Short stories go down like ice cream, but they often leave the reader with lingering sensations. What are those sensations? What do they have to do with your experience? Is "Literature" with a capital L a more effective brand of cultural meaning-making than commercials, Twitter, or the news?
Hopefully, we'll get the ball rolling on some of these questions. Featured texts describe utopian visions, bovine rebellion, freezing to death, and school shootings (among other things).
Ralph Ellison's "Battle Royal" is a very intense and touching story in my opinion. It is a story of prejudice and discrimination that I am assuming takes place in the late 1940's/ early 1950's based off of the time it was written but also because of the way the the main ballroom was described, the way the men dressed and acted, and also because African American's were free yet still being suppressed and we not treated as equally as Caucasians. In the beginning of the story the main character states that he had to learn that he is an invisible man but later on he is showered with so much attention is almost contractions his feelings of being invisible. Yes, I am aware that all the attention he received during the fight was for all the wrong reasons, it was degrading, repulsive, and barbaric but it also goes to show that only in the white man's eye was he invisible and only noticed when they wanted him to be. This is a perfect example of how unequal this supposed "equality" was at the time. It's disappointing to me that all he wants to do is give his speech and isn't sure if he will be able to do it because the other men are so consumed in the battle, but luckily for him he is still able to give it, thanks to one man who credits him on his knowledge and vocabulary. The speech he gives is touching and actually pretty painful to read because of the graphic details that are explained about what is happening to him during his speech... the blood and saliva that continues to come up in his throat that he is forced to swallow, and the fact that most of the men in the crowd are still laughing and talking amongst themselves. This is frustrating because it shows just how ignorant these people really were and how this man was educated, smart, hardworking and dedicated yet received little recognition. The main character held all of these qualities and I'm sure some of the other men he fought did to, but they are treated as sources of entertainment and treated like animals. I'm not sure what the meaning of this story is or if there is a particular theme besides prejudice, but I enjoyed it a lot even though it was upsetting due to the harsh reality of our societies past.
“Battle Royal” was a very intense read, but was very interesting. At this event, it was a variety of different types of men that came for an entertainment. I noticed that the people that were putting on the “show” were almost treated like animals. For example, when the invisible man came first, there was a lady going around the place (I believe that she was a stripper). The way that these men acted toward her was disgusting because while she was dancing, they were all basically drooling over her. The invisible man stated that she was “faintly smiling out of fear.” At one point she tried to escape and the drunk men were just throwing her around like she was a sack of potatoes. Then, the invisible man had to go against these other men blindfolded and fight each other. All of this cruel fighting was just pure entertainment as all the men were yelling from the crowd and betting money on who they thought was going to win. The stripper, the group of men fighting and the invisible men were treated as if they were animals by the superior white males in the room. But it was the invisible man’s goal to perform his speech in front of these men. And when he did, he felt accomplished because he proved that he was intelligent and knew what he is talking about. The two key words that stood out in his speech were “social equality,” and the battle royal contradicted with it in that the whites are superior over the blacks. Racial inequality was a big theme that was presented in this short story.
I found the fighting scene very strange. At first, I could not understand why the main character didn’t take off his blind fold sooner. I understand that he did not want to break the rules of the game, but at a certain point you have to realize that it is just a game. The game was intense and dangerous which made me think that he should have taken the blind fold off sooner. He was getting punched and physically hurt badly. This made me wonder about the other people in the game. When the main character finally did take off his mask, the fighting he described sounded way too accurate for the opponents to actually be blindfolded. He described punches as in the face, groin and kidney, not as random and undirected. However, there was one person who was randomly punching the air, probably the only person still actually blindfolded. I also found the fake money which would electrocute the person trying to pick it up very interesting. The money initially reminded me of the beautiful blonde from the beginning of the story because they were both so alluring to the main character. Possibly the money was electrocuted and fake to show that the main character couldn’t actually have it. This might parallel to the beautiful girl because he can’t realistically have her either during the time period of such racism. This whole story was very trance-like and confusing because of the random and unconventional events that occurred. Also, the smoke in the fighting room contributed to this atmosphere.
In the short story “Battle Royal” by Ralph Ellison, I was very confused at first about what was going on. From the begging I was trying to figure out what this story was going to be about and how it was going to end but I couldn't. This story toke a major turn on me, my first thought was that it was going to be about a man giving a speech in front of a bunch on important people. Although he was going to give a speech in front of a bunch of important people it ended up being something that was he was going to have to fight over just for the entertainment of rich white men. I was really confused when the boys got into the ring and there was some random nude chick dancing in front of them and I thought it was going to be some sick joke. When the boys actually started fighting I could not figure out what he big deal was about this guy’s speech and why would start fighting people if he is about to give a speech? This kid was very determined to do whatever it toke to deliver his speech so it must have been something very important to him. In the long run the speech was very important and I liked on how the story ended with a happy ending. Even though this kid had to put up with the unruly crowd of rich white men, he ended up getting something great in return, a scholarship, appreciation, and respect, three really big things that he deserved.
The “Battle Royal” by Ralph Ellison was sincere in the sense of the main character’s pride. So basically his grandfather’s last words haunted him. He means face your fears when he says, ‘Live with your head in the lion’s mouth.’ I think when he mentioned he gave up his gun it’s saying to fight like a man and fight with your own hands, not a gun. I think earning pride is a theme in this story, as well as the obvious theme of prejudice. This guy is getting the shit beat out of him yet he was focused on his speech! Then, after the fight when he was giving his speech it kept mentioning he had to swallow his blood in order to talk. He is up in front of all these people gushing blood and all beat up yet still stands strong and gives his speech. So this is almost like showing his pride. The other theme I took from this story was education is more valuable than money, or in this story gold. It shows them down on their knees with all this gold in front of them but they get electrocuted or something when they try to take it. (I think. This was really weird) And at the end of the story the main character is awarded a scholarship. When he’s running off the stage he says, ‘I did not even mind when I discovered that the gold pieces I had scrambled for were brass tokens advertising a certain make of an automobile.’ Then he has this dream about his grandfather and he has no idea what the dream means but he must ‘attend college.’ This symbolizes education can get you more than money or gold.
