"Just Walk On By"

Paper Summary:

The paper analyzes how Staples' article "Just Walk On By: A Black Man Ponders His Power to Alter Public Space," portrays negative stereotypes haunting black men. The paper looks at how Staples, an African-American male, addresses this type of discrimination through relating various episodes from his past. The paper points out that, although Staples intended to address a serious problem, he does so in a way that is educational instead of critical, making his article less accusatory and more informative.

From the Paper:

"Staples recalls his first encounter, he was 22 at the time, when he was walking in an affluent Chicago neighborhood and a woman ahead of him became so terrified of him she eventually broke into a run in order to escape. From this incident he realized he had inherited "the ability to alter public space in ugly ways" (Staples, 2005, p. 168). An insomniac and thusly a frequent night walker, he relates being "surprised, embarrassed, and dismayed" by the incident (p. 169). At this point he realized that the combination of his skin color and gender created a serious stigma for him, one that he knew he did not deserve, and at the same time, one that was impossible for him to escape."

Sample of Sources Used:

• Staples, B. (2005). Just Walk On By: A Black Man Ponders His Power to Alter Public Space. InL. Jewell (Ed.), Professional and Public Writing: A Rhetoric and Reader forAdvanced Composition (pp.168-171). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson.

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