The Black Ball collects four of Ralph Ellison's little-known early short stories. The threat to John is clear, despite his and his sons innocence. Detailed quotes explanations with page numbers for every important quote on the site. And the more I move around, the more I see, and the more I see, the more I work.`. You'll be able to access your notes and highlights, make requests, and get updates on new titles. He was four, a little brown boy in blue rompers, and when he talked and laughed with imaginary playmates, his voice was soft and round in its accents like those of most Negro Americans. `Ever smoke Durham?` he asked. James looks out the window at the passing scenery and sees the wild horses running free, and he is filled with a sense of wonder and longing. As I came around the building past the tall new evergreens, I could hear the boy crying in just that note no other child has, and when I came completely around I found him standing looking up into a window with tears on his face. `When I grow up I think Ill drive a truck.` But actually, the stranger is an organizer with a local union. "The Black Ball" Flashcards | Quizlet Instant PDF downloads. My students love how organized the handouts are and enjoy tracking the themes as a class., Requesting a new guide requires a free LitCharts account. I found the boy pushing a toy back and forth beneath a chair in the little room which I used for a study. `All right now,` I told him. Instant PDF downloads. That innocence is also central to the episode with his ball, significantly taken in an act of bullying by a white boy who has thrown it through the window into the office of Johns boss. Complete your free account to access notes and highlights. But something was missing, something usually behind that kind of drawl. The business of trucking soon absorbed him, and I went back to the kitchen to fix his lunch and warm up the coffee for myself. Teach your students to analyze literature like LitCharts does. `You know, Daddy. I wondered where the boy could have gone. Some of our partners may process your data as a part of their legitimate business interest without asking for consent. He relates it to thephysical toy balland wonders why one would call it black when it is more of a white one. The ball had gone into his private office. Contrary to this, his relationship with his employer is of atransactional naturewhich only aggravates the racial divide between the two. You'll also get updates on new titles we publish and the ability to save highlights and notes. John has been subject to such a great deal of racism in his life that he cannot but be suspicious of the intention of the Union man. That symbol becomes the focus of the end of the story, again dependent on the innocence of Johns son, who believes that Berry cant see very good because Anybody can see my ball is white. And in a striking exchange with ironic subtext, when his son asks, Will I play with the black ball? John replies In time, son In time. The little boys freewheeling innocence cannot last for ever. Lost and Found. I stopped to look at him. `Oh-that.` They represent the way that people can maintain their sense of dignity and hope even in the face of difficult circumstances. He doesnt understand why white people are so hostile to his family, but he suspects it has something to do with their color. Literary Analysis of Ralph Ellison's 'The Black Ball' | Bartleby Seeing red means seeing with anger towards black people, they were hated on very badly. (Racism helps it achieve those goals by making it easy and socially permissible to exploit Black people like John.) It is on a much less significant scale, but like the story of the union man, there is no time to listen to excuses; guilt is assumed and reprimand is swift. Then it occurred to me that he might have gone out in front in spite of my warning not to. Ralph Ellison, who was named after the writer and philosopher Ralph Waldo Emerson, was born in Oklahoma City. For giving an alibi for an African-American accused of the rape of white woman, the man has had his arms burnt with a gasoline torch. Unlock with LitCharts A+ Active Themes Quotes "The Black Ball" is set over the course of a single night in life of a janitor named John. He was a pretty nice fellow, as he used to say after particularly quiet afternoons while I tried to study, and for which quietness he expected a treat of candy or a `picture movie`, and I often left him alone while I attended to my duties in the apartments. `Any other colored folks working here?` James decides that he will protect Mama by killing whatever is making her so sad, even if its God. The white mans joke about the rope, which is a reference to lynching, might appear to be in bad taste. At the club, the manager greets Parker warmly, and the choir sings Welsh folk songs. The Question and Answer section for The Black Ball is a great As I turned away I noticed that my boy had come to stand beside me. `Good morning, sir.