In Battle Royal by Ralph Ellison the way the white upper class people treated the naked girl and the black people was degrading. The narrator of the story says he looked into the girls eyes and saw terror and disgust in her eyes like his own and I wonder if she was forced to be there like he was almost forced to fight. Also the ten people in the ring were embarrassed by forcing them to watch the girl in front of everybody present which I could imagine being very uncomfortable. The upper class people also talked down on the black fighter, one saying “ let me at those black sonsabithces!” and he actually had to be held back. I wonder if they willingly were there and why they put up with all of that. Even if it were for the money I wouldn’t do anything like that voluntarily. They also placed money on a rug that was electrified which is very cruel and I don’t know what would posses somebody to do something like that it doesn’t seem entertaining in any way. When the narrator finally gave his speech nobody seemed to pay attention besides the superintendent. I wasn’t surprised at all that the narrator said equality instead of responsibility when he was asked to repeat it multiple times. I believe this is what his grandfather was talking about on his deathbed. I believe he thinks he was a traitor because he didn’t try to resist and stand up for his rights, just like the narrator went along with the games and didn’t just say his speech.
I found the story to be very interesting from start to finish. The story was very detailed, especially the ballroom setting. I found it sad that these African-Americans boxers were used for entertainment purposes. The fact that these boxers were all blindfolded worsened the boxer’s situation. I felt that the boxers were depicted more as animals than human beings. The winning boxer displayed his intelligence during his speech. A key term that he stated was “social equality”. Based on the time period that this story was written social equality was a major issue. I believe that the winning boxer shocked many of the Caucasian audience when he spoke those words. I established a sense of joy when I read that the boxer would be given an academic scholarship. Though, I found the ending to be very shocking. Finding out the whole story was a dream was a total whirlwind.
In the short story, “Battle Royal”, an African American mentions to the reader that he is an invisible man. Because he is an African American during this time, I’m guessing the 1940s/1950s, he was discriminated, treated poorly and unequally with no dignity and respect. African Americas were known to not be educated and wise. Throughout the story, the invisible man lost his sense of human dignity as he was beaten in the fighting ring and was incapable of speaking his speech due to the fact that no respected him and did not pay any attention to him, except for the fact that he was black, and a great punching bag. But the main character calling himself an invisible man, is somewhat contradicting. He is a smart, educated, knowledgeable man that just graduated from high school and desires to attend college. He got attention, obviously negative attention, when he was in the fighting ring and was being punched and beaten to the point where he was spitting up blood. He even got attention from the stripper when she was dancing; she took a quick look at him. Also, the MC finally got everyone’s attention for the invisible man to speak his speech. The expression invisible man can be confusing. Yes, he was an African American during the time of great prejudice, so his views, thoughts, etc., were ignored, emphasizing that he may have been invisible to society. But he was seen by others. Because he was black, he was not invisible; he was openly discriminated, ridiculed, and beaten because of his race. Those who listened to his speech, whether they may believe it or not, thought he was an intelligent man for his race.
“Battle Royal” by Ralph Ellison was very interesting and attention drawing, and also very strange. At first I was slightly confused about what was going on. He spends awhile speaking of his grandfather’s curse, and how it greatly impacted his life, and how he reacted to almost every decision he made. Then all of a sudden he goes to a foggy, smoke filled room surrounded by rich white men and a naked woman. It wasn’t until the battle scene that I began to understand what was happening. Rich white men were using their money to bribe a group of black men to literally beat the crap out of each other. They used this “Battle Royal” as a sick form of entertainment. Throughout the whole battle scene all the main character can think of is how he just wants to give a speech. Some speech that is obviously of great importance since he is willing to be beaten and humiliated in order to give it. After the fight, and his fight over the money he is finally able to give his speech. At that point he is greeted politely by the M.C. and introduced to the crowd, which at first was critical but eventually listened. I enjoyed how the story ended happily with him giving the speech, getting a scholarship into a black college, and gaining respect, but it left me slightly confused on why he had to go through this whole fight in order to give this speech. Why couldn’t he have just given the speech without bleeding from the mouth.
The story "Battle Royal" by Ralph Ellison was very confusing to me. I didn't really understand what was going on at first and once I did realize what was happening, I didn't understand the point of it. The whole fight scene really threw me off. It disgusted me that these rich, respected, white men were forcing these groups of black men to fight each other until they couldn't stand it any longer. The fact that this was a game to them is horrifying. Actually, racism in general disgusts me. Especially the fact that this still exists today. But anyways, the story confused me just because I thought the whole point of the main character going to this place was to give a speech. The speech showed how truly intelligent and dedicated he was and the crowd of white men couldn't even show enough respect to be quiet and sit through his speech. I actually felt bad for him. No one deserves to get made fun of when they were brave enough to get in front of a group of people to speak about what they believe in. It's horrific to see that the main character could have possibly been more educated than half of the men sitting in the crowd. They were assholes, there's no better way to put it, and they enjoyed overpowering people because of their race and wealth. The end of the story made me happy because the main character received a scholarship to go to college and he honestly deserved that after all he went through just to give his speech and show how educated he actually is.
The short story “Battle Royal” by Ralph Ellison, comes out of the book Invisible man. I had read Invisible man in high school but rereading this still got me to feel intense. It honestly made me sick on how the African American boys were treated like animals in the beginning. Reading that kind of stuff makes me uncomfortable because it’s a disturbing thing that really happened in our past. When the invisible man actually got the guts to give his speech and to speak out to white people to show he was intelligent and not an animal like they characterized him as, he got laughed at. I’m glad he story showed the good ending of this book and how the invisible man received a scholarship and was able to go to college. This shows how unequal societies were when the story took place. Fortunately we have over come this hatred as a society.
The story “Battle Royal” by Ralph Ellison had me very confused for the most of the story. I found it odd that this young, smart African American boy was being honored for a speech he made at his high school graduation by getting the snot kicked out of him by his fellow peers. I found some of these actions that took place in the story cruel, like when they put coins on a rug and watched them scramble for it, while also being shocked by an electric current. Also, I found it strange that this boxing ring was placed in the middle of a ballroom, a place where violence should be the farthest thing taking place in there. Throughout the story I was wondering why Ellison kept writing about all these terrible things happening to this young boy, when he should be being praised for writing and delivering a wonderful speech at his graduation. I believe that he was trying to tell the reader that even though life knocks you down, you always have to find a reason to get back up and keep pushing through all the bad things it throws you. This kid was mentally and physically abused by a room full of white, upper class citizens, but he pushed through it because all he wanted to do was show them up. He wanted to show them that he was educated, he was strong, and that he wouldn’t let anything get in his way to complete his goals. So although the content in the story was cruel and disgusting, I believe the message behind it was great and can be very helpful to people who need help with confidence and drive towards their goals.
