Abira Siddiq

English AP
Period: 3rd
Invisible Man Rhetorical Analysis
Author Ralph Ellison, in Battle Royal scene from Invisible Man is writing a
bout the narrator in a ring, with white people who are laughing and joking, bein
g disdainful, and looking for some entertainment. The narrator is caught in a fi
ght where fists are shooting up at his face and being beaten down. Ellison's pur
pose is to convey the reader's mind in showing what was going on in that moment
and what were the thoughts coming from the narrator as he approached the scene w
here he was being treated like an animal and having a fight with his own people
. Rhetorical strategies that are being used is emotion (pathos), imagery, and re
vealing the truth by reflecting on how he was being mistreated by, the actions t
hat were going on around him. He adopts a concise tone in order to give the audi
ence an order to appeal to similar feelings. Which, is to understand and have di
fferent emotions so they could recognize the setting and also reflect on their l
ives, because something similar can happen to them if they are in the same situa
tion, that they are being treated with disrespect.
First, Ellison begins with the narrator entering a ring and is about to fight
his own classmates. He is blindfolded which makes it more interesting to establi
sh since he can't see anything.The first sentence conveys the writers support for t
he main idea by identifying and providing a specific example that he appeals to
the audience that he is "blindfolded" and "has no dignity" that the "smoke bec
ame thicker with each new blow".. He joins in his pensive thought in order to cl
aim how he was being treated by showing painful emotion saying "my saliva became
hot bitter glue" and " a glove connected with my head, filled my mouth with wa
rm blood." The narrator was brought down from the people he knows which made th
is effect stronger by being descriptive since this is striving to capture the em
otion coming from the people. Ellison creates the effect by using a despairing t
one from the narrator saying "has no dignity" which reveals that he has not gott
en any respect at all from the other side. The emotion he was feeling makes the
argument stronger by showing whatever came down to this he was a different perso
n in that ring because he was forced to make a show just for the fun of others.
Next, Ellison writes about the narrator being beaten. Someone he is unaw
are of is punching him and hurting him. He can hear the white people screaming "
get going, black boy"! The middle sentence conveys the writer's support for the
main idea by identifying and providing a specific example is imagery. The autho
rs choice of strong and descriptive words are able to give the audience a sense
that he is being forced to fight to make a good show. Ellison appeals to the wat
chful audience by saying words like hot, bitter, blue, seized, and knife.The nar
rator is outraged what is happening to him and what he is hearing because obviou
sly they don't care about him. He's trying to hold on but he's not feeling certa
in about this because he doesn't know what to do. Ellison is striving for being
imaginative and create the story to be suspenseful so it will enable to let the
reader carry on and figure out what will happen next. He uses pathos letting the
reader discover thoughts of this scene like showing striking imagery of how he
is being knocked down like "feeling as though the smoke had become a knife jabbe
d into my guts." also "pretending I was knocked out" This effective technique c
reates an effect by giving the audience to feel sympathetic that he is trying to
struggle his way out of this. This imaginative tone helps convey the reader tha
t he is pretending just to be let go. Using pathos makes the argument stronger b
y making the reader visualize and see with open eyes that he is pushing through
but someone is holding him back.

Finally, Ellison is ending this scene the narrator pushing his way and s
eeing what has surrounded him. Once trying to pull away the narrator "discovered
that he could see the black, sweat-washed forms weaving in the smoky, blue atmo
sphere like drunken dancers weaving to the rapid drum like thuds of blow." The
last sentence conveys the writer's support for the main idea by identifying and
providing a specific example is revealing the truth behind all of this. He appea
ls to the foreboding audience that he has witness something that is happening in
front of his eyes and leaving the audience thinking of what has this come to. T
he author appeals to aware audience an active ending by also using imagery like
"blue atmosphere, drunken dancers, rapid drum-like thuds of blow" the writer hav
ing the audience see the point of view of what he's trying to make out of in thi
s scene. Ellison is striving for giving it a bigger picture and a whole differe
nt meaning that it just happened and that's where it would lead because the narr
ator is now aware of the events happening in the future. Using facts that what h
e is telling is true makes the argument stronger by convincing the readers and p
roviding explanation that he has seen something that is big and will have a big
effect on as the story continues.The narrator is beginning to realize the world
he lives in, the people are not equal in behaving with others and that makes the
reader understand it since it can still be an issue today.The calming yet disgu
sted tone the writer uses shows what a big impact it will be on him and his peop
le because obviously the others are having a laugh about it and enjoying the mom
ent. It's the thought that leaves the reader thinking and having questions at t
he end.
The narrator is expressing emotions from the audience using pathos, being i
maginative, and revealing the truth by plotting down the environment of what was
around him. Ellison used these effects because he wanted the reader to reflect
on the scene and give feedback by getting more out of it. This symbolizes the wh
ole story by saying that the boys weren't being treated like humans and with any
respect, instead they were forced to beat one another. The rhetorical devices s
how that the narrator was blind in so many ways, he couldn't see behind the poin
t of view of this from the white society, behind his own blind fold of what was
in front of him, and not being able to see the signs which was hearing laughter
and screams. When the narrator discovered he could see the author was active at
the end of the sentence by saying rapid thud of blows, meaning it was all fun for the
people on the outside but hurtful and a disgrace to the ones who were trying to
please them. Therefore, Ellison uses the rhetorical devices to reflect and focus
about the scene which can have a lesson to open the eyes. Also to fight of what
will come among the ones inside the ring and what will they strive by showing h
ow society is and how can they overcome the way it is.