Harlem Renaissance Themes,

Ralph Ellison,

& ―Battle Royal‖

The prevalent –isms found in

Harlem Renaissance literature

Definitions

• The work deals with:

– Prejudice

– Discrimination

– Racism

– Sexism

Ralph Ellison (1913-1994)

• Born in Oklahoma City

• Middle name is Waldo; his

parents named him after

Emerson, hoping he’d grow

up to be a poet

• Father worked in

construction and as a vendor

of ice and coal. He died

when Ralph was 3; after this

his mother supported herself

and her children by working

as a domestic servant.

Ralph Ellison (1913-1994) • With the help of a music

scholarship, studied at the Tuskegee Institute from 1933-1936. – The Booker T. Washington

connection

• Dropped out and moved to New York to study sculpture, but his plans soon changed again – Langston Hughes, Richard

Wright, and the Federal Writer’s Project

• Became an editor of The Negro Quarterly

• WWII 1943-1945, Merchant Marines

Ralph Ellison (1913-1994)

Man of many talents:

• Author—essays, reviews, short stories,

novels

• Scholar

• Teacher

• Jazz Trumpeter

• Free-lance Photographer

• Sculptor

HISTORICAL & SOCIAL CONTEXT

• Ellison and other Black writers used literature

and art to address racial prejudice and

hostility as well as to explore universal

dilemmas of mankind.

• Ellison once said, ―Literature is colorblind.‖

• Readers often view Ellison’s main theme as

exploring the potential for life-changing

events, but Ellison more or less mocks this

view.

―Battle Royal‖

• Taken from the first chapter of Invisible Man

• IM published in 1952

• National Book Award in 1953.

• As you read the story, think of the intersecting issues of race, class, and gender.

From Ralph Ellison's, Invisible Man

I am a man of substance, of flesh and bone, fiber and liquids --- and I might even be said to possess a mind. I am invisible, understand, simply because people refuse to see me ... When they approach me they only see my surroundings, themselves, or figments of their imagination --- indeed, everything and anything except me.

History--Battle Royals

History records that the battle royal is almost

as old as organized fighting itself. The

Romans, who practiced the Greek sport of

pancration (a combination of boxing and

wrestling) were the first to coin the term,

using it to describe a specific type of

spectacle in which several gladiators were

matched in one arena and made to fight

until only one remained.

History--Battle Royals

With a resurgence in boxing in 19th century

America battle royals once again became

a commonplace attractions, specifically

among black fighters. These events often

took place as preludes to larger, more

legitimate fights and were conducted in

"smokers", illegally staged and

unregulated boxing "shows" secretly held

in remote locations.

Debate Within the Black Community

• Booker T. Washington

– Assimilation

– Manual Labor

– Blacks must learn to live

within the racist order of

the South

• W.E.B. DuBois

– Criticized Washington

for what he viewed as

giving in and submitting

to the white culture

– Blacks must resist the

racist order of the

South

Which side do you think Ellison supports in ―Battle

Royal‖? How do you know this?

Booker T. Washington vs. W.E.B. DuBois

The Narrator’s Speech

• Comes from a speech given by Booker T.

Washington at the 1895 Atlanta Exposition

• Also known as:

– The Atlanta Compromise Speech

– The ―Cast Your Bucket‖ speech

• Urged blacks to learn manual labor and

soothed the white community’s fears of

black rebellion

– Assimilation, cooperation

Conflicted Identity

• Ambiguity of Grandfather’s message

• Speaker’s confusion

• Intra-racial tension

– In the elevator with the other fighters

– Showdown with Tatlock

• The dancer

– American flag

– Speaker identifies with her

• The electrified rug

• His speech

BIBLIOGRAPHY

• Charters, Ann, Ed. ―Ralph Ellison.‖ The Story and Its Writer 5th ed.

Boston: Bedford/St. Martin’s, 1999. 448.

• ―Ralph (Waldo) Ellison (1914-1994).‖ 2000. 10 Mar. 2008.

<http://kirjasto.sci.fi/rellison.htm>.