Which of the symbols in the story do you find most powerful? What might be equally symbolic today for your struggle to enter the university of your choice?
33 comments:
Anonymous
said...
In the story the "boxers" fight for gold and money on an electrified rug. To me this symbolizes the competition in colleges today. The "boxers" being students and the gold and money being our college of choice. The competition in our modern world is much higher than it was just a few years ago, but some students are willing to take that "electric shock" to get to where they want to be in life.
The most powerful symbol to me was the young black boxers speech. He worked so hard, even endured pain, just to be given a chance to be taken seriously. His hardships eventually paid off and he was offered a scholarship to a black college.
I found the briefcase at the end the most powerful symbol, representing the college of our choice. Also the struggle for coins and the speech could represent the different tests and struggles, such as the SATS and the college admission process, we must go through to gain admission to the college of our choice.
I agree with everyone, as the story encompasses multiple symbols in which we can relate to for our journey through HS to College. From the boxers fights and the briefcase to the struggle for coins, essentially portraying our struggles as highschool students and our desire to achieve what we want...COLLEGE!vat
I agree with Victoria and Nicolina. The most powerful symbol to me would be the print on the coins that mocked slaves and showed them as desperate for white man's approval, which in the story paralleled the young black men collecting coins from the ring. In our lives this could represent the way student are so desperate to get into college they almost become slaves to the college of their choice, taking the SAT/ACT multiple times, and putting hours into applications essays.
In the story "Battle Royal," there are many different symbols. I think the symbol that stands out most for me and my college choice process is the briefcase. To me, the briefcase represents the college that I have chosen, as it does in the story. Briefcases are usually a symbol of business and work, and both the "invisible man" and myself went through hard work to figure out future plans.
In the story the most powerful symbol to me was the main character's speech. Throughout the entire night, he had to endure many obstacles that more or less compromised his dignity. Much like real life, once he overcame the obstacles with his head held high, he was greatly rewarded.
I'm afraid that I am going to have to agree with everyone else. Getting into the college of our choice is much more difficult than what it used to be. The gold coins on the electric rug symbolize the desire many students have to be accepted into a certain college and the stress students are willing to endure just to be looked at by admissions.
I agree with Madelaine, that the speech the young man gave was the most powerful symbol because it represents the harsh treatment he went through as an African American searching for equality. In today's society women and other races are trying to find their place in society by changing the past to make the future better. The struggles he endured throughout his life represents the hardships blacks experienced for their fight for equality.
I am going to have to agree with everyone else. Getting into a college is extremely difficult these days. You not only have to apply and maintain good grades, but you also have to worry about the cost of the school. The gold coins symbolize not only the desire of many African Americans to be accepted into the society, but also the desire of many students to be accepted into a college.
The symbol in the story I discovered to be most powerful was the entire scene where the men were pouncing for the gold coins on the electric rug. The white men who ridiculed the desperate black men are symbolically related to the college admissions counselors and/or standardized test makers. Such deceitful academic leaders (white men) are always scrutinizing students (black men) who are leaping after such rewards as college, high test scores or scholarships (gold coins).
Good job fellow classmates because I agree with each and everyone of you! To put a bit of personal input on the topic I believe that the single most important symbol was the gold coins because it refers to high hopes for a good future and higher education in college especially as an african american. One we each can relate to as seniors preparing for our own college experience. Go Class of 2009!!!!!!!!!!
The story has many symbols which refer to black inequality. Some symbols that represent a lack of equality are the briefcase from Whimore's shop, the battle and the tattoo on the stripper. When the narrator gets the briefcase this shows only he can control his life. AMERICA! haha mine's bold
In the story a very powerful symbol for me was the blindfold the narrator was forced to wear during the actual battle. He was forced to go into the battle not knowing what to expect or what was going to happen. I feel like applying to college I am the same way. Not that I haven't done sufficient research to determine what colleges I would primarily like to attend, but I feel that I will never really see what I'm getting into until I am there---like the narrator.
Like Karly I could relate the part where the narrator fights blindly to the application process. The men were blindfolded and fighting unknown opponents just like we have to fight for our grades and scores on SAT/ACT not knowning all the aplicants we will be up against. Furthermore, if we have more knowledge of the expectatins of colleges like when the main charcter could finally see during the fight, then we can get the upper hand and beat a few other applicants. =)
I found, like Karly and Chelsea, that the battle itself was the greatest symbol for gaining entrance into a university because even though I have no personal vendetta against the other applicants and I would actually prefer to see them all enter their desired college with me I am equally blindfolded to who they are. Just like in the short story I find myself desperately struggling to come out on top in my fight to be accepted into my top university.