` I would say, looking not at him but at the brass. He stopped and pulled a flower from one of the bushes that lined the drive, turning to look hurriedly at the nurse, and then ran back down the drive. Written by people who wish to remainanonymous. John returns to work, but a white stranger approaches him while he is polishing the brass door handles. A smile couldnt change things between my kind and his. He was looking very earnestly. Definitions and examples of 136 literary terms and devices. An aspect of this may be seen in the following exchange: When they did have something to say to us, they always became familiar. Manage Settings By truthfully insisting on the mans innocence, they are guilty of making a white woman out a lie. This is similar toHarper Lees novel, , published 23 years later. read analysis of Race, Nation, and Belonging, read analysis of Racial Violence and Injustice. Later, he points out a passing grain silo, and Mama breaks into tears. This is not entirely unjustified because a biographical overview . I closed the book and looked at the boy a long time. The way the content is organized, Would not have made it through AP Literature without the printable PDFs. Detailed quotes explanations with page numbers for every important quote on the site. Analysis of Ralph Ellison's Stories By NASRULLAH MAMBROL on April 21, 2020 ( 0). `He meant, son, that if your ball landed in his office again, Daddy would go after it behind the old black ball.`, `Oh,` he said, very thoughtful again. I turned my back to him as I worked. The threat to John is clear, despite his and his sons innocence. Similarly, Hymies Bull is loosely based on Ellisons experience hopping freight trains to travel to his college, and in The Black Ball, the white union organizer says hes from the place Ellison went to college: Macon County, Alabama. Their nurse, dressed completely in white except for her dark glasses, which I saw when she raised her head, sat still as a picture, bent over a book on her knees. Not only does it stand for the ball that Johns son plays with, which despite being more of a white ball is used as a racial slur by Berry, it also refers to the game of racism that the kid is unknowingly a part of. Creating notes and highlights requires a free LitCharts account. `I thought you had to stand up to truck.` `I guess not.`. Detailed explanations, analysis, and citation info for every important quote on LitCharts. Both stories' read analysis of Trains The White and Black Balls The original text plus a side-by-side modern translation of. The children saw him and were running toward him in a group when the nurse looked up and called them back. He made an effort to stop, wiping the tears away with the back of his hand. In Ralph Ellison's The Black Ball, the term blackness is referred to throughout the story with the use of the ball his son is playing with. He was quiet for a while; then he started rolling his truck again. While doing his work, he notices a fellow watching him, slowly approaching him to start a conversation. The black ball is the ballshow more content Take a sneak peek into this essay! His manager is so committed to racial hierarchy that he fires his Black employees as soon as any white man asks for their job. My, yes, the old ball game. This is matched with the Union mans struggle to ensure a fairer andmore equitable working conditionfor the laborers. But now, Daddy is gone, and life is not much better than it used to be. `Daddy, am I black?` Johns answers are careful and neutral; he interprets black purely as colour, answering youre brown, taking racial division out of the response, especially when he dismisses talk of colour superiority with American is better than both. That innocence is also central to the episode with his ball, significantly taken in an act of bullying by a white boy who has thrown it through the window into the office of Johns boss. He stood there smiling with the sack in his outstretched hand. Johns thought process shows how precarious his situation truly is. We are thankful for their contributions and encourage you to make your own. The original text plus a side-by-side modern translation of. Find related themes, quotes, symbols, characters, and more. He is aware of the history between my kind and his. Therein lies the hope not in the tone of ones skin but in the strength of ones character, the justness of ones cause and the determination to fight back attain the same. The Black Ball by Ralph Ellison | Goodreads He realizes that Black Americans and the Welsh have a lot in common as subjugated peoples within larger nations (the U.S. and U.K.). These notes were contributed by members of the GradeSaver community. Boy on a Train and Hymies Bull are both set primarily on moving trains, which represent a core but elusive American ideal: the promise that migration can bring freedom and a better life. `You know hes got no business around here in front, dont you?` Detailed explanations, analysis, and citation info for every important quote on LitCharts. Your email address will not be published. `Browns much nicer than white isnt it Daddy?`. He tries' to accomplish this goal by adhering to his grandfathers dying words. The Melancholy Hussar of the German Legion. `Looks like you working purty hard over that brass.` She called something to the child and pointed back in the direction of the garages where he had just come from. When John finally finds his son, he realizes that hehas experienced the injustice of the world. In the evening, the narrator climbed atop the train to watch the sunset. `Daddy, what did that man mean?` Foreshadowinghas been employed by Ellison in many instances of the story. Ellison's early-20th century readers also would have recognized "black ball" as an anti-Black racial slur. The Black Ball Symbols Next Trains Trains "Boy on a Train" and "Hymie's Bull" are both set primarily on moving trains, which represent a core but elusive American ideal: the promise that migration can bring freedom and a better life. I turned, and there he stood; derby, long black coat, stick, nose glasses and all. But Id begin telling him the rules later. `Why do you say that, son?