This post is for freshmen students only.
There's an old saying, that "knowing is half the battle." The joke, of course, is, "What's the rest of the battle?" Fighting? Pain? Losing? Cats with laser beams?
Using this notion as a jumping-off point, address one of the following ideas in a thoughtful, thorough paragraph.
What 'battles' are being fought in this story?
Who is likely to succeed in battle, and who is likely to fail?
Which battle is most worthy of being fought?
Which is least worthy?
We're not just speaking literally, here. We're speaking figuratively. Be sure to consider all the characters and conflicts: the narrator, his grandfather, the other contestants, the women, the men holding the event, the audience members. Consider the narrator's speech, his dream at the end, his hopes and worries. Consider that some conflicts are external, others internal. Consider that by the end of the story, some battles have been resolved while others have just begun.
Post your response in the comments section. Be sure to include your name so you can get credit. Remember, these are simply ideas - prompts to get you started. All I'm looking for, really, is some thoughtful, interesting discussion. Therefore, feel free to post additional comments in which you respond to your peers' comments. You might also consider checking back in to see if anyone has responded to your comments, so you can reply.
You can receive extra credit for each additional response.
Again, I'm looking for a discussion here, not simply a list of unconnected thoughts. So, make connections and claims, draw conclusions, provide evidence and explanations. I'll be checking in periodically.
There are many battles being fought within this story. To name a few, there is the battle to get rid of his granfather's curse on him, the battle for the boy to read his speech, and the the most obvious battle was the fight between all of the black people. The battle to get his grandfather's curse off of him is a hard struggle because his family all thought that it was a good thing, but the boy strongly believed that it was not. At the end of the story the boy even finds out that he was dreaming about this whole story and his grandfather laughs at him. Another battle was the fight for the boy to read his speech. Throughout the fight he was thinking to himself about what he was going to say and he was also memorizing it. At the end of the match, he is about to leave thinking that he will never get to read his speech when they call him up to finally give it to them and he was thrilled. The most obvious battle in the story was with all of the black people and him. They are all fighting each other for the money and the boy ends up lossing to Tatlock. These are the three main battles in this story.
ReplyDeleteThe most worthy battle of being fought is for equality between the narrator and society as a whole for equality. It is started at the beginning when the narrator recalls what his grandfather said on his death bed even though he really didn't think much of it then it set up for the main battle. The contestants were there just to prove how much power the white people held in this fight and how powerless they were. The audience and the people who organized this event are one in the same in the fact that they believe that treating black people like animals for their entertainment was their view on inequality.
ReplyDeleteIn the beggining the narrator speaks about his grandfather on his death bed and the words that he said to him and how his words became a curse for him. Them, it jumps to the day after his graduation where he gave the graduation speech. Apparantly the superintendent invited him to give his speeech at this event, but it turns out it was really for this battle royal between him and 9 other black guys. At the end he was beaten up badly and gave his speech to an opposed audience who mocked and rediculed him during the fight and during the speech. This just shows you how much power the white man had at this time and that there wasn't real equality between the two races even though an amendment was passed to say that they were equal. The fight wasn't just a brawl against others but against the inequality of black men. It was also a mental battle for the protaigonist because all the while he had think about his grandfather's ideals which was his curse. Overall, this chapter was a battle royal against his deceased grandfather, 9 other black men, racist white guys, the inequality at that time, and maybe himself.
ReplyDeleteI agree completely with all the comments posted before mine. There are several smaller battles in this story but the main was the battle for equality. The narrator thought he was going to give a speech, and instead he was put in a boxing ring for entertainment. He later gets to read his speech, and when he says “social equality” he almost gets beaten up. He has to tell the men that it was an accident and meant to say “social responsibly. “ This makes me feel terrible. There was such a big gap between African American and white people. I’m so happy that we don’t have to deal with this today, and that we all have “social equality.” When the narrator receives a scholarship to the state college for negroes he was so happy, but I he shouldn’t have been. They are just separating him further from what he really wanted. There are several battles in this story, but the battle for equality was by far the most important.
