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I appreciated Lauren and Sadie's connection during our section on "The Black Ball" about gender and parental roles, specifically for Black Americans at the time, to almost shelter their children from the discrimination that they will undoubtably one day face, as the father did in this story.

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Near the end of our discussion when were were on "King of the Bingo Game," I thought it was an awesome connection that Bryce started and Frances, Sadie, and Lauren added on to that Black Americans at the time were both overcome by the desire for control, the pressure to succeed, and the idea of self-determination, which absolutely applied to Ellison's life in his journey from Oklahoma to studying at Tuskegee and working incredibly hard to convey his ideas through stories and make a name for himself.

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In our makeup discussion, I really liked how Lauren tied in historical context to her gender roles lens with pointing out that the only woman mentioned in the "Black Ball" story was a nurse which was one of the only typical jobs for a woman to have at the time other than being a stay at home mother.

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I really like Josh's point that the Black Ball is foreshadowing the racial discrimination and expectations that the young boy will have to experience as a Black man in a white man's America. The boy is too naive to understand what the father is attempting to explain to him about why it is referred to as the "Black Ball" which shows us the child's innocence and humanity. This made me think of Martin Luther King's "I Have a Dream Speech." While Martin Luther King came well after the Harlem Renaissance, it was interesting to see themes overlap over time. In his speech, he states, "We can never be satisfied as long as our children are stripped of their adulthood and robbed of their dignity." Children are forced to grow up quickly because they have to learn about the racial injustices that they will face as adults which will impact them for the rest of their lives negatively. Black children are put at an extremely harsh disadvantage based on the racism that they will face and unfortunately have to learn how adapt to.

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Kyle's mention of the chosen people in the King of the Bingo game reminds me of people saying nowadays that a black person is "one of the good ones". The good ones today are favored by white people because they appeal to white ideals or they talk "white" or formal. I hadn't thought of that angle of that phrase before he mentioned it.

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Brooks point to the conflicting feelings the protagonist in "King of the Bingo Game" has about the South speaks to the conflicting feelings Black Americans probably had about moving from their community, the same feelings that Ellison has himself. Though he moved to Harlem and was growing exponentially and in a better situation financially and racially than when he was with his family in SC and GA, he probably still missed his family and what they provided him. That same sentiment is shared, that while Black Americans are thriving racially and some economically, the feeling of community they built in the South didn't follow them there. This also reminds me of the conflict of generations in "Harlem is Nowhere" Where you have people who grew up in slavery with people who all they know is radicalization. In the South, Locke tells us that the Black American identity is defined by a common problem, and while it is liberating to be freed of that and looks at individually, it is difficult to find other things to connect in which can make it lonely.

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I also liked how they mentioned that during that time, black men would be used for jobs and then replaced. Which Kyle mentioned which was why he was skeptical of the the man offering the Union job to the father. That not only did they struggle finding good jobs to provide for their families, they struggled with keeping them. Black men expected that they wouldn't get a job in the union, or well paying jobs. They expected that they would have to settle for "blue-collar" jobs, because the people hiring for the well paying jobs inevitably were white people. In that time, they sort of expected this fact and did the best they could to navigate through this society.

In addition the Man in the bingo game represents the desperation Black men had for control. To choose the jobs they wanted, live where they wanted, and be who they wanted. It wasn't expected that a black man would have control in that time period and we see that once he does, his dream of protecting the woman he loves becomes more real to him (tangible). However, the time he has control eventually runs outs, because inevitably the white people allowed him to be in control and once he didn't want him to be in control, the closed the curtain on him. What's sad is that this was expected and that those in control where white people, so he didn't have control for very long.

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I like Brynn's connection between "King of the Bingo Game" and the poem "Dream Variations." I agree that these have some connections because the character in the short story wants to be in control of his own life and be able to live freely which is why he doesn't press the button immediately. The poem talks about being able to live freely and the narrator in the short story imagines a life where he is able to be in control.

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I like Brynn's point of White Americans who sponsored or posed as people who want to help Black Americans, really wanted control over their lives makes me think of the undertone in Washington's speech, that Black Americans can only make progress and can only make progress on the terms and "graciousness" of White America.