Jackie Bell: Just to be different, I'd like to point out how I find it interesting that before getting to the meat of the story, the narrator took time to describe his grandfather's last words and explain how they were a "curse" to him. In relation to our struggles with colleges today, we might be fighting against a standard that we don't necessary agree with or want to fulfill, and yet (this is the best part) in fighting against it, we may sometimes actually fulfill it. Just an interesting note on human nature and how things seem to work out sometimes.
The most powerful symbol in the story to me was the naked blonde woman with the American flag tattooed on her stomach. Besides providing a very graphic, evocative image, she held a much deeper meaning: she represented everything the young black men could not attain in their society, including the ideals of the United States. As for symbols relating to the great college search, I agree with Victoria. The most pressing issue for me is, indeed, finding a means to pay for higher education, and it certainly feels like a violent struggle. --Alex Burton
In my opinion, the actual battle royal is the closest in proximity to our struggle to get into the college of our choice, especially in competing for scholarships and class rank; students will often become excessively competitive and do whatever it takes to get them into the college of their choice, even if it means having to 'fight' others academically, they way the boys in the story fought for the highest pay.
I agree 100% to what Victoria said. The competition for the money and gold very accurately symbolizes the competition for our college of choice. It has gotten so much harder to get into colleges and the electric rug symbolizes the increase in difficulty.
If you are commenting and your user id is not evidently your name, please be sure you leave your first name or initials, so that I can give you credit for posting. Mrs. Patterson
While everyone else makes very good points about college struggles, I have to disagree. I saw the electrofied coins as the most powerful symbol in the story. The men fought their hearts out at the expense of white, jocular (haha like the vocab word) me, ranting and cheering as if these poor black men were animals. Then, when the winners were to be paid, they were shocked by the very ground they walked on, as if to mock their hardwork and endurance throughout the fight. I relate this, while yes I can see the college struggle, to the struggle with morals and ethics in High School and College as well. We are surrounded with pressures to drink, have sex, smoke, party, dress promiscuously and sucuumb to society. When we fight back, like these balck men, we are not rewarded, we are ridiculed, jeered at and pressured and even more to do what "the white men" or everyone else expects of the normal, teenager of today.
As everyone else has stated, I have to agree with everyone. The "boxer" symbolizes students who work hard to get what they want, and if they work hard enough, they will succeed. The money symbolizes the pressure students have to go through to get to college, meeting obstacles along the way.
Guess what? I agree with everyone else. Shocker. The boxers fighting for the gold symbolizing our whole college decision process, and the fight and struggle we all have to get into the college we want, by keeping up all our test scores and grades.
I don't agree, at least entirely. I feel that the large group brawls signify out times at high school, not sure of where or when the next blow will arrive from, and then after some doing, the final battle combatant emerges, possibly our primary college choice, and we each must surmount that fight to claim our prize.
Although Eric makes a good point, I agree more with kelsey, Karley and Chelsea. The briefcase, or our #1 college, is what we desire the most at the end, and the fight for the coins and gold symblizes to me the obstacles we must overcome in order to obtain our ultimate goal. The blindfold has equal symbolic importance bencause it illustrates the unpredictability of the admissiion process we are all facing.
Here is a shocker... i agree with everything everyone has said. Getting into college and the entire process is so stressful and there are so many things to worry about and money is one of the major issues. I definitely think the gold coins on the electric rug is a major symbol that shows the money needed for college. The boys fighting for the highest pay also shows how all of us are competing for the highest grades and rank in school.
Along with many other students, the gold coins are the most outstanding symbol because of the hope and dreams it reflects. The struggle for the coins perfectly imitates the competition for getting into college and past that, getting a job. We are all struggling in some way that relates to this symbol, making it the most powerful.
Not to sound repetitive but I agree with everyone else. The coins and gold represent the competition on college today adn the story encompasses the struggle that every student has to to go through to get in the college of their choice.
Like so many other people, i found the coins and electric rug to be the most powerful symbol in the story. It symbolizes not only the stuggles life imposes on everyone, but more specifically the battle that one may face in college. Today, everyone fights for what college they want. Everyone dives into the battle field in hopes of coming out with scholarships, college acceptances letters, and recognition of achievements. Often, one is even faced with an electric fence in life, and prospective college students take a running leap for it.
i agree with vicky because it is true that the norm is that the boxer is to fight for money and or fame as we fight to get money for college and scholarships for sports.