ReplyDeleteThe most prominent battle in this story comes from the Narrator's want to impress all the people with his speech but he couldn't succeed because he was treated horribly and not taken seriously. I doubt any of the people really listened to the meaning of his speech and i feel horrible because he was looking so forward to giving his speech all during the battle royal game when he was beaten and abused by the very people he would be giving his speech too. But the narrator did his best to give his speech despite having his mouth full of blood. One of many battles in the story the narrator faces; such as his struggle to forget his grandfather's last words, his struggle to not fall in the fight of the battle royal game and many more. Although he did win his battle of impressing the people with his speech, the narrator keeps hinting that he is the "invisible man" and so i think that the battle was one of the first in which the narrator considers himself racially abused and "invisible" to the people. I think that the actual battle royal fight was the least worthy battle because its a stupid game to the reader and the narrator, an exude for unnecessary violence.
ReplyDeleteI believe that the main battle of this story is he narrator himself with the "curse" of his grandfather. He keeps referring to grandfather's last words, how he was "a traitor all my born days, a spy in the enemy's country..". The narrator keeps telling us that "it was though he had not died at all, his words caused so much anxiety." The real battle going on is between no one but the narrator and himself, "When i was praised for my conduct I felt a guilt... The old man's words were like a curse." The "curse" of grandfather was most likely to succeed in this intrapersonal battle, yet by the end of the story, we see that the narrator is the one who wins by telling us, "I even felt safe from my grandfather, whose deathbed curse usually spoiled my triumphs."
ReplyDeleteI feel like the real battle in this story is the narrator trying to break the curse of his grandfather. Whenever something happens he returns to talking about the curse his grandfather said. Another battle that is going on between the other black kids and the narrator because they say in the story "because your here one of are boys doesn't get work" this shows that the other kids don't like the narrator. The narrator is the person who succeeds in the battle, and the curse loses. I feel like the narrator won because he gets to go to college and forget about the curse that was put on him. I also think that the narrator won and lost the battle against the other black boys. He got to the finals and was smarter than all of them. Unfortunately he loses the battle against the biggest kid because he loses in the final fight. The battle that is least worthy is the fight against the big kid and losing because the the main battle that is being fought is the narrator and the grandfathers curse. This battle is bigger because he has had the curse for a really long time and he finally overcame it.
ReplyDeleteThe obvious battle throughout this story is to shake the unanswered curse that his grandfather had brought upon the entire family. The narrator brought up the point "I am only ashamed of myself for having at one time been ashamed." But maybe the narrator had been talking about the curse that caused much tension within his family. "I was warned empathically to forget what he had said and, indeed, this is the first time it has been mentioned outside the family circle. It had a tremendous effect upon me, however." The battle between him and his grandfather was not completely necessary to be fought, but was won when he realized that the real reason the words were like a curse to him was because, he was so much like his grandfather. "I was considered an example of desirable conduct-- just as my grandfather had been." Although, the battle that seams to be symbolized in his dream with the fights witnessed by all of the important members of the society is a fight for social equality. The society members witnessing his speech continued to ask him to repeat the "big words" one them happened to be, social responsibility. After they hammered him to say the words over, and over, he messed up and said the word "equality-", which might have been what he had wanted to say all along. Although it is unlikely that he will, single handedly, win the battle in the end, it is most worthy of being of being fought, and it is what he had really wanted.
ReplyDeleteThere are many battles being fought in this story. The main battle is definitely the narrator's battle for social equality. Throughout the whole story, deep down inside that is all the narrator is really longing for. It becomes obvious when during his speech, he is demanded to repeat the words "social responsibility". After he says it numerous times, he messes up and accidentally says the words social equality instead which is probably what had been running through his mind throughout the whole speech. It had been something that he had been longing for, for a long time. No one took him seriously and I don't think anyone really comprehended the true meaning behind this speech that he worked so hard on. Which is really sad because of all the effort he put into preparing it. Another battle which is more of an obvious one, is the battle between the narrator and all of the other people for the money. Although in the end the narrator ends up losing to Tatlock, he definitely did try his hardest but it just wasn't good enough. He really got beaten up throughout all of the fights and he stayed strong which shows that he never gives up. Although, there were other battles in the story, the battle for equality was the one that struck me as being the most important to the story and the narrator.
