More handpicked essays just for you.
Advantages and disadvantages of cultural diversity in society
Advantages and disadvantages of cultural diversity in society
Cultural diversity in the us impact
Don’t take our word for it - see why 10 million students trust us with their essay needs.
"I've told you too much. How come they want all this stuff from the colored people anyways? Do they take any stories from the white people...? " a Georgia woman.
In "On the Subway", the author, Sharon Olds explicitly describes an experience she had while using public transportation. Sitting across from her was an African American male who casually resembled a common mugger. In her thoughts, she analyzed and considered the obvious differences between her life of lavishness, which represents white superiority, and his supposed life of struggle and abuse, representing black inferiority. Olds displays this analyzation of both worlds by using imagery and simile. To begin, Olds uses the poetic device of imagery in order to give a visual description.
When the author instills these emotions into the readers, they may also realize one very important aspect: they too have felt this way and been in a similar situation. This only serves to further reinforce Staples’ message that stereotyping has become a horrible plague not only to him but to society as a whole. Additionally, the rich portrayal of the emotions felt by the pedestrians shows that Staples has a profound understanding of how others feel in his presence. This shows a clarity in Staples’ thinking and will allow readers to trust that the author has done heavy thinking and analyzing, thus helping his credibility. Staples’ meticulously worded imagery throughout his essay successfully conveys tense, skeptical, and even fearsome emotions in his readers.
Impoverished, Imprisoned, Ignominious A Black man on the side of the street. A poor drug-dealing teenager. An immigrant. These are just a few of the types of people that white society dreads.
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.
In both of these articles, the authors show similarities of discrimination however the articles highlight differences using diction, anecdotes, and tone throughout their writing with the soul purpose to account for racism. The authors write and project towards a certain audience to acknowledged the racial issues the people are still facing.
In the contemporary era, the issue of race remains a prevalent topic in public discussion. Thus, Colson Whitehead’s The Underground Railroad is meaningful as it explores the legacy of racial injustice in the United States and its consequences in today’s society. In his development of the underground railroad as a literal and physical vehicle to freedom, Whitehead is able to candidly detail the ubiquitous nature of racial prejudice and the horrors associated with it. Over the course of his novel, the author utilizes a variety of rhetorical devices in order to further explore the many hardships that ‘freedom’ inevitably entails.
Zora Neale Hurston in the essay, “How It Feels to Be Colored Me” explains that despite the cultural backgrounds, everyone is essentially the same. Hurston supports her explanation by comparing the way she grew up compared to white people. The author’s purpose is to inform a multi-racial audience in order to decrease racial tension and increase unity and awareness. Hurston talk about racial identity and her idea that being black is the same as being white, except for a few cultural differences.
In the story, Joyce Carol Oates introduces the main character, Connie, by giving the reader contextual information on her life. Connie was the typical rebel teenager. She lied to her parents, snuck off with the boys, went out late at night, was mischievous, and had a dysfunctional relationship with her family. The story motivated the production of the film, “Smooth Talk”. Both of these pieces had the same crucial ideas, varied in the family relations, information concerning Arnold Friend and his obsession of Connie, and resolutions to the ambiguous ending.
It’s been 53 years since President Lyndon Johnson enforced the Civils Rights Act of 1964, but racism is still an ongoing issue to this day, whether it’s intentionally or inadvertently caused by the people in our society. Cornelius Eady evaluates the concept of racism through his poem, “The Cab Driver Who Ripped Me Off,” which focuses on the views of a prejudiced cab driver. Eady’s literary works focuses largely on the issue of racism within our society, centering on the trials that African Americans face in the United States. “The Cab Driver Who Ripped Me Off” from Autobiography of a Jukebox is an influential poem that successfully challenges the problems associated with racism, which is a touchy, yet prevalent problem that needs to be addressed.
During the early 1970’s, the United States of America had many structural inequalities integrated into its society. Many Americans lives were affected by the social standards of race, gender, and economic stance. Anne Sexton’s transformative poem “Cinderella” allows the speaker to use satire to show the structural inequalities of the economy, gender, and race in the United States in the 1970’s. With the use of mockery, the speaker shows how fairy tales and unequal distributions of authority were used to ensure a lack of social mobility in the United States.
Society in today’s world is very alike to society years ago, with different social classes and stereotypes. In “Just walk on by” by Brent staples, a variety of rhetorical devices are used in order to convey the message of how a black man is trying to show society that he is so much more than the color of his skin. The author explains how the character was characterized as violent and dangerous because he was black. Staples continues on a sort of journey with the character to show how he overcomes that stereotype, by whistling classical music to give the idea that he is mature and less threatening. Throughout the piece, Staples uses devices that will help the reader better understand the struggles that the character has to face on a daily basis.
204). The art showed off their love and passion for their culture and the fearlessness they possessed with the challenges they’ve faced daily. The upper and middle classes of the black community could only relate to the white community by denying their tie to the lower class (Huggins, p. 204). The difference is, the lower class wasn’t so effected by the shame, they loved every part of their poor, loud, and acentric lives.
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.
For example, “And he is black / and I am white, and without meaning or/ trying to I must profit from his darkness…” (Olds Line 21-23). In this particular example, Olds says outright the difference between the two; the color of their skin. This quote from the poem, not only tells us their differences based on their skin color, but shows contrast in their lives as well. Based on the time period of this poem, we can assume that blacks are still very much unequal to whites.
