King Of The Bingo Game Ralph Ellison Essay

The Harlem Renaissance was a period where African American’s had thrived on emotion and discrimination; the many subjects their poems/stories was about. It was a period in time also that caused a lot of pain and suffering. One writer who had dealt with pain and suffering was Ralph Ellison. Ellison’s attitude toward the opportunities African Americans get is extremely troublesome and disheartening. He felt that because of their skin color they were being discriminated, they would have to work harder to earn equal opportunities whereas whites earned it quickly, and they had to act a certain way otherwise duality became the outcome. To begin with, Ellison felt African Americans were undergoing discrimination because of their skin color. Ralph Ellison in his story: “King of the Bingo Game,” gave an example of this. “Yessir, ladies and gentlemen, he’s one of the chosen people! The audience rippled with laughter and applause” (Ellison, Ralph, Mr. King of the Bingo Game. New York City: Ralph Ellison, 1944. Print. PG 3, Paragraph 9). The author felt this way because normally if a white person won bingo and were to go up, the audience wouldn’t laugh and the announcer wouldn’t have said “chosen people.” Even though he probably meant it in a good
“I m just broke, ‘cause I got no birth certificate to get a job, and Laura ‘bout to die ‘cause we got no money for a doctor” (Ellison, Ralph, Mr. King of the Bingo Game. New York City: Ralph Ellison, 1944. Print. PG 1, Paragraph 1). During the periods of time where discrimination was thriving, any white person would be able to get a job quick, but for a person who is black, it was harder. No one wanted to accept them for who they are. Owners would rather hire a white with no experience than an African American with total experience. With how the economy was back then toward people other than white; no wonder Ellison’s attitude is negative, it hurts