In “Black Men and Public Spaces”‚ Brent Staples is in his early twenties and is faced with the menacing crime of being a black man in the 1970’s. As Staples likes to walk the streets at night due to his insomnia‚ every stranger that comes close enough to realize that he’s a tall black man lets their fear take control of them as they avoid him to the point of fleeing. To the eyes of people (mainly women) at night‚ he was no different from any other thug or criminal who prowls the street. Having moved
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Sanchez 1 Evelyn Sanchez Mrs. Smith English 3 20 February 2013 Just Walk on By: Black Man in Public Space Brent Staples‚ author of “Just Walk on By: Black Man in Public Space.” discusses when the white woman he comes across one day late at night was constantly turning back as if she feared him for the way he looked. Brent highlights racism that has occurred to him during the 1970s. This encounter happened in an impoverished part of Chicago; he describes himself as a “youngish black man--a
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Just Walk on By: Black Men and Public Space Brent Staples wrote this essay with the main theme dealing with fear of stereotypes particularly with African Americans. For example‚ when he wrote‚ “ I could cross in front of a car stopped at a traffic light and elicit thunk‚ thunk‚ thunk‚ thunk‚ of the driver – black‚ white‚ male‚ or female – hammering down the door locks.” The word thunk is used as onomatopoeia showing a harsh tone‚ this also shows the major prejudice even within his own race. Brent
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In the essay “Black Men and Public Spaces‚” written by Brent Staples‚ reflects the experiences‚ beliefs‚ and understandings of the reader through the use of chronological sense of organization‚ tone‚ and detail to prove how racial stereotypes force a change in one’s behavior‚ that can end up altering society’s perception of an individual. The chronological organization of this piece moves from confused to reflecting to understanding as the author reflects back onto his past. In the beginning‚ the
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It is true that in Staples’ “Black Men and Public Space” an environment of fear is built by prejudice so much so that it is compared to a “bear country.” Our choices to be prejudiced to those few who are different in our community negatively affect us all. These choices have their consequences and these consequences will have to be met by the affected. Our inclinations to give into prejudices negatively impact our community because it reinforces bias‚ continues a cycle of ignorance‚ and sets a poor
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people are usually the race that’s being placed under arrest. It is correct that colored men have the highest criminal rate‚ but not all colored men should be distinguished as criminals for the actions of their race. In the essay “Black Men and Public Space‚” by author Brent Staples‚ he uses ethos‚ pathos‚ and logos to persuade his of the prejudiced nature of our society. Brent Staples wanted to be equal to everyone else but was still judged by his color‚ color that makes people have fewer opportunities
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red Doberman out when he came in to her store are good examples. They show him that they’re scared of him and he shows them that he’s harmless by humming classical piano tunes or giving people that seem nervous plenty of space. I really liked reading "Black Men and Public Space." I have always wondered how many of the people that I don’t talk to because they look scary are really nice people. I haven’t been in his situation before because I’m not a scary looking person. I’m smaller‚ white‚ and I
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In “Black Men and Public Space” Brent Staples utilizes anecdotes or stories as a literary technique to convey by prejudice affected him in his career and as a person in his everyday life. Early on in his anecdote‚ he sets the scene and utilizes descriptive language to evokes a feeling or nervousness and uncertainty from the reader. However‚ he also creates a situation where the reader feels compassion for him. It is evident that women and men pre-judged him based on his race. Although not everyone
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Space exploration and the space program in general‚ have been an important part of our past successes as a country. Today‚ as our government looks at budget reduction and cost cutting measures‚ the space program is being scrutinized more than ever. Should the space program be cut or should it be reinvented? To fully understand why the space program is so controversial‚ one must first understand where the space program began. Shortly after the end of World War II (1939-45)‚ the U.S. and the
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Space technology has been developing considerably these recent decades. New discoveries about the moon and others planets are fascinating us. Even some fiction movies make us think that one day we can go to live on another planet. However‚ for the following reasons I do not support the idea that government should spend as much money as possible on developing space technology for the exploration of the moon and others planets. Space technology is very expensive and needs a colossal investment
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