being on her death bed. Pressured by his wife's illness, he visits a movie theatre where he takes part in a Bingo game, hoping to win. As a winner by playing Bingo, he is then given a chance at the jackpot. In "King of the Bingo Game" most African Americans were new to the city life compared to where they have come from. The author tells a story about a man's relationship with fate, but not just any man, a black man's story and the struggle
"King of the Bingo Game" analyzes the exact separation felt by blacks in the United States. A young black man, the main charater of the story, who remains nameless throughout the story, cannot find work. The Bingo King, is alone in the world and his isolation is further stressed by the potential death of his wife, Laura, who is extremely ill and in serious need for medical care. Pressured by his wife's illness, he visits a movie theatre where he takes part in a Bingo game, hoping to win. As a winner of palying Bingo, he is then given a chance at the jackpot. In "King of the Bingo Game" The working-class blacks of the day were new to inner-city life. Ellison provides an analysis of this relationship with fate, and more specifically, a black
“The Lottery” is a short story by Shirley Jackson, first published on June 26, 1948. The story was initially met with negative critical reception due to its violent nature and portrayal of the potentially dangerous nature of human society. It was even banned in some countries. However, “The Lottery” is now widely accepted as a classic American short story and is used in classrooms throughout the country.
Racism is the main reason the man is denied his outright victory in the game. Luck strikes when he least expected. When the Bingo game begins and he is “smiling” (Ellison 469) and seizing this opportunity to solve his problems. Unable to secure a job in the North, his participation in bingo gives him the hopes that win the lottery would give him money to save Laura,
Jackson’s story presents the issue regarding the habit of turning a blind eye to another’s horrid treatment, if not for anything but for the sake of ritualistic tradition. Mrs. Hutchinson ran into the event late, laughing that she had “[c]lean forgotten what day it was” (Jackson 292). After that, Mr. Summers, the officiator of the lottery, calls out names of the people who are unable to attend the lottery, and asks for the person who will be drawing for them. There were two people missing, Clyde Dunbar, who had broken his leg, and the Watson’s mother. Dunbar’s wife was drawing for him, and it seemed that she was unhappy that she was the one handed this task.
In the 1950s, Ralph Ellison published Invisible Man which focused on the racial invisibility of people of color. The chapter, “Battle Royal,” reflects a pre-Civil Rights Era where blacks and whites were considered “separate, but equal.” Ellison describes a life where blacks were separate, but not truly equal because they still lived a life where they had to be careful and live consciously around whites or face harassment or even death. In Ellison’s story, an unnamed narrator receives a letter awarding him a scholarship. The narrator is asked to deliver a speech and at the event, he discovers that he will need to participate in a “battle royal.” In Ellison’s narrative, the event of the required “battle royal” symbolically illustrates how the
Shirley Jackson wrote many books in her life, but she was well known by people for her story “The Lottery” (Hicks). “The Lottery” was published on June 28, 1948, in the New Yorker magazine (Schilb). The story sets in the morning of June 27th in a small town. The townspeople gather in the square to conduct their annual tradition, the Lottery. The winner of the lottery will stoned to death by the society. Although there is no main character in the story, the story develops within other important elements. There are some important elements of the story that develop the theme of the story: narrator and its point of view, symbolism, and main conflict. The story “The Lottery,” by Shirley Jackson, argues practicing a tradition without understanding the meaning of the practice is meaningless and dangerous.