33 comments:
In the story the "boxers" fight for gold and money on an electrified rug. To me this symbolizes the competition in colleges today. The "boxers" being students and the gold and money being our college of choice. The competition in our modern world is much higher than it was just a few years ago, but some students are willing to take that "electric shock" to get to where they want to be in life.
AMEN TO WHAT VICTORIA SAID! I completely agree, the gold and money could definitely symbolize the college we want to so desperately get into.
The most powerful symbol to me was the young black boxers speech. He worked so hard, even endured pain, just to be given a chance to be taken seriously. His hardships eventually paid off and he was offered a scholarship to a black college.
I found the briefcase at the end the most powerful symbol, representing the college of our choice. Also the struggle for coins and the speech could represent the different tests and struggles, such as the SATS and the college admission process, we must go through to gain admission to the college of our choice.
By the way, this is pretty cool mrs. patterson, and i still cant get onto tha bedford excercise page
I agree with everyone, as the story encompasses multiple symbols in which we can relate to for our journey through HS to College. From the boxers fights and the briefcase to the struggle for coins, essentially portraying our struggles as highschool students and our desire to achieve what we want...COLLEGE!vat
I agree with Victoria and Nicolina. The most powerful symbol to me would be the print on the coins that mocked slaves and showed them as desperate for white man's approval, which in the story paralleled the young black men collecting coins from the ring. In our lives this could represent the way student are so desperate to get into college they almost become slaves to the college of their choice, taking the SAT/ACT multiple times, and putting hours into applications essays.
In the story "Battle Royal," there are many different symbols. I think the symbol that stands out most for me and my college choice process is the briefcase. To me, the briefcase represents the college that I have chosen, as it does in the story. Briefcases are usually a symbol of business and work, and both the "invisible man" and myself went through hard work to figure out future plans.
In the story the most powerful symbol to me was the main character's speech. Throughout the entire night, he had to endure many obstacles that more or less compromised his dignity. Much like real life, once he overcame the obstacles with his head held high, he was greatly rewarded.
I'm afraid that I am going to have to agree with everyone else. Getting into the college of our choice is much more difficult than what it used to be. The gold coins on the electric rug symbolize the desire many students have to be accepted into a certain college and the stress students are willing to endure just to be looked at by admissions.
I agree with Madelaine, that the speech the young man gave was the most powerful symbol because it represents the harsh treatment he went through as an African American searching for equality. In today's society women and other races are trying to find their place in society by changing the past to make the future better. The struggles he endured throughout his life represents the hardships blacks experienced for their fight for equality.
I am going to have to agree with everyone else. Getting into a college is extremely difficult these days. You not only have to apply and maintain good grades, but you also have to worry about the cost of the school. The gold coins symbolize not only the desire of many African Americans to be accepted into the society, but also the desire of many students to be accepted into a college.
The symbol in the story I discovered to be most powerful was the entire scene where the men were pouncing for the gold coins on the electric rug. The white men who ridiculed the desperate black men are symbolically related to the college admissions counselors and/or standardized test makers. Such deceitful academic leaders (white men) are always scrutinizing students (black men) who are leaping after such rewards as college, high test scores or scholarships (gold coins).
Good job fellow classmates because I agree with each and everyone of you! To put a bit of personal input on the topic I believe that the single most important symbol was the gold coins because it refers to high hopes for a good future and higher education in college especially as an african american. One we each can relate to as seniors preparing for our own college experience. Go Class of 2009!!!!!!!!!!
The story has many symbols which refer to black inequality. Some symbols that represent a lack of equality are the briefcase from Whimore's shop, the battle and the tattoo on the stripper. When the narrator gets the briefcase this shows only he can control his life.
AMERICA! haha mine's bold
In the story a very powerful symbol for me was the blindfold the narrator was forced to wear during the actual battle. He was forced to go into the battle not knowing what to expect or what was going to happen. I feel like applying to college I am the same way. Not that I haven't done sufficient research to determine what colleges I would primarily like to attend, but I feel that I will never really see what I'm getting into until I am there---like the narrator.
Like Karly I could relate the part where the narrator fights blindly to the application process. The men were blindfolded and fighting unknown opponents just like we have to fight for our grades and scores on SAT/ACT not knowning all the aplicants we will be up against. Furthermore, if we have more knowledge of the expectatins of colleges like when the main charcter could finally see during the fight, then we can get the upper hand and beat a few other applicants. =)
I found, like Karly and Chelsea, that the battle itself was the greatest symbol for gaining entrance into a university because even though I have no personal vendetta against the other applicants and I would actually prefer to see them all enter their desired college with me I am equally blindfolded to who they are. Just like in the short story I find myself desperately struggling to come out on top in my fight to be accepted into my top university.