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Kyle mentioned the idea of trust in the story. I found this very interesting because the protagonist is reluctant to talk to others throughout the story. Is this relating to trust or is this just how he was forced to live during this time?

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Going off of Brynn's point of black people being behind the black ball, the phrase really reminds me of stereotypes. In being behind the black ball, you're nothing more than a black worker. The shadow of this black ball (stereotypes) sort of determines how everyone sees you at face value. It also goes back into the main character of the Black Ball mentioning that all of his worth lies in his work because that's all people need him for and see him as.

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Xavier's mention of the illusion that white union recruiters were helping Black labor workers, when in reality they were just as racist as everyone else, reminds me of the White labor requiters from the North that would come down to the South and recruit Black Americans to come work in the industrial fields. The same way these white recruiters from the North put on the illusion of having Black American'c best interest at mind is the same way the white union recruiter approaches and pitches the union to the protagonist in "The Black Ball". The are simply taking advantage of the Black community knowing they don't have a better choice.

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Brynn's connection is about how white people are essentially controlling African Americans through funding and money even though they are claiming that they are "helping" is prevalent over the course of many of the artistic works we have read. To bring in Korey's point, the North was not much better than the South when it came to racism and people were just as manipulative in wanting to control the narrative that Black artists were seeking to put out. This really comes into conflict with the work of W.E.B Dubois and "If We Must Die" by Claude Mckay because people that are giving into the control pushed by the white people are not really helping the fight against racism.

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Korey's mentioning of the idea that the North wasn't so different from the South during and after the Great Migration. He mentioned that it was better but it wasn't anything totally new in terms of oppression and racial discrimination. This really ties into why the main character in the Black Ball was so on edge with the white union worker and chose not to look him in the eye because he figured that that man would be just the same as any other white man. By looking the man directly in the eye, before knowing his intention, he risked unemployment which is not unlike the relationship between whites and black people in the South.

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Brook's point of the symbolism of the environment in "The Black Ball" references Harlem reminds me of the contrast of Ellisons' description of Harlem in "Harlem is Nowhere" because by that story he describes Harlem almost as the issue, rather than the people. This is also probably due to the fact that he wrote "The Black Ball" during the time when Harlem was flourishing, as opposed to when he wrote "Harlem is Nowhere", Harlem had fallen.

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Korey's mentioning of white oppression tying into the idea of the lack of direct eye contact between the main character and his boss was really key to this dynamic. In my own research, looking through a psychological lens, Everyday Health said that a lack of eye contact indicates rudeness, unfriendliness, submissiveness, and an emotionally distant connection. This really represents the father in the black ball and the historical relationship between white and black people through white supremacist racial segregation. On the other hand, a lack of eye contact can also communicate arrogance and dominance. This most connects to Ellison’s boss in the quote.

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Brooks mentioned disparity which you could say is a perfect word to describe the interactions within the novels because they were just simply unfair. As a young kid to have to face that unfairness so early on just for a toy ball, but not even understand the unfairness you're facing. It's as if white people have used innocence as a weapon to start this cycle of racism for black people when they're young, to then create this psychological superiority over them. That then has black people stuck in confusion for so long until they are older to to understand, but it's as if it is too late to now comprehend what you've been facing for so long.

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I liked how Josh saw the symbolism in the black ball and the foreshadowing of the struggles the young boy would soon face (racial discrimination/gender norms). Especially since we see the young boy's innocence in that he didn't understand what it meant to be behind the black ball. And this was expected in that time period. I like how Cory mentioned that specific part. That it was expected at that time for those things to happen. This could be why the father's take was more submissive than against (he had begun to submit instead of fight, since he was beginning to expect it), tying this to my discussion we see that men already had to provide, but soon he would see the extra layer of being a black man. That he would struggle with finding a job and keeping that job to provide. He would struggle with discrimination and learning how to cope in that environment. That he would become used to experiencing prejudice.

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Josh's point of Black workers experiencing discrimination even within spaces that are meant to promote equality speaks to the duality of being black and being a working class citizen, because they even face oppression within a group that they are being oppressed with.

