Brent Staples Ten Ways We Get The Odds Wrong

An important part of an exemplification essay is using correct essay structure and examples. The examples may be used to help the writer explain, clarify, and support their arguments or points (Kirszner 207). Examples could also be used to add interesting topics in the authors paper, making the paper enjoyable (Kirszner 208). Using correct writing structure in the exemplification essay is also important (Kirszner 211-212). Both Brent Staples’s memoir “Just Walk On By: A Black Man Ponders His Power to Alter Public Space” and Maia Szalavitz’s article “Ten Ways We Get the Odds Wrong” use exemplification with similarities and differences in the way they use their examples as a way to explain their main points, the way it affects how interesting

In his memoir, Staples writes about racial profiling he has personally experienced in the New York and Chicago area. He talks about himself walking down a deserted street with just the woman (238). Staples then talks about the fear he could feel in the woman with the distance she kept away from him (238). Eventually the woman started running until she disappeared into the cross street (Staples 238). He writes about another time he was racially profiled in a jewelry store (241). Staples just walks into a jewelry store to pass some time while he was on an assignment and “the proprietor excused herself and returned with an enormous red Doberman pinscher (Staples 241).” When the proprietor brought the “enormous red Doberman pinscher” out Staples just left the store after greeting the proprietor farewell (Staples

He is telling a story starting from the beginning and moving towards events that happen later. Staples first talks about his “first victim” and moves along his timeline (Staples 238). Staples then talks about what his first year was like outside of his hometown and states that it was filled with people who were afraid of him (Staples 239). He then talks about him moving to New York after his time in Chicago (Staples 239). he writes about his experience in New York, and even there he has people who are afraid of him (Staples 240). In the end of his memoir he talks about how he tries to be less menacing. In conclusion, there are similarities and differences in Staples’ memoir and Szalavitz’ Exemplification relies heavily on using examples (Kirszner 207). The examples can help the writer explain, clarify, and or support their topic or point (Kirszner 208). The examples can also help draw the readers’ attention (Kirszner 208). Exemplification may rely mostly on examples used, but the structure of the essay is also important (Kirszner