Battle ROyal
"Son, after I'm gone I want you to keep up the good fight…Live with your head in the Lion's mouth"(174). In Battle Royal, by Ralph Ellison, the protagonist is dealt many expectations. The unnamed narrator is placed in a situation where he instantly must choose between his own dream of college and his grandfather's hope of equality. He remains unnamed throughout the story because he has no sense of self. Contrary to his grandfather's last words, he fights a battle within his own race, living up to the expectations of the white men and thus losing sight of his duty to stand up for his race as a black man. Ironically, the boy fights a battle not with the white race, but within his own race. He physically participates in a brawl that leaves the fighters bullying members of their own breed. This battle among the black race consists not only of physical trauma, but emotional trauma as well, for the boy believes he is somehow not connected to the black race. As he waltzes into the hotel, the boy feels as if he is on a higher level than his fellow black men because he is educated, and he says of his racial equals, "I felt superior to them in my way, and I didn't like the manner in which we were all crowded togethe
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Some common words found in the essay are:
MC Gentlemen, Ralph Ellison, Booker Washington, Son I'm, white race, own race, head lion's, expectations placed white, placed white race, head lion's mouth174, black race, placed white, losing sight, social responsibility, fights battle, battle own, fellow black,
Approximate Word count = 818
Approximate Pages = 3 (250 words per page double spaced)
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