Places of Theory
The narrator took the negative ways of Negro life and used it to gain positive results, for him, from his white counterparts. The narrator believes that being asked to give speeches, which expressed the humility that Negroes should have, would serve as a stepping stone towards his goal of gaining their praises; much like that of Booker T. Washington. With respect to his grandfather and to the honor of Mr. Washington, I believe the narrator was right for wanting to use the theories of Booker T. Washington. In Ralph Ellison's "Battle Royal", the narrator first begins to reflect about the many conversations that took place between him and his grandfather. In the narrator's reflections, he recalls his grandfather's statement, "I want you to overcome'em with yeses, undermine'em with grins, agree'em to death and destruction, let'em swoller you till they vomit or burst wide open" (p.223). This statement was something that the narrator thought about as he began to grow and understand the Negro roll in society. Although his grandfather, on his deathbed, uttered this statement, no one dared to repeat it outside of his family circle. But these were words that played around in the narrator's mind as he grew and gained more experience and i
Upon graduation, the narrator still honored the belief that he had to use deception as the key to gain the things he wanted. What the narrator wanted most, at the time of his graduation, was to attend college. He new that the only way he was going to get to college was to get a scholarship and those were only given to Negroes who knew their place at all times, and he did. In honor of the narrator's speech, which expressed that Negroes who wish to continue on progressively show humility, the narrator was invited to give his speech again to the town's leading white citizens. Negroes showing constant humility were not the values and views the narrator believed in, but words that he needed to say to continue to gain their support and praise. "On my graduation day I delivered an oration in which I showed that humility was the secret, indeed, the very essence of progress. (Not that I believed this-how could I, remembering my grandfather?- I only believed that it worked)" (p. 224). Afro-American Almanac. "African American History Resource". September 18, 2000. http://www.toptags.com/aama/events/okriot.htm nsight into what his grandfather actually meant by his statement. Felling "guilty and uncomfortable", the narrator finds that his actions, "an example of desirable conduct-just as my grandfather had been"; make him worthy of "praise by the most lily-white men of the town" (p.224). This was the narrator's way of getting what he needed from the white men of the town without stepping out of his place as a Negro man. This, the battle of wits, would be the "war" he would have to be a "traitor" in (p223). In the most noted battle of wits, the narrator is forced to participate in the " battle royal". He is urged on to fight other Negro men and also forced to participate in fighting others for money and gold coins that are on a carpet filled with electrical volts. "I saw the rug
Some common words found in the essay are:
Booker Washington, Battle Royal, Nigger-Boy Running, , Ralph Ellison's, booker washington, Resource September, Michael Meyer, Bedford/St Martin's, white woman, battle royal, white society, ralph ellison's, town's leading white, leading white, narrator begins, town's leading, college scholarship, battle wits, ralph ellison's story, leading white citizens,
Approximate Word count = 1271
Approximate Pages = 5 (250 words per page double spaced)
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