After reading “Battle Royal” by Ralph Ellison, I was shocked and disturbed by what I had read. Reading about the fight and the subsequent events was shocking because I had not expected the story to be about a fight, I had expected it to be about how he goes to this event to give his speech from the graduation. It was also very disturbing to me how the participants in the fight were treated, how they were made into a spectacle simply for entertainment purposes. It made me sick at how these upper members of the society or really anyone could enjoy such crass and barbaric entertainment. Especially the part where they put the money on the electrified rug, how could anyone hurt and humiliate another human being like that. The part that was confusing for me was after the fight, how after he gave his speech, everyone in the room seemed to be like a normal crowd. And how the superintendent gave him the briefcase and the scholarship after his speech like nothing to do with the battle had happened, it was all just a little weird. The other part that I really didn’t understand was the grandfather’s curse. I was not sure who he was talking about when he said that he was a trader and a spy. Overall, I thought that this story was very intense, and showed how disgusting and disturbing our society can be.
The short story "Battle Royal" was a very interesting read. It seemed to take place in a post slavery time but a time where racism was still rampant. the elegant imagery used to describe the ballroom and detail that went into describing it made the fight a surprising turn of events. the fight was disturbing. I am a fan of boxing and MMA but the fight in this story bothered me. the men were treated like animals. To me it seemed like a sick human cockfight. When he gave his speech I thought that it exemplified the words "live with your head in the lion's mouth". I thought this because the speech showed bravery and he put himself out there to the crowd that had been quite barbaric. I enjoyed this story and found it to be an interesting read.
The Short Story “Battle Royal” written by Ralph Ellison started off quite sad as it started off with the death of his grandfather and his last words. His grandfathers words affected him tremendously and he never understood what he really meant. I was also quite confused about what was going on here. There was then a fight scene that was very disturbing and I did not fully understand that either at first. The people in the battle were in a boxing ring and were blindfolded. After they were blind folded they were told to basically attack each other. I believe that the blindfolded people symbolize the “invisible man” that the character described earlier in the story. Being invisible or not to be seen was portrayed as something bad in this story as I thought it could potentially mean loosing ones freedom and mobility. The man was once invisible but by the end of the story, after he delivered his speech in front of all these people who once tortured him, he then felt visible and made a visible difference. A big theme in the story was social inequality especially between different races. The white men in the story were all looked at as superior over the black men who were in the rink getting beat up and electrocuted while they scattered for money. The whole time the black men were being tortured the white men were having a good time yelling and pushing the other men. There is a huge problem of inequality between the two different races because of the color of their skin as the black were looked down to compared to the white people. I thought this story was very thought provoking and full of intensity, but also thought what was happening to these poor men was just just terrible.
This short story Battle Royal by Ralph Ellison was very weird and confusing. I thought it was kind of hard to read and I struggled trying to process everything that had happened. Even though it was confusing, I thought it was a good and very descriptive piece of literature. In the beginning I was happy that the main character was able to give his speech at another venue other than his graduation and he seemed like he deserved it. By the time he got to the ball room, I felt very bad for him, because he had to fight against nine other people and ended up going one on one against the biggest fighter there. He was covered in blood and to make things worse, they put metal coins on an electric mat and tried to shock the boys. It was sickening to me that most of the men were laughing at the boys while they were fighting each other and also while they were tricked into picking up their payment off of the electrified carpet. What was more disturbing is that one spectator even picked up and threw a boy who was all sweaty on the mat. This definitely feels like a racial situation in that only African Americans were the ones fighting and that they were tricked into being hurt. The main character did the opposite of what his grandfather did by giving his speech and not just acting like them and trying to fit into their society. All in all, this was a good interesting story.
"Battle Royal" by Ralph Ellison turned out to be a very interesting story. The last few words that the grandfather was speaking about hinted at the plot of the rest of the story. He stated in the story "I never told you, but our life is a war." That right there told me that this story was going to be about the struggle that the black community in America had for gaining social equality. His grandson takes his words to heart the most and never backs down even in the presence of utter discrimination. I was able to really feel the fear and hopelessness that most of these black men felt that were lined up to be beaten in the boxing area. Then white crowd around them thought of these innocent men as entertainment rather than human beings. The main character I believe represents the idea of not backing down. Throughout this story he kept thinking about the speech he had yearned to give. The speech was an example of the next step towards social equality. Because of the speech's large importance, he never let the physical beating keep him from giving it. His goal was to better the image of the black community in the eyes of the white society by showing his intelligence and capability to go to college and succeed. This story gives the message to all that you should never give up on what you believe in. Do not allow someone else to decide who you are a person.
The short story "Battle Royal" by Ralph Ellison was a great story demonstrating courage in a young african american man. In the beginning of the story the narrator talks about how his grandparents were freed slaves. When his grandfather was on his deathbed he said that the rest of his life was going to be a war. This story shows a grteat example of how african americans were treated back in the day and it sickens me. The narrator wrote a speech on how the black man should show humility and submission if their race wanted to advance. The fact that that is the attitude in the minds of thee african americans is awful. Later in the story the narrator was placed with men that were beaten and electrocuted just for entertainment for the whites.The narrator gave this speech after the beating took place. I think this showed great courage on his part. Even though he got beaten he never backed down. This story is a great example of how awful this lime in our history was and how african americans had to live in fear. I wish I could go back and change how the whites acted because its embarrassing.
Ralph Ellison’s short story “Battle Royal” was strange, as I began the story thinking I had a sense of what was happening but as it continued to progress I got slightly confused. However, at the end the story started to come together after realizing it was a dream. I really enjoyed the beginning when the grandfather said his last words to his family, “Son after I am gone I want you to keep up a good fight.” This is very typical for a person’s last words they may say, and I think the author began with that to help people relate, but as he continues it drastically changes. When he states “Live with your head in the lion’s mouth, I want you to overcome ‘em with yeses, undermine ‘em with your grins…” this quote I believe is telling his grandson to face fear, don’t run from it, take it head on and fight through it. I think that many of those today sometimes shy away from things because of fear, but instead if encourage people to fight more for what they believe in is was allows for change and growth within our world. Honestly I didn't really like the rest of the story, and the extreme details throughout gave you a good picture in your mind of what was happening. At the end when the boy received the brief case, I think it was a symbol of hope for him, by inspiring him to continue to learn and preform speeches.
