Just walk on by brent staples thesis. Essay On Just Walk On By Brent Staples 2022-10-15

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In "Just Walk On By: A Black Man Ponders His Power to Alter Public Space," Brent Staples discusses the impact of his race and appearance on the way he is perceived by others. Through personal anecdotes and observations, Staples illustrates the assumptions and prejudices that society has placed upon him as a black man and how these perceptions have affected his daily life.

The thesis of the essay can be summarized as follows: Staples's race and appearance have led to him being perceived as a threat in public spaces, causing him to constantly navigate the fear and mistrust of those around him. This is a common experience for many black men, who are often stereotyped as being dangerous or criminal based on their skin color alone.

Staples begins the essay by describing a series of encounters he has had with people in public spaces who were frightened or intimidated by his presence. In each instance, Staples was simply going about his business and had done nothing to cause alarm, yet people around him reacted with fear and suspicion. He notes that this reaction was not limited to a particular demographic or geographic location, but rather seemed to be a universal response to his presence as a black man.

As the essay progresses, Staples reflects on the ways in which he has learned to navigate this fear and mistrust, often resorting to strategies such as avoiding eye contact or taking circuitous routes in order to avoid confrontations. He also discusses the impact that this constant state of vigilance has had on his sense of self and his relationships with others, both in and outside of public spaces.

Throughout the essay, Staples uses his own experiences to shed light on the larger societal issue of racial prejudice and the ways in which it affects the daily lives of black men. He makes the argument that these prejudices are not limited to individual interactions, but rather are a reflection of the deeply ingrained biases that exist within society as a whole.

In conclusion, Staples's essay "Just Walk On By: A Black Man Ponders His Power to Alter Public Space" is a powerful and thought-provoking exploration of the ways in which race and appearance can impact the way an individual is perceived and treated in public spaces. Through personal anecdotes and observations, Staples illustrates the impact of these biases on his own life and makes a compelling argument for the need to confront and challenge these prejudices in order to create a more equitable and just society.

In his essay "Just Walk On By: A Black Man Ponders His Power to Alter Public Space," Brent Staples explores the ways in which his race and appearance have affected his interactions with others in public spaces. He begins by recounting a number of instances in which he was confronted with fear and mistrust simply because of his appearance as a black man.

Staples argues that society has conditioned people to view black men as a threat, and as a result, he is often met with fear and suspicion when he is simply going about his business in public spaces. He describes how he has learned to navigate these situations, often by consciously altering his behavior to make himself appear less threatening.

Despite the fact that Staples is a well-educated, successful individual, he is still subjected to the negative stereotypes and prejudices of society. He writes, "I am a black man in a white world. In 1982, when I was twenty-two years old, I became the victim of one of this country's little-known practices: I was stopped by a cop while simply walking down the street. It was a degrading, frightening experience, one that I remember vividly to this day."

This experience is just one example of the ways in which Staples has had to navigate the world as a black man. He describes how, even when he is dressed in business attire and carrying a briefcase, he is still viewed with suspicion and treated differently than his white counterparts.

Throughout the essay, Staples reflects on the ways in which his race and appearance have shaped his experiences in public spaces. He writes about the ways in which he has learned to adapt his behavior in order to avoid confrontations and to make others feel more comfortable around him.

In conclusion, Staples' thesis is that society's negative stereotypes and prejudices about black men have a profound impact on their experiences in public spaces. Despite being successful and well-educated, Staples is still subjected to fear and mistrust simply because of the color of his skin.

Rhetorical Analysis Of Brent Staples' Just Walk On By: [Essay Example], 868 words GradesFixer

just walk on by brent staples thesis

Staples describes his extreme frustration at the fact that racism plays such a large role in his life. The problem is that most in society do not share his understanding of the irony of this expression. Dolphus Raymond was a respected, wealthy member of the Maycomb community, but then he chose to live with the black community. Get your paper price 124 experts online I chose, perhaps even unconsciously, to remain a shadow—timid, but a survivor. Brent Staples said he enjoyed night walks but when a female would see him the women in fear would not make eye contact and clutch their purse like they are about to get plummeted by an avalanche. His story Just Walk On By: A Black Man Ponders His Power to Alter Public Space is very momentous; it encourages every man who has ever witnessed any form of racial discrimination.


