O"Connor suggests to us, not only in the title but, throughout this short story that people often resist to growing away from egoism towards self-awareness and love for all humankind that is so necessary for life to converge in equality. ... Julian's hatred for his mother, fixation on his false "liberalism", and denied dependency on his mother, in fact, are blatant contradictions to what he prides himself on truly being- "free of prejudice and unafraid to face facts." ... The climax occurs when the black mother, out of pride and conviction delivers a fatal blow to Julian's mother. ...

• Word Count: 806
• Approx Pages: 3
• Grade Level: Undergraduate

As I go on, I will discuss the nature of the short story and how it affected me. ... Blacks attending schools with whites still had to endure racial prejudices and misjudgments by much of the population. ... The men at the club could do no more to totally bash the dignity and pride that the guests had built up all their life. ... I am thinking that maybe they did this just to test his patience and pride. ... Ralph Ellison's short story, "Battle Royal" is very significant. ...

• Word Count: 1491
• Approx Pages: 6
• Grade Level: High School

Richard was alienated from his environment, even though he tried to distance himself from the prejudice all around him, the white people still tried to turn him into the stereotypical southern black person. ... By teaming up on blacks like Pease and Reynolds did to Richard, whites are able to unite and find powering numbers, and in turn satisfy their human need for pride. ... Some of the situations hurt him in the short run, but through it all, he managed to survive. ...

• Word Count: 1641
• Approx Pages: 7
• Grade Level: High School

The United States of America has a relatively short-lived history in comparison to the majority of the vast societies of the world. As Americans, we pride ourselves on the concept that our ancestors fought tooth and nail for our freedom and we should never forget that concept. We pride ourselves on looking back through our history books and reading about how our forefathers have continuously stood up to the most powerful, unjust, and tyrannical nations so that the world may be able to experience the fore granted notion of freedom. ... So for a society who prides herself on the basis of freedom...

• Word Count: 6384
• Approx Pages: 26