Throughout history, and even in modern times, African Americans have had to fight to survive. Over time, many great authors have written articles to chronicle what African Americans experienced. Ralph Ellison was one of several authors to address the problem through one of his works. Most African Americans do not allow themselves to be controlled by white people. But in Ralph Ellison's historical fiction, Invisible Man, the narrator has been blinded by the antics of white people. In this novel, the narrator's skin color prevents him from finding himself. In the story, the black boy struggles to fit into a predominantly white society. An important event that took place in his play was the Battle Royal. In The Battle Royal by Ralph Ellison, the narrator is forced to participate in an aggressive fight with other men while they are blindfolded. The fight included ten boys who had to fight with boxing gloves until only two were left in the ring. The Battle Royal served as an example of the control that white people had directly over society and over African Americans. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get the original essay The Battle Royal shows the narrator stuck in a white-ruled society. The story begins with the narrator reflecting on the advice his grandfather gave him. The narrator's grandfather told him: "Live with your head in the lion's mouth." I want you to overcome them with yeses, to undermine them with smiles, to accept them for death and destruction. His grandfather's advice is about fighting white oppression, but that advice led him to submit to it. The struggle is established as a system that degrades and shames black people. They were offered money, but had to get it on an electrified floor, while being laughed at. The purpose of the graphic description is to help emphasize the theme of blindness in the story. Blindness is used to explain how much racism African Americans experience, but they are unaware of the extent of discrimination against them. After being beaten and covered in blood, he is forced to give a speech about the importance of education for other African Americans. While giving his speech and quoting Booker T Washington, white men make fun of him. In his speech, he encouraged African Americans to accept “social responsibility.” The narrator gives advice to his own people without even thinking about how it affects them simply because he does what they wanted him to do. The tone and language used by Ellison also plays a role in the theme of Battle Royal. As the boys fought, spectators used foul and crude language to make the fighters even more aggressive. The way they controlled them with just words is another example of how they exerted their control over African Americans. Keep in mind: this is just a sample. Get a personalized article from our expert writers now. Get a Custom Essay The theme of this book is that racism can be a barrier to knowing your identity. The narrator struggles to be seen as a true individual person throughout the work. Because of the color of your skin, you are perceived differently by different people. At the end of his speech, he was given a briefcase covered in calfskin. Calfskin alludes to the skin of African Americans and how they are sacrificed due to racism. It's still a problem even today, more than eight decades later..