Battle Royal( Ralph Ellison) - Essay Example

English Topic: Battle Royal (Ralph Ellison)The setting of the story is in the year 1952. The slavery in America has ended, but the white people are unable to remove the concept of slavery from their minds. They would avail every opportunity to demean the blacks. Blacks are not accepted willingly into the mainstream American white society. Battle royal is part of a chapter of the book titled “Invisible Man.” It refers to the personality of the black man. He is unable to create any positive impact on the society with his personality, because the black people are suppressed from all ends in societal terms.

In the beginning of the chapter, the African American Narrator is praised by the white folks for his speech in satirical terms. But the black man will not relent. He wishes to protect his essential dignity, notwithstanding the fact that the white people are out to ridicule him on all counts. The black narrator is firm about his decision. Instead of avoiding the white men, he wishes to actively associate with them, to prove his worth. But racial segregation continues. Social harmony between the people of black and white races is still a distant dream.

Blacks undergo horrific experiences and Ellison has availed the option to make the story full of imagery and satire than come out with statements and statistics. Strange situations are created for the humiliation of the black youngsters. This happens in an all-white men’s club, where a black protagonist of the story, considered to be a brilliant orator, is invited for a speech on cultural issues. A clever plan is hatched to humiliate him and other black youngsters. He is supposed to give a talk on humility but what is the use of talk on such a topic to people devoid of humanity?

In the next situation, describing a fight scene in the ring Ellison states, "It was complete anarchy. Everybody fought everybody else. No group fought together for long" (942). This is the broad indicator as for the tactics used by the white people to keep the blacks suppressed, divided and fight amongst themselves. This story is the barometer of the dark history of the black race in America related to their suppression for centuries. Works Cited Ellison, Ralph.

1953 "Battle Royal", Making Literature Matter, Pages 939-943.