"Battle Royal" by Ralph Ellison involved a black man that follows the advice of his grandfather. When his grandfather was on his death bed he told the man to "overcome' em with veses, undermine' em with gaps..." I thought the main character followed this advice when the men were at the Battle Royal. The man didn't give up and continued to focus on his speech thoughout the fight. He survived the fight and was still willing to give the speech when the fight was over. But in the beginning of the story the man said "That I am nobody but myself. But first I had to discover that I am an invisible man." This line seemed like it refered to to the lack of social equality throughout the story. The men were required to fight and were treated unequal because of their race. The black men were the invisible men because they were not treated the same as a human being. So the main character learned from the Battle Royal that he wasn't treated the same as the white men. He learned that he was an invisible man and took action to fight for social equality by his speech. Even though the speech wasn't received well by the other men, it was seen as a start toward social equality. The superintendent noticed the speech and signified that it was a fight for colored people. However, the dream that the man had at the end of the story was a message for him to keep fighting. He mentioned not understanding the dream because he needed to attend college first. I thought he was mentioning that he needed to go to college to gain knowledge to fight for social equality.
Ralph Ellison's short story "Battle Royal" started with the narrator explaining that his grandparents were slaves and that he is only ashamed for once being ashamed of this. His grandfather's last words were "Son, after I'm gone I want you to keep up the good fight ... Live with your head in the lion's mouth". I think that this means he wants his grandson to fight for what he wants and to face his fears no matter what. The "invisible man" as he described himself, was to give his graduation speech to a room full of very important men. Once he got to the ballroom, he was told that he was going to compete in the battle royal before he gave his speech. Although the man did not want to take part in this because he felt it would take away the dignity from his speech, he did it anyways. This fight was to provide entertainment for the room full of drunken, rich, white men, but the African American boys participating were being treated like animals (Both of which are wrong, neither man nor animal should be treated in such a way). This showed how there was no social equality at this point in time. The white men were depicted as being the superior race even though they are all humans when it comes down to it. The man participated and while he was getting beat up, all he could think about was his speech and making sure that he remembered it. This man was facing his fears in order to get what he wanted. Once the fighting was over, he was able to deliver his speech to the men and many of them were not even listening. After his speech, he was handed a briefcase with a scholarship, which could symbolize not only hope for himself but hope for his people as a whole. The invisible man woke up from this dream knowing that he had to go to college in order to "keep up the good fight".
I found the short story “Battle Royal” by Ralph Ellison interesting. The narrator was a young black boy who was reflecting on his past. Before his grandfather died, he told him that black Americans would always be at war. The boy’s parents told him not to listen to his grandfather. But these words affected him throughout his life. Whenever the boy gained praise from the whites in the community, he would remember the words of his grandfather and feel ashamed. I did not understand why the boy felt ashamed though. He was receiving recognition from the whites and moving up in society. I believe his grandfather would have been proud. I started to understand why his grandfather said that blacks are at war with whites. After the boy’s speech at Battle Royal, he receives an applause and is given a briefcase and scholarship as a gift. At first I thought that the briefcase was for his hard work but as I thought about it more I realized that was not the case. He was given the briefcase as a way to keep and quiet and pleased. They gave him a scholarship to a black college in order to separate him from the whites. The boy was so happy because of the scholarship that he forgot his grandfather's words and didn't realize the reason behind it. That night he had a dream with his grandfather laughing at him for believing the whites. His grandfather was right when he was saying those words on his deathbed. I found the story interesting and it reminded me of learning about the civil rights movement and how even after blacks got rights they were still discriminated.
The short story Battle Royal was difficult for me to understand. The boy was presented as a smart individual that would help his people because he possessed such knowledge, but then he ends up being beaten and abused. All through the story we hear if the conflict he has because of what his grandfather told him, but we see that he is not taking the advice and is instead following in the passive path where while he thinks he is accepted and is achieving something, he is really being used and made a joke of. I didn't understand the ending because he is given a briefcase and is told he will lead his people on the right path, but is that path being mistreated and not fairly accepted? If so, then he is not their leader for fairness and equality but their downfall.
The short story “Battle Royal” by Ralph Ellison was about a black man during the reconstruction period in the south. The narrator was what the racist whites looked for in blacks, quiet, obeying, and respectful. He was the same way as his grandfather who, on his deathbed, shouted out how he was a traitor to his own kind, and he gave up the fight way too soon. Every young child who heard that was told to forget it; however, it cursed all of the narrator’s achievements. The narrator was then told to fight (nearly to death) against nine other blacks. In the end, the men mocked him when he gave a speech, and they told him to know his place. However, he was excited to be accepted to a black college on a scholarship until his grandfather haunted him in his dreams the following night. I liked this story just because of how random and bizarre it was. I’m not sure if this story is true or not, but I know they had Negro wrestling during slavery times. The only difference between that and what was in this story is that the men in this story were paid and didn’t have to kill each other to win. This is also similar to blacks that recently got their freedom, they still had to work and were treated like slaves, but they got slight reimbursement for it. Also, it upset me that he didn’t stand up for himself in front of the distinguished white men; I would’ve liked to see his grandfather’s final words finally click in his head.
The short story "Battle Royal" written by Ralph Ellison is a great story about an African American boy overcoming the fears that society places on him to have a fulfilling life. In the beginning of the story the boy's grandfather says something right before he passes away that will set the path for the rest of the story, he say's, "Son, after I'm gone I want you to keep up the good fight." This quote plays a significant part throughout the entire story. While reading this story I was extremely confused as to everything that was going on, like why was he giving a speech, why was there a naked woman and why was he getting beat up. The entire story made sense to me at the end though when the author mentions that the boy was dreaming. During his dream when the boy is being beaten up, and then steps on stage to give his speech, that was a wonderful example of the author using the first quote within the story. It shows how the boy could stand up for himself and still prevail and do what he was destined to do, which was to give a speech. I believe when the boy received the brief case and the scholarship this was a type of foreshadowing event, that if the boy listens to what his grandfather said then he will go on to do great things.