ReplyDeleteThe battle most worthy of being fought is the battle for equality between blacks and whites. This whole story revolves around the inequality of blacks and whites. It shows just how cruel white men could be to black men. The fight and electric carpet were just two examples as to how cruel human beings can be to each other. This battle for equality was constant during the 50’s primarily, and was conveyed through this story. And it was such a hostile topic during that time. When the main character misspoke and said “Social equality” instead of “Social responsibility” people became very enraged and began to shout rude comments at the main character. That just showed how uneasy the topic was.
ReplyDeleteOn a worldwide scale, the battle is being fought for equality. On a completely smaller scale, another battle is to win money for beating someone up in the ring. The worthiest battle being fought is for equality because the narrator is fighting for an entire race, something clearly way bigger than himself. The least worthy battle fought here is over the money. It won't last nearly as long as a race of people and will probably be spent within a few days.
ReplyDeleteThere are many battles in this story. The biggest one is fought between the narrator and his grandfather's curse. This curse is referred to a lot in the story. For example the narrator says, "It became a constant puzzle which lay unanswered in the back of my mind." He continues on to say,""When I was praised for my conduct I felt a guilt... The old man's words were like a curse." The narrators is trying to get the point across that because of his grandfather, he now has to deal with his grandfathers curse, as if it was his own. If the narrator lets the curse get to him, he will lose this battle. But, if he lets go of the curse, he can win the battle. There is also a battle for equality between blacks and whites in this story. For example, the M.C. said to the black boys, " Boys, it's all yours. You get all you grab." He says this because he knows that the rug is electric but he seems to think that it doesn't matter to them because they aren't white and why would they care.
ReplyDeleteMany battles are being fought during this story. Theres the battle of equality, the black people are fighting against there lives. One of the biggest battles is the battle against black and whites. Black people are getting taken advatage of by the whites. They are watching black people fight each other and get hurt for there own entertainment. Even a little black boy knew it, he just came to say his speech and then had to fight, and while he was saying his speech he said social equality. When he said that was the only time that people stopped talking not to listen to him, but to yell at him. The little black boy even knew that life was not fair.
ReplyDeleteThere are clearly many battles fought in the story,some tangible some not. The main battle being for racial equality. In the story the narrator is brought to the place thinking he's there to give a speech from his graduation ceremony, that's only the first reason he's there, the second one is he's there for the rich white mens entertainment. Race is clearly not equal down there. In a weird, twisted way I guess they white men were trying to be "kind" by paying each black boy five dollars except the winner, Tatlock, who got ten and then having them fight over some bills and coins on an electrified rug thinking they would'nt care. The battle with the most worthy cause being fought is over racial equality, and it's a violent battle that is still fought today with headway being made each day for finding the solution.
ReplyDeleteThere are many battles fought in this story. One of the main battles fought in this story is battleing for equality. In this time period there was still racial tension between blacks and whites and the blacks kept on fighting for equality. Another battle in the story was the battle royal. This was entertainment for the leading white people of the town to see black kids fight each other for money. one of the black kids just went there to read his speech but they made him fight in the battle royal. The other boys just did it to make a little money. To make that little bit of money they had to entertain the white people.
ReplyDeleteBattles that are most worthy of being fought are the ones that have a positive outcome for you and others. Battles do not have to involve actions hurting one another. It can be an inner conflict within yourself or a general disagreement. The biggest problem found in the short story "Battle Royale" is the narrator trying to impact the people around him by making a speech about racial discrimination.
ReplyDeleteAlthough the point of the story centers around racial equality for African Americans, the author displayed another type of discrimination. On page 268 is a scene involving abuse of a young woman as druken men do whatever they want to. The fight to fix the corrupt society is definitely a battle worth fighting. Battles with a negative outcome are not worth fighting. There was a scene where the group of boys are forced to take stage and fight each other. While the main character fought to share his voice after the battle, everyone else was beating on each other for money.
