Black Men In Public Spaces

6 Pages 1431 Words

In the late 1940’s, racial prejudice began a presumably unending journey, winding through decade after decade, usually lessening, though never completely disappearing. In more recent years, racial acceptance has become much more commonplace and laws formed by United States lawmakers have been implemented to ensure the fair and equal treatment of everyone, regardless of race. However, does this mean that every race is still viewed equally? In the essay entitled “Black Men and Public Space”, author Brent Staples argues that he has been racially profiled on several occasions, and in doing so, has been falsely assumed to be a threat to the safety of those around him. By employing specific stories, Staples creates an intellectually and emotionally powerful essay. His inclusion of emotion is very effective in pleading his case that he has been racially profiled, and through his own emotions, he forms a completely multi-faceted essay. Also, by writing the entire essay in an ironic manner, Staples is able to create an essay that has meaning and rationale far beyond the words themselves. The use of irony is enormously prevalent throughout the entire essay, and is nothing if not indispensable to the overall persuasiveness of his argument.
Staples’ use of specific stories becomes essential to the meaning and overall power of the story, and creates the necessary elements that must be included if a writing is to be proper and effective. By using his own life encounters, Staples allows for a first hand understanding of what it was like in that particular situation, and also what he felt during those ordeals. Staples’ stories become such an integral part of the entire piece that without them, the entire essay would be totally lacking, and the emotional gain credited to these stories would be completely lost. This also makes for a much more flowing and sinuous piece, but still attests to the argument that throughout his life, Stap...