First, in the novel the narrator does not have have a name throughout the whole novel, his name was not once said. He is living in this world where no one recognizes him, see him, hear him, listens to him UNLESS he is speaking/protesting against an issue on the street, because he is such a great speaker. “They could laugh at him but they couldn 't ignore him.” He is an African American man whose skin color makes him seem invisible. Beyond that, senses of racial emergency seem to appear blatant. “By overcoming these stereotypes the Narrator proves himself not just a stereotypical black man, but a human exemplifying the universal struggle to find his identity”
King uses the metaphor “to cash a check” (American Rhetoric: King.) to show that “America has given the Negro people a bad check.” (American Rhetoric: King.) This creates a picture in the audience’s minds that America hasn’t treated African Americans the way they should be treated, which King thinks they should be created equal, like the whites. On the other hand, whites think that African Americans are “insufficient funds” (American Rhetoric: King.) White people believe that African Americans shouldn’t be treated equally because the color of their skin is the contrast of white. King sticks with checks and banking metaphor, but transitions to not only African Americans, but society in general. A bank is bigger than a check, so King moves onto a “bank of justice,” (American Rhetoric: King.) the ‘bank’ represents society, and of course justice, meaning fairness and freedom. King states “the bank of justice is bankrupt,” (American Rhetoric: King.) The ‘bankrupt’ part, means that society has nothing to give for African Americans freedom. Metaphors represent a powerful and an imaginative way to appeal to his
The bingo game “is lit so that it looks like “The Last Supper” (1159) foreshadowing the conclusion of the play. “Marie-Adele waltz[es] romantically in the arms of the Bingo Master” (1160) who is another incarnation of Nanabush. This waltz signifies Marie-Adele's passing into the spirit world led by Nanabush who most of the sisters believe is gone forever. Nanabush helps Marie-Adele pass into the spirit world peacefully and gracefully showing how he uses his powers to support the sisters through everything in their lives. The sisters use Marie-Adele's death as a time to learn that they “gotta make the most of it while “they’re” here[,] - giv[e] it one good try” (1161) and remember how special their sisterly bond is. The sisters lean on each other for support during their time of grief. Emily takes Zhaboonigan under her wing by enlisting her to help with the store, Emily supports Annie by going to her shows where she “sing[s] back-up for Fritz” (1162), and Veronique is “cooking for Eugene and the children” (1163). Emily and Zhaboonigan formed a special bond during and after their trip. Zhaboonigan begins to feel a strong affection for Emily and Emily confides in Zhaboonigan. Each sister uses their own talents to help support one another after the death of Marie-Adele showing how they bonded throughout their road trip to Toronto. Their time at the “BIGGEST BINGO IN THE WORLD” (1159) with the help of
"The Lottery," a short story written by Shirley Jackson, is a tale about a disturbing social practice. The setting takes place in a small village consisting of about three hundred denizens. On June twenty-seventh of every year, the members of this traditional community hold a village-wide lottery in which everyone is expected to participate. Throughout the story, the reader gets an odd feeling regarding the residents and their annual practice. Not until the end does he or she gets to know what the lottery is about. Thus, from the beginning of the story until almost the end, there is an overwhelming sense that something terrible is about to happen due to the Jackson's effective use of foreshadowing through the depiction of characters and setting. Effective foreshadowing builds anticipation for the climax and ultimately the main theme of the story - the pointless nature of humanity regarding tradition and cruelty.
Ralph Ellison’s “King of the Bingo Game” is the story about an unnamed black man, in the 1930’s, who is hoping to win the bingo game that is being held at the local cinema, in order win enough money to pay for his gravely ill wife to see a doctor. The central idea of this story is about race, and the inability for a person to be the master of his or her own destiny, when they live in an unfair and prejudicial system.
In 1963, President Kennedy signed the Equal Pay Act into law, making it unlawful to discriminate against a worker on the basis of sex. Since that time, the wage gap between men and women in the United States has narrowed by just 15 cents, now being 74 cents, as reported by the U.S. Census Bureau.
Even though the story took place in the United States, where democracy is the primary form of government, the villagers in “The Lottery” are forced to join and follow the tradition. As a wealthy coal business owner and the official of the lottery, Mr. Summer is the authority figure in the village. He has the power to command and manipulate the villagers by exploiting their desire to preserve the lottery tradition. Jackson explicitly reveals that Mrs. Hutchinson’s lottery paper “[has] a black spot on it, the black spot Mr. Summer [has] made the night before with the heavy pencil in the coal company office” (Jackson 7). Since Mr. Summer is the government official of the lottery, he is able to mark the winning lottery paper to avoid picking it himself; therefore, eliminating his chance of becoming the winner. This passage demonstrates the dictatorship and corruption of Mr. Summer. The passage is also consistent with the characteristics of dystopian literature. The villagers are not only controlled by the tradition, but their lives are also in the hands of a corrupted official. Mr. Summer is trusted and seen as a leader by many villagers because he “[has] time and energy to devote to civic activities” and can provide employments due to owning a coal business (Jackson 1). Being a leader, Mr. Summer is expected to be honest, kind and selfless; however, he is cruel and manipulative according to his