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Jung In Grace Suh
Professor Jeffries
STACC English 100
Formal Essay 2: Literary Analysis
18 November 2014
Battle Royal: the speech and humanity
The short story “Battle Royal” by Ralph Ellison takes place in southern parts of the
United States after the civil war. Since the freed men had to build up their community from
scratch, the narrator, as a member of the black community, also attempt to improve his
environment. Based on his idea, the key to the change is the education. Therefore, he imagines
himself as an educator like Booker T. Washington, and he makes a speech that points out the
importance of humanity at his graduation. Because of the success of the speech, he was invited to
give a speech in front of the town's leading white people (242). The place where he was invited
is the main ballroom of the leading hotel. However, soon he discovers that it was on the occasion
of a smoker rather than audience of a speech and also told to enter the battle royal (242). In the
story, the narrator’s only concern before the battle royal is the dignity of his speech (243) rather
than the battle royal event itself. Also, during the battle, he constantly worries about the speech
that he will soon make. Based on the story, the narrator constantly mentions the speech because
it is important key to his life that might change his future. However, the speech is not only
important to the narrator. It also plays important role for the readers to understand the narrator
and his community and describes the narrator’s environment.
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According to the words of critic Wilfred, the story focuses on the brutality of the slavery
even though the slavery is officially ended eighty-five years ago in the story. Based on United
States history, the slavery existed since the colonial era. Although economy of northern states of
the United States began to rely on industrial products after the Industrial Revolution, southern
states were highly depend on agricultural products that requires labor force. Therefore, planation
owners chose to purchase slaves that were considered the property of the owners. However, the
Emancipation Proclamation freed the slaves, and the United States constitution granted the freed
men also rights like they have. Because of this historical background and the setting, the story
illustrates the southern white people dehumanizing the black people and displays traces of
slavery. For example, in page 242, the narrator describes that he is considered an example of
desirable conduct who does not do something that is against the wishes of the white people. In
other words, the narrator follows the word of the town’s white citizen’s like past slaves do, and it
is consider a right action. Also, as critic Wilfred described, the elevator scene in page 243
symbolizes the Middle Passage that their ancestors suffered in the past. Due to the deep root of
the slavery, the core of slavery remains in the story in form of racism, and the root also caused
the narrator entered the event called battle royal.
Based on the description in the story, the event battle royal is the main site of
dehumanization. The southern whites dehumanizes the narrator and the black people by treating
as an animal. Also, the journal by critic Norman German states that the story presents imagery of
animals to describe the black people. For example, in page 244, when blond naked woman
appeared, the narrator describes that his skin turns into ‘goose’ flesh. Also, in page 247, he
describes the blacks who entered the battle royal as “cautious carbs crouching to protect their
mid-sections” and “[their fists test] like the knobbed feelers of hypersensitive snails”. In
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addition, the description of battle royal shows animalization. Even though some of today’s sports
that are related to martial arts involve fighting, the battle royal is different from the sports. Based
on the description in the book, the battle royal is lack of sportsmanship which includes fairness,
respect, and enjoyment. For example, in the story, the narrator describes that the battle royal does
not have neither bell nor rounds (242), and the young men wear blindfold during the battle (245).
Plus, over the course of the event, the townsmen constantly yelled at the young men in the ring.
The examples represents the unfairness of battle royal and lack of respect to the athletes. Also,
the description of the scene of battle royal certainly demonstrates the young men suffering from
the event.
Even though many young men, including the narrator, suffer, as time passes, the narrator
focuses on the speech rather than the fight. Based on Merriam-Webster dictionary, the definition
of word speech is "A spoken expression of ideas, opinions, etc., that is made by someone who is
speaking in front of group of people." Speech can only made from humans because on the planet
Earth, only human can speak, have opinions or idea, and consider as a person. The narrator of the
story emphasizes his speech when his life was threatened by the fighters in the battle royal (247),
and he even choose not to win the battle because of the speech (248). Even though it is a fact that
the whites treated the blacks, including the narrator, as animals, the narrator focuses on the
speech rather than the fight. The narrator expressed his identity as a human being by focusing on
the speech. He wants to be accepted as a human being. Therefore, he worried about the dignity of
the speech and not win the battle. Even though the whites dehumanized him, he choose to resist
his instincts to win the battle because his desire to be recognized as human is stronger than the
instinct.
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Because of the desire, his speech focuses on being a friend, which is a mutual
relationship. From page 251 to 252, the narrator uses the story of the sailors who get lost in the
middle of sea to explain importance of friends who reach hands to others. The sailors in the story
get lost for many days, and when a vessel comes to help them, they first ask for water over other
items. Therefore, he emphasizes "Social responsibility"(252) and becoming a friends with
neighbor white men (252). However, the audience does not paid attention to the speech. Instead,
they laughed at him and make fun of him by asking him to repeat himself (252).
