When the narrator delivers his
speech, he must repeat any word over three syllables. When he uses the phrase social
responsibility, they yell “What’s that word you say, boy?”(30) He is
addressing the speech to educated white men, “They were all there – bankers,
lawyers, judges, doctors, fire chiefs, teachers, merchants.” (18) Although the
men are drunk, they should be able to understand the context of his speech.
They ask questions to mock him. They ask questions to remind the narrator of
the racial divide that exists. The battle royal is a humiliating fight which
has no purpose but to entertain the white men in the room. The narrator slips
up and says social equality when asked to repeat himself. This comment leaves
the white men feeling appalled. They confirm it is just a mistake. This shows white
supremacy exists and the white men have control over the narrator. Does the
narrator actually win? The narrator’s rewards are an applause, briefcase, and
scholarship. These items are all controlled by the white men. The white men
limit the amount of “social equality” the narrator can achieve. Despite abolition
of slavery, the white men still control the black men. It is ironic how the narrator
is content with this reward. He states, “I was overjoyed…”(32) and “When I
reached home everyone was excited.” (32) He fails to realize the subtle harmful
effects associated with the reward and the limits white men place on his life. He
is rather naïve to the cruelness of the white men shown by the fake coins and painful
electric carpet. The purpose of his speech is to explain how the races can
unite and work together. The rewards show the opposite. The ironies of these
events explain racism exists and is a conflict the narrator faces.
When you metioned the quote, “They were all there – bankers, lawyers, judges, doctors, fire chiefs, teachers, merchants.” (18), we learn about the increased level of respect the white men have over the narrator. Because each person in the room is involved with a job that requires a lot of education, knowledge, and leadership, the narrator seems looked down upon as no one pays attention to his speech. Agreeing with you, the white men questioned and mocked the narrator in order to show their supremacy-something that still occurs today.
ReplyDeleteYour rhetorical question "Does the narrator actually win?" sparks a myriad of possible answers. Is he winning the reward of scholarship? Does this actually yield any societal prize? From your analysis, I would say no. The "Hunger Games" inspired fight scene that takes place before the delivery of the speech negates any impact the speech would have had. Like Joseph mentioned previously, these men were all of high esteem in society. That leads me to ponder whether that lofty position in life is suitable for the narrator. Does this experience of seeing the "1%" in society propel the narrator to become invisible? Perhaps later in the novel we will see if this condescending experience affects the narrator's attitude towards whites and higher education as a priority.
ReplyDeleteYour analysis of the actions of the white men bring up a thought-provoking question of whether or not the blacks were really freed. The men mock the speech of the narrator only to make him feel small and foolish. In addition, forcing the boys to fight each other and taunting them with money on an electric carpet is clearly the white men trying to demonstrate their power. The fact that these boys simply comply to the commands being thrown at them answer the question of "are the blacks really free".
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