Ralph Ellison's "Battle Royal" is a very intense and touching story in my opinion. It is a story of prejudice and discrimination that I am assuming takes place in the late 1940's/ early 1950's based off of the time it was written but also because of the way the the main ballroom was described, the way the men dressed and acted, and also because African American's were free yet still being suppressed and we not treated as equally as Caucasians. In the beginning of the story the main character states that he had to learn that he is an invisible man but later on he is showered with so much attention is almost contractions his feelings of being invisible. Yes, I am aware that all the attention he received during the fight was for all the wrong reasons, it was degrading, repulsive, and barbaric but it also goes to show that only in the white man's eye was he invisible and only noticed when they wanted him to be. This is a perfect example of how unequal this supposed "equality" was at the time. It's disappointing to me that all he wants to do is give his speech and isn't sure if he will be able to do it because the other men are so consumed in the battle, but luckily for him he is still able to give it, thanks to one man who credits him on his knowledge and vocabulary. The speech he gives is touching and actually pretty painful to read because of the graphic details that are explained about what is happening to him during his speech... the blood and saliva that continues to come up in his throat that he is forced to swallow, and the fact that most of the men in the crowd are still laughing and talking amongst themselves. This is frustrating because it shows just how ignorant these people really were and how this man was educated, smart, hardworking and dedicated yet received little recognition. The main character held all of these qualities and I'm sure some of the other men he fought did to, but they are treated as sources of entertainment and treated like animals. I'm not sure what the meaning of this story is or if there is a particular theme besides prejudice, but I enjoyed it a lot even though it was upsetting due to the harsh reality of our societies past.
ReplyDelete“Battle Royal” was a very intense read, but was very interesting. At this event, it was a variety of different types of men that came for an entertainment. I noticed that the people that were putting on the “show” were almost treated like animals. For example, when the invisible man came first, there was a lady going around the place (I believe that she was a stripper). The way that these men acted toward her was disgusting because while she was dancing, they were all basically drooling over her. The invisible man stated that she was “faintly smiling out of fear.” At one point she tried to escape and the drunk men were just throwing her around like she was a sack of potatoes. Then, the invisible man had to go against these other men blindfolded and fight each other. All of this cruel fighting was just pure entertainment as all the men were yelling from the crowd and betting money on who they thought was going to win. The stripper, the group of men fighting and the invisible men were treated as if they were animals by the superior white males in the room. But it was the invisible man’s goal to perform his speech in front of these men. And when he did, he felt accomplished because he proved that he was intelligent and knew what he is talking about. The two key words that stood out in his speech were “social equality,” and the battle royal contradicted with it in that the whites are superior over the blacks. Racial inequality was a big theme that was presented in this short story.
ReplyDeleteI found the fighting scene very strange. At first, I could not understand why the main character didn’t take off his blind fold sooner. I understand that he did not want to break the rules of the game, but at a certain point you have to realize that it is just a game. The game was intense and dangerous which made me think that he should have taken the blind fold off sooner. He was getting punched and physically hurt badly. This made me wonder about the other people in the game. When the main character finally did take off his mask, the fighting he described sounded way too accurate for the opponents to actually be blindfolded. He described punches as in the face, groin and kidney, not as random and undirected. However, there was one person who was randomly punching the air, probably the only person still actually blindfolded. I also found the fake money which would electrocute the person trying to pick it up very interesting. The money initially reminded me of the beautiful blonde from the beginning of the story because they were both so alluring to the main character. Possibly the money was electrocuted and fake to show that the main character couldn’t actually have it. This might parallel to the beautiful girl because he can’t realistically have her either during the time period of such racism. This whole story was very trance-like and confusing because of the random and unconventional events that occurred. Also, the smoke in the fighting room contributed to this atmosphere.
ReplyDeleteIn the short story “Battle Royal” by Ralph Ellison, I was very confused at first about what was going on. From the begging I was trying to figure out what this story was going to be about and how it was going to end but I couldn't. This story toke a major turn on me, my first thought was that it was going to be about a man giving a speech in front of a bunch on important people. Although he was going to give a speech in front of a bunch of important people it ended up being something that was he was going to have to fight over just for the entertainment of rich white men. I was really confused when the boys got into the ring and there was some random nude chick dancing in front of them and I thought it was going to be some sick joke. When the boys actually started fighting I could not figure out what he big deal was about this guy’s speech and why would start fighting people if he is about to give a speech? This kid was very determined to do whatever it toke to deliver his speech so it must have been something very important to him. In the long run the speech was very important and I liked on how the story ended with a happy ending. Even though this kid had to put up with the unruly crowd of rich white men, he ended up getting something great in return, a scholarship, appreciation, and respect, three really big things that he deserved.
ReplyDeleteThe “Battle Royal” by Ralph Ellison was sincere in the sense of the main character’s pride. So basically his grandfather’s last words haunted him. He means face your fears when he says, ‘Live with your head in the lion’s mouth.’ I think when he mentioned he gave up his gun it’s saying to fight like a man and fight with your own hands, not a gun. I think earning pride is a theme in this story, as well as the obvious theme of prejudice. This guy is getting the shit beat out of him yet he was focused on his speech! Then, after the fight when he was giving his speech it kept mentioning he had to swallow his blood in order to talk. He is up in front of all these people gushing blood and all beat up yet still stands strong and gives his speech. So this is almost like showing his pride. The other theme I took from this story was education is more valuable than money, or in this story gold. It shows them down on their knees with all this gold in front of them but they get electrocuted or something when they try to take it. (I think. This was really weird) And at the end of the story the main character is awarded a scholarship. When he’s running off the stage he says, ‘I did not even mind when I discovered that the gold pieces I had scrambled for were brass tokens advertising a certain make of an automobile.’ Then he has this dream about his grandfather and he has no idea what the dream means but he must ‘attend college.’ This symbolizes education can get you more than money or gold.
