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Essay / Rhetorical Analysis of Just Walk on by Brent Staples by
Table of ContentsCause and Effect: Staples' use of structureDiction: Staples' choice of wordsImagery: Staples' use of visionIrony: the use of sarcasm by StaplesBrent Staples is an African-American man born in 1951 who received his first bachelor's degree in behavioral science from Widener University at the age of 22. Staples went on to earn a master's degree in psychology at the University of Chicago and then a doctorate in the same field (Brent Staples). This article originally appeared in Ms. Magazine in 1986 under the title "Just Walk on By." Then, a year later, Staples revised it and titled it “Black Men and the Public Space” for publication in Harper's Magazine. At first, Staples simply seems like a man discussing unfortunate experiences. Learning more about Staples and his difficult past can help the reader understand Staples' choice of narrative throughout his thesis in this essay which examines the unfair treatment he receives simply for being a black man. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get the original essay Cause and Effect: Staples' Use of Structure Staples' form of structure throughout this narrative is cause and effect. He discusses several different occasions, in somewhat chronological order, where he encountered a reaction from someone that had no justification. His first incident occurred during a walk on a college campus he attended and the woman feared for her life. Another incident he talks about is when he was late for work at an editorial office, so he was in a hurry to get into the building and some individuals mistook him for someone coming to rob the building. Staples uses this type of structure because it allows the reader to hear his side of the story first and what he was actually doing versus what others thought he was doing. By doing so, the reader is able to better understand the feelings Staples is experiencing.Diction: Staples' Choice of WordsIn the area of diction described in this essay, Staples was meticulous in his choice of words because he wants the Readers develop an emotional connection. with the character in the text. At the beginning of his story, Staples begins by writing: “My first victim was a well-dressed white woman, probably in her early twenties. » From this sentence alone, it is detectable that Staples chooses diction as an effective means of communicating his story to his readers. Wanting his audience to be intelligent and open-minded, Staples chooses such heavy and impactful words because many of these scenarios are memories that recount unwanted experiences where other individuals viewed him as a threat – for no justifiable reason . Staples chooses words that not only portray his professional appearance and contradict the opinions of the characters in this story, but he is also diligent in his decision-making to choose words that represent the harshness of these experiences of prejudice. Imagery: The Staples' use of visionIn another paragraph of In this essay, Staples describes himself as "one of the good boys." My best interpretation is that he does this to support his argument that his character did not warrant these experiences occurring. Even though Staples has clearly demonstrated otherwise, throughout this article Staples attempts to remind his audience of the misconceptions that many Caucasians have about African Americans, sometimes thinking that they are all criminals. For this reason, Staples uses adjectives and expressive words to –.