Preview

Just Walk On By Brent Staples Analysis

Satisfactory Essays
Open Document
Open Document
273 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Just Walk On By Brent Staples Analysis
Exemplification of Staple’s Essay The essay by Brent Staples, “Just Walk On By” is popular because most everyone has been exposed to a form of racism in their own lives. In today’s society, we are “judged” every day. Whether is it on appearance, our speech, or our standing in the social crowd, it is happening. Staple brings this point home when he said, “I first began to know the unwieldy inheritance I’d come into – the ability to alter public space in ugly ways.” (236-237). When we are young and trying to “prove ourselves” to our peers, playing by the rules is not necessarily the way it is handled. Being accepted into the group is very important to our self-esteem. We can see clearly how these ghosts of old prejudices continue to haunt

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Good Essays

    Bearden’s Tomorrow I may be far away in the National Gallery of Art in Washington D.C is a collage piece that was inspired by the blues classic: “Good Chib Blues,” recorded by Edith North Johnson in 1929. The song is of the female ballad blues singer, who sings of lost love and heartbreak but eventually overcomes both of the terrible experiences. In Tomorrow I May Be Far Away, Bearden tried to express the history and culture of black in America based on his experience living as an African American. Romare Bearden often enjoyed listening to jazz and blues recordings which led him to begin improvising his artwork like the…

    • 658 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    The short story “Hard Times” by Ron Rash, focuses on the effects that depression has on society. The main characters in the story are Jacob and Edna, who are farmers in a rural community in Raleigh, North Carolina. As the story begins, Edna has once again noticed that the eggs from a particular hen is missing. Though she has several other hens, who are laying, she contributes those missing eggs to adding to their poverty. Edna, who was once a very happy person has been soured by the effects of poverty and now stands tight lipped in the door of the henhouse. Jacob makes the comment, "This cove’s so damn dark a man about has to break light with a crowbar” . This comment sets the tone of the story, one of darkness which is a result of poverty.…

    • 646 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    In Brent Staples story, "Just Walk on By", the author underlines how black men are casualties of discrimination. First, he recalls his realization of how much his presence terrified other people, essentially a white woman, when he used to go out for strolls during the evening around the town. In spite of the fact that he understand that the world is seen to be progressively brutal and hazardous, he feels disappointed that African-American guys, particularly, are as yet being judged and misconstrued taking into account by their appearances. The author notice two cases where somebody misinterpreted him for a hoodlum and a companion who was a writer was flawed mistaken for a killer. These events, he states, are not uncommon. Presently so as to…

    • 1189 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    As much as people may want to avoid passing instant judgments on others, it seems to be a part of human nature to be critical. Stereotyping and making assumptions over a person due to the way they are casually dressed or by their race is a kind of safety utility one uses in order to be more aware of one’s surroundings and to avoid burglary or kidnappings. At first glance Brent Staples is someone a female would put on their radar to look out for. Even though he recognizes that he does seem to have that appearance he knows who he is and feels it to be unjust because passing judgments are made about him on a day to day basis. In his essay “Black Men and Public Spaces”, he writes about society’s perception of a black man.…

    • 576 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    In Brent Staples’ essay, “Just Walk on By” the author describes his experiences, feelings, and reactions towards the discrimination he has faced throughout his life as a black man. Staples describes several different personal experiences of when he felt that he had been judged or discriminated against by other people based on the color of his skin and how that contributed to his overall appearance. Staples has continuously been perceived as a danger or criminal simply because of his skin color, leading him to have to deal with many uncomfortable situations. The author has even gone so far as to take precautions when he is on the street just so that he will not be misjudged or thought of as dangerous by the people that surround him in these circumstances. Throughout Brent Staples’ essay, he illustrates how discrimination has affected him personally and uses various literary devices to elaborate on his points.…

    • 1318 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Racism. We have all experienced racism at least once in our lives. Being judged by for the color of your skin. Your thoughts do not matter. Nor do your feelings. That is what is in the mind of a racist. Alongside racism are stereotypes. Stereotypes are a conventional, opinionated judgement that can create tough misconceptions of certain people, which many times are easily recognized and understood by others who share the same views. In "Black men in public spaces" by Brent Staples, and in " The Myth of A Latin Woman " by Cofer, the authors talk about stereotypes and the different but similar expierences they both encounter. Brent Staples explains how people classify him as being a robber or a rapist, just for being a young, black male. Staples starts off his essay with a personal experience, "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. As i swung onto the avenue behind her, there seemed to be a discreet, unimflammatory distance behind us." Then, Staples goes on talking about how the woman casts back "a worried glance", and "picked up her pace and was soon running in earnest." The author also explains that the woman only did this because "to her, the youngish black man a broad six feet two inches with a beard and billowing hair, both hands shoved into the pockets of a bulky military jacket seemed menacingly close." But would it have made a difference if he wasn't black? Staples also made it a habit to whistle classical music while in dark alley situations. He did this to ease the situation up a bit, trying to differ the type of attention that the stereotypical uneducated black male receives. He dealt with his stereotype in a calm manner by changing his behavior to make people less nervous around him. Similarly Cofer was stereotyped as maid, waitress, and sexual object.…