In the story that he used in the speech, the sailors are lost in the middle of the sea and
they are extremely thirsty. The sailors do not drink the water that surrounds them because they
knew that the sea water will make them more thirst. Because it was sea water, which contains
salt, it will lead them to die of thirst rather than reduce the pain. The sailors need fresh water that
will give them energy to find hope. Similarly, the black community needed opportunities and
support that will provide them new life. The story of sailors corresponded with the story of the
community of black. However, while the sailors wait until the vessel with the fresh water came,
the narrator reaches hands to the southern whites who are most likely to harm him rather than
support him. Based on the article named “Abolitionist Movement” on the website called History
Net, the abolitionist movement, an movement that attempted to end slavery, started in the early
colonial era in the northern part of the United States. While the southern part of the United States
strongly believed in slavery, many northern states worked toward the abolition of slavery. The
abolitionist movement is the evidence of the fresh water that will provides chance to change the
black people’s lives, and it helped the black people to be freed. Also, the abolitionist movement
shows that the white people who can truly help them exist even in the early colonial days.
However, the narrator made an unwise decision which is reaching hands to the southern whites.
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Although the narrator reaches his hands to the southern white people, like salt water can be
diluted by fresh water, the narrator can find someone to truly can help him and provide a turning
point in his life.
In the short story, the narrator’s speech mainly talks about the humanity, and it provides
some questions that ask about the human quality and the relationship of humans: What is
differentiating human and the beast? How do you define a good relationship? And how do you
determine the good relationship? The narrator struggles to find the answer to the questions. He
grabbed the idea of speech, which differentiating animals and humans, while others are fight like
beasts and reaches hands to have a good relationship even though the relationship was not the
right relationship. However, the racism, replaced form of slavery, drags him back. Based on the
Declaration of Independence, all men, human kind, are created equal, and it is answer to the
questions that are provided by the narrator’s speech. Even though every human being is differing
from another, each of them is unique and has strengths and weaknesses. Therefore, humans
coexist.
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German, Norman. "Imagery in the `Battle Royal' Chapter of Ralph Ellison's Invisible
Man.". CLA Journal .June (1988): 394-99. Gale Literary Databases. Web. 11 Nov. 2014.
The journal focuses on the imagery as an animal in the short story Battle Royal. The
critic stated that the white men treated the black, who were involved in the battle royal, and the
naked woman, who appeared before the actual event took place, as animals. Also the critic
mentioned that by treating them as animal, the white men also can be represented as animals.
One of the example was the words that described the blacks and the woman. it was usually a type
of an animal or a member of a circus. Also the critic stated the color black and white represents
the racial problems, the color blue and gray represents the civil war, and the color gold and brass
foreshadows the appearance and the reality.
Because I am mainly focus on the fact that the white men treated the black as animal, the
journal agrees with my argument, and it also provides more evidence that the whites
dehumanized the blacks. On his argument about the colors, especially gold and brass, he
mentioned that the narrator was controlled by the whites even though it seems like he done it by
himself. It supports the idea of being a pet of white people.
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"Abolitionist Movement." History Net: Where History Comes Alive. Weider History, n.d.
Web. 12 Nov. 2014.
The article describes brief history of abolitionist movement from colonial era to civil war.
With women's rights movement, the anti slavery movement grew among the northern state
citizens. During mid-19th century, the abolition movement grew enough to influence politics, so
it became an hot potato of the era. Also, It states that during colonial era, some colonies were
uncomfortable about the slavery. Therefore, some northern colonies started the banned
importation of slaves since 18th century. On the other hand, some southerners who had negative
thoughts about slavery changed their thought about the slavery.
Since another argument of mine deals with the idea of right 'water', it supports that there
was the 'water' that would provide another life. Even though he was surrounded by the 'sea
water': the southerner, there was a vessel that contained 'fresh water': the abolitionist. the articles
states that there was people who believed the statement "all men are created equal". Which
means that if the narrator reached to the right place for the 'water', he would be saved.
"Cockfighting." ASPCA. ASPCA, n.d. Web. 11 Nov. 2014.
"Dog Fighting FAQ : Are There Different Levels of Dog Fighting". ASPCA. ASPCA,
n.d. Web. 12 Nov. 2014.
The articles describes and provides information about the animal fight. It describes the
training and the reactions of the human. Also, based on the articles, the fighting takes place
because of money, drug and for entertainment of humans. The people who involved in the fight
use various methods to make the animal stronger. They usually bread the animals to obtain
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strongest, and they provide special food, blunt force trauma, and even use guns. Even though the
fighting is illegal, it takes place in behind even the present days.
Because it provides information about the animal fights, I can use it to compare with the
battle royal that described on the story. Since one of my point of the essay is that the whites
treated the blacks as animals, I can prove the ides by providing how the animals treated by the
human and compare the description of the animal fighting event with the battle royal.