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Brent Staples Rhetorical Analysis

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Prejudices and, more specifically, racial prejudices have been a plague on society for an extensive amount of time. Most believe that the worst of racial prejudices are in the past and that society has moved past them; however, Brent Staples argues that society is nowhere near past these prejudices. Staples argues this through his great use of rhetorical strategies to implement credibility and emotion into his essay. The first strategy that Staples uses to convey his message is his use of credibility to appeal to his audience. This is a very important thing for Staples to do, especially considering the prejudices towards young blacks that he makes sure to point out in his article. One way Staples establishes this credibility is through the …show more content…

This is shown through his use of tone and appeals to emotion. Throughout the essay, Staples has definite control of the tone of the writing, and he uses this greatly to his advantage. From his starting hook when Staples writes, “My first victim was a woman - white, well dressed, probably in her early twenties” he immediately sets the beginning tone of this essay. This being a very suspenseful tone that does an amazing job of hooking the reader in at the first sentence. This suspense created so early in the writing gives the reader an impression of not knowing what to suspect, and hooks them in better than the highest point of drama in a soap opera. The reader, at this point, knows this isn’t going to be like most other essays they’ve read, they know that this one is never going to cease to be interesting. This is a great thing that Staples has done to make sure te reader pays attention to every part of his argument, not just to get bored halfway through and stop reading. However, an opposite strategy is seen towards the end of the passage when Staples states how he whistles Beethoven and other classical music to attempt to ease tensions. This little bit of hope with a spin of humor helps to give a bit of positivity to his argument and helps to reader to warm up to Staples’ claim a bit more than they already were before. Another example of Staples’ use of emotion comes in his use of appeals to …show more content…

Staples has a very strong control of the rhetoric of his essay and uses it to his great advantage. This makes his essay very strong and makes it very easy for his audience to get behind his

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What his Staples' thesis? The ability to alter public space in ugly ways through the judgment of racial stereotypes. How does Staples prove his point?

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Staples fights along with the stereotypes in a unique and diligent way. He uses nonviolence, which has been used very carefully. He does not completely ignore the situation or the fact of how others think. Being avail from nonviolence disallows non-minorities to get what they were

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His point of view is that of a man who feels that he has done wrong, when in reality, it is society that has done the wrongdoing. Staples knows that the stereotypes that he faces for being black are wrong but also understands that he has to accept them. His opening lines in the essay are “My first victim was a woman” (Staples 542). This simple line initially makes Staples look like a killer. He makes the reader view him this way initially as it is the way that he views himself.

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That it is reality and not just a concept based off of racism. Within these anecdotes Staples uses hyperbole to create suspense and kind of overstate the real issue at hand in order to show how terrible his position truly is. Such as in the opening sentence, “My first victim was a woman - white, well dressed, probably in her early twenties…(542)”. The woman is not an actual “victim” to any physical harm. Nothing happened to her except she feared for possibly her life.

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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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Brent Staples, in his literary essay “Just Walk On By”, uses a variety of rhetorical strategies. The devices he uses throughout his essay effectively engage the audience in a series of his own personal anecdotes and thoughts. He specifically shifts the reader 's perspective towards the unvoiced and the judged. Within the essay, Staples manipulates several rhetorical strategies, such as perspective and metaphor, in order to emphasize the damage stereotypes have caused against the mindsets and perceptions of society as a whole. Staples illustrates how the nature of stereotypes can affect how we perceive others around us in either an excessively admirable light or, in his and many other cases, as barbaric or antagonistic.

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The women’s racism caused her reaction of “running in earnest,” “worried glances” and her eventual getaway, exemplifying the prejudice of a black male. He further demonstrates his “ability to alter public space” when just crossing “in front of a car stopped at a traffic light.” He hears the “thunk” of the driver locking their car regardless of them being “black, white, male, or female.” Staples understands the world is dangerous and people have the right to fear those around them, however, he continues to endure discrimination. But I am the person making those judgements.

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By using such a unique story with eye-catching phrases as the introduction of his article, Staples evokes the emotion of fear and unsettledness that soon proceeds to a feeling of relief, yet in a way that 's melancholic.

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I was surprised, embarrassed, and dismayed all at once,” he writes to admit that he’s harmless. Staples effectively persuades his readers to believe that not all black men are harmful. He wants to make more people comfortable around him and less of a negative stereotype. By acting the opposite of a thug that many [white] people make up the conclusion to be, Staples changes his behavior in a way to protect himself because he’s percieved as a thug that could potentially made him a target and a danger to those around him and to himself. Staples concludes in his essay that thugs wouldn’t be “whistling a bright, upbeat from Vivaldi’s Four

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