Fiction Analysis Battle Royal - Essay Example

Battle Royal Outline The fiction under analysis expresses the feelings and experiences through the mouth of the protagonist i.e. narrator, which throws light upon the male domination in the US society on the one hand, and their influence and interference on different human rights activities and organizations on the other. Ellison, through the protagonist of his fiction, communicates the very message that the notion might is right certainly prevails everywhere in the world, escaping from which is mere the fool’s dream. The novel also indicates the secret activities performed by the so called human rights activists in the name of justice and equality for all. The fiction also explores the nefarious designs of the leaders of the non-governmental organizations and the donors, both these categories render services and provide financial support to the educational and health institutions just for the sake of their good name and fame. Consequently, they seldom contain any real sentiments to improve the lot of others; and all the efforts made by them carry artificiality, shallowness and selfishness. Additionally, the author also strives to reveal the internal conflicts, jealousies and leg-pulling the purported leaders of the organizations have in mind for the fellow-beings. Hence, neither they are loyal to their cause, nor do they observe any sympathies for the members of other ethno-racial groups and communities. As a result, the minority races remain under the fear of being unsafe and under the target of the majority group, which would leave no stone unturned to hurt, harm and humiliate them in one way or the other. The hypocrisy of the leaders of same community has also been unveiled in the fiction, where the affluent and influential individuals belonging to the minority groups adopt the ways of the majority stratum in order to survive and make progress within the social establishment. Rough Draft Twentieth century is undoubtedly remembered as the age of enlightenment, which not only gave the message of freedom and equality to the oppressed and suppressed communities, but also bestowed the blessing of consciousness and awareness to them. However, the entire declarations of the jubilant favor of liberty being conferred upon them turned out to be mere lip service, as the subjugated races remained in the sorry state of exploitations at the hands of the powerful and authoritative majority community even the freedom of the minority groups had been announced and admitted by the representatives of the oppressors. The fiction under investigation concentrates upon the same bitter realities by stating freedom and equality mere an illusion. The author has focused upon the three centuries long conflict between the white and black races, where the dominant white racial group appears to be refuting and nullifying the rights of the African Americans, as the blacks are, according to them, inferior to the whites in appearance, intellect, creativity and other matters. Thus, the author has indicated the bias and prejudice observed by the whites against the blacks, where the whites aptly humiliate and harm the blacks whenever they find an opportunity of observing the same. The novel begins with the descriptions made by the narrator related to the dialogue between his father and ailing grandfather (2), where the grandfather tries to convince the father that submission to the whites is the only method to survive in the USA, as freedom of the blacks, recently announced by the American authorities, is mere a delusion. Hence, the author manifestly explores the very fact that White people’s innate racial hatred for the blacks was in the knowledge of the African Americans; it is therefore, they did not take their freedom too seriously, and stuck to the old strategy of appeasing the whites in one way or the other. The fiction also exhibits the hypocrisy of the whites, who are not willing to grant their black counterparts the status equivalent to them at any cost. It is therefore they make fun of them which is a source of realizing the blacks of their status and position in the white dominated society. The story shows that in the beginning the narrator did not see eye to eye with his grandfather’s submission policy, and views personal talent and hard efforts as the only way to make sure headway in society; however, the latter developments made in the fiction endorse the viewpoint of the grandfather regarding the place of blacks in the eyes of the majority of the white population. It proves partially true when the narrator personally experiences the behavior of the whites towards the black students. (5-6) The whites not only force the blacks to get engaged into battle royal in the boxing ring, but also enjoy the scenes of the blacks being wounded and fallen down at the hands of the persons of the same racial group. The story implores the sympathies of the readers because of the unjust and inhuman attitude of the white administrators. Since the whites used to take the blacks as laughing stock in order to satisfy their superiority complexes, they deliberately arranged the functions in which the blacks could be mocked at. The story deplores such an unethical behavior on the part of the whites, as making fun of others is not only excruciating and embarrassing for the victim, but also exhibits the inner spitefulness and nastiness of the person exercising such a condemnable act. Forcing the blacks to get engaged into a useless fight, and then inflicting of electric shock upon the participants ratifies the extreme magnitude of abhorrence for the blacks. The author has also supported his thesis with the dreams and their interpretations made by the protagonist. Refraining of the narrator and his grandfather, in his dream, from laughing at the circus clowns shows that the clown are actually their fellow black African Americans, which have lost their real identity while living in an extremely segregated US society. Hence, the rational and respectable individuals have to act as circus clowns while living far from their native land as a minority group. Thus, the author has portrayed the sorrowful condition of the blacks in the multicultural country i.e. the USA, where they had forcefully been driven as slaves just like the luggage-loaded cattle, which have no right to turn their face even before the prior permission of their masters. Final Draft The pieces of literature, created and produced by the African American writers and poets, during nineteenth and twentieth centuries, maintains one thing very common i.e. the expression of deep agony for living far away from their native land as well as from their African brethren, rejoining them was mere an unfulfilled dream for them altogether. Since the Americans and Europeans had brought the Africans as slaves in chains by separating them from their blood relations, friends and soil, the poor Africans could never forget the