In Ralph Ellison's short story, "Battle Royal", a young man is coming to the realization of what his ailing grandfather was asking of him on his deathbed. ... The narrator in Ellison's short story suffers much even though he is considered to be one of the brighter young men in the black community. ... He is informed that he has to participate in a "Battle Royal" with his peers for the amusement of the onlookers which can be related to the "lions mouth" (Ellison 270) that his grandfather spoke of before he died. ... On it was written "To Whom It May Concern, Keep this Nigger-Boy Runni...

• Word Count: 1103
• Approx Pages: 4
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: High School

In Ralph Ellison's Battle Royal, the narrator is invited to give his graduation speech in a hotel ballroom to a crowd of white racist spectators. ... This struggle is symbolized in Ellison's Battle Royal with the actual Battle Royal. ...

• Word Count: 973
• Approx Pages: 4
• Grade Level: High School