` You'll be able to access your notes and highlights, make requests, and get updates on new titles. I noticed that he limped as he moved away. The idea of the Union wherein the hands could unite and fight for better conditions is also seen in the story. It may also act as alinkbetween them- The Union man and John- presenting anew ray of hope,and reminding John thatdespite what society says, they are both equals. `Ill admit it aint much,` he said. For him, I was there. `Your ball is white.` Mostly white, anyway, I thought. She says she remembers passing the same silo when she and Daddy first migrated from the South to Oklahoma City to seek a better life. Teachers and parents! "My students can't get enough of your charts and their results have gone through the roof." `I been at this kinda thing. `Aw, Daddy, youre kidding. Discrimination And Symbolism In The Black Ball By Ralph Ellison Not used to anything like that, are you?`. Use ofsymbolismmay also be witnessed in theidea of the Hand. Maybe you been readingbout it in the papers?`, `I saw something about it, but whats it to do with me?` `My ball, my ball, Daddy. Johns son joins him at the window, too,asking if he can go out to play with his ball. Instant downloads of all 1725 LitChart PDFs Symbolizing power, the car is a key element in these chapters. In spite of myself, he says, I had to smile. A barrier has been broken and it is noticeable that Johns previous formal No thank you changes to No thanks. Like Invisible Man, many of the stories in The Black Ball were based indirectly on Ellisons personal experiences. I was so concerned with the brass that when the fellow spoke, I jumped with surprise. PDF downloads of all 1725 LitCharts literature guides, and of every new one we publish. The concern with race is very soon apparent, with the boys question, Daddy, am I black? The rest of the story explores the implications of that question, particularly for the boy and his future. The railroad, with its segregation and violence, serves as a symbol of the systemic racism and discrimination that Black people faced in American society. The Black Ball Themes | LitCharts But the organizers scars indicate that some white people are willing to accept the risks involved in confronting this violence and choosing solidarity over racism. My students love how organized the handouts are and enjoy tracking the themes as a class., Requesting a new guide requires a free LitCharts account. When he realizes that his son is probably just playing with the white boys, John is conflicted, just like Mama in Boy on a Train. On the one hand, he wants his son to enjoy himself and play, like any child should be able to. On the other hand, he also wants to protect his son from white people, which means teaching him to tolerate segregation and avoid confrontation. He was looking down at his outstretched hands as he talked. He wishes that Black Americans could find the same kind of national pride and unity that the Welsh seem to have. `That kind.` In the story, it seems like it's just a straight forward story but if you take a real close look at it you can see that there is a message within the story. One witnesses the theme ofracismearly on in the story when the four-year old kid grapples with the issue of color and race. Teacher Editions with classroom activities for all 1725 titles we cover. Instant downloads of all 1725 LitChart PDFs He was looking into my face now, his eyes blue in his red skin. "The Black Ball" is the title story in Ralph Ellison 's short story collection entitled The Black Ball. The way the content is organized, Would not have made it through AP Literature without the printable PDFs. I said nothing. His father died in an industrial accident when he was a young boy, so his mother took him and his brother to Gary, Indiana, where she thought they would find better opportunities. I didnt know what to say to that. Contains racial slurs, and references to racial motivated assault and sexual assault, among other issues. Parker is dizzy and has a black eye because, as soon as he arrived in Wales, he came across a group of white American soldiersand they called him a goddamn n[] and punched him in the face. But when another child tries to join them, the attendant nurse sends him away, separating the children. It is set over the course of a single day in the life of a black single father named John. In Hymies Bull, an unnamed Black narrator who lives as a bum, riding freight trains around the U.S. during the Great Depression, tells the reader about watching, All four stories in The Black Ball show how, throughout most of the 20th century, white Americans used racist violence as a tool to terrorize Black people into accepting a subservient position in society. The way the content is organized, LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in. PDFs of modern translations of every Shakespeare play and poem. Complete your free account to request a guide. For giving an alibi for an African-American accused of the rape of white woman, the man has had his arms burnt with a gasoline torch. PDF downloads of all 1725 LitCharts literature guides, and of every new one we publish. Johns son, though on a far smaller scale,is also blamed for something he didnt do something a white boy had done. Ralph Ellison Biography, Works, and Quotes | SparkNotes GradeSaver, 14 January 2023 Web. I left him to play with his toys and a book of pictures until I returned. `Anybody can see my ball is white.`. " Behind the black ball " is an earlier version of the phrase " behind the eight-ball ," but it's also a reference to blackballing, or blocking someone's membership in a group. You'll be able to access your notes and highlights, make requests, and get updates on new titles.