The Analysis Of Just Walk On By

For as long as we can recall, society has severely embedded into generations their personal beliefs of Black Americans, as merely their existence invokes feelings of unnecessary discomfort or terror. Victimized for his race, Brent Staples, an author, composed Just Walk on By: A Black Man Ponders His Power to Alter Public Space to accentuate his struggles as a Black man residing in the so-called “land of the free”, the United States. To present the immoral treatment that Black individuals encounter daily, the author ingeniously appeals to his readers through the usage of distinctive language, expressive imagery, and organizational structure.

In Brent Staples’ introductory text, he shares a personal anecdote containing vivid storytelling to emphasize the depth of prejudice he had to cope with at age 22. His habit of utilizing phrases like “my first victim”, “seemed menacingly close”, and notably “running in earnest”, frames a unique passage to storytelling. By using salient phrases in the introduction of his text, Staples primarily evokes the emotions of frenzy and unsettledness that soon progress to a reaction of alleviation. Imposing these mixed responses onto the audience allowed them to recognize how Black people are continually slandered across the public as a menace or danger rather than ordinary citizens. The glimpse of perspective from the privileged woman was enough to characterize the discrimination present in the lives of dark-skinned individuals currently.

Staples applies eloquent imagery to stimulate the situations he frequently has to suffer through. The mental picture of the author barely allowing himself to “take a knife to a raw chicken” symbolizes Staples as a harmless person. However, Staples indicates that white women were intensely “bracing themselves against being tackled” during a simple walk in the night. As a result of society’s fearful conceptions about Black individuals, negative interactions between other races are also common. The conflicting aspect between these two mentioned images reveals the preconceived notion of Black people that society continues to abide in.

Moreover, the author uses the practice of comparisons to amplify the fear that others experience by his presence. Staples states that the woman’s quick flight after her awareness of his appearance contrived him to feel like “an accomplice in tyranny” that was “indistinguishable from the muggers”. Unaware of the impact of her actions, the woman’s bigotry emotionally affected Staples as a Black man. People rarely take into account their spiteful impression they forge through their racist behavior. It exposes a moral belief that is subconsciously held in the minds of white individuals, allowing the audience to be receptive to the lack of reverence for Black Americans.

Through and through, Staples adequately assures his audience to be mindful that not all Black men are what the public has painted them to be and encourages an end to racism. Staples’s text successfully reveals the emotions felt by Black men when they become victimized and the injustice that Black men have to deal with today by using diction, imagery, and organizational structure.