Refusing to Fight in Ralph Ellison’s Battle Royal
The 1940s represent a decade of turmoil for the United States in general. Perhaps no group of people struggled more during that time period, however, than African Americans. With racial segregation prevalent, particularly in the South, opportunity was lacking for African-Americans. However, Ralph Ellison suggests in “Battle Royal” that due to the lack of racial unity among black men as well as a certain amount of naiveté, black men prevented themselves from succeeding more so than their white oppressors.
With few outlets to succeed in America at the time, African Americans put forth extra effort to succeed when they were given a chance. Often times, this set black men at odds with each other, as they fought to get ahead in a white-dominated society. In “Battle Royal”, this type of dog-eat-dog behavior is duly noted in the actual fight scene. From the moment the narrator steps into the elevator with his classmates, he “felt superior to them in [his] way” (200), and yet he also felt intimidated by their overwhelming fierceness. The only hint of unity that the reader can sense is when all the boys are thrown together, feeling awkward and uncomfortable at the site of the naked white girl in front of them. This distorted sense of unity ends as they are blindfolded and thrown into the ring together. This immediately draws a parallel to society in general, as black men were thrown out into the world, competing against each other to see who would succeed. Likewise, the boys immediately turn on each other, as “everybody fought everybody else. No group fought together for long” (203). Though it is their white oppressors that serve as a catalyst fo...
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...ck males may have been their own worst enemy in trying to succeed and create opportunities for themselves. Allowing themselves to be pit against each other, there was no hope of propelling their status while they did not support one another as a whole race. Turning their anger toward each other rather than the white men who had put them in these situations, the struggle of black men transitioned from the fight for justice as a people to a war with other black men, so as to boost themselves in the eyes of the white man. They furthermore allowed themselves to be manipulated, mocked, scorned, and beaten, yet still stood up afterward to do what they were told. As inner-conflict combined with complete oblivion to the racial situation grew, Ellison criticizes African Americans of the time for not banding together and recognizing the problem that was social inequality.
Wilson created the atmosphere of not only binding black race with economical and social issues when there are other contributing factors as well. The plight of low-skilled inner city black males explains the other variables. He argues “Americans may not fully understand the dreadful social and economic circumstances that have moved these bla...
...ir eyes off of the naked women dancing. The outbursts towards the black men is farther evidence that during that time, blacks had little to no say and had not felt equal to their white counterparts. Perhaps the most conspicuous symbol of all is the battle itself. The white men pitted a group of black men against each other; the black men were in a no win situation. Instead of expressing their displeasure with the white men, the black men were forced to take their anger out on each other. The narrator also seems to seek approval by the white men; remembering his speech as he fights the other men. According to the protagonist: Should I try to win against the voice out there? Would not this go against my speech, and was not this a moment for humility, for nonresistance?” ( ). He’s worried about defying the white men; letting them down by not performing well enough.
Marable, Manning. Race, Reform, and Rebellion: The Second Reconstruction and Beyond in Black America, 1945-2006. Jackson: University Press of Mississippi, 2007.
The McDonaldization Thesis presupposes some familiarity with Ritzer's earlier work, The McDonaldization of Society (1993), in which he defines McDonaldization as "the process by which the principles of the fast-food restaurant are coming to dominate more and more sectors of American society as well as the rest of the world" (1). These principles include efficiency, predictability, calculability (or an emphasis on quantification), and control (especially via non-human technologies). Taken together, they constitute the formal (functional or instrumental) rationality that undergirds McDonaldization. In the present work, Ritzer continues to sound the alarm by depicting McDonaldization as "a largely one-way process in which a series of American innovations are being aggressively exported to much of the rest of the world" (8).
Those studying the experience of African Americans in World War II consistently ask one central question: “Was World War II a turning point for African Americans?” In elaboration, does World War II symbolize a prolongation of policies of segregation and discrimination both on the home front and the war front, or does it represent the start of the Civil Rights Movement that brought racial equality? The data points to the war experience being a transition leading to the civil rights upheavals of the 1960s.
