"Battle Royal"

The story "Battle Royal" by Ralph Ellison is the first chapter of the book Invisible Man. The story is of an African American man who is extremely well educated and smart. The story takes place in a small southern town, when conditions were far from equal for white and African American people. The narrator of the story is the main character and tells the story from his memory.

The narrator believes that the way to equality is through humility and not speaking up. He is well accepted in teh white community because of these views. The narrator is invited to speak at a graduation. When he arrives, he is told he has to take part in a fight with other African American men before he speaks. The African American men are the "entertainment" for the party, and not viewed as equal to the white men. It is very demeaning for the men, and when the narrator speaks, he is basically ignored, and none of his points are paid attention to.

This story is an example of how individuals should speak up to get things which they believe in. The main theme of this story is how people are invisible and viewed as stereotypes, which is a very disrespectful view.