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Essay / Overview of “Battle Royal” by Ralph Ellison
Throughout history, many outstanding African American writers have created some of the most inspiring and intellectual stories. Ralph Ellison was one of many authors who used his talents to address many of the social issues that many African Americans faced. Many of the events that take place in his novel Invisible Man all had different underlying messages. One of the most notable events in the novel was the Battle Royale. In the story, the author describes the Battle Royal as a rite of passage that requires the narrator to participate in violent and chaotic combat among a group of other men while blindfolded. Although at first glance it may seem like the Battle Royal is just a pointless fight, it actually comes into play as a metaphor for an even larger idea that Ellison wants to present. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get the original essay In Ralph Ellison's "The Battle Royal," the battle was a portrait of the social and political power struggle between African Americans and whites. Additionally, the Battle Royale was a prime example of how white people took complete control of black people's innocence and dignity and used them for their own pleasure. In the Battle Royal scene, the narrator and several other men are blindfolded. The white blindfold symbolizes how black people are blinded by white people, allowing them to take control and lead them in the direction they want them to go. The Battle Royal also serves as a source of fun and entertainment for White. The narrator learns that he will participate in the Battle Royal: "When I arrived there, I discovered that it was on the occasion of a smoker, and I was told that since I had to be there at all way, you might as well participate in the Battle Royal. battle royale which will be fought by some of my classmates as part of the entertainment. It is clear from this that white people did not care about the well-being of black people. The whites openly forced these men to participate in this cruel activity in order to see them brutalize and completely humiliate themselves for a mere set of coins. This event gave white people the opportunity to show their aggression and hatred towards the black community without physically harming anyone, thus reinforcing the idea that white supremacy was apparent. I believe Ralph Ellison's purpose with these extremely graphic descriptions was to get across the message he was trying to convey. loud and clear. Many African American writers spoke through their writings rather than verbally. Writing allowed authors to say things that could not be said verbally. So he used these descriptions to give readers a clear idea of what life was like for African Americans during that time and what they had to go through. These graphic descriptions also make the scene more appealing. Just reading the excerpt from the book, it's almost like you feel included in the scene..