Benny Peret (December 8th, 2014)
“I was hypnotized.”
Norman Mailer sat in the audience of the boxing ring white Griffith pounded Peret senseless. He wrote an account of what happened inside the ropes that night and how the brutal match ended in the death of Benny Peret. Mailer used an integration of logical and emotional content in his essay to make the reader feel like they were sitting in the audience that night watching the match themselves.
Benny Peret was a Cuban. He was a champion, resilient, and good at what he did. At the start of the essay, Mailer shares a bit of Benny with the reader. Giving backstory helps the reader form a relationship with Peret. To know him, to know how he punches and moves and the success he’s had in his career allows the reader to respond to who Peret is. The details listed by Mailer were matter-of-fact, though. Presenting Peret in a statement by statement light leaves the decision of Yes, I like him or No, I don’t like him to the reader.
Then Griffith is throwing punches. Peret is hammered by a closed fist so many times and so quickly that he’s sent back, reeling. Short sentences emphasize the punctuality of each move in the ring, how each hit is a deciding one. Every failure to dodge Griffith’s attack knocks Peret closer to unconsciousness. Clear descriptions of moves and countermoves show the reader where the impact of a blow landed or how a punch looked or sounded. Mailer’s use of imagery throughout the essay capture the whole fight, from Griffith’s animalistic aggression to Peret’s defenseless collapse.
Although Peret was unevenly matched by his opponent, he was never one to quit. The diction of the last paragraph carries the story in slow motion as Benny reluctantly crumples to the ground. “He went down more slowly than any fighter had ever gone down,” reminds the reader of Peret’s persevering attitude described at the beginning of the essay. His victorious spirit wins over the reader and gains their sympathy. Mailer was sure to relay the facts through logical content to give an accurate recount but also to create a relationship between Peret and the reader. Benny Peret may have lost in the ring, but his attitude transcended any remembrance of the defeat.