Public Speaking In Battle Royal, By Ralph Ellison

Ralph Ellison’s The Invisible Man is a novel published in 1952 about a young African American man who struggles to be seen as part of society. The first chapter of the novel, titled “Battle Royal”, paints the picture of the narrator/speaker brutally fighting other African Americans in a town festivity. Afterward, the speaker is allowed to give a speech that charmed the audience at his graduation ceremony. However, in order to give his speech, the speaker must endure through numerous brutal challenges. Only then can he prove himself and his ability through the art of public speaking. This particular scene from Ralph Ellison’s novel underscores the importance of public speaking, African American literature and African American culture. The
During the scene where the speaker is giving his speech the audience is not actively listening to his speech. Instead, they find it better to talk loudly to each other. Now, the speaker notices how he is not being heard by his audience, even though he just went through hell and back in order to be able to deliver his speech. Trying hard to get through his speech, the speaker continues to cough blood. Close to the end, the men in the audience start making fun of what the speaker has to say. “Social responsibility,’ I said. ‘What?’ ‘Social…’ ‘Louder.’ ‘... responsibility--,” (Ellison, 272). At this point, the speaker is frustrated and still having to gulp down his own blood. “The room filled with the uproar of laughter until, no doubt distracted by having to gulp down my blood, I made a mistake and yelled a phrase I had often seen denounced… ‘Social…’ ‘What?’ they yelled. ‘...equality--,” (Ellison, 272). These words sliced through the audience’s laughter and shred it to pieces. For the first time since the speaker had started reciting his speech everyone in the room was listening. The African American boy they had just been yelling and laughing at had left them speechless. However, the silence did not last very long. The speaker mistakenly said something that the white men did not want to hear. Equal was not a word those white men would use
The speaker of the story proves that to be an invisible man is to not be yourself. Instead, he spews out words that feeds the white man’s ego. The words are what the white men want to hear, and not actually what the speaker believes. Booker T. Washington believes that this is the way to provide, yet he still accepts that he and his fellow African Americans are below the white men. However, W. E. B. Du Bois believes that African Americans and the white men should both be equal and free. He also believes that change will not come from feeding their egos, instead he believes in speaking out about what he believes is right. This is crucial to the advancement of African American culture and paves the way for future African American public speakers during the Civil Rights