Battle Royal: A Fight for Freedom
...oys, all blindfolded, in a boxing ring. The white men award the black boys golden coins for entertaining them. After the battle, the boy finally gives his speech, and the white men all laugh and ignore him. After his speech, the white superintendent awards him with a briefcase containing a scholarship to the state college for black youth. At home he discovers that the gold coins are actually worthless brass tokens. That night, he has a dream in which his grandfather instructs him to open the briefcase. Inside the briefcase he finds an official envelope with a state seal. He opens it only to find another envelope that contains the words “To Whom It May Concern . . . Keep This Nigger-Boy Running”. The narrator wakes with his grandfather’s laughter ringing in his ears. The central idea of “Battle Royal” is that sometimes in order to find an answer one must travel many paths. In conclusion, the story “Battle Royal” shines light on the struggle t...