ReplyDeleteIn Battle Royal by Ralph Ellison the way the white upper class people treated the naked girl and the black people was degrading. The narrator of the story says he looked into the girls eyes and saw terror and disgust in her eyes like his own and I wonder if she was forced to be there like he was almost forced to fight. Also the ten people in the ring were embarrassed by forcing them to watch the girl in front of everybody present which I could imagine being very uncomfortable. The upper class people also talked down on the black fighter, one saying “ let me at those black sonsabithces!” and he actually had to be held back. I wonder if they willingly were there and why they put up with all of that. Even if it were for the money I wouldn’t do anything like that voluntarily. They also placed money on a rug that was electrified which is very cruel and I don’t know what would posses somebody to do something like that it doesn’t seem entertaining in any way. When the narrator finally gave his speech nobody seemed to pay attention besides the superintendent. I wasn’t surprised at all that the narrator said equality instead of responsibility when he was asked to repeat it multiple times. I believe this is what his grandfather was talking about on his deathbed. I believe he thinks he was a traitor because he didn’t try to resist and stand up for his rights, just like the narrator went along with the games and didn’t just say his speech.
ReplyDeleteI found the story to be very interesting from start to finish. The story was very detailed, especially the ballroom setting. I found it sad that these African-Americans boxers were used for entertainment purposes. The fact that these boxers were all blindfolded worsened the boxer’s situation. I felt that the boxers were depicted more as animals than human beings. The winning boxer displayed his intelligence during his speech. A key term that he stated was “social equality”. Based on the time period that this story was written social equality was a major issue. I believe that the winning boxer shocked many of the Caucasian audience when he spoke those words. I established a sense of joy when I read that the boxer would be given an academic scholarship. Though, I found the ending to be very shocking. Finding out the whole story was a dream was a total whirlwind.
ReplyDeleteIn the short story, “Battle Royal”, an African American mentions to the reader that he is an invisible man. Because he is an African American during this time, I’m guessing the 1940s/1950s, he was discriminated, treated poorly and unequally with no dignity and respect. African Americas were known to not be educated and wise. Throughout the story, the invisible man lost his sense of human dignity as he was beaten in the fighting ring and was incapable of speaking his speech due to the fact that no respected him and did not pay any attention to him, except for the fact that he was black, and a great punching bag. But the main character calling himself an invisible man, is somewhat contradicting. He is a smart, educated, knowledgeable man that just graduated from high school and desires to attend college. He got attention, obviously negative attention, when he was in the fighting ring and was being punched and beaten to the point where he was spitting up blood. He even got attention from the stripper when she was dancing; she took a quick look at him. Also, the MC finally got everyone’s attention for the invisible man to speak his speech. The expression invisible man can be confusing. Yes, he was an African American during the time of great prejudice, so his views, thoughts, etc., were ignored, emphasizing that he may have been invisible to society. But he was seen by others. Because he was black, he was not invisible; he was openly discriminated, ridiculed, and beaten because of his race. Those who listened to his speech, whether they may believe it or not, thought he was an intelligent man for his race.
ReplyDelete“Battle Royal” by Ralph Ellison was very interesting and attention drawing, and also very strange. At first I was slightly confused about what was going on. He spends awhile speaking of his grandfather’s curse, and how it greatly impacted his life, and how he reacted to almost every decision he made. Then all of a sudden he goes to a foggy, smoke filled room surrounded by rich white men and a naked woman. It wasn’t until the battle scene that I began to understand what was happening. Rich white men were using their money to bribe a group of black men to literally beat the crap out of each other. They used this “Battle Royal” as a sick form of entertainment. Throughout the whole battle scene all the main character can think of is how he just wants to give a speech. Some speech that is obviously of great importance since he is willing to be beaten and humiliated in order to give it. After the fight, and his fight over the money he is finally able to give his speech. At that point he is greeted politely by the M.C. and introduced to the crowd, which at first was critical but eventually listened. I enjoyed how the story ended happily with him giving the speech, getting a scholarship into a black college, and gaining respect, but it left me slightly confused on why he had to go through this whole fight in order to give this speech. Why couldn’t he have just given the speech without bleeding from the mouth.
ReplyDeleteThe story "Battle Royal" by Ralph Ellison was very confusing to me. I didn't really understand what was going on at first and once I did realize what was happening, I didn't understand the point of it. The whole fight scene really threw me off. It disgusted me that these rich, respected, white men were forcing these groups of black men to fight each other until they couldn't stand it any longer. The fact that this was a game to them is horrifying. Actually, racism in general disgusts me. Especially the fact that this still exists today. But anyways, the story confused me just because I thought the whole point of the main character going to this place was to give a speech. The speech showed how truly intelligent and dedicated he was and the crowd of white men couldn't even show enough respect to be quiet and sit through his speech. I actually felt bad for him. No one deserves to get made fun of when they were brave enough to get in front of a group of people to speak about what they believe in. It's horrific to see that the main character could have possibly been more educated than half of the men sitting in the crowd. They were assholes, there's no better way to put it, and they enjoyed overpowering people because of their race and wealth. The end of the story made me happy because the main character received a scholarship to go to college and he honestly deserved that after all he went through just to give his speech and show how educated he actually is.
ReplyDeleteThe short story “Battle Royal” by Ralph Ellison, comes out of the book Invisible man. I had read Invisible man in high school but rereading this still got me to feel intense. It honestly made me sick on how the African American boys were treated like animals in the beginning. Reading that kind of stuff makes me uncomfortable because it’s a disturbing thing that really happened in our past. When the invisible man actually got the guts to give his speech and to speak out to white people to show he was intelligent and not an animal like they characterized him as, he got laughed at. I’m glad he story showed the good ending of this book and how the invisible man received a scholarship and was able to go to college. This shows how unequal societies were when the story took place. Fortunately we have over come this hatred as a society.
ReplyDeleteThe story “Battle Royal” by Ralph Ellison had me very confused for the most of the story. I found it odd that this young, smart African American boy was being honored for a speech he made at his high school graduation by getting the snot kicked out of him by his fellow peers. I found some of these actions that took place in the story cruel, like when they put coins on a rug and watched them scramble for it, while also being shocked by an electric current. Also, I found it strange that this boxing ring was placed in the middle of a ballroom, a place where violence should be the farthest thing taking place in there. Throughout the story I was wondering why Ellison kept writing about all these terrible things happening to this young boy, when he should be being praised for writing and delivering a wonderful speech at his graduation. I believe that he was trying to tell the reader that even though life knocks you down, you always have to find a reason to get back up and keep pushing through all the bad things it throws you. This kid was mentally and physically abused by a room full of white, upper class citizens, but he pushed through it because all he wanted to do was show them up. He wanted to show them that he was educated, he was strong, and that he wouldn’t let anything get in his way to complete his goals. So although the content in the story was cruel and disgusting, I believe the message behind it was great and can be very helpful to people who need help with confidence and drive towards their goals.
