Battle Royal - a Story

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Blindfolded, I could no longer control my emotions. I had no dignity. I stumbled like a baby or a drunken man. The smoke had become thicker and with each new blow it seemed to sear and further restrict my lungs. My saliva became like hot bitter glue. A glove connected with my head, filling my mouth with warm blood. It was everywhere (Schakel & Ridl, 2012 p. 407).

There are several pieces of symbolism that I feel are portrayed in this story. The first piece that I will discuss is in the form of the grandfather’s dying words. The following statement leads me to believe that the grandfather thought the only way to win the war on racial inequality was by pretending to agree with the rules of the white folks while battling for equality behind the scene:

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 Reconstruction. Live with your head in the lion’s mouth. 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 bust wide open (Schakel & Ridl, 2012 p. 403).

The next piece of symbolism that I feel was portrayed in the story was in the form of the naked blonde lady. I think that this was a symbol to the young black men who were getting ready to fight of what they could not have. It appears as if she is a message from the distinguished white men that they will never be good enough. They will always be inferior to the white man. The last piece of symbolism that I will discuss is in the form of the scholarship. I feel that it was given to the narrator to show that, without the white man, blacks will never be anything, and if the black man remains obedient he will be rewarded from time to time. I do not think that the men gave the scholarship out of goodness; I think that it was given as another sign of inferiority.

I think that the theme of this story was to show how much black people had to struggle back before racial equality. It shows that there was no clear path for the black people to get ahead. The only hope that black people had at the time was to appear to obey the white man while working behind the scenes to fight for equality.

This was an excellent story about how black people were led to believe the only way for them to make it in society was to do as the white people instructed. Yet, even then they still struggled as the white people, often times, made a mockery out of the black people. The author did an excellent job of getting the reader emotionally involved. The way that certain scenes, such as the ballroom, were described was excellent. This story provided excellent insight into the struggles of black people prior to the movement for racial equality.

Reference

Schakel, P. & Ridl, J. 2012. Approaching Literature. Reading + Thinking + Writing. Bedford/St. Martin’s . Boston. New York.

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