Just Walk On By Brent Staples Analysis

Symbols pertaining to how a person is seen have been placed around in our daily lives through the use of television, social media, and news. Everything and everyone around the world has a type of symbol attached to them. Brent Staples, author of “Just Walk on By,” addresses this topic through his own personal experiences. Staples builds his persona through the use of rhetorical devices such as imagery and personal anecdotes. Additionally, the author uses pathos to further his message and express his thoughts on the interpretation of symbols in today’s world. Through his establishment of a persona and pathos, Staples shows his audience how people judge at a single glance based on the attachment of symbols society places on them.
Staples creates …show more content…
The media places labels on Staples as dangerous, mistrustful, and someone to be cautious of constantly. Another example of his imagery can be seen when he describes himself as, ”a soft who scarcely able to hold a knife… let alone to a person’s throat.” This description shows the type of person the author uses as a comparison to the symbol that is correlated with himself. His use of imagery presents his persona as misunderstood by the symbols people associate him with. Additionally, Staples shows the type of person he truly is through his personal anecdotes and the unfortunate experiences he goes through due to the attachment of symbols. A personal anecdote Staples uses is the constant fear in women on the streets he walks on as “their purse straps across their chest bandolier style...though bracing themselves against being tackles.” This is an occurrence Staples experiences on a daily basis as a result of the labels attached to a black man. Although Staples is a rather quiet and soft man, society views him as dangerous and one to avoid and watch at all times. This causes Staples to become “surprised, embarrassed, and dismayed at once.” The labels forces Staples into a corner …show more content…
As a result, this causes false impressions on those that surround them. Staples’ article clearly represents how this is done in a derogatory point of view. His use of rhetorical devices allow his audience to relate and comprehend clearly the symbolism certain things have. All in all, Staples’ uses rhetorical devices, such as persona and pathos, to properly portray his message on the truth behind society’s symbols: a misinterpretation on humans around the world that cause for rash judgement on each