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Brent Staples Black Man And Public Space

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A “Black Man and Public Space,” by Brent Staples was written in 1951 about his experience of being a black man in different public areas. Staples throughout the story makes it a point to emphasize the gender and race of the different people he encounters. He uses the word victim to describe his first encounter which has a very racial and stereotypical feel towards him. The issue Staples has with this is that as a reader I, a Caucasian/Mexican female, relates more to the white woman or the victim. Staples uses a lot of emotion in the narrative pertaining to pathos with his word choice. The emotional connection keeps the reader feeling sympathy for the author, but does not allow the audience to have empathy towards him, or the black male, due to the connection and reliability of the white woman. The empathy comes from his personal experiences, “At dark, shadowy intersections, I could cross in front of a car stopped at a traffic light and elicit the thunk, thunk, thunk, of the driver-black, white, male or female- hammering down the door locks” (Staples). With his personal experiences uses dark and shadowy two words associated with danger or has an eerie connotation to …show more content…

But when a man goes into a black community with a sign that says “All Lives Matter” he is warned to get out of the area so nothing bad happens to him but when he ignore the warning his is later chased and has things thrown at him for simply saying all lives matter not just black people. The problem with this is that they do not want the stereotype that makes people fear them but their actions do not back up their words causing people to still be cautions in the presence of black people much like in essay Stapes wrote and much like the during the Civil Rights

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Analysis Of Brent Staples 'Black Lives Matter'

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The social justice movement known as “Black Lives Matter” is justified and sound because it makes a valid and thought-provoking point about the murder of innocent african americans and the stereotypes that come with these homicides. ”Black Lives in Public Spaces”,written by Brent Staples, talks about how a black male can’t walk through the streets without being seen as a kidnapper walking into a store and immediately identified as a felon. The Black Lives Matter movement is justified because it has become to common to see on the news the injustices that have been committed against the African American populace. It is so common that even African-Americans themselves have accepted this and found ways to deal with it. Brent Staples makes a point

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Stereotypes In Brent Staples's 'Just Walk On By'

1129 Words | 5 Pages

Stereotypes have the power to label someone and rob them of all their hard work or strike fear into others. One such stereotype is that of black men being more dangerous;yet, one black writer voices his opinion on such a stereotype. In the essay “Just Walk On By” by Brent Staples, Staples describes his experience of being a large black man and how it affects the people around him. From people locking their doors to pedestrians crossing the street to avoid a confrontation, people seem to be afraid of Staples just from a glance. Yet Staples does nothing to cause this fear, rather his stereotype is to blame.

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Brownies By ZZ Packer: Literary Analysis

2386 Words | 10 Pages

This fictional short story had a powerful meaning because it focused on how racial stereotyping can cause a lot of problems even among young girls who were attending a Girl Scouts camp. “Brownies” also showed how stereotyping can actually be harmful and can sometimes lead to hurtful consequences for the person who is the victim of it and for the person is guilty of stereotyping someone. I decided to do my analysis of this short story using the historical context element because of the long history of problems between the Black and White races in this country according to our history books, including one terrible incident that just happened one week ago when nine innocent Black people were murdered in a church in Charleston South Carolina by a 21 year old White racist who was guilty of stereotyping and hating Black people. The killer accused Black men of raping White women and that Black people were taking over the whole country. These were stereotypes that he first thought about in his head that then led to his terrible actions.

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Examples Of Black Men In Public Space By Brent Staples

530 Words | 3 Pages

Black Men and Public Space Brent Staples has had several experiences that have made him come to a conclusion that the black male body inspires fear in public spaces. In my opinion he is right to feel that way. Unfortunately, it is something that comes naturally to some people. This is due to the media exposure with black males, the lack of diversity in their upbringing and demographics.

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Rhetorical Analysis Of Just Walk On By

1164 Words | 5 Pages

His sympathetic persona along with his analogies actively connect the reader to his story, while the strong diction and depressing tone make a strong emotional impact. Unlike most essays, the anti discrimination message can be applied to multiple minority groups and other social issues. As a whole, Brent Staples essay succeeds on all levels as it makes an impactful argument describing how society's view on African Americans as being dangerous violent criminals is truly

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Racism In Staple's Just Walk On By Brent Staples

1069 Words | 5 Pages

When Staples was growing up he has experienced a lot of hatred. Even from the young age, he is treated as a threat. He has narrated different encounters with different people in different cities, and the reaction was always the same. He describes how he has always been discriminated against for being a black journalist. As a black human male, Staples feels like he is walking on eggshells everywhere he goes. "

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Summary Of Just Walk On By A Black Man Ponders His Power To Alter Public Space

840 Words | 4 Pages

In his essay, “Just Walk on By: A Black Man Ponders His Power to Alter Public Space”, Brent Staples uses the rhetorical strategies of anecdote and diction in order to convey his message that due to racial discrimination black people (mainly men) have to change the way they naturally conduct themselves in public for they run the risk of something terrible happening to them. Staples uses anecdotes to bring in the personal side of the message to the audience. Staples creates a persona of innocence and almost alienation in his writing. Anecdotes such as his both instances in which he accidently scared women on walks and the time in which he and another reporter were mistaken for murder suspects or robbers are used to show real life proof of his message.

