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Summary Of Just Walk On By: Black Men In Public Space

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Everyone wants to end up successful, right? Success is the only way to achieve great things with your time on this planet full of opportunities. One must have an education, and acceptable personality and make the correct decisions to create those opportunities. Fear governs critical choices in everyday life.
Mistrust and fear of authority causes citizens to possess a disinclination to call the police for help. Nikole Hannah-Jones, in the article "A Letter from Black America" says that police are choosing to defend themselves instead of the black community. Hannah-Jones ' statement "By calling the police, you are inviting this big system – that, frankly, doesn 't like you – into your life," is rational because of detrimental previous …show more content…

People sometimes make snap judgements based on potential danger coming from stereotypes and profiling. Brent Staples, in the article “Just Walk on by: Black Men in Public Space” expresses that women often perceive untrue ideas about black men 's appearance. Staples is logical because the woman made an assessment based on profiling since “To her; the youngish black man...seemed menacingly close. After a few more quick glimpses, she picked up her pace and was soon running in earnest. Within seconds she disappeared into a cross street.” Because Staples is black, the woman thought he was threatening and chose to avoid him. Michael Wines and Frances Robles, in the article “Key Factor in Police Shootings: ‘Reasonable Fear’” gives reasoning that police sometimes will use deadly force when put under life or death situations. Wines and Robles statement referring to an officer that shot an unarmed black man, “If an officer believes he or someone else is in imminent danger of grievous injury or death, he is allowed to shoot first and ask questions later,” is morally challenging because it is not right that a police officer should be able to use guns on a potentially unarmed and non-dangerous person because of the stereotype that black men are a lit stick of dynamite waiting to go off. Despite untrue thoughts about individuals, people still make fearful judgments based on profiling and

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Rhetorical Analysis Of Black Men And Public Space By Brent Staples

225 Words | 1 Pages

Brent Staples in his article “Black men and Public Space” used an effective amount of rhetorical devices and strategies to develop his claim. The message of the article is to vocialize how Black men are overrepresented as thugs and gangsters and when they’re in public spaces they are treated as such. In the article, Staples pulled from his own experiences and give examples of other peoples instances with this issue. However he did it in such a way using rhetorical devices that strengthen his point and gave the reader something to think about. At some points of the article the reader may have even gotten offended or maybe felt guilty about doing some of the things that he brings up.

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Summary Of Black Men In Public Space By Brent Staples

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In my experiences, I have found that having a quality that others in public places will react to in appositive way is very important. In Brent Staples’ essay, “Black Men in Public Spaces,” he discusses fearful encounters in public due to his physical characteristics and the stereotypes imposed on his skin complexity and the traits he has commandeered to alleviate the fear that others have. Even though I have not experienced what Staples has, I have found that smiling is a great trait that affects people positively because it seems to make people feel welcome, it reduces tension and fear, and it lightens the mood. Smiling seems to give people a sense that they are welcome in my space, and it tends to open them up to welcome me into their space.

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Summary Of Black Men And Public Space By Brent Staples

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I think it is safe to say that racism and discrimination dating back to, well the beginning of time. Racism has always been prevalent, though seeming to lessen as the years go by. We're living in the 21st century and racism is still here today. We even have laws to ensure everyone's equal rights, regardless of race. People are far more accepting nowadays as well, despite the laws.

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Stereotypes In Brent Staples's 'Just Walk On By'

1129 Words | 5 Pages

Stereotypes have the power to label someone and rob them of all their hard work or strike fear into others. One such stereotype is that of black men being more dangerous;yet, one black writer voices his opinion on such a stereotype. In the essay “Just Walk On By” by Brent Staples, Staples describes his experience of being a large black man and how it affects the people around him. From people locking their doors to pedestrians crossing the street to avoid a confrontation, people seem to be afraid of Staples just from a glance. Yet Staples does nothing to cause this fear, rather his stereotype is to blame.

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Compare And Contrast Just Walk On By And The Myth Of The Latin Woman

1047 Words | 5 Pages

, someone could be at the wrong place at the wrong time and this may lead to death. Someone shouldn’t judge someone by the color of their skin, and this is why we are facing so many racial issues in this world today. Staples faced issues with not only everyday pedestrians but with police officers, doormen, bouncers, and cabdrivers. He mentions that he has witnessed the “hunch posture” from women after dark, Staples doesn’t blame them for this because “their fear isn’t a hallucination”(pg. 302 para.

