King of the Bingo Game - 1745 Words

Analysis of â€Å"King of the Bingo Game† Ideas of slavery, identity, and what is acceptable behavior differ greatly in the past-Civil War North and South. Ralph Ellison’s â€Å"King of the Bingo Game† depicts how traditional southern slave mentalities are in conflict even after Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation of the slaves, leading many, like the nameless main character to try and find a new identity and giving him a taste of power to control his life and the lives of others. From the beginning of the story, we are shown racial inequalities. Ellison introduces us to our character who is a broke and hungry African American economically struggling to save his lady friend’s, Laura’s, life. The protagonist â€Å"got no birth certificate to†¦show more content†¦He asks him where he is from and begins to slowly embarrass him, cracking jokes on stage to please his fellow crowd members, for the white man knows the protagonist is somewh ere he doesn’t belong. The protagonist takes no action to respond back to the host, receiving the verbal beating, because it is what he has been accustomed to throughout his life, being seen as the inferior race. He continues to show his lack of identity, as well as his powers of assertion and articulation. Once the protagonist is given the button to control the bingo wheel he tells himself his plan â€Å"†¦ give the wheel a short quick twirl. Just a touch of the button† (586). He held on to the button, tightening his grip, as the wheel increased in speed, it drawing â€Å" him more and more into its power† (587). He finally held the power of the button given to him by the white man. This was his chance to attempt to break the grossly unfair set of rules established by the dominant white society. Instead of following his plan he continued to let the wheel spin, watching the numbers as they whirled by, he then burst out â€Å"This is God! This is the really truly God! He said it aloud, ‘This is God!’† (587). He experiences total power, he loves it. He controls the entire audience’s attention as he holds the button and feels more and more power. The wheel spins while holding onto the button, allowing him to be master of his own destiny a feeling new, scary and addicting to theShow MoreRelatedPrejudice in King of the Bingo Game938 Words   |  4 PagesRalph Ellison’s â€Å"King of the Bingo Game† is the story about an unnamed black man, in the 1930’s, who is hoping to win the bingo game that is being held at the local cinema, in order win enough money to pay for his gravely ill wife to see a doctor. The central idea of this story is about race, and the inability for a person to be the master of his or her own destiny, when they live in an unfair and prejudicial system. The main character is completely alienated from the world around him. He is aRead MoreEssay on Ellisons King of the Bingo Game1076 Words   |  5 PagesEllisons King of the Bingo Game Ellisons King of the Bingo Game encompasses a variety of different implications that transform an otherwise sad short story into a political statement regarding racial injustice towards African Americans. Ellisons use of colors, slang phrases, names, irony, and his almost constant use of metaphor change otherwise meaningless sentences into poignant testimonial of disparity. This exceptional use of language, in conjunction to the hardships African AmericansRead MoreKing Of The Bingo Game By Ralph Ellison1820 Words   |  8 PagesThe short story â€Å"King of the Bingo Game† was written by Ralph Ellison. It was first published in the journal Tomorrow in November 1944. The story involves the protagonist Bingo King who is alone in the world and his isolation is further highlighted by the potential death of his wife who is critically ill. The story interestingly examines a segment of Americans who are often ignored and are new to the urban life (Ellison, 1944). The protagonist has been given characteristics such as backwoods cluelessnessRead MoreKing Of The Bingo Game By Ralph Ellison1826 Words   |  8 PagesIntroduction The short story â€Å"King of the Bingo Game† was written by Ralph Ellison. It was first published in the journal Tomorrow in November 1944. The story involves the protagonist Bingo King who is alone in the world and his isolation is further highlighted by the potential death of his wife who is critically ill. The story interestingly examines a segment of Americans who are often ignored and are new to the urban life (Ellison, 1944). The protagonist has been given characteristics such as backwoodsRead MoreInternal And External Conflicts Of The Narrator862 Words   |  4 Pagesexternal conflicts of the protagonist The narrator of Ralph Ellison’s â€Å"King of the Bingo Game† is a scared but fighting man. The protagonist of this story is an African American man. He is from Rocky Mont, North Carolina. In the story, his wife Laura is ill and will die if they are not able to take her to a doctor. He is playing a game of bingo in order to try to win the daily jackpot, so he can take Laura to the doctors. He gets bingo and is called up to the front to spin the wheel, but when he goesRead MoreOnline Games Vs. Free Computer Games1051 Words   |  5 PagesFree Computer Games Discover best Free Computer Games Discover best Free Computer Games supported by various gaming softwares developed by top gaming solutions companies. Free Computer Games for Gambling Online Free computer games are pretty popular amongst digital gaming enthusiasts across the world. These games are supported by almost all the top gaming solutions companies. Read on to find out which gaming solutions company supports best computer games for free. Free Computer Games by MicrogamingRead More The Distinguished Works of the Preeminent Black Author, Ralph Ellison2059 Words   |  9 Pagesthe poet Langston Hughes and the novelist Richard Wright (Kennedy and Gioia). In the late 1930s and early 1940s, Ellison was primarily an essayist who was published in several American periodicals. It was in these early years that he wrote King of the Bingo Game and the Buster and Riley trilogy. In 1952, Ellisons Invisible Man was published in what became his most notable work. Invisible Man won Ellison numerous honors including the National Book Award in 1953 (Kennedy and Gioia). Ellison continuedRead MoreGambling Should be Legalized.1571 Words   |  7 PagesThere are tons of ways to gamble. Anybody can pretty much gamble or make a bet on anything. Some major games though are cards. People play games such as poker or blackjack. Also, betting on horses and dogs has been around quit a bit. The biggest form of gambling though is the lottery. Most of these games and events are already legal such has the track and the lottery, but why are regular games like poker and blackjack illegal? Why gamble? What good can come from gambling? Gambling can help our economyRead MoreLanguage Is The Best Choice For My Family Essay1317 Words   |  6 Pagesdays have at least one computer in their home. Use a search engine to find games in your new language. Many of these games are online and free. Sometimes you might find a board game you can purchase for a decent price to use on a regular basis for reinforcement of the language learning. There are cool bingo games in various languages, and I have yet to find a child or an adult who does not enjoy an occasional game of bingo! Concerned that your pronunciation might not be great in the target languageRead MoreThe Cultural Contributions Of Black Culture1800 Words   |  8 Pagesforgetting the importance of it. The issue of identity within the context of black culture is the loss of significance and how our current generation is up thrust now. â€Å"King of the bingo games† is a short story from the book we read in class, the story occurred in the late 1930’s or 1940’s in a movie theater where a bingo game is played for money. The theme of the story is â€Å"Fate and Free will†, (Cassil) the circumstances of the protagonist as a black male in the Civil Rights era, everything is defined