First analytical essay The night world In “Black Men and Public Space‚” Brent Staples makes the most interesting idea that‚ people look – always – to black men as a threat‚ they see every dark skinned youth as an incoming danger‚ and that is what Staples implies in his essay. He also explains when he was young‚ people looked at him as a mugger or‚ a rapist or even worse. So‚ throughout his essay we can see Staples’ realization of the fact that‚ people – rarely - change their prospective about
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B_r_e_n_t_ _S_t_a_p_l_e_s_‚_ _“J_u_s_t_ _W_a_l_k_ _o_n_ _B_y_” _ My first victim was a woman—white‚ well dressed‚ probably in her early twenties. I came upon her late one evening on a deserted street in Hyde Park‚ a relatively affluent neighborhood in an otherwise mean‚ impoverished section of Chicago. As I swung onto the avenue behind her‚ there seemed to be a discreet‚ uninflammatory distance between us. Not so. She cast back a worried glance. To her‚ the youngish black man—a broad six feet two
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shaped his behavior. The author chose to use the response approach of ignoring the views and the defending actions of the people whom he met. He writes‚ “Over the years‚ I learned to smother the rage I felt at so often being taken for a criminal” (Staples 397). He even started making some attempts of calming down the people he considered were apt to be afraid of him. He kept distance with the people and moved carefully in order to avoid being mistakenly regarded as a criminal. His strategy was implementing
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apologetic attitude and extreme behavior modification that Brent Staples exercised for the simple purpose of alleviating the fears and suspicions aroused by the presence of a black man. Brent says he smothered the rage that surely would have turned to madness‚ he kept a wide distance from people on subways who appeared to be nervous especially during the wee hours‚ and even moreso if he had changed from professional attire into jeans. Brent‚ in his own words‚ allowed people to walk by so he didn’t
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Through Toni Morrison’s short story “Recitatif” and Brent Staples’ essay “Black Men and Public Spaces”‚ we see the similar topics of nonverbal communication and stereotypes. Through his use of a cowbell metaphor‚ and her use of handshake imagery Staples and Morrison explore the theme that nonverbal communication and stereotypes can affect how people act and are viewed in society. After living in New York for a few years‚ Staples learned to take precautions‚ so as not to seem threatening. He would
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narrative written by Judith Ortiz Cofer discusses some of the many experiences she has encountered throughout her life dealing with stereotypes and common misconceptions of Latin American women. To further engage her audience in the story‚ she provides detailed past experiences that have stood out to her the most. In order for the readers to fully understand those past encounters‚ some of which are cultural and common among Latinos‚ Cofer explains them in careful detail. For example‚ Cofer explains the concept
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What can we learn when we journey through life? Journeys and experiences can help us evolve to overcome fears‚ losses‚ and help gain wisdom. Experiences that were gained through life and journeys were written in the story "Volar" by Judith Ortiz Cofer‚ Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail‚ and the poem “12 (From ‘Gitanjali)”. In “Valor” the narrator dreams of herself being a superhero in the world she wishes to break free from her real-life limitations. The narrator learned and went
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101-1035 30 October 2012 Just Walk on By In Brent Staples’ essay‚ “Just Walk on By” the author describes his experiences‚ feelings‚ and reactions towards the discrimination he has faced throughout his life as a black man. Staples describes several different personal experiences of when he felt that he had been judged or discriminated against by other people based on the color of his skin and how that contributed to his overall appearance. Staples has continuously been perceived as a danger or
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Public Space‚” Brent Staples discusses the development of standard stereotypes that can not just affect the actions of the victim‚ but the suspect. Throughout the essay‚ Staples describes himself in a sequence of events‚ and proceeds to tell the readers how people around him react. Brent Staples was a tall black man and always faced the same reaction when walking the streets during his late night strolls. People that were walking late as well especially white women would avoid Staples either by crossing
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Brent Staples’ A Brother’s Murder A belief I feel very strongly about proposes that all problems faced by our society have solutions. If this belief is true‚ why do problems still face us today? The answer could be a result of either laziness by the people in our society in finding these solutions or just the fact that there are too many problems to solve. Maybe this belief I have is too far out of reach to be true. On the other hand‚ Brent Staples‚ a well-respected writer‚ seems to share this
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