Topic > Staples' use of literary devices in Just Walk on by

Although the fight to stop racial discrimination has made significant strides in the past thirty years, racism still thrives among us in the modern world. Racism has emerged as such an ingrained part of society that people tend to avoid perceiving it as a danger in everyday life. Brent Staples' articles titled “Just Walk on by: Black Men and Public Space” are a fascinating and enlightening piece of writing. Brent Staples in his article “Just walk on by: Black Men and Public Space” illustrates his experience of being a black man in public space, as he comes to understand the unbearable realities that racial discrimination brings. Therefore, this article will analyze how Staples uses vivid images, changes in public space, and personal examples to inform readers of his ordeals. Additionally, the article will examine and offer a personal position regarding the author's claims regarding racial discrimination. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original EssayStaples uses vivid imagery as a way to get his audience to relate to him, therefore allowing them to agree with his point of view. Brent Staples describes the woman he meets in the first paragraph as a victim of his actions. Full of prejudices, the woman appears nervous and crosses the street, demonstrating that she feels in danger and sees Staples as threatening despite being completely harmless. Vivid imagery becomes a huge role in Staples' essay. The author uses descriptive terms such as “Both hands tucked into her bulky military jacket” and “As I entered the club behind her.” In this context, the terms push, bulky and swung create an aggressive image suspected by the public. Another use of image description is evident when he says, “after a few faster glances, he picked up the pace and was running in earnest.” As we continue, we notice that Brent Staples starts talking about his appearance. Staples writes the story from his own experience, he observed how white people locked their car doors and ran to the other side of the road for safety when he appeared. However, he is completely aware that he has the ability to change all of this simply by walking through it. Brent Staples offers his personal perspective by making the audience believe he made a mistake, but ultimately details how his actions were generated by fear stemming from his prejudice of being a mugger, a rapist, and a criminal. However, despite the above misconceptions, there is a lot of truth in the author's statements. Ultimately, in a display of fictional ridicule, the self-proclaimed “ability to change public space” pushes the author to change his personal behaviors as well as his thoughts. Therefore, when the prejudices displayed by the white group seem to be strongly rooted in his night-time activities, he looks for a practical alternative. Accordingly, in what appears to be the most memorable last part of his article, Staples explains to the audience how he has discovered how to transform tense situations into friendly and sociable ones. The writer informs readers that even after all this he believes it has had a positive impact on his personal experience. The author uses personal illustrations throughout the narrative accompanied by direct quotes obtained from other books read that he associates within the story. Therefore, Staple's personal examples make his narrative strong and fascinating as he shows his personal perspective and makes use of narratives.