ReplyDeleteAfter reading “Battle Royal” by Ralph Ellison, I was shocked and disturbed by what I had read. Reading about the fight and the subsequent events was shocking because I had not expected the story to be about a fight, I had expected it to be about how he goes to this event to give his speech from the graduation. It was also very disturbing to me how the participants in the fight were treated, how they were made into a spectacle simply for entertainment purposes. It made me sick at how these upper members of the society or really anyone could enjoy such crass and barbaric entertainment. Especially the part where they put the money on the electrified rug, how could anyone hurt and humiliate another human being like that. The part that was confusing for me was after the fight, how after he gave his speech, everyone in the room seemed to be like a normal crowd. And how the superintendent gave him the briefcase and the scholarship after his speech like nothing to do with the battle had happened, it was all just a little weird. The other part that I really didn’t understand was the grandfather’s curse. I was not sure who he was talking about when he said that he was a trader and a spy. Overall, I thought that this story was very intense, and showed how disgusting and disturbing our society can be.
ReplyDeleteThe short story "Battle Royal" was a very interesting read. It seemed to take place in a post slavery time but a time where racism was still rampant. the elegant imagery used to describe the ballroom and detail that went into describing it made the fight a surprising turn of events. the fight was disturbing. I am a fan of boxing and MMA but the fight in this story bothered me. the men were treated like animals. To me it seemed like a sick human cockfight. When he gave his speech I thought that it exemplified the words "live with your head in the lion's mouth". I thought this because the speech showed bravery and he put himself out there to the crowd that had been quite barbaric. I enjoyed this story and found it to be an interesting read.
ReplyDeleteThe Short Story “Battle Royal” written by Ralph Ellison started off quite sad as it started off with the death of his grandfather and his last words. His grandfathers words affected him tremendously and he never understood what he really meant. I was also quite confused about what was going on here. There was then a fight scene that was very disturbing and I did not fully understand that either at first. The people in the battle were in a boxing ring and were blindfolded. After they were blind folded they were told to basically attack each other. I believe that the blindfolded people symbolize the “invisible man” that the character described earlier in the story. Being invisible or not to be seen was portrayed as something bad in this story as I thought it could potentially mean loosing ones freedom and mobility. The man was once invisible but by the end of the story, after he delivered his speech in front of all these people who once tortured him, he then felt visible and made a visible difference. A big theme in the story was social inequality especially between different races. The white men in the story were all looked at as superior over the black men who were in the rink getting beat up and electrocuted while they scattered for money. The whole time the black men were being tortured the white men were having a good time yelling and pushing the other men. There is a huge problem of inequality between the two different races because of the color of their skin as the black were looked down to compared to the white people. I thought this story was very thought provoking and full of intensity, but also thought what was happening to these poor men was just just terrible.
ReplyDeleteThis short story Battle Royal by Ralph Ellison was very weird and confusing. I thought it was kind of hard to read and I struggled trying to process everything that had happened. Even though it was confusing, I thought it was a good and very descriptive piece of literature. In the beginning I was happy that the main character was able to give his speech at another venue other than his graduation and he seemed like he deserved it. By the time he got to the ball room, I felt very bad for him, because he had to fight against nine other people and ended up going one on one against the biggest fighter there. He was covered in blood and to make things worse, they put metal coins on an electric mat and tried to shock the boys. It was sickening to me that most of the men were laughing at the boys while they were fighting each other and also while they were tricked into picking up their payment off of the electrified carpet. What was more disturbing is that one spectator even picked up and threw a boy who was all sweaty on the mat. This definitely feels like a racial situation in that only African Americans were the ones fighting and that they were tricked into being hurt. The main character did the opposite of what his grandfather did by giving his speech and not just acting like them and trying to fit into their society. All in all, this was a good interesting story.
ReplyDelete"Battle Royal" by Ralph Ellison turned out to be a very interesting story. The last few words that the grandfather was speaking about hinted at the plot of the rest of the story. He stated in the story "I never told you, but our life is a war." That right there told me that this story was going to be about the struggle that the black community in America had for gaining social equality. His grandson takes his words to heart the most and never backs down even in the presence of utter discrimination. I was able to really feel the fear and hopelessness that most of these black men felt that were lined up to be beaten in the boxing area. Then white crowd around them thought of these innocent men as entertainment rather than human beings. The main character I believe represents the idea of not backing down. Throughout this story he kept thinking about the speech he had yearned to give. The speech was an example of the next step towards social equality. Because of the speech's large importance, he never let the physical beating keep him from giving it. His goal was to better the image of the black community in the eyes of the white society by showing his intelligence and capability to go to college and succeed. This story gives the message to all that you should never give up on what you believe in. Do not allow someone else to decide who you are a person.
ReplyDeleteThe short story "Battle Royal" by Ralph Ellison was a great story demonstrating courage in a young african american man. In the beginning of the story the narrator talks about how his grandparents were freed slaves. When his grandfather was on his deathbed he said that the rest of his life was going to be a war. This story shows a grteat example of how african americans were treated back in the day and it sickens me. The narrator wrote a speech on how the black man should show humility and submission if their race wanted to advance. The fact that that is the attitude in the minds of thee african americans is awful. Later in the story the narrator was placed with men that were beaten and electrocuted just for entertainment for the whites.The narrator gave this speech after the beating took place. I think this showed great courage on his part. Even though he got beaten he never backed down. This story is a great example of how awful this lime in our history was and how african americans had to live in fear. I wish I could go back and change how the whites acted because its embarrassing.
ReplyDeleteRalph Ellison’s short story “Battle Royal” was strange, as I began the story thinking I had a sense of what was happening but as it continued to progress I got slightly confused. However, at the end the story started to come together after realizing it was a dream. I really enjoyed the beginning when the grandfather said his last words to his family, “Son after I am gone I want you to keep up a good fight.” This is very typical for a person’s last words they may say, and I think the author began with that to help people relate, but as he continues it drastically changes. When he states “Live with your head in the lion’s mouth, I want you to overcome ‘em with yeses, undermine ‘em with your grins…” this quote I believe is telling his grandson to face fear, don’t run from it, take it head on and fight through it. I think that many of those today sometimes shy away from things because of fear, but instead if encourage people to fight more for what they believe in is was allows for change and growth within our world. Honestly I didn't really like the rest of the story, and the extreme details throughout gave you a good picture in your mind of what was happening. At the end when the boy received the brief case, I think it was a symbol of hope for him, by inspiring him to continue to learn and preform speeches.
