Just Walk On By Staples Analysis

In the essay, Just Walk on By, Staples conveys emotional and ethical appeals in order to make people aware of the struggles black men go through due to the stereotypical expectations people have towards them. Staples emphasizes the tension between the white and black race through the usage of ambiguous phrases. Words such as “victim,” “stalking,” and “the ability to alter public space in ugly ways” serve to display how white people perceive the black race in a negative aspect. Through using these words, the author shows how intense interracial encounters are experienced by both parties. These situations project a sense of discomfort along with evoking fear towards the “victim” and dismay in the “suspect.” Staples advocates for these emotions

This convinces the audience to not denounce Staples as the suspect while also understanding the reasoning behind the other party’s actions. Through not convicting either person, Staples establishes his credibility in explaining the situation as a misunderstanding instead of a crime. Staples exhibits another instance as he states “these truths are no solace against the kind of alienation that comes of being ever the suspect.” This quote makes the audience feel compassionate towards the author because they perceive him to often be the victim of discrimination, against everyone else, through the inclusion of the word “alienation.” Staples later recalls his rough childhood, and the traumatic experience of losing his brother to gang violence in order to continually evoke comprehension from the audience regarding the impoverished youth that were “indistinguishable from the muggers who occasionally seeped into the area from the surrounding ghetto.” Staples includes this revelation in order to present the audience the fear those around him felt. He reminisces a situation when he encountered a woman of the street, demonstrating her fear by stating that “women are particularly vulnerable to street violence, and young black males are drastically