In order to get the title she wants, Muir deceives the family by passing as an innocent young girl when in reality she is a grown woman using them for her benefit, thus her role as the
Ellison’s narrator states that he has “been hurt to the point of abysmal pain, hurt to the point of invisibility. And [he defends] because in spite of all [he finds] find that [he loves]. ... [He’s] a desperate man – but too much of your life will be lost, its meaning lost, unless you approach it as much through love as through hate. So [he approaches] it through division” (Ellison 567). The narrator articulately uses paradoxes to enthrall the reader in this segment of his epilogue. Still, the contradiction apparent between the narrator’s emotions is entirely possible, as there is no reason that both love and hate cannot coexist in an individual. The speaker, a bona-fide invisible man, despite all the hardship he has faced, still describes his story with some love. The idea of balance is brought into the equation, something that Ellison has seldom told of in the story, a friendly contrast to the rest of the novel’s stark unfairness and disparity. In the end, our storyteller finds that despite the hate thrust upon him, he feels compelled to love just as equally if not more. This gives a positive light to human nature, while suggesting that the antagonistic race of the novel, Caucasians, will ultimately feel that emotion as well and reconcile with African Americans. That’s a message that finally found its way into the minds of the American
he theme of racism in A Gathering of Old Men by Ernest J. Gaines stem from the issue of racism that was prevalent in the southern state of Louisiana during the 1970s. Gaines shows the rift between races in attaining positions of superiority; the impact of racism is explicitly delineated in this prosaic work. Its effects on the African American elders and the proposition for the interrelationship between Blacks and Whites are points noted in the novel. It is worthy of note that though the plot was meant to be one in the 1970s, characters ' positions bore striking resemblances to those in the enslavement era. The Whites still dictated the norms, what was right and what was not. Even till this present moment, the status quo has not much changed.
Nabrit, James M. Jr. “The Relative Progress and the Negro in the United States: Critical Summary and Evaluation.” Journal of Negro History 32.4 (1963): 507-516. JSTOR. U of Illinois Lib., Urbana. 11 Apr. 2004
This paper barely scratched the surface of the religious and moral complexity that is The Merchant of Venice, but it is clearly a complicated play and for many reasons: the racially charged tension, the anti-Semitic language and the morally ambiguous characters. What makes this play so exciting is that it provides neither answers nor apologies, provoking the ongoing disagreement as to what is really happening in this play. Shakespeare’s multi-layered characters and complicated representations of mercy, justice, love, religion and difference produce a remarkable piece of work that has kept people talking and guessing for centuries, and is sure to continue to for centuries to come.
Ellison creates many stereotypes of African Americans of his time. He uses this to bring less informed readers to understand certain characters motives, thoughts, and reasoning. By using each personality of an African American in extremes, Ellison adds passion to the novel, a passion that would not be there if he would let individualism into his characters. Individualism, or lack there of is also significant to the novel. It supports his view of an anti-racial America, because by using stereotypes he makes his characters racial these are the characters that the Americans misunderstand and abominate.
John A. Kirk, History Toady volume 52 issue 2, The Long Road to Equality for African-Americans
Everyday, racism is perceived as one of the most negative aspects of society. When people think of racism, they obviously see hatred, evil , and ignorance. It has been a part of world culture since recorded history and , no doubt , before that. When one thinks of racism in the United States, invariably , though not only , the struggle of the African-American is singled out. That is the main issue Ellison so powerfully addresses in his short story "Battle Royal". In it the author allows us to see the world through the eyes of a young black boy who is struggling to succeed in a predominantly white society. The thing that is absolutely essential to our understanding of the story
Myrdal, Gunnar, et.al. 1944. An American Dilemma; The Negro Problem and Modern Democracy. New York: Harper.
"George Ritzer and the McDonaldization of Society: Definition and Principles." N.p., n.d. Web. 11 Dec. 2013. http://education-portal.com/academy/lesson/george-ritzer-and-mcdonaldization-of-society-definition-and-principles.html