ReplyDelete"Battle Royal" by Ralph Ellison involved a black man that follows the advice of his grandfather. When his grandfather was on his death bed he told the man to "overcome' em with veses, undermine' em with gaps..." I thought the main character followed this advice when the men were at the Battle Royal. The man didn't give up and continued to focus on his speech thoughout the fight. He survived the fight and was still willing to give the speech when the fight was over. But in the beginning of the story the man said "That I am nobody but myself. But first I had to discover that I am an invisible man." This line seemed like it refered to to the lack of social equality throughout the story. The men were required to fight and were treated unequal because of their race. The black men were the invisible men because they were not treated the same as a human being. So the main character learned from the Battle Royal that he wasn't treated the same as the white men. He learned that he was an invisible man and took action to fight for social equality by his speech. Even though the speech wasn't received well by the other men, it was seen as a start toward social equality. The superintendent noticed the speech and signified that it was a fight for colored people. However, the dream that the man had at the end of the story was a message for him to keep fighting. He mentioned not understanding the dream because he needed to attend college first. I thought he was mentioning that he needed to go to college to gain knowledge to fight for social equality.
ReplyDeleteRalph Ellison's short story "Battle Royal" started with the narrator explaining that his grandparents were slaves and that he is only ashamed for once being ashamed of this. His grandfather's last words were "Son, after I'm gone I want you to keep up the good fight ... Live with your head in the lion's mouth". I think that this means he wants his grandson to fight for what he wants and to face his fears no matter what. The "invisible man" as he described himself, was to give his graduation speech to a room full of very important men. Once he got to the ballroom, he was told that he was going to compete in the battle royal before he gave his speech. Although the man did not want to take part in this because he felt it would take away the dignity from his speech, he did it anyways. This fight was to provide entertainment for the room full of drunken, rich, white men, but the African American boys participating were being treated like animals (Both of which are wrong, neither man nor animal should be treated in such a way). This showed how there was no social equality at this point in time. The white men were depicted as being the superior race even though they are all humans when it comes down to it. The man participated and while he was getting beat up, all he could think about was his speech and making sure that he remembered it. This man was facing his fears in order to get what he wanted. Once the fighting was over, he was able to deliver his speech to the men and many of them were not even listening. After his speech, he was handed a briefcase with a scholarship, which could symbolize not only hope for himself but hope for his people as a whole. The invisible man woke up from this dream knowing that he had to go to college in order to "keep up the good fight".
ReplyDeleteI found the short story “Battle Royal” by Ralph Ellison interesting. The narrator was a young black boy who was reflecting on his past. Before his grandfather died, he told him that black Americans would always be at war. The boy’s parents told him not to listen to his grandfather. But these words affected him throughout his life. Whenever the boy gained praise from the whites in the community, he would remember the words of his grandfather and feel ashamed. I did not understand why the boy felt ashamed though. He was receiving recognition from the whites and moving up in society. I believe his grandfather would have been proud. I started to understand why his grandfather said that blacks are at war with whites. After the boy’s speech at Battle Royal, he receives an applause and is given a briefcase and scholarship as a gift. At first I thought that the briefcase was for his hard work but as I thought about it more I realized that was not the case. He was given the briefcase as a way to keep and quiet and pleased. They gave him a scholarship to a black college in order to separate him from the whites. The boy was so happy because of the scholarship that he forgot his grandfather's words and didn't realize the reason behind it. That night he had a dream with his grandfather laughing at him for believing the whites. His grandfather was right when he was saying those words on his deathbed. I found the story interesting and it reminded me of learning about the civil rights movement and how even after blacks got rights they were still discriminated.
ReplyDeleteThe short story Battle Royal was difficult for me to understand. The boy was presented as a smart individual that would help his people because he possessed such knowledge, but then he ends up being beaten and abused. All through the story we hear if the conflict he has because of what his grandfather told him, but we see that he is not taking the advice and is instead following in the passive path where while he thinks he is accepted and is achieving something, he is really being used and made a joke of. I didn't understand the ending because he is given a briefcase and is told he will lead his people on the right path, but is that path being mistreated and not fairly accepted? If so, then he is not their leader for fairness and equality but their downfall.
ReplyDeleteThe short story “Battle Royal” by Ralph Ellison was about a black man during the reconstruction period in the south. The narrator was what the racist whites looked for in blacks, quiet, obeying, and respectful. He was the same way as his grandfather who, on his deathbed, shouted out how he was a traitor to his own kind, and he gave up the fight way too soon. Every young child who heard that was told to forget it; however, it cursed all of the narrator’s achievements. The narrator was then told to fight (nearly to death) against nine other blacks. In the end, the men mocked him when he gave a speech, and they told him to know his place. However, he was excited to be accepted to a black college on a scholarship until his grandfather haunted him in his dreams the following night. I liked this story just because of how random and bizarre it was. I’m not sure if this story is true or not, but I know they had Negro wrestling during slavery times. The only difference between that and what was in this story is that the men in this story were paid and didn’t have to kill each other to win. This is also similar to blacks that recently got their freedom, they still had to work and were treated like slaves, but they got slight reimbursement for it. Also, it upset me that he didn’t stand up for himself in front of the distinguished white men; I would’ve liked to see his grandfather’s final words finally click in his head.
ReplyDeleteThe short story "Battle Royal" written by Ralph Ellison is a great story about an African American boy overcoming the fears that society places on him to have a fulfilling life. In the beginning of the story the boy's grandfather says something right before he passes away that will set the path for the rest of the story, he say's, "Son, after I'm gone I want you to keep up the good fight." This quote plays a significant part throughout the entire story. While reading this story I was extremely confused as to everything that was going on, like why was he giving a speech, why was there a naked woman and why was he getting beat up. The entire story made sense to me at the end though when the author mentions that the boy was dreaming. During his dream when the boy is being beaten up, and then steps on stage to give his speech, that was a wonderful example of the author using the first quote within the story. It shows how the boy could stand up for himself and still prevail and do what he was destined to do, which was to give a speech. I believe when the boy received the brief case and the scholarship this was a type of foreshadowing event, that if the boy listens to what his grandfather said then he will go on to do great things.
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