Symbolism In Battle Royal

In Ralph Ellison’s short story “Battle Royal”, the unnamed narrator had to deal with the oblique acts of racism that constantly affects the social class and individual identity of the oppressed African Americans during that time. It is easy to see that due to the color of his skin, this bright youth is brutally sabotaged by the white-dominated society in which he lives in. As a master of poetic devices, Ellison incorporates numerous symbols and archetypes into this short story, providing a unique perspective on the narrative and supporting concept of invisibility and identity. Though I do believe that the main point of this entire story can be wrapped around the concept of racial inequality, which is expressed by the actions of how this boy

Over the existence of the United States, blacks have had to face oppression due to the prejudices views held against this. America views every black person as the same and judges them based on the actions of others. It is for this reason that all blacks are judged based on the book of a cover without being able to show the world who they really are. As Norman Podhoretz stated in his Essay “My Negro Problem - and Ours,” “growing up in terror of black males; they were tougher than we were, more ruthless...”

However in South Africa, the oppression was a legal problem and was run by the government. Malcolm X had to stand up for what he believed against a large and powerful group of people while Nelson Mandela had to defy the entire South African government to make a change. Without these men taking a stand, the world would not be how it is today. Both men did the impossible and fought against their societies for freedom of blacks and all

“Everything the people need.” Not having to think for yourself gets you in the habit of just doing. Never stopping to ask yourself, ‘have I done this already?’ ‘Is this wrong?’ ‘What about right?’

Zora uses a metaphor, “a rut in the road,” to stress how detached Janie feels. Janie has been forced for several years to keep her mouth shut and look pretty. It has become a part of her and isolated her from other people making her feel as if she is nothing. As a final point, Zora Neale Hurston’s moral of her novel, Their Eyes Were Watching God, is never let anyone silence your voice.

Handed a case with black man, Tom Robinson, he had to make a choice. To Kill A Mockingbird represents going against the majority by the case of Tom Robinson. Tom was accused of raping and beating a young girl. Atticus took his case, despite him being a black man, and his entire town and family against it. His town hated the fact that an honourble lawyer defend a black man, and his family thought it would ruin the family name by doing so.

Like ghost these silenced stories are forced to wander through their minds but never be confronted. The author also experiences this state of living dead, and this is only brought to her attention when her brother says, "You died too you just don't know it"(17). It is only when the ghost brings attention to this lack of consciousness that the narrator is forced to face her silence. She realizes that her silence has been slowly killing her saying, "I wept…for all the words never spoken between my mother, my father, and me"(17). By not sharing their story, whether it be to one another or a third party, that she has taken away value from her life.

She also talks about all her past lovers and how they have all left her. As she continues to look for a love she is losing hope and giving up she is always left alone and she is getting older and her looks are fading which is not helping. This makes the reader feel sorry for her and makes her poem have a sorrowful

“Concerning nonviolence, it is criminal to teach a man not to defend himself when he is the constant victim of brutal attacks.” One of the main arguments Malcom is making in the speech is the power in fighting back. He claims that the African American community has been abused for too long and they need to take violent actions in order for anything to change. In other words, he is holding the black man accountable for their unfair conditions. “We want freedom now, but we’re not going to get it saying“We Shall Overcome.”

The story of “A Rose for Emily” is told in flashbacks. It describes a woman named Miss Emily Grierson who is basically the talk of the town. After the death of her father she becomes a static character. She’s seen as a static character because throughout the story her traits don’t change.

He feels hatred towards him because he defended a black man in court. Atticus says to his son, “ There’s a lot of ugly things in this world, son. I wish I could keep ‘em all away from you. That’s never possible.” Author, Harper Lee writes this to show that hatred is a common thing in society but you must keep that emotion to yourself.

Their eyes could be focused on vital things of life and the life to come, yet they continue to walk down the path that whties have led us to. Another issue that arises from slavery and Willie Lynch’s speech is self-hatred. Many African Americans have grown to hate “skin that they are in”. This causes them to continuously strive to be something that they are not. All blacks should be happy with what they are instead of conforming into the caucasian way of life.

Based on this we can conclude that the mere image of being black is shattered and anywhere you go you will be judged as lower class. The fear created by the media make it seem like if you were to rent your home to a black descent, they’ll destroy your home or yet create a hostile environment and make it uncomfortable to other people. Another fear that sticks around with Africans Americans is that they “promote the gang lifestyle or are anti law enforcement” (Glassner 122). Though the realtor shuns African Americans from renting the homes they would not even rent/sale the home to a black family, even if they were well qualified, with higher incomes, and was willing to pay a higher down payment. From the book The Black Image in the White Mind by Andrew Rojecki and Robert Entman, they present us with white beliefs stating “the media conveys “problematic” images of African Americans even after decades of heightened awareness and vigilance to rid the media of stereotypes”.

The party organized rallies around the police brutality against African Americans and made speeches about every social and political issue affecting black Americans on a national level. During the Jim Crow Era, whites and the police would brutalize those blacks that were attending the rallies. The Black Panthers continued to fight back. Malcolm X stated in a one of his famous speeches that "the time has come to fight back in self-defense whenever the black man is being unjustly and unlawfully attacked (“The Black Panther Party Fights for Equality.” 123helpme.com 22

This stunning piece of work depicts the utmost level of atrocities that the African-American had to endure before social equality became acceptable. The story absolutely numbs the mind, and it takes a while for the harshness to sink in. One cannot help but imagine what it was like to belong to a part of the slave world. The author, Ralph Ellison, has explicitly described the physical status of the narrator and his other black counterparts as he faces the many humiliating challenges in the ring. This can be felt by the many instances in the story, "A blow landed hard against the nape of my neck", "Blows landed below the belt and in the kidney", and many more.