ipl-logo

Similarities Between 'Just Walk On By And' It's A White Industry

707 Words3 Pages

1) "Just Walk On By: Black Men and Public Space" by Brent Staples and "It's a White Industry" by Chris Rock are two works that can be studied together because they both address issues of race and representation in society. Similarities between the two works include their focus on the experiences of black people in society and the way that race affects those experiences. Both "Just Walk On By" and "It's a White Industry" highlight the ways in which racism and prejudice can create barriers and limit opportunities for black people. Differences between the two works include the tone and format.
2) Chris Rock's thesis in "It's a White Industry" is that Hollywood is a white-dominated industry that excludes and limits opportunities for black people. …show more content…

He has a high level of credibility as a well-known and successful comedian, actor, and writer. He has personal experience with the issues he is addressing and has established himself as a respected voice in the entertainment industry. He also draws on his own experiences and observations, which helps to establish his credibility on the topic. Rock uses humor and satire to make his point, which can evoke emotions such as laughter and frustration. He also touches on the emotions of disappointment and frustration experienced by black people who are underrepresented and excluded from opportunities in Hollywood. For logic, Rock uses facts and examples to back up points that he …show more content…

For example, Staples writes: "My first victim was a woman—white, well dressed, probably in her early twenties. I came upon her late one evening on a deserted street in Hyde Park, a relatively affluent neighborhood in an otherwise mean, impoverished section of Chicago." (Staples, 1984) Staples reflects on his experiences and the impact that his race has had on them. On the other hand, Rock employs irony and sarcasm to highlight the absurdity of the situation he is discussing, and to critique the industry for its lack of diversity. For example, he writes “It's a white industry. Just as the NBA is a black industry..” (Rock,

Show More
Related
189 Words | 1 Pages

He also talks about white men who wrote essays about black men and portrayed them as ruthless and criminals. Staples also talks about how he was mistaken for a burglar and another black reporter was mistaken

Read More
2015 Words | 9 Pages

The book Black Freedom Fighters in Steel by Ruth Needleman and John Singleton’s movie Boyz N The Hood had a lot of themes in common. The two showed stories of racism, discrimination, and success in the African American community. The most prominent theme I found with the two was institutional racism. The way society was forced a lot of African Americans to live in many different ways.

Read More
969 Words | 4 Pages

The section of “White Woman, Black Man” further delves into his views of white women and the role that society has in shaping gender relations between black men and white women and also in influencing masculinity and femininity.

Read More
368 Words | 2 Pages

Reading Just Walk on By: Black Men and Public Space by Brent Staples was hard to get through. I found myself getting a little frustrated not to what he was saying but the events that were occurring. All the events that occurred were real and happen to thousands of black men and minorities and so reading his essay made think about injustices that go on and even about the Black Lives Matter movement. I thought that Staples wrote it beautifully and he described himself and the people that were involved in the events that occurred. This is something I need to include in my personal narrative essay.

Read More
1047 Words | 5 Pages

Staples expresses his argument with real life experiences that have caused him to be stereotyped as a black male. People often think black males are “thugs”, “muggers”, or “rapist”, Staples points out that not all blacks fall under this category, especially him. Staples was first stereotyped when he was out walking at night (because this is what he likes to do) and comes across a white female who perceived him as a mugger or a rapist. This is when he realizes that he was “indistinguishable from the muggers who occasionally seeped into the area”( Pg.301 Para. 2). Staples comes to the conclusion that “being perceived as dangerous is a hazard itself” (Pg. 301 Para.)

Read More
500 Words | 2 Pages

“The Man in Black,” country musician, songwriter, and actor, the Identity of this legend is Johnny Cash. The man in question has a mentality stronger than steel, In an interview in 1993 Cash said this, “Someone else said ‘every day in every way I’m getting better and better,’ I didn’t ‘specially believe that about myself, but I said it everyday and I made myself it and it worked”(“Johnny Cash 1993 Interview”). Through his determination, he ensured his success: , “I went and knocked on that door and was turned away, I called back for an interview three or four times, was turned away, so one morning I found out what time the man went to work I went down with my guitar and sat on his steps until he got there.” Because of Cash’s conviction to make it in the music industry, he spoke with the man who could have turned him away, but he said, ‘Come on in let’s listen.’”

Read More
441 Words | 2 Pages

Staples shows his style through arrangement in the very beginning of the essay. The first paragraph begins with calling his first encounter with a white woman as making her the “victim.” Even further on through the single paragraph, Staples continues to make himself out as the bad guy. After reading on, past the first paragraph, it is implied that Staples is portraying himself through the eyes of others.

Read More
840 Words | 4 Pages

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.

Read More
1000 Words | 4 Pages

Ethnicity and Hollywood Racism is always issues which take a huge part of American history. Until the twenty-first century, although people tried to make the country becomes the freedom and equality nation, these issues are still happening everywhere. According to "In Living Color: Race and American Culture," Stuart Hall argues that racism is still widespread in the society and "it is widely invisible even to those who formulate the world in its terms" (qtd. in Omi 683). Indeed, situations about race quietly exist in the movie industry, which "has led to the perpetuation of racial caricatures" to the majority audiences and even minority audiences (Omi 629).

Read More
814 Words | 4 Pages

Investigating Set Forms: The Film Industry With reference to Straight Outta Compton and I, Daniel Blake, outline some of the key differences between the mainstream and independent film industries. Straight Outta Compton is a Legendary production co-produced by former members of N.W.A. Dr Dre and Ice Cube and distributed by Universal Pictures that portrays the journey of the world’s best know gangsta rappers from 1980s onwards up until the point of their alleged decline. I, Daniel Blake, on the other hand, is a contemporary British social realist film which attempts to shows the dysfunctionalities of the social welfare system While focusing on the fate of one single individual.

Read More
1013 Words | 5 Pages

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.

Read More
756 Words | 4 Pages

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.

Read More
1166 Words | 5 Pages

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.

Read More
1244 Words | 5 Pages

Author and editorial writer, Brent Staples acknowledges this issue as well as experience many situations in which people distinguish him from others. Brent Staples message in his essay titled “Just Walk On By” is conveyed to the audience through many rhetorical devices in which he suggests that stereotypes of race and gender can impact someone 's life in the easiest ways. Brent Staples use of pathos creates an emotional connection and pulls the reader into his essay, through his anecdotes and diction. His intro paragraph tells an interesting story, in a way that readers often forget what type of passage they are reading. Staples uses of phrases such as “my first victim”, “seemed menacingly close” “picked up her pace” and notably “running in earnest” (1-2).

Read More
740 Words | 3 Pages

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

Read More

More about Similarities Between 'Just Walk On By And' It's A White Industry

Related Topics

Open Document