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Korey mentioned the interaction between the protagonists in "The Black Ball" and his boss. I noted this during my reading as well. The protagonist fears he may lose his job to a white man, so the interaction seems very forced. It shows that he is living with constant worry and relates to the idea my group discussed which is the pressure black men face. The narrator had to provide for his son but was afraid he might lose his job.

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Carolines point of the pressure put on Black men to mantain and hold jobs reminds me of W.E.B. Dubois statement that a race of men cannot succeed without access to good education and jobs. One of the most common sentiments within the black community is that equal access to jobs in necessary for liberation, and by taking that away, or only reaching for labor jobs, like Booker T Washington suggests in his convention speech, limits to progress they will make, but keeps them subservient to their White counterparts.

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In all of their analyzations, the idea of intersectionality, the idea of being both black and male/female, comes into play. Many of the girls mentioned how the experience of a white male and a black male is different in what each can provide for their families and how easily they can provide the finances needed for their families. I found that really interesting. Also the group analyzing gender studies really highlighted that all of these critical lenses go into the motivation and manner in which Ellison wrote these short stories. Everything ties together really well.

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Grace's point about how Ellison takes what he learns from his mom (she was a socialist and activist for Black Progress), speaks to the respect he has for women and how he holds them in a reverence. This is especially unique because Black women were oppressed as both Black people and as women, and the only spaces they had that were safe were spaces they had to create, like Georgia Douglas Johnson creating th salons. This makes me think about how when Black women advocate for progress, everyone tends to benefit from it.

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I like how Grace brought up how Ellison got his fight from his mother because she was very adament on fighting for what you believe in. Ellison indeed did that and showed his adamancy through his writing which is interesting to me.

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Caroline's and Giselle's point about the pressure that Black men have about upholding the societal norm of being the breadwinner and keeping a job, but struggling to because they are discriminated against speaks to a way that White America tries to de-masculinize black men, which alters the family dynamic that is seen as normal in America, and directly makes them feel less than white men.

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Obviously durring this time there were many things telling black people that they were lesser then white people and the pressure they felt form society to conform to the norms that ha been unfairly made for them but I never thought about the pressure that they put on themselves to succeed for their family and what that does to their own self image so I think that is a really great point.

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I like the connection Giselle made between the two protagonists of each novel and how they both valued their life based off of their economic status and how this character trait of money defining you historically, could be seen mostly within men.

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Giselle's mention of the male character's need to control things and the feeling that their jobs define all of who they are to themselves and their family's tie into his background because of the many jobs his mother and father took part in despite the minimum wage they were earning.

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I like how grace made the connection on how the women were't actual characters, but were symbolized and didn't have big job responsibilities.

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Grace's point that women aren't used as characters in Ellison's story, and rather as symbols to represent something reminds me of the female entertainer in "The Invisible Man" on how the American flag tattoo she had made her more of a representation of the American Dream and how she is used to create it, rather than a regular person in the story.

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Grace
Women are more important as symbolism rather than characters, used "the example of the nurse, used a good example and made her look like an innocent figure and almost makes it seem like she is not working as hard as she had been, which was not very right"

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I agree with grace, in most of the writings at the time, women are shown as figures and not characters that have a voice. This connects to many of the poems we have read like Countee Cullen's To a Brown Girl. At the time women were mostly portrayed as delicate, more innocent, and more emotional than the men of the time. And like Caroline said, they are not "strong minded" like the men are often portrayed. When they were all experiencing the same racism and exclusion as black men.

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It's interesting how Olivia made the connection with economic status being with men at the time and still being the case today of how they're seen as the breadwinners of a family. The fact she brought up stress playing a part with this responsibility I also really liked.

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I like how Reign decided to take on the male side of the gender critical lens. It seemed very relevant to mention the male need to be the primarily provide for their families. Grace also mentioned the feeling of responsibility men feel over the lives of their families which I thought was really important to understand the time in which Ellison wrote this piece.