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"Just Walk On By" by Brent Staples

just walk on by brent staples thesis

Together as a society fears and stereotypes are created by those who feel attacked and terrorized by multiple people try to find a common denominator between all the people who hurt them, then a certain stereotype or fear is created to let everyone know that since three black men raped a girl …show more content… This well educated man was getting dirty looks and halsted for using standard everyday services. Tom Robinson, Mayella Ewell, and Jem faced a lot of affects of racism that the people in Maycomb were extremely showing it in an immoral way! Treating some categories of people in a prejudicial manner is in many societies a serious problem that currently has no remedy. Coming from a rough start, Sherman still managed to take his education to the next level, graduating as valedictorian of his class. Other people convey the idea of a black man as a dangerous man in society. He adopts a fearful but apathetic tone in order to appeal to what he is feeling by applying a set of rhetorical devices in his narrative essay to his readers.

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Brent Staple's Essay 'Just Walk On By'

just walk on by brent staples thesis

The blacks are mostly understood to most of the time be on the wrong or stealing from unrestricted places. 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. Though Brent is an avenue behind the woman; the woman perceives the distance to be menacingly close. This is all done because of a stereotypical black male walking at night must mean he is up to no good. Women in particular are victim to this behavior of racism, and some will realize their wrongdoings when reading the essay. Therefore, when a person has experienced these things and knows that regardless of what they have done in their past or what their families social status is; that the perception of them is overwhelmingly negative and that the root cause of that negativity is because they were born with brown skin and of African descent…then they are legitimately black. Racial discrimination against blacks by the police amplifies the chances of death since the police perceive blacks as criminals Staples, 1999.

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Just Walk on By: Black Men and Public Space, Brent Staples

just walk on by brent staples thesis

He accomplishes this by his physical behavior. Her view of a black man amplifies the matter, she glances at Brent and picks up her pace, and disappears. Our nature is biologically and inherently spiritual. I agree with his statement our own race frightens us. He begins to understand that he has a quality to change the environment around him solely because of the color of his skin. His children and wives were terrified of him.

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Summary Of Just Walk On By Brent Staples

just walk on by brent staples thesis

The other aspect of racism that the author successfully highlights is racial discrimination against blacks by the police. New York, NY: Beacon Press. Positively, one may embrace the differences of peoples on the face of the globe and speculate the exclusivity of individuals who reside on a different part of the earth or across the street. The whites held a misconception of the blacks; they viewed them as rapists, muggers, or some other worse people. Staples effectively persuades his readers to believe that not all black men are harmful and to stop fueling racism. Sherman discusses the different stages of a Native Americans childhood compared to his white peers.

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Analysis Of Just Walk On By Brent Staples

just walk on by brent staples thesis

However, from time to time, Staples had learned a way to change his perception or level of threat to others by putting attention to his physical behavior. The author, Brent Staples is knowledgeable considering he holds a Ph. Staples showed that he was so cautious not to offend anyone by his actions and he augmented his freeness into daily routines to keep him out of trouble. 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. However, the experiences that Staples describes are too upsetting to gloss over.

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Rhetorical Analysis Of Just Walk On By Brent Staples

just walk on by brent staples thesis

What do we do as minorities? He had to prove himself to others which is impossible if his skin color prohibits him before he even gets a chance. This essay "Just walk on by Brent Staples" is written in the mid 70's when racism was at its peak. He writes editorials about culture and politics. It unveils the disproportion of the system by exposing statistical facts of arrest rates, sentencing and incarcerations. Society gave the boys in Staples community more reason to live up to that stereotype of being a tough guy. Scout and Jem suffered the most from the bullying primarily because they were children. He earned various degrees as different universities and colleges like a BA from Widener University in 1973, and a PhD from the University of Chicago in 1977.

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Just Walk On By Brent Staples Analysis

just walk on by brent staples thesis

Just walk on by, written by Brent Staples shows the current negative view of black men in America and the fact that racism is still alive today. His diction portrays this tactic from the very beginning of his essay. They seem to set their faces on neutral and, with their purse straps strung across their chests bandolier style, they forge ahead as though bracing themselves against being talked. African American men, frequently viewed as a threat to others, comprise one group that is the target of negative bias in the United States. Now Staples notices if people are frightened by him. After discovering these encounters, Staples enjoys late night strolls and in order to cope with the misunderstanding on his walks, he sings classical music, which assures others that he is not a dangerous man.

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