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Brent Staples 'Black Men And Public Space'

110 Words | 1 Pages

In his essay entitled Black Men and Public Space (1987), Brent Staples talks about how people will have a common misconception on the black community by thinking that they are all mugger ,rapist or thugs. Staples supports his claim by telling the reader events/ stories that occured to him and talks about how people will assume that he is a danger to society when in reality he isnt. The authors purpose is to inform the reader that his experiences of being stereotyped is to show the reader his point of view when it comes to these types of situations. Staples writes in a formal tone for an intelligent or free minded person.

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Analysis Of Just Walk On By Brent Staples

934 Words | 4 Pages

He conveys this through his powerful use of diction, even in the first sentence he says “My first victim was a woman-white” (Staples 1). The word victim gives a very dark and scary tone as if something horrible is bound to happen, but as the reader reads along the whole scenario is just the narrator walking through a park at night and the white woman feels threatened and progressively runs away from the man. The narrator is a college student. The main message is that people are still so quick to judge and feel like they are in danger when they are around african american people they’ll in this case run away. It's also a proven statistic by Havard University states that women are in fact scared of men.

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Rhetorical Devices In 'Just Walk On By' By Brent Staples

1013 Words | 5 Pages

Staples uses imagery, so the reader can picture it when reading his work, and to help create a sort of dark and lonely tone. The character uses several personal experiences which use a large amount of imagery. This is better shown when staples writes “ As a softy who is scarcely able to take a knife to a raw chicken- let alone hold it to a person’s throat……”(542), The character feels as though he is being judged for being a certain color when really he is afraid himself of getting hurt; he is also very humble and shy because he is afraid to even harm something that isn’t alive. When being treated as guilty and wrong, shame will follow; the character feels shameful that the lady is afraid of him when he has done nothing wrong.

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Summary Of Just Walk On By Brent Staples

756 Words | 4 Pages

Throughout his essay, Staples is able to make the audience understand what he has to deal with as a black man. Staples does this by using words and phrases such as, “...her flight made me feel like an accomplice in tyranny” and “... I was indistinguishable from the muggers who occasionally seeped into the area…” (542). By writing and describing how he (Staples) feels, the audience is able to get an inside look into how black men are treated and better understand why society’s teachings, play a vital role in how we see each other. Staples’ powerful writing also allows the reader to take a step back and see how as a society, people make judgements on others based on appearance alone.

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Black Men And Public Space Rhetorical Analysis

621 Words | 3 Pages

“Black Men and Public Spaces” Diagnostic Essay Brent Staples in “Black Men and Public Spaces,” illustrates the inescapable prejudices and stereotyping that African-American men face in America. He does this by relating to his audience through his personal experiences with stereotyping, and sharing his malcontent on how these events have made him alter his way of living. From “victimizing” woman, watching people lock themselves away, and having to whistle classical music to calm the nerves of people around him; Staples builds a picture to help people better sympathize and understand his frustration. Although Staples describes himself as a college graduate, a journalist, and a softy in the face of violence, he details that the overall public deems him a dangerous criminal.

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Black Men And Public Space By Brent Staples Summary

841 Words | 4 Pages

In his essay “Black Men and Public Spaces,” Brent Staples explains that people often find him intimidating because he is tall and black. Staples shares his account of a number of personal encounters, arguing that in each situation, he was misinterpreted as being dangerous because of his daunting physical appearance. Staples asserts that as a result of this misinterpretation, he was continually mistreated. Staples begins his article by describing the events leading up to his life-changing realization that he has inherited “the ability to alter public space in ugly ways (183).” When he was twenty-two years old, Staples found himself one evening, walking behind a well-dressed white woman on a deserted street in a rather wealthy neighborhood.

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Summary Of Just Walk On By Black Men And Public Space

1166 Words | 5 Pages

Just Walk on By: Black Men and Public Space by Brent Staples discusses the relevant issues of racial bias and how prejudice against people of color has embedded minds, as it demonstrates the importance of being aware of how we conceive others. Staples uses a contrasting element of race by introducing a white female and a black male. He uses his experiences and other people of colour to display the struggles of racism they face everyday. Staples reveals how people are prejudice against appearance, despite the importance of individuality of people and being impartial regardless of someone 's skin or looks. The story begins with Staples describing his first experience frightening a white women due to the colour of his skin.

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Rhetorical Analysis Of Just Walk On By, By Brent Staples

1244 Words | 5 Pages

Author and editorial writer, Brent Staples acknowledges this issue as well as experience many situations in which people distinguish him from others. Brent Staples message in his essay titled “Just Walk On By” is conveyed to the audience through many rhetorical devices in which he suggests that stereotypes of race and gender can impact someone 's life in the easiest ways. Brent Staples use of pathos creates an emotional connection and pulls the reader into his essay, through his anecdotes and diction. His intro paragraph tells an interesting story, in a way that readers often forget what type of passage they are reading. Staples uses of phrases such as “my first victim”, “seemed menacingly close” “picked up her pace” and notably “running in earnest” (1-2).

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