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Grace brings up the concept of the narrator in the King of the Bingo Game and how as a man his role is to protect his family and make the money for them. I think that this is very similar to the historical concepts of this time and how the idea that the men made the money.

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Grace brought up a good point of how in this time men thought it was on them to take care of women and used the quote "his mind formed an image of himself running with Laura in his arms down the tracks of the subway just ahead of an A train," showing how he feels the need to take care of Laura because she is sick.

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Reigns point of Black men's motivation of moving to Harlem because of the job oppurtunities, because traditionally they are breadwinners speaks to the complex norms within the Black community that are still upheld, along with stereotypes assigned to them.

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I think the idea of false hope that keeps coming up is pretty interesting. It's something that manifests itself in all three of Ralph Ellisons stories we read. The coins in the Invisible Man, the little note that the union worker slips the father in Black Ball, and the false hope of winning in King of the Bingo game all paint a picture of desperation. A way out that isn't in "the rules of the game". I think an interesting connection that could be made is that Harlem is a false hope of sorts too. This could be explanation for why so many people cling to the belief that Harlem is a way out, and are still determined despite its fall from grace. Ellison brings this up in "Harlem is Nowhere"

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I liked all of the connections to the thought of men thinking that they had to be the primary provider for their families. Grace also related this with men feeling responsible for their families.

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Zion R. and Lyndsey both brought up good connections between the texts that there is a theme in most of Ellison's stories of false hope. They gave examples of The "Invisible Man" when the gold coins were fake. In the "King of the Bingo Game" the false hope of him winning the jackpot. In "The Black Ball" the false hope that they might be able to win the game that he is already playing and his son will learn to play.

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Lyndsey's point about the common theme of false hope throughout all of Ellison's stories is very interesting. I didn't think about the idea of control in "The Bingo Game" relating to the ending of "The Black Ball" showing the son's innocence.

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I think Zion R's point about control is interesting relating to King of the Bingo Game. As the protagonist has never had that kind of control in his entire life, he is desperate to keep his power of the prize wheel.

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When Lyndsey spoke about the idea of being desperate during the King of the Bingo Game and how the narrator needs the money for his wife is very important. Going off what she said it shows a little into the life of America at that time, everyone was broke and this was due to the great depression and a lot of racism from white people who were taking African-American's jobs.

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i like the connection Lindsey made to the invisible man and how desperate both characters are to win this "game."

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Zion W.
His ability to switch the question to a different story and make it a clear question with context, he stated that he felt he was writing about how he felt alienated, he also tied the writing into his own life in how he got a divorce and wrote about it to kind of make it feel relatable for the reader in comparison to his real life.

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It's super interesting to know that Ellison cared for his younger brother like a father would after his mother died because it shows how his stories directly relate to his real life. Another example of this is that Ellison had gotten a divorce the year before The King of the Bingo Game was published and the man's wife Laura, in the story, was very sick and about to die which may have related to how Ellison's was feeling about his ex-wife at the time.

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I like how Zion R. has done a lot of research about Ellison and his childhood and points out the similarity within the characters in the stories and the people that were a part of Ellison's life.

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I wonder if any of the narrators from Ellison's stories incorporate characteristics from Ellison himself. He uses people from his life to create the characters in the story, so are the protagonists inspired by himself?

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I think Caroline made a really interesting thought. Both the characters in the stories we read were different, so where does the inspiration for his characters come from? I wonder if some characters are based oh himself and some based on other people he knows or if it's a mix of both.

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I really like how Lyndsey talks about idolizing people in the story, not only his parents but here and there he idolized the labor workers. She used goof evidence with a quote as well and made it very clear what she was trying to get across.

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I like how the Psychological group brought up ideas that Ellisons life was almost like a template for both of these short stories. Like Zion W. brought up that he had a wife and then got divorced right before writing "King of the Bingo Game." Then Zion R. brought up that his mother was sick which Laura in the short story was also sick. It's just really interesting to see how much his life affects his stories.

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I really liked Lyndsey's comment on how the father in the story was a reflection of Ellison's male role models in his own life. How Ellison was raised directly impacts the way he perceives masculinity, parental figures, and societal roles. As a result, the father figures directly correlate to the fact that in the story father's housekeeping duties were never looked down upon even though society does and never mentions the female.

