The Short Story Battle Royal By Ralph Ellison Is A Disturbing Story Ab

The short story "Battle Royal" by Ralph Ellison is a disturbing story about the conflicts between the black and white cultures and the main character and himself. In the story the conflicts between the two cultures had a definite impact on how the main character saw himself and caused the conflicts within himself. "Battle Royal" deals with racism and the suppression of the African American race and how it effected the actions of that culture. The main character of the story is an African American raised in a predominately white area in the early 1950's, where there was very little acceptance of non-white cultures. Throughout the story the character goes through an extreme revelation about how he was taught by the white culture to perceive himself and who he truly was as an African American male. In the exposition of the story or "background information" the main character talks about his grandfather and what he told his grandson on his deathbed about dealing with the white people. "Son, after I'm gone I want you to keep up the good fight. I never told you, but our life is a war and I have been a traitor all my born days, a spy in the enemy's country ever since I give up my gun back in the Reconstruction" (185). At first when his grandfather said this to the main character he didn't understand, but by the Fitzke, page 2 conclusion of the story both he and the reader can see what the grandfather was trying to tell him. The grandfather was talking about one of the main aspects of the short story, the conflict between the black and white cultures. The grandfather called himself a "traitor" to the white society because he would go along with what the white man said even though he did not want to. During the time in which this short story was written, the early 1950's, the African American culture, even though they were free, still had very few rights under the law. The white culture or society mistreated and abused the African American's with racial slurs and putting them as inferior to their own culture. There are several examples of this in the short story "Battle Royal." The white men at the boxing rink got pleasure from watching the black males beat each other to a pulp and receive painful shocks when they try to get the money they were promised. "And while I still held him I butted him and moved away. I felt myself bombarded with punches. I fought back with hopeless desperation. I wanted to deliver my speech more than anything else in the world" (191). This is obvious mistreatment of other human beings and would today be unacceptable in society. The fact that the black males were willing to participate in such a degrading and inhumane activity raises the important questi on, why? Why would they subject themselves to this kind of treatment? What would compel the black males to treat others of their own race so cruelly, merely for the pleasure of drunk, racist, white men? The answer to what compelled the black men is obvious, they did as the white men said to achieve a different goal, and they were traitors to the white men. The main character's Fitzke, page 3 participation in the battle won him money and the chance to give a speech. This speech ended up winning him a scholarship to the State College for Negroes and without even realizing it, he had been a traitor to the white men. The main conflict in the story is described primarily in the racist treatment of the white culture towards the African American culture. This conflict between the two races is not very apparent in the story because the African Americans do not fight back with violence, but rather with submission. The main character's silence seems to gain him the passage to a better future, or does it? The second aspect of the short story "Battle Royal" is the conflict between the character and himself. "All my life I had been looking for something, and everywhere I turned someone tried to tell me what it was. I accepted their answers too, though they

Writer’s Guide for a Persuasive Essay on Sports as a Social Institution

Writer’s Guide for a Persuasive Essay on Sports as a Social Institution When you want someone with a generally stubborn and rigid mindset to agree with your point of view, you need a solid rhetoric technique known as persuasive writing. In this third and final writer’s guide for a persuasive essay on sports as a social institution, we explain how to write a persuasive essay in a way that persuades your audience by shaping your opinions to solidify and strongly support arguments. We’ve already covered some interesting facts in our 10 facts for a persuasive essay on sports as a social institution guide and provided you with 20 topics on the social aspect guide. Now let’s begin the third guide. Before you write: Start with Good Research Writing a persuasive essay requires both charisma and passion to reach your audience and entertain them with a good read. However, it is also necessary to conduct thorough research and have solid evidence to support your argument, compelling the readers to agree with your point of view. Write for Your Audience Most writers are unable to comprehend the significance of getting to know their audience before writing something for them. You should use specific arguments and examples that resonate with your audience and influence them to read your essay. How to start writing: Start with a Powerful Thesis A thesis should be so strong and powerful that it makes a reader â€Å"hungry† for more of your content. Your thesis is the central nerve point of your essay and it resonates with your writing from top to bottom. It provides an insight to what’s at the heart of your essay and plays an important role in influencing the reader to either read it thoroughly or just skim through it. Dr. Martin Luther King’s letter, â€Å"Letter from Birmingham Jail†, is an astonishing example of how brilliant, touching and entertaining persuasive writing can be. Structure Arguments like a Staircase Your arguments should be well-structured, like a staircase, leading to the nature of your thesis and bringing the reader closer to accepting your point of view. It is highly recommended that you support your arguments with credible sources, conduct your own research through interviews or include your own insights on what has already been discussed by well-known personalities or credible places and events. Addressing counter-arguments might seem like a dull idea, but it really brings a person closer to your point of view, when you refute that argument in your own words, by supporting evidence and credible research. Conclude the Essay with a Powerful Restatement Concluding an essay means you want to show the reader that there is nothing left to argue about. A perfect conclusion includes restatement of your thesis and a summary on how you’ve supported your arguments through solid evidence and credible sources. Tip: We highly recommend that you edit the content before submitting it to your professor. Read your custom essay from a critical outsider perspective and review your article multiple times if you have to. With a strong thesis, substantial research and thoughtful arguments supported by credible research and evidence, you’ll deliver a potent persuasive essay that will compel your audience into thinking and accepting your point of view.