Ralph Ellison - Battle Royal Thematic Essay
Chris Reinert
English 102
6/4/12
Mr. Jakubowski
“Battle Royal”
Racism was a harsh reality for African Americans after the American slave era and is a prominent theme in the short story “Battle Royal”. This story highlights how racism is not only a powerful tool used to keep people down but can also promote savagery. The author, Ralph Ellison, uses vivid imagery to depict the acts of savagery shown by both the slaves and the white crowd. This short story takes place in the post-slavery south during segregation. The story begins with the narrator remembering his grandfather on his deathbed. His grandfather told the narrator’s father, “Our life is a war and I have been a traitor all my born days.” ( ) By saying this he means that he was always so meek and didn’t step out of line. He felt he was too obedient to the white men and realized that he had betrayed his own race. These words had a profound effect on the narrator although he couldn’t be sure what he meant because his grandfather had always been a quiet person. The narrator is very much like his grandfather in that he is considered, “an example of desirable conduct.”( ) When he is praised for his good conduct he feels guilty because of his grandfather’s words. For this reason he considers his grandfather’s words a curse. On the narrator’s graduation day he delivered a speech that stressed, “Humility was the secret, indeed, the very essence of progress.”( ) Although he did not believe the words in his speech, it proved to be very popular among the important white citizens in the town. He was invited to give the speech at an occasion at a local smoker in front of a white audience. The occasion also included a battle royal which is a free-for-all fight in which their can only be one victor. The fighters are all African American boys. The narrator was told that he must join the fight with his schoolmates. The narrator is not particularly fond of the group he is about to
English 102
6/4/12
Mr. Jakubowski
“Battle Royal”
Racism was a harsh reality for African Americans after the American slave era and is a prominent theme in the short story “Battle Royal”. This story highlights how racism is not only a powerful tool used to keep people down but can also promote savagery. The author, Ralph Ellison, uses vivid imagery to depict the acts of savagery shown by both the slaves and the white crowd. This short story takes place in the post-slavery south during segregation. The story begins with the narrator remembering his grandfather on his deathbed. His grandfather told the narrator’s father, “Our life is a war and I have been a traitor all my born days.” ( ) By saying this he means that he was always so meek and didn’t step out of line. He felt he was too obedient to the white men and realized that he had betrayed his own race. These words had a profound effect on the narrator although he couldn’t be sure what he meant because his grandfather had always been a quiet person. The narrator is very much like his grandfather in that he is considered, “an example of desirable conduct.”( ) When he is praised for his good conduct he feels guilty because of his grandfather’s words. For this reason he considers his grandfather’s words a curse. On the narrator’s graduation day he delivered a speech that stressed, “Humility was the secret, indeed, the very essence of progress.”( ) Although he did not believe the words in his speech, it proved to be very popular among the important white citizens in the town. He was invited to give the speech at an occasion at a local smoker in front of a white audience. The occasion also included a battle royal which is a free-for-all fight in which their can only be one victor. The fighters are all African American boys. The narrator was told that he must join the fight with his schoolmates. The narrator is not particularly fond of the group he is about to
Cited: Ellison, Ralph. “Battle Royal.” Literature: Reading, Reacting, Writing. Compact 8th Edition. Eds Laurie Kirszner and Stephen Mandello Boston: Wadsworth, 2013. pg. ???-???. Print