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Examples Of Black Men In Public Space By Brent Staples

530 Words | 3 Pages

These examples all play a part in why someone may fear a black male. Exposure to negative media about black males can spark fear in people. Coming in contact with a black man right after hearing the news about a black man doing something horrific can make you afraid of them. Like what Staples says in his article “At dark shadowy intersections, I could cross in front of a car stopped at a traffic light and elicit the thunk, thunk, thunk of the driver – black, white, male, or female- hammering down the door locks”.(p.2) Perhaps those people have heard of black men

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Racism In Brent Staples's Black Men And Public Space

1103 Words | 5 Pages

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.

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Rhetorical Analysis Of Just Walk On By

1164 Words | 5 Pages

The revolutionary Civil Rights leader, Martin Luther King Jr, once described discrimination as “a hellbound that gnaws at Negroes in every waking moment of their lives to remind them that the lie of their inferiority is accepted as truth in the society dominating them.” His point being that African Americans face racial discrimination on a daily basis. Brent Staples, being an African American living in America, expresses his view on the subject in his essay “Just Walk on By”, where he conveys the message of how fear is influenced by society's stereotypical and discriminating views of certain groups of people; his point is made clear through his sympathetic persona, descriptive diction, depressing tone, and many analogies. Staples sympathetic persona helps the reader feel and understand the racial problems that he experiences daily.

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Summary Of Just Walk On By A Black Man Ponders His Power To Alter Public Space

840 Words | 4 Pages

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.

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Brent Staples 'Black Men And Public Space'

110 Words | 1 Pages

In his essay entitled Black Men and Public Space (1987), Brent Staples talks about how people will have a common misconception on the black community by thinking that they are all mugger ,rapist or thugs. Staples supports his claim by telling the reader events/ stories that occured to him and talks about how people will assume that he is a danger to society when in reality he isnt. The authors purpose is to inform the reader that his experiences of being stereotyped is to show the reader his point of view when it comes to these types of situations. Staples writes in a formal tone for an intelligent or free minded person.

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Analysis Of Just Walk On By Brent Staples

934 Words | 4 Pages

In the reading Just Walk on By by Brent Staples, the topic of racial stereotypes surfaces from the man who gets racially profiled quite often as he explains his personal experiences. The author bluntly tries to pass the message that racially judging people is wrong and explaining how it makes the other party ,african americans, feel. When analyzing Staples’ message his rhetorical strategies play a huge role into how his message is perceived. He uses influential diction allowing each word to give an impact unmatched by any white man who tried to convey a black man’s thought process. Staples also appeals to his credibility with the obvious observation that he is a black man talking about his real life experiences.

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Black Men And Public Space Rhetorical Analysis

621 Words | 3 Pages

“Black Men and Public Spaces” Diagnostic Essay Brent Staples in “Black Men and Public Spaces,” illustrates the inescapable prejudices and stereotyping that African-American men face in America. He does this by relating to his audience through his personal experiences with stereotyping, and sharing his malcontent on how these events have made him alter his way of living. From “victimizing” woman, watching people lock themselves away, and having to whistle classical music to calm the nerves of people around him; Staples builds a picture to help people better sympathize and understand his frustration. Although Staples describes himself as a college graduate, a journalist, and a softy in the face of violence, he details that the overall public deems him a dangerous criminal.

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Black Men And Public Space By Brent Staples Summary

841 Words | 4 Pages

In his essay “Black Men and Public Spaces,” Brent Staples explains that people often find him intimidating because he is tall and black. Staples shares his account of a number of personal encounters, arguing that in each situation, he was misinterpreted as being dangerous because of his daunting physical appearance. Staples asserts that as a result of this misinterpretation, he was continually mistreated. Staples begins his article by describing the events leading up to his life-changing realization that he has inherited “the ability to alter public space in ugly ways (183).” When he was twenty-two years old, Staples found himself one evening, walking behind a well-dressed white woman on a deserted street in a rather wealthy neighborhood.

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Summary Of Just Walk On By Black Men And Public Space

1166 Words | 5 Pages

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.

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Black Men In Public Spaces Analysis

456 Words | 2 Pages

Americans Stereotypes: Loosening stereotypes Americans are always scared when they see a black man and think about them trying to harm them. Actually, that isn’t always the case and isn’t the case a lot of the time. Brent Staples in his writing Black Men in Public Spaces shows some of the societies stereotype issues. Americans should stop stereotyping blacks, not purposely go around them at night, and he shouldn’t have to whistle to make people comfortable around him. Americans put stereotypes on different ethnicities.

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