Prejudice1

A detailed Summary of Prejudice1

Although the fight to stop racism has made huge strides since thirty years ago, racism is still alive and well today. Racism has become such a deep-rooted part of society that it often goes unnoticed in our everyday lives. In Brent Staples' "Just Walk on By: A Black Man Ponders His Power to Alter Public Space," and Austin Clarke's "A Stranger in a Strange Land," both authors speak of how they deal with the burdens borne by someone who sees himself or herself and is seen by others, as an outsider. Although both Staples and Clarke face this problem, the two respond to the dilemmas they face in different ways.

By engaging in simple tasks such as taking a late night stroll, Staples automatically becomes subject to others' racism and fear. His everyday life is under continuous scrutiny by a white society that both fears and misunderstands him. Staples introduces the very extent to which society fears black people in the first sentence. On a late night saunter, his "first victim [is] a woman - white, well dressed, probably in her early twenties." Fortunately, in reality, the woman is not the victim of any black on white racial violence; but, unfortunately, Staples is the victim of white racist presumptions about his character

, that are based solely on the colour of his skin. This incident makes him realize he has "the ability to alter public space in ugly ways"; sadly however, it is only the beginning of Staples' encounters with a predominantly white society and their racial stereotypes. Staples realizes that women have a right to be weary of men while they are alone at night; however, he takes "no solace against the kind of alienation that comes of being ever the suspect." Somehow, despite all the animosity Staples faces, he consciously, or "perhaps unconsciously" decides that he will "remain a shadow - timid, but a survivor." He figures it will be better to accept how society views him, rather than to fight it. He chooses to change his routine to make society comfortable, as to not be a menace to anyone. Staples "[learns] to smother the rage [he feels] at so often being taken for a criminal," for he knows that if he fails to do this, he will only go insane. Furthermore, Staples presents a view of life in which a black male must live in order to be accepted in today's predominantly white society. By taking certain "precautions," such as whistling "sunny selections from Vivaldi's Four Seasons" while walking down the street at night, society becomes more relaxed and a feeling of comfort is obtained in his presence.

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Approximate Word count = 884
Approximate Pages = 4 (250 words per page double spaced)

Category: Politics

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Prejudice1

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