There are several battles being fought in this story. There is the battle of rights and the discrimination of African-Americans. In the story the white men embarressed the black boys by having them fight each other and the electric carpet for fake coins. Also, when giving his speech, the narrator was made a fool and nobody would listen to his speech and hear what he had to say. One time in his speech he accidently said what he was wanting to prove in the first place, which was "social equality" instead of what he was supposed to say which was "social responsibility". When the narrator slipped up during this part of his speech, the white men started yelling and disrespecting him, and as soon as he said that wasn't what he had meant to say, they went on like they did before.
ReplyDeleteAnother battle was morality. During the story the boys who were to fight had the choice to look at the women or to be better than that. Some looked some didn't. It wasn't right to look, but every white man in that room didn't care and especially wanted to make the boys and the narrator feel uncomfortable. The women felt disgusted for having to do this for the white men but they were also treated less than men. Which proves that there was more inequality for African-Americans and women. In the '50s any white man could typically do what they wanted with no remorse or consequences because they were apart of the upper eschelons of society. So to them, morality didn't need to be adressed.
These are all battles worth fighting for and eventually were. But, even now, there is still racial discrimination amoung us. The hardest battles to fight through are the ones that will be worth it in the end. "The end defines the means". This quote works hand-in-hand with this story. The end of most racism was the result of people like Rosa Parks and Martin Luther King Jr. For these people the ends justified the means.
As for morality, the white men had none. They had no kindness or mercy. It was pretty amazing how the narrator went through all of that pain and cruelty to give a speech that was made to help out society.
I think that the battle in the story is about race. During the fighting at the party, it was only black people. No white people were fighting. Also, during his speech, no one paid attention to what he was saying and continued talking with each other, but got mad when he said social equality. One of the men then said that he has to know his place at all times which shows that the fight is about race. Breaking the curse to me was when after his speech, they all applauded and gave him the scholarship to the negro college.
ReplyDeleteThere are many different battles being fought in this story. One of the biggest battles are fought between black and white. A few of the battles are the boy fighting to get rid of his grandfathers curse, the fight to give his speech infront of white men, who refuse to listen to his speech and obviously the fight between the black boys in the boxing ring for the white men entertainment. In the end the boy wakes and see that all that was just a dream.
ReplyDeleteThe most worth battle being fought is the battle for equality between blacks and whites. White men thought it was entertaining to be torturous to the blacks by using an electrified carpet and making them fight. The battle for equality is by far the most significant because it is for a whole group of people, not just a certain few. When the boy accidently said “social equality,” instead of “social responsibility,” the author was trying to emphasize the importance that he was trying to incorporate into the story.
ReplyDeleteThere are many different battles being fought through the course of this story. Some of the more obvious battles are the battle for social equality, the actual battle of all the black kids in the ring, and the battle of him trying to get rid of his grandfathers curse. One of the more hidden battle are him trying to give his speech so everyone could see his true tallent and knowledge. I really think that as the night went on and he was just getting treated worse and worse he really wanted to be able to give his speech to show all those racist white men that he was not just some stupid black kid. he was a smart knowledgable young man who was worth their time.
ReplyDeleteThe part I liked best in the story was the Battle Royal. The Battle Royal took place in a ring and was fought against black and white people. The black people were blindfolded because the whole point of the battle was for the whites to beat the blacks as hard as they can. This was because this story took place in a time when blacks weren't considered equal to whites yet. A quote in the story that shows how much the whites hated the blacks was, "Let me at those black sonsabitches!"
ReplyDeleteThere are many battles being fought in the story. Some of these battles are the battle of the narrator with his grandfather's course, the Battle Royal, amd the battle to have his words heard. His grandfather's course was that he was a traitor. In the story his grandfater says, "I have been a traitor all my born days..." Another battle that the narrator has to overcome is the Battle Royal. The Battle Royal is a battle when the white beat blindfolded blacks. This was the age in time when blacks weren't considered equal to the white man. In the story the narraor wants to let the white people hear his speach about equaliy and he eventually does. In return they give him a brief case and a scholarship to a college for negroes. In the story it says, "...and finding an official-looking document inside. It was a scholarship to the state college for Negroes."
