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King Of The Bingo Game Analysis

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Ellison’s Introduction Paragraph for King of the Bingo Game
The first paragraph of any story is arguably the most important element. It should capture the attention of the reader, as well as begin to develop the most important elements of the story. Ralph Ellison’s captivating introduction paragraph for “King of the Bingo Game”, is an emotionally involved depiction of a nameless African American man who was a member of the United States Black Migration from South to North. Written in an indirectly detailed style and strewn with images evoking pathetic feelings, this passage is key in characterizing the main character and snatches the attention of the audience. Ellison’s use of changes in point of view and use of allusions subtly communicates …show more content…

The nameless man repeats the phrase “I ain’t crazy,” (251) as if continuously trying to convince himself that what he’s saying is true. But in the following passage the narrator says “And yet a pinpoint of doubt was focused in his mind…,” (251) which provokes the thought that maybe this man has been driven crazy from poverty, a dying wife, and oppression. These subtle hints in this first passage foreshadow the man's gradual descent into complete madness in the later parts of the story. Every word is significant in a short story, thus a phrase that seems to be just filler at first, is always something more. With seemingly unimportant phrases Ellison further develops the man’s mental instability. The idea of his insanity is again induced when the narrator tells the audience that the man “had seen the picture three times,” (251). This a bizarre statement so casually thrown into the passage, but holds a significant amount of importance in characterization. Lastly, the man laughs when the woman is shown on screen “tied to a bed, her legs and arms spread wide, and her clothing torn to rags,” (251). The actions the man makes are out of place. The picture projected onto the screen is not one of humor, but one of misfortune and violence, and the man laughs. These two phrases subtly hint at the man's slowly increasing insanity and foreshadow his mental break later in the

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An image, sound, action or other figure with symbolic significance that contributes to the development of a theme in a literary work is referred to as a motif. These tools can be used to advance and deepen themes while connecting to reader’s personal experience and shaping their future perception of the figure used. While in “The Most Dangerous Game” the motif of red represents a single theme “Invierno” uses the motif of winter to represent several and “Paali” uses more than one motif to develop a wide variety of emotional and educational themes. In Richard Connell’s short story, “The Most Dangerous Game,” the motif represents a single theme.

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The author then begins to use literary devices to represent the change that the speaker is going through. First, she uses similes to show the alteration of the speaker's mind and knowledge. She writes, “the revelations by book and lecture, / as real as any shout of faith, / and potent as a swig of strychnine.” (lines 17-19). The speaker’s mind is being reshaped by the previously stated revelations.

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The true villain of this story is the narrator’s insanity, his insanity makes him paranoid to the point that he would murder the old man, he was so insane that he enjoyed killing the

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this shows the way the author used his words to make the mood frightening. Also Edwards used second point of view which made it as if he was personally speaking to the readers. Edwards delivery was forceful and firm as if wanting the readers to comprehend every word he was

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“King of the Bingo Game” is a short story by the 20th century American writer Ralph Ellison. The story is set somewhere in the northern part of the United States. The story was written in 1944 so it is most likely set in that time period. It follows the unnamed protagonist who has moved from the South to the North. He needs to win a bingo jackpot in order to save a woman named Laura, who most likely is his partner or wife.

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The core theme of Ralph Ellison’s short story ‘Battle Royal’ is racism and its manifestation in the society that the author lives in. The conflict between the two cultures, black and white, the segregation and suppression of the African Americans by the whites are emphasized through various incidents. The fact is that the narrator himself unconsciously gives in to racism and as a black man longs for the approval of the white man. He considers himself superior to the other blacks. But the ‘battle royal’ that he is compelled to participate in finally makes him realize that in the society he lives he is “an invisible man.”

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Throughout the story, three major details of the narrator’s psyche are confirmed. First, we learned of the narrator’s deceitfulness. Every morning he lies to the old man with the least bit of guilt. The next continues to prove the madness as the narrator feels utter joy from the terror of another. Lastly, the narrator fabricates that the old man is simply not home to assure the officers.

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