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I think Zion W brings up a great point about alienation and ties it to a historical situation at the time which was WW2. I also liked how he included that Ellison was also a Merchant Marine. I believe this time frame was a dark one for America but especially for the residents of Harlem. The ability that all of these people had to stay persistent and survive through tough times is astonishing and a key part of American history.

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With Lyndsey and Zion's points, I think that a huge part of Ellison's work was influenced by how his life is, from his life growing up to his personal experiences with racism and segregation while growing up. With examples being maternal sickness in The King of the Bingo Game to the paternal figure in The Black Ball.

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I never recognized that one story dealt more with a father figure and that the other related more to his mother and I think that is something very interesting that Brynn pointed out.

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I think it's interesting that Lyndsey highlighted the difference between Ellison's father and grandfather. I think that the father figure is so often viewed as the "authoritarian" in the household, especially during that time and I thought it was interesting that the father in Black Ball actually acted more like a stereotypical mother would have. So it's interesting to know that Ellison's childhood may have influenced that character.

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I like Lyndsey's comment about the father in "The Black Ball." She said that Ellison had a tender father figure but a stern grandfather. I agree that the father character in the story was definitely a combination of living but also stern. When he found his son crying about losing his ball, the father comforted him rather than scolding him. However, the father also teaches the son important lessons when necessary.

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I like the ideas that Zion W brought up relating to Laura in King of the bingo game. He talked about how this could be a sense of loneliness found within the protagonist throughout the story.

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I like how Lindsey made the in depth analysis on how the father in "The black ball" was like Ellison's father, like how he's patient and kind. However, he's also stern like Ellison's grandfather.

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I think Lyndsey made a really good point bringing up the childhood of Ralph Ellison and how his father figures influenced the black ball and the characters in the short story.

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I like how lyndsey showed the dynamic of Ellion's grandfather's impact his life then created in the story as the character of the little boy's father. This really shows how his family specifically his male figures impacted the characters and how his experiences with those characters are reflected in the story.

I also like Zion R's perspective that the black ball mirror's Ellison's parents experiences being a black family and how work impacted the characters. Just like Ellison saw his parents see their worth in their jobs, we see this in the story too.

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Psychological
I like Lyndsey's connection about father figures. After she pointed it out, I can see the relationship between the father in Black Ball and the father figures in Ellison's life. I think that perspective also connects to the  historical view of how the father was in a "game" that the son hadn't understood yet. The connection is through the different experiences that each generation has. As well as the steady theme of racial oppression or just excessive difficulty experienced in life.

I like Zion's connection of Ellison portraying himself through the struggles experienced by the main character of the King Of Bingo. With the other readings like Invincible Man, I think it is common to see Ellison portray the things he feels in his writing. As Zion pointed out, Ellison had a mother that passed away and left him and his brother alone. This is shown through the man character's wife Laura, who is sick without the funds to be taken care of with. Black Ball shows the struggle to get a job, and keep it as an African American man.

Feminist

I like Olivia's connection to the real world. Mentioning the struggle of men trying to feed their family. Grace also mentions the importance of men feeling as if they had to care for their  woman specifically.  With this in mind, I think the sick wife (Laura) in the King of Bingo holds a lot of significance. It explains why the protagonist is so desperate to win money to take care of her. Although the reading takes a turn, I think winning money for his wife build context for the writing. We can see the historical connection to the challenges of having low paying jobs while still trying to provide for your family.

I like how Caroline mentions the struggle that men experienced to get a job.  Specifically the struggle of black men getting a job. The quote of the black men across the street getting fired because 2 white men wanted their job was mentioned. Ellison's writing seems to have a common them of the protagonists having motivation to reach a goal, but experiencing difficulty while trying to achieve it. In Black Ball the goal is took take care of the son, in King of Bingo it's the wife, Invincible man was about the speech. Looking at all of the writings I think Ellison does a good job of talking about the struggles of African Americans in general, and the stress that comes with it.