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85 reviews

cbrown14 8 reviews

Ralph Ellison's "Battle Royal; or, The Invisible Man": A Study Guide from Gale's "Short Stories for Students" (Volume 11, Chapter 2) by Gale Cengage Learning

I was moved and profoundly encouraged by Ralph Ellison’s authenticity, emotional saliency, and reflection in his short story, “Battle Royal.” Ellison’s style of writing invites the reader, with little reservation, into his mind, where he faces both the struggle to find his identity, and the struggle to adopt or discard his grandfather’s haunting advice. I strive to be as up-front and honest with myself as I possibly can, so I can appreciate when Ellison realizes that he “was show more looking for myself and asking everyone except myself questions which I, and only I, could answer…I came to the realization that I am nobody but myself. But first I had to discover that I am an invisible man!” (224). Without much effort, I can formulate one allusion to Ellison’s “invisibility”: he is a young black man in a racist, white-dominated community. What strikes me about this passage, though, is that Ellison takes his life story beyond synopsis and minimalist character development (leaving the reader to the task of ‘connecting the dots’, like Hemingway’s “Hills Like White Elephants”), and into a journal-like writing style. By allowing readers into his mind, Ellison becomes vulnerable in front of the entire reading audience to share his insecurities and thoughts throughout story. If more politicians, figures of power, people in general were as upfront and honest with their journey to discover and develop their identity as Ellison is in “Battle Royal”, we would surely live in a more understanding society which may or may not be the ‘key’ to world peace. A Great Read! show less

Sep 10, 201015 other reviews

stier100 8 reviews

Ralph Ellison's "Battle Royal; or, The Invisible Man": A Study Guide from Gale's "Short Stories for Students" (Volume 11, Chapter 2) by Gale Cengage Learning

The narrator of Battle Royal - as he admits in the first paragraph – is naive. His naïve nature is the seed of all his suffering in this story. When he arrives at the smoker he describes the audience that is there to watch them as some of the most prominent figures in their society - bankers, lawyers, judges, doctors, fire chiefs. Here he begins to see the true nature of his society, and that he is essentially a toy to these people. He is forced to perform humiliating acts for these show more upstanding citizens, all the while wondering when he will be able to deliver his speech – something that they couldn’t care less about. Before they are put in the ring together they are all blindfolded, which is a symbol of their naïveté and innocence. At one point during the fight he says that his blindfold moved just enough for him to open his eye slightly – a classic symbol of revelation – which made him less terrified, but there was so much cigar smoke in the room he still couldn’t see clearly. It is interesting to note that throughout these events, the narrator’s attitude doesn’t noticeably change. When he is told to grab for the money on the electrified carpet he assumes that the brass pocket tokens on it are really pieces of gold even after what these disgusting men just put them through. Even after his dream at the very end about his grandfather and the briefcase he still says that he didn’t have insight into its meaning until after he attended college. show less

Sep 10, 201015 other reviews

kunia100 8 reviews

Ralph Ellison's "Battle Royal; or, The Invisible Man": A Study Guide from Gale's "Short Stories for Students" (Volume 11, Chapter 2) by Gale Cengage Learning

Coming from Atlanta, Georgia, I hold the Civil Rights Movements near and dear to my heart. Taking road trips to North Georgia, Alabama, South Carolina, or even around the old neighborhood in which I grew up, I am somehow always reminded of the injustices my fellow man inflicted upon an entire race. Sights of old, dilapidated slave cabins, white-pillared plantation homes, confederate flags, or even hearing racial slurs come from parents of friends, I am constantly reminded, even in the show more remotest of ways, of a time when rationality feigned to exist. The Old South created a landscape for African Americans to endure pain and suffrage whilst working the cotton crops, or in the homes of middle-class whites. Many films portray an accurate depiction of the exploitation of blacks, one of which’s settings is in my hometown of Atlanta, Georgia. Margaret Mitchell’s Gone with the Wind contains characters that are unable to give their voice in first person, unlike the un-named narrator of Ralph Ellison’s short story, “Battle Royal”. Scarlet O’Hara’s nurse from birth, Mammy, is described as an outspoken slave, yet viewers of the film are unable to truly empathize with her. Ellison’s undistinguished narrator enables readers to truly “get inside of his head” and endure the lashings that the white men are inflicting upon him. The fact that the story is written in the first person narrative is in itself a useful literary device, but also a crucial aspect of Ellison’s first chapter of “Invisible Man”. The narrator is a perfect example of these so-called “invisible men”. His cowardice and neglect to put his grandfather’s last words to heart permit readers to associate him as the traitor. Connecting with the narrator, readers essentially experience his subservience in the presence of the A-list white men at the gala. Rather than observe a blonde temptress’ attempts to lure in the negro boys, I would have taken off my blindfold on the cruelties of such a society, thus relinquishing my traitorous status; However, my personal opinions clash with the narrator’s, thus leaving my words null and void. Ellison’s usage of first person narrative most likely aggravates readers such as myself, who cringe at the narrator’s naivety. If only he could step into my shoes and see the South as it is now, for he would then know that social equality is the answer. show less

Sep 10, 201015 other reviews

cmfonfara 10 reviews

Ernest Hemingway's "Hills Like White Elephants": A Study Guide from Gale's "Short Stories for Students" (Volume 06, Chapter 8) by Tim Akers

The setting in "Hills Like White Elephants" is as fundamental to the story as any of the other main elements, as relevant as even the characters or dialogue. In the beginning it establishes a location so that the reader can visualize where the interaction takes place. Later, however, the setting becomes symbolic of the choice that is weighing heavily on the two main characters. The hills for example, represent beautiful yet distant possibilities and are separated from the characters by a show more valley. This valley could represent the detriments and social conventions that often become obstacles to having a baby as opposed to terminating the pregnancy. The hills are white, a color which traditionally symbolizes innocence and purity, which also solidifies their significance as the glowing possibility of keeping the baby in my mind. The diverging railroad tracks also signify the two monumental choices that the characters are struggling to decide between; and the characters are in between the two tracks, just as they are in between the two choices, waiting to arrive at a conclusive decision. This symbolism is clearly meticulously planned to implicitly express the scope of emotions and possibilities the characters are struggling with without stating them outright. This technique also allows the reader to interpret these things however they may, which permits them to empathize more fully with the characters and leads to many unique interpretations because we are not told how to interpret the story. show less

Feb 2, 201111 other reviews

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