ReplyDeleteAlthough most of the responses say there are many battles being fought, there really is only one, it's the narrator's want to rise up and be what he can. The physical "battle royal," is really just one big metaphor, his opponent is the oppression of the world (the white men), the blindfold is his own cowardess holding him back from reaching full potential. He was thrust into the battle royal, just one roadblock on his path, and because he could not overcome his blindfold, he was set on a path to the mediocre. He couldn't transcend his peers and that is why he fails. He blew it and he was put in his place, he was told-on page 275-"you've got to know your place at all times" and he accepted that, I would have been disappointed in myself if i were him.
ReplyDeleteThere are quite some battles that were being fought in this story, such as the curse of his Grandfather. Though the most prominent battle being fought was the battle between African-Americans and Whites in the community. As the narrator stated in the opening paragraph, All my life I had been looking for something, and everywhere I turned someone tried to tell me what I was." This shows the tension and it shows the social discrimination between the two groups and how the white folk always bossed the black folk around. He accepted it but, it was as he stated, "self-contradictory." Also while giving his speech, he accidentally, or maybe rather purposefully stammered the word, "Social Equality." Upon the release of that word a raucous uproar by the white folk caused the narrator to quickly explain it was an accident. This evidence shows that the social equality factor, the black versus white folk is the main battle in the story, "Battle Royale."
ReplyDeleteThe story "Battle Royal" by Ralph Ellison is mainly about the struggle of racial inequality between blacks and whites. Some of the other battles in the story include the fight in the ring with all of the black boys, the electric carpet incident, overcoming his grandfather's curse, and also getting up to deliver his speech on humility after he had just been humiliated in front of all the upper class white citizens. The success and failure of these battles depends on which side you chose to fight for. For example the main character, while not gaining on the "bigger battle" of social equality, feels he has succeeded by being able to present his speech and being rewarded with respect, and a scholarship to a "Negro college." Racial equality is a battle always worth fighting for. It should never be forgotten, the battles that have been fought, whether internal or external, and the strides that have been made to achieve equality.
ReplyDeleteI am going to answer the question “Who is likely to succeed in battle, and who is likely to fail”. In this story the main battle is the battle between blacks and whites. Throughout the story you get a sense of the battle, but I don’t really think there’s a loser, only winners. The main winner though is the narrator. He did all he could to get everyone to understand that he’s no different from anyone else and that they had no right to treat him any differently. I think in any battle the winner will most likely be the one who tries the hardest and who wants to win the most. He wanted it and he did all we could and it worked out for him. If you’re ever in a battle I think the best thing you can do is never give up.
ReplyDeleteThere are obviously a couple battles going on throughout this story. There is the battle of the curse the grandfather left, the physical battle between the boys in the ring but The main battle that sticks out to me is the battle of equality between blacks and whites. The story shows the battle of equality in many ways, by the words the grandfather left, comparing the way that he as a african american reacted to white people was like a war. The words haunted the boy and it was like it cursed him. when the boy finally got to deliver his speech to the white men they caught him on the words social responsibility and teased him to repeat it again and again as he repeated it he accidentally said social equality which means he was obviously thinking about social equality while in his situation. The words that the grandfather said in the dream at the end shows that the equality battle between the blacks and whites still will exist in the boys world.
