Just Walk On By Brent Staples Summary

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Recommended: Impact of racism

Author’s Purpose: As a black citizen living in urban Chicago, Brent Staples uses "Just Walk on By" to convey that many racially biased actions are based off misconceptions.

Ex. 1: "Yet these truths are no solace against the kind of alienation that comes of being ever the suspect, against being set apart, a fearsome entity with whom pedestrians avoid making eye contact."
Analysis: In this particular sentence, Brent Staples continually centers his ideas from how he is the victim of a conventional image formed around his physical appearance. He uses diction through the words; suspect, alienation and fearsome entity, to surround the reader with a foreign environment. By specifically choosing these terms to describe himself, not others, he expresses …show more content…

Matter of fact, he acknowledges that it is not only a specific group, but everyone - including his own race - that feels uneasy, even when they have no prior knowledge about his personality. This demonstrates how deep the roots of racial bias reach because it is to the point where even those facing the same issues are rejecting him. They do this not because they are afraid of him specifically, but rather because the idea of being in danger has been repeatedly enforced in their minds, to the point where they too see themselves as dangerous. This highlights the negative influence of society’s view on self-worth, because their personal perspective doesn’t necessarily reflect the truth.

Metaphorical Image: GEODE
On the outside it looks like a stereotypical rock, but on the inside you don't really know whether it's actually a rock or a crystal. You need to be open minded and willing to find out.

We AGREE with the author’s …show more content…

The author illustrates the struggle of an average black male during his daily routine through many personal stories and relatable anecdotes. Through the actions of mentally discriminating against foreign races in America, we see in the writing, it makes them feel they are lower than everyone else. One example of this is when the proprietor got her dog as a precautionary action when he entered a jewelry store to just take a look , “She stood, the dog extended toward me, silent to my questions, her eyes nearly bulging out of her head.” The man was repetitively rejected when he questioned the dog, who wouldn’t feel less of themselves. We pity him because he was blatantly getting unconsciously discriminated by a precautionary store owner. Another example of this was when a different black male was mistaken as the killer, of a story he was working on, “ Police hauled him from his car at gunpoint and but for his press credentials would probably have tried to book him.” This man was being accused of someone he never was and was being treated with a gun. We pity him because he was abruptly hauled from his vehicle, handled as a criminal, and being discriminated at all the same

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