English Essay Baldwin Staples
Jerardo Gomez
Professor Enright
04483
3/24/15
Compare and Contrast English Essay Being black and gay in the 1950s wasn’t the best thing you could be, being a black male 6 feet tall wasn’t either. James Baldwin and Brent Staples both suffered from discrimination in the 1950s. James Baldwin was an African-American writer who was discriminated in the public for being black, while Brent Staples was discriminated in the public because of how he looked and dressed. Brent Staples moved to Manhattan where was treated wrong. Staples was called different things during his time in New York. His appearance scared the public wherever he went. Many people started to worry he was going to rob them or even try to kill them. Staples tried to change the way he dressed and acted but the public still acted the same. James Baldwin’s situation was different, he was discriminated while going to a restaurant. The restaurant didn’t serve to black people, Baldwin then lost his temper and started saying bad comments about the place, “I do not know why, after a year of such rebuffs, I completely failed to anticipate his answer, which was, of course, “We don’t serve Negroes here.” This reply failed to discompose me, at least for the moment. I made some sardonic comments about the name of the diner and we walked out into the streets.”(Baldwin, pg.58). Both Baldwin and Staples had different situations, both had different outcome, but both were similar to why and it happened. The events Baldwin and Staples had may had happened to any other black male who happened to do what they did. During the time this happened, blacks weren’t acceptable in the United States. Whites thought blacks were born to serve the white, to serve as a slave, not being free and working for someone. During the event, blacks were discriminated, The Civil Rights movements was active. What happened to Staples and Baldwin were typical to every other black person living in the United States. During this time, blacks were
Professor Enright
04483
3/24/15
Compare and Contrast English Essay Being black and gay in the 1950s wasn’t the best thing you could be, being a black male 6 feet tall wasn’t either. James Baldwin and Brent Staples both suffered from discrimination in the 1950s. James Baldwin was an African-American writer who was discriminated in the public for being black, while Brent Staples was discriminated in the public because of how he looked and dressed. Brent Staples moved to Manhattan where was treated wrong. Staples was called different things during his time in New York. His appearance scared the public wherever he went. Many people started to worry he was going to rob them or even try to kill them. Staples tried to change the way he dressed and acted but the public still acted the same. James Baldwin’s situation was different, he was discriminated while going to a restaurant. The restaurant didn’t serve to black people, Baldwin then lost his temper and started saying bad comments about the place, “I do not know why, after a year of such rebuffs, I completely failed to anticipate his answer, which was, of course, “We don’t serve Negroes here.” This reply failed to discompose me, at least for the moment. I made some sardonic comments about the name of the diner and we walked out into the streets.”(Baldwin, pg.58). Both Baldwin and Staples had different situations, both had different outcome, but both were similar to why and it happened. The events Baldwin and Staples had may had happened to any other black male who happened to do what they did. During the time this happened, blacks weren’t acceptable in the United States. Whites thought blacks were born to serve the white, to serve as a slave, not being free and working for someone. During the event, blacks were discriminated, The Civil Rights movements was active. What happened to Staples and Baldwin were typical to every other black person living in the United States. During this time, blacks were
Cited: page 1.Kasper, Ariana. "Brent Staples Just Walk on By: A Black Man Ponders His Power to Alter Public Space." Wordpress.com. N.p., 25 Jan. 2012. Web. 24 Mar. 2015. 2."Notes of a Native Son." BookRags. BookRags, 2015. Web. 24 Mar. 2015. 3.“Just walk on by: A black man ponders his power to alter public space.” By: Staples, Brent. Literary Cavalcade, Sep98, Vol. 50 Issue 5, p38, 4p.