Life in Oklahoma City by Ralph Ellison

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Life in Oklahoma City by Ralph Ellison The author Ralph Ellison is a renowned writer and scholar with significant nonfiction stories credited to his name. He was born in Oklahoma City about the year 1913. His family had a small business wherein his father worked as a foreman but soon died when he was only three years old. After several years, he later found out that his father wished that he would someday become a poet after the great American essayist popularly known as Ralph Waldo Emerson who became his namesake. His mother was Ida Millsap Ellison who was involved as a political activist campaigning for the Socialist Party. Moreover, she was arrested several times in violation of the segregation orders. At the time of the birth of Ellison, life in Oklahoma City then was still considered as part of the frontier. His parents were originally Southerners from a lineage of slaves. When his parents got married, they proceeded to the west toward Oklahoma in the hope that the lives of their children would be better in this state. Oklahoma during this time held the distinction and reputation for its freedom. However, it wasn’t long, however, before the prejudices of Texas and Arkansas soon fell upon Oklahoma. When Ellisons’ father died in the year 1917, Ida had supported Ralph and his younger brother working as a domestic aide at the Avery Chapel Afro-Methodist Episcopal Church. The family moved into the rectory and Ellison was exposed to the minister’s library. When he grew up, Ellison grew engrossed with the topic of literature which became a medium for him to grow and love his studies. Moreover, the enthusiasm he showed for reading was encouraged by his mother who had brought home plenty of books including magazines from houses which she had cleaned. There came a time when a black Episcopal priest in Oklahoma city challenged the white custom of barring blacks from the public library. As a result, this custom was overturned. As such, it became another outlet for Ellison to further his passion for reading. Although his family was sometimes short of money, Ellison and his brother were able to study well and had a healthy childhood lives. Ellison grew and developed a liking in music where he studied piano and the trumpet. It was during this time that Oklahoma City was famous with several great jazz musicians.

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