ReplyDeleteThe battle in the story is being fought between the narrator and society’s outlook on black people. The object of this battle is not to change society’s outlook, but for the narrator to, as he states in the first paragraph, find himself and answer questions “which I (narrator), and only I, could answer” about who he was, not what everyone told him he was. Society is more likely to win this battle against the narrator. This is because the narrator is a coward without motivation to fight against society’s claim that whites are superior to blacks. In fact, as is proved over and over again in the story, he accepted this claim, which attests that society has already, although impermanently, won this battle, unless the narrator, decides to change his own outlook on social equality later on. The first idea in the story which proves that he accepted society’s claim is his perception of his grandfather’s words as a curse, not guidance. This proves that the narrator did not “war” against society as his grandfather declared that he had by modesty and meekness to the whites, proudly titling himself a “traitor”. Secondly, the narrator was just barely ashamed to be entertainment in the battle royal, despite the fact that he was beaten by his peers then laughed at as he let degraded himself to look as low as a beggar, picking up money from an electrified rug. Lastly, he did not stand for “social equality” in his speech. This was not only because he afraid of the obvious consequences, but more so because he simply did not believe there was a need to. The narrator accepted that black people were inferior to white people; he had given into society.
ReplyDeleteThe greatest battle being fought is the battle between the black man and his grandfather. The reason for that is because the narator feels as though he is cursed for eternity and will never be able to succeed. Even when he does end up earning the scholarship for his speech he still feels as though he didn't get his word out and his feelings. He also ended up having that dream at the end with his grandfather saying more weird things, that ultimmetly will bring him down. I think that the narator will win this battle with lots of struggle, and his dead granfather will loose because the narator will rise above the curse and go far in life. There are many battle like the battle between the black and the white, but the most worthy is the one between the narator and his grandfather.
ReplyDeleteI feel that the biggest battle in this story is between the narrator everyone else who is in the black society story. Throughout the story when someone metions something about a kid being black around a majority of white peopl in this society he crys out for help and he gets nothing. In my opinion i see the nobody failing in this battle. It seems as if the narrator and all the people in the black society are putting up an even fight throughout this story and there is nothing that is most worthy in this particular piece or even less worthy.
ReplyDeleteThe main battle in this story is that the narrator wants show equality. The narrator talks about his grandfather when he was nearly dying and how the words he said became a curse. When he got invited to give his speech the battle royal began with 9 other African American men. He still gave his speech even though he was beaten up horribly and embarrassed in front of the entire crowd. This expresses the difference of black and white racial power. The narrator wants to show the diversity of social equality in the story. The distinct battle in the story that is worth fought is racism and the equality of the races. There are a lot of battles in this story but the main one shows the meaning of racial conflicts between black people and white people.
ReplyDeletethere are many battles being fought in this story. but they main battle i think is the battle for equality. he is fighting fot the equality of a whole race. at the start of the story, the narrator said "All my life I had been looking for something, and everywhere I turned someone tried to tell me what I was" this sentence tells me that white people have always tried to control black people and the narrator has decided to fight against them.
ReplyDeleteThere are alot of battles in this story and the narrorator seems to talk alot about one or many things giving you lots of detail on that one. In some of the battles the man might have a chacne of winning it but then there are some that are not worth fighting but he may win the appeal of everyone there but the other boys might have just beat him for the money. If he were to win one balle i would say that going over the curse that his grand father put on him so to speak but going ahead in life is alot better then fighting and hurting other people for money.
ReplyDeleteI believe the most important battle is the battle that the main character has to stay on the stage and complete his speech. He has just suffered through a boxing match and is very beat up, he also is on a stage where the audience is hurassing him while he is on stage. He keeps his composure and finishes the speech. he is rewarded with a scholarship. That is the biggest battle that he is faced
ReplyDeleteThe most important battle fought in the story is the African American breaking his grandfathers curse. He thinks about what is grandfather said on his deathbed often thorughout the story. He also thinks about his speech very often and letting people know what he thinks. He gets the scholarship but doesnt feel like he told people what he really thinks. There is also a physical battle when they're fighting in the ring but there is a different battle going on during that and the battle between white people and black people. It is how black people are viewed in society. The biggest battle is his grandfather's curse but social equality plays a huge part in it also.
ReplyDeleteThere are three battle being fought in this story. The battle with the narrator and his grandfathers's curse, the battle with the speech, and finally the battle in the boxing ring with all the other people. The least worthy battle is the one about the speech. This is because the narrator has more important things to worry about like the actual fight. I'm not saying the speech isn't important but its not as important as the other battles. I know that if I was in his place I woulnt worry so much about the speech.
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