extreme kind of cruelty and ruthlessness committed upon the helpless people by the powerful and dominant western imperialism. The famous Harlem movement, launched by the black intellectuals, writers and philosophers, was also the outcome of the same agony and woe for being separated from their nation. During the seventeenth century onward, the blacks led an intensely miserable and degrading life as slaves to the white masters. Somehow, President Abraham Lincoln abolished slavery all over the USA, which gave the message of hope, freedom, prestige and liberty to the African Americans. Though an overwhelming majority of the black community rejoiced the moment by declaring it a turning point in their life, the rational African Americans knew the bitter reality that they would have to struggle for several decades for obtaining respect and social status equivalent to the whites. The writers, including Alex Haley, Alice Walker, Langston Hughes, Rosa Park, Ralph Ellison, Malcolm X, Toni Morrison, Margaret Drabble and several others, lamented on the sorrowful injustices exercised by the whites upon them through their writings, and longed for winning equal status, position and human rights for the blacks in the same lines enjoyed by the whites. The literature created by the blacks also reflects the three-century long intense state of conflict between both the races, which could not become one nation even living together for a long time. The fiction under analysis with the title Battle Royal also points out the same bitter truth that the blacks had to tolerate the shameful attitude adopted and observed by the whites towards them. The protagonist appears to be unable to find a respectable place for him because of the crookedness and prejudiced behavior of the rival whites on the one hand, and the hypocrite and timid blacks on the other. The theme of the play lies in the very reality that the black community will remain engaged in making struggle to improve their life on the one hand, and in pleasing the oppressive, prejudiced and atrocious whites on the other by acting upon the commands issued by the whites. It is obvious that their interests had been in sharp contrast with those of the whites, yet they made compromises in order to escape the wrath and hatred of the white people. Though the long struggle made by the Blacks not only allowed them to grow and develop side by side with the Whites on the one hand, but also the Black are able to enjoy respectable political, social and economic positions in the multiracial country of the USA. Somehow, their struggle is full of the atrocities and emotional hurt received from the whites for more than three centuries. The same is the theme of the fiction under analysis, where the protagonist is a young black man, who experiences the prejudiced behavior of the white people because of the color of his skin while studying at a local college. (4) Being the brilliant student of the college, the narrator was invited to make a speech at the eve of passing his graduation. However, instead of allowing him to go to dice and deliver some words, he is shamefully pushed in a useless fight called battle royal, where he received injuries and defeat subsequently. The participants of the shameful fight receive electric shock during their pursuit for obtaining the coins meant as reward against the so called entertainment they made just to amuse the white audience. At last the historic moment comes when the protagonist gets the opportunity of delivering some words to the audience. However, he is adversely ignored, interrupted and ridiculed while making his speech, and he mistakenly calls social responsibility as social equality, for which he is seriously taken into account by the white audience. Here the author points out the inner malice of the races against each other, where the white majority does not ready to even tolerate the word equality for the black people. An important issue raised by the author in his work is this that innate characteristics cannot be concealed under the pile of decency, education, mannerism, income and social position. On the contrary, people assess others on the basic traits including caste, clan, creed, complexion, race and ethnicity. The same is witnessed by the narrator while living among the whites and entering into interaction with them. As a college graduate he is justified in expecting respect and honor from the members of his social establishment; however, his innocent and inexperienced mind fails to understand the true faces hidden behind the masks of mockery, hypocrisy and cunningness. The recollection of battle royal is too painful to scratch from his memory; however, the continuous interruption during his speech adds fuel to fire in the humiliation process of the entire black community. The narrator appears to be in a position to estimate the strongly prevailing ethno-racial discriminatory behavior in the US society. Being the direct victim of the hatred of majority group within an extremely segregated society, the protagonist undergoes serious disappointment and despair due to the very reality that good grades and high education are unable to pacify his woes and problems altogether. Consequently, his frustration is at its climax and he feels himself as nobody or an invisible person without having any identity or recognition in society. The narrator did not have any belief in the discriminative behavior the historical books depicted; somehow, on that day at college he comes to know the facts existing in the multicultural society of the USA that the white look down upon the blacks. Thus, he recalls to his mind the last words delivered by his grandfather that instead of demanding freedom and equal rights from the whites, the blacks should crush them with the help of intellect by displaying false meekness towards them. The dream he sees while sleeping also points out the realities of life, where he feels them one among the circus clowns, which are frequently mocked at and ridiculed by the spectator mob. Since clowns are meant for the amusement of the spectators, laughing at them is an ordinary thing. However, the blacks were not the laughing stock, and hence they are not meant to be ridiculed; even then they appear to be similar to the circus clowns, making fun of them was perhaps the birth right of the white community. The envelope he receives in dream is also symbolic one, which carries a certain message in it. The chain of envelopes within envelope draws out the tragic fate of the blacks that they get false promises and lollypops in the name of jobs and career oriented activities. The words written on the letter depict the tragic fate of the blacks, where they are meant to run amuck in search of respect, career and prestige in life, which is actually a far cry for the dreams they see and goals they establish in the white dominated US society. Works Cited Ellison, Ralph. “Battle Royal.” Random House Inc. 1953 Read More