Literature: A Reflection of Life

For this assignment, you will be analyzing two more short stories,
“Battle Royal” (which is the first chapter in Ralph Ellison’s novel, Invisible Man)
and “The Birthmark.” As you read, reflect on the ways each depicts
characters that are deemed socially unacceptable because of their
outward appearances.

Please write a comparison/contrast essay of 1000 words
or more discussing the questions below. Remember to begin your paper
with an engaging introduction and clear thesis statement, develop each
point in the body of your paper using examples and quotes from the
stories, and conclude your paper with a restatement of your thesis and
closing remarks. Also, be sure to maintain your credibility by including
in-text citations and a reference list correctly formatted in APA
style.

1. Setting: Describe the settings of both pieces and identify how
   the eras in which they take place—with their distinct societal attitudes
   and customs—affect the main characters?
2. Characters:
   • “Battle Royal:” Discuss the young man and his grandfather.
     Why do we never learn the young man’s name? What do the grandfather’s
     dying words reveal about him?
   • “The Birthmark:” Describe the main characters: Aylmer, Georgiana and Aminadab. What is important to each?
3. Point of View: In which point of view (first- or third-person)
   is each piece told? If the point of view in “Battle Royal” was changed,
   would it have made the story more effective, or less so?
4. Symbolism: 
   • “Battle Royal:” Analyze the deeper meaning of the following:
     the “battle royal” itself, the naked blonde, and the young man’s dream
     at the end of the story.
   • “The Birthmark:” What does Georgiana’s birthmark signify,
     first to her and then to Aylmer? What does alchemy represent in the
     story?
5. Themes: What are the main themes/messages of each piece? What,
   in other words, do you think the authors, Ralph Ellison and Nathaniel
   Hawthorne, are trying to communicate about life and human nature in
   their respective stories?
6. Fear: What role does fear play in both pieces?
7. Discrimination: Both stories address physical appearance,
   specifically one’s skin, and the way people may discriminate against
   others because of external characteristics they deem inferior. Compare
   and contrast how discrimination and prejudice are presented in “Battle
   Royal” and “The Birthmark.”
8. Final Thoughts: Author Tim O’Brien wrote, “That’s what fiction
   is for. It’s for getting at the truth when the truth isn’t sufficient
   for the truth.” Talk about how literature might give us “truer” insights
   into the human experience by appealing to our senses, emotions and
   empathy. Describe a situation in which you or someone you know may have
   been discriminated against because of appearance, gender, race or
   another attribute. What did the experience teach you?