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