Jackie Bell:
Just to be different, I'd like to point out how I find it interesting that before getting to the meat of the story, the narrator took time to describe his grandfather's last words and explain how they were a "curse" to him. In relation to our struggles with colleges today, we might be fighting against a standard that we don't necessary agree with or want to fulfill, and yet (this is the best part) in fighting against it, we may sometimes actually fulfill it. Just an interesting note on human nature and how things seem to work out sometimes.
The most powerful symbol in the story to me was the naked blonde woman with the American flag tattooed on her stomach. Besides providing a very graphic, evocative image, she held a much deeper meaning: she represented everything the young black men could not attain in their society, including the ideals of the United States. As for symbols relating to the great college search, I agree with Victoria. The most pressing issue for me is, indeed, finding a means to pay for higher education, and it certainly feels like a violent struggle. --Alex Burton
In my opinion, the actual battle royal is the closest in proximity to our struggle to get into the college of our choice, especially in competing for scholarships and class rank; students will often become excessively competitive and do whatever it takes to get them into the college of their choice, even if it means having to 'fight' others academically, they way the boys in the story fought for the highest pay.
-Tanya
I agree 100% to what Victoria said. The competition for the money and gold very accurately symbolizes the competition for our college of choice. It has gotten so much harder to get into colleges and the electric rug symbolizes the increase in difficulty.
If you are commenting and your user id is not evidently your name, please be sure you leave your first name or initials, so that I can give you credit for posting.
Mrs. Patterson
While everyone else makes very good points about college struggles, I have to disagree. I saw the electrofied coins as the most powerful symbol in the story. The men fought their hearts out at the expense of white, jocular (haha like the vocab word) me, ranting and cheering as if these poor black men were animals. Then, when the winners were to be paid, they were shocked by the very ground they walked on, as if to mock their hardwork and endurance throughout the fight. I relate this, while yes I can see the college struggle, to the struggle with morals and ethics in High School and College as well. We are surrounded with pressures to drink, have sex, smoke, party, dress promiscuously and sucuumb to society. When we fight back, like these balck men, we are not rewarded, we are ridiculed, jeered at and pressured and even more to do what "the white men" or everyone else expects of the normal, teenager of today.
As everyone else has stated, I have to agree with everyone. The "boxer" symbolizes students who work hard to get what they want, and if they work hard enough, they will succeed. The money symbolizes the pressure students have to go through to get to college, meeting obstacles along the way.
Guess what? I agree with everyone else. Shocker. The boxers fighting for the gold symbolizing our whole college decision process, and the fight and struggle we all have to get into the college we want, by keeping up all our test scores and grades.
I don't agree, at least entirely. I feel that the large group brawls signify out times at high school, not sure of where or when the next blow will arrive from, and then after some doing, the final battle combatant emerges, possibly our primary college choice, and we each must surmount that fight to claim our prize.
Although Eric makes a good point, I agree more with kelsey, Karley and Chelsea. The briefcase, or our #1 college, is what we desire the most at the end, and the fight for the coins and gold symblizes to me the obstacles we must overcome in order to obtain our ultimate goal. The blindfold has equal symbolic importance bencause it illustrates the unpredictability of the admissiion process we are all facing.
Here is a shocker... i agree with everything everyone has said. Getting into college and the entire process is so stressful and there are so many things to worry about and money is one of the major issues. I definitely think the gold coins on the electric rug is a major symbol that shows the money needed for college. The boys fighting for the highest pay also shows how all of us are competing for the highest grades and rank in school.
-Kelly
Along with many other students, the gold coins are the most outstanding symbol because of the hope and dreams it reflects. The struggle for the coins perfectly imitates the competition for getting into college and past that, getting a job. We are all struggling in some way that relates to this symbol, making it the most powerful.
Not to sound repetitive but I agree with everyone else. The coins and gold represent the competition on college today adn the story encompasses the struggle that every student has to to go through to get in the college of their choice.
Like so many other people, i found the coins and electric rug to be the most powerful symbol in the story. It symbolizes not only the stuggles life imposes on everyone, but more specifically the battle that one may face in college. Today, everyone fights for what college they want. Everyone dives into the battle field in hopes of coming out with scholarships, college acceptances letters, and recognition of achievements. Often, one is even faced with an electric fence in life, and prospective college students take a running leap for it.
i agree with vicky because it is true that the norm is that the boxer is to fight for money and or fame as we fight to get money for college and scholarships for sports.
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