    • 478 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    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.…

    • 915 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    In Brent Staples essay, “Black Men and Public Space,” Staples expresses the difficulties African Americans face in society. Through specific diction and detailed description of imagery, Staples conveys his experience throughout his life where he was negatively stereotyped as “a mugger, a rapist, or worse”. His lifelong exposure to this matter taught him to take precaution in the people he encounters and the places he visits.…

    • 264 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    To begin with his story, Staples presents a white woman who he comes across walking in the streets. He states that just by looking at him, she started to run until he could no longer see her. That first scenario made him realize of what being an african american man or what his “inheritance” (p. 336) will cause, if he was seen in a public space. This because of the stereotype black men suffer of being rapist or a thief. Later in the essay, he tells about white people’s actions in the intersections whenever he passed by a car or crossed the streets. For example, the driver will automatically put down the locks, or the pedestrians will cross in another direction.…

    • 744 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    In “Just Walk on By: A Black Man Ponders His Power to Alter Public Space”, Brent Staples explains the impact he has on other people just for being an African American man. Writing for an audience of black men who have experienced discrimination. With a wise, inoffensive voice, but somewhat of a neutral tone, the author uses figurative language, writing techniques and diction to explain his purpose of writing this essay to explain to his readers of his past experience of being a black man in public places and the effect it has caused in his life.…

    • 832 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Staples has the ability to alter public space by his physical behavior, his dress and his verbal reaction. Black men have a reputation of being rapist, murders and gang members, therefore many people get worried when a young black man is around. So Staples has learned how to change his perception or level of threat to others. He accomplishes this by his physical behavior. The way he walks or acts around others can change there mood. Now Staples notices if people are frightened by him. Brent Staples attempts to introduce people to something most all are guilty of, but pay little attention to. Using accounts from his own and others’ experiences, Staples essay portrays the racist tendency of people to assume black men are potentially violent and dangerous.…

    • 395 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    Countless individuals who pursue racial equality “consider themselves enlightened, who intellectually believe in racial equality, who deplore discrimination, yet who harbor unconscious attitudes that result in discriminatory policies and behavior” (Kristof, 1). Those who declare they support racial equality wholeheartedly occasionally do not uphold their beliefs, deeming them hypocrites. In a realistic situation, an ‘enlightened’ person may judge a tall, black man sporting a biker jacket, baggy jeans, a gold chain necklace, and tattoos scaling up his arms, labeling him as a “thug” or “gangster”. Because these ‘enlightened’ people are absent-mindedly being racist, others are most likely doing precisely the same thing, which continues the use of racism. Because they are examples in society, these ‘enlightened’ individuals should be wary of their gestures and dialogue they express towards others to curtail the racism found in…

    • 670 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    In the story “Black Men and Public Space” Brent Staples describes the racial discrimination, the treatment of black men in the United States. He includes some personal experience and stories of other black people. In his case, one particular occasion makes him realize that he, like many black men, is treated as a potential troublemaker even though he has always been a quiet and smart person. Staples states that black men came to this world with the inheritance-with the ability to alter public space in ugly ways.…

    • 698 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Staples recalls his experience as a 22-year-old graduate student away from home for the first time. His first "victim", as he puts it, was a young white woman who practically runs down the street when she sees him walking down the same street behind her. It is ironic that he calls this woman his victim when in reality it is Staples who was the victim in the situation. He had done nothing that deserved such mistreatment. He is the victim of her prejudice. She was the one that was wrong in her judgment of him. He thought that there was enough of a distance between them but it was obvious that it was his appearance that scared the woman away. After all, he was a young black man, 6 feet 2 inches with a beard and billowing hair walking the streets of Hyde Park, a predominantly white neighborhood, with both hands in the pockets of his military jacket. This when he realizes the power he possessed. The power to alter public spaces by simply being black.…

    • 623 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    One of his earliest experiences with racism caused him to be “surprised, embarrassed, and dismayed all at once…[as he realized that he] was indistinguishable from the muggers who occasionally seeped into the area from the surrounding ghetto”(1). The adjectives in this excerpt make that reader experience the horror and embarrassment that Staples felt in this instant, and forces then to think about the consequences of showing any hesitation or uncertainty one might feel. The diction makes the passage feel mortifying and distressing, which gives the reader an inside look at what being alienated feels like. By revealing to the reader that he had been discriminated against personally, he establishes his ethos. In the instance where a women begins to run away from him, Staples remembers that “it was the echo of the terrified woman’s footfalls that [he] first began to know the unwieldy inheritance [he had] come to - the ability to alter public space in ugly ways” (1). By sharing this memory with the reader, Staples creates himself to the reader in a knowing and solemn…

    • 562 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays

Related Topics