When prejudices expressed by the white majority are so deeply engaged for it to be depraved overnight, a more practical solution occurs. In what are the most memorable last lines from the essay, the author finds a way to not seem to be dangerous in other peoples’ eyes. The way he walks and the clothes he wears help him also not to seem hostile. He states, “I began to take precautions to make myself less threatening. I move about with care, particularly late in the evening.
The main idea of this entry is about the stereotypes that come along with racism. Also, Brent Staples wants his readers to realize how much colored people sacrifice from their normality in order to fit in with society, in hopes of not being attacked or offended. The author proves this in his entry by mentioning ‘innocent’ behaviors, such as singing Beethoven, that he did in public in order to relief those surrounding him from danger. Moreover, the author compared hikers to the country’s bears in order to provide readers with a valid connection between black and colored people. In addition to that, Brent Staples uses flashback as one of his techniques when sharing with us his encounters with white people, this gives readers an idea of how
In my poem “Silence,” I attempted to broach a few of the prevalent issues affecting American culture regarding police brutality that has been widespread throughout the country as of recently. Using Sor Juana’s “Poem 92” as inspiration, I aimed to emulate her poem structure, and style of using Juvenalian satire. While I feel that my poem met a portion of the criteria to be considered Juvenalian satire, I believe that my poem lacks the strong ironic humor necessary to completely be considered as true satire.
Sarah Foreman Professor Olson Composition II 1120-8 February 2, 2023 Analysis of “Just Walk on By: Black Men and Public Space” by Brent Staples The essay “Just Walk on By: Black Men and Public Space '' by Brent Staples is an essay (within the 50 Essays 5th edition by Cohen) describing the author’s experience with people perceiving him as a criminal or at least a likely one throughout his life. The first paragraph starts off with him describing his “first victim,” a young white woman in 1973 who ran from a twenty-two year old Staples who was out for a night walk. He paints a picture of him night walking due to insomnia in Chicago and ends up on the same street walking the same direction as the women. She immediately started doing the backwards
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.
Internalized Racism is the The Taye Diggs interview, Nella Larsen’s “Passing”, Sojourner Truth, and the racial scenarios video all display at least one of the five themes that are listed and all tie into each other in some aspect. Each New York during the 1920’s and the 1930’s better known as The Harlem Renaissance passing served as a In gateway for African American writers. Although these writers wrote about different issues their concepts were the same on certain topics such as: assimilation, colorism, passing, racism, and segregation. interview, scenario, novel, and biography. of these will be discussed and this paper will show the similarities of the themes in each main theme in the Taye Diggs interview; the topic of self-hate and colorism are being discussed.
Racism is one out of many important themes portrayed in the novel A Gathering Of Old Men written by Ernest J. Gaines 1983. The novel is set during the 1970”s on a Louisiana sugarcane plantation. Whites were threatened by the idea that blacks could one day be in power so they sought out other measures to uphold the absolute power of whites. In A Gathering Old Men, Gaines wants us to understand that the fight needs to keep going because racism still exist in recent times. Although it is usually connected somehow to violence, racism comes in many different forms in A Gathering Of Old Men.
The most pervasive theme is racism. The white policeman- - whose father lost his janitorial business because of particular governmental policy regarding minorities in society hones - is irate at African-Americans. A youthful African-American carjacker spouts the incendiary Black Power talk of the 1970s. Stereotyping is another theme in the film. For instance, the white DA's wife associates the locksmith with being a pack part in view of his ethnicity.
Racism is a topic that has been relevant for many years though our time. Brent Staples wrote "Black Men and Public Space," published in Ms. Magazine in 1986, where he discusses how he became "familiar with the language of fear" (614). Throughout his essay, Staples uses logos, ethos, and pathos to give a reader an insight into the life of a black man in society, which effectively reaches his intended audience, but not his current day audience. Brent Staples starts talking about his "first victim" (613) picking up her pace until she was no longer able to be seen.
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.
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.
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.
“On the Subway,” written by Sharon Olds, is written from the perspective of what is presumed to be an upper class white woman, who finds herself on a subway with a lower class black boy. In “On the Subway”, Olds focuses on the controversial issue of racial conflict, and the theme of White v. Black. She does so by use of contrast between whites and blacks, by using harsh enjambments, powerful imagery, and by using the tone to convey the purpose. A major strategy used by Olds throughout the poem is contrast; in this case, the contrast between blacks and whites.
In Sharon Olds poem, "The Race" she tells the story of how she rushed to the airport to fly home and see her dying father one last time. The poem is filled with suspense as aheraces throught the airport in order to reach the Gate that was departing in a few moments. Olds ' exssesive use of enjambments, metaphors, and personification demonstrates her sense of persistance all through the poem. Moreover she respectfully listens to the young man provide her instructions to catch another flight. As if from zero to one hundred she boosted up and ran to the next Gate.
