Introduction
Brent Staples’ paper ‘Black men in public space’, addresses a wide variety of audience within the American society, to which it is targeted to. As a result, he resolves to use a very passionate appealing expression of the experience of black people’s discrimination. The story tries to portray a picture of how racism and fear of Black men especially within the elite class, by the social class of the whites was practiced. The character also gives a picture of how white females were afraid of the black men within their surroundings; making them feel further alienated. In achieving this lucid picture; the person of the character and characteristics of Staples are portrayed as, a means of getting the point home. These characteristics and character of this person are discussed below.
Main body
This character is portrayed as one who is experienced on the area of argument; as is seen from the narration of the personal experience and encounter with a white women who he comes along on his way. He gives the picture that this woman tried as much as she could to keep a wide gap between her and the character of Staples; as she even decides to run away from him. He also narrates of an instance he walked into a jeweler’s shop only to be sent away after having the owner’s dog released on him; which according to him would not be done to a white customer. From the story the character argues that he had also known and became familiar to the characteristics and language of fear, in the white people especially the women.
The character is portrayed as understanding; as he argues within the story that even despite the despised he felt, he makes the audience understand the fact that he understood the fear and fright felt by these whites; thus sympathizing with their feelings towards black men. He also expresses the feeling of the men by showing that this segregation made them feel alienated and disgusting; which was a product of the appalling view associated with them.
The characteristics of the character of being emotional and expressive is shown through the lucid picture he portrays of the extent of alienation he felt; at the moment he was being avoided due to his different color thus dissimilar treatment. From this character it is evident that he has addressed the fears and views held by the white women, black men and the general American society. From the story it is clear that he uses the pleading and expressive characters; to make the reader feel like it were happening to them at that very time, and the feeling that the discrimination vice could not be done away with easily. The character is further seen to use pathos so effectively in trying to reach his different audience. He ensure that he gets the true reaction of the audience and establishes a common ground with them; by the expressive tactics of being able to address them at an emotional level. The establishment he makes by using these characters and points of addressing the audience is that; they become more open to ideas and willful to listen, as the way he puts the ideas across strike their hearts arousing the feelings of loneliness or alienation at some point in their life.
The other characteristic of the character that is portrayed is that of being sympathetic; as he argues within the story that despite how bad it felt to see the women and whites in general keep away from him, he could understand their fears and sympathize with their feelings as they did not really know what the black men were like. He is also seen to sympathize with the discrimination black men in general were subjected to; and as a result deciding to intervene and open up the directive address of the society in general. The character is further portrayed as one who sympathizes with the general dangerousness associated with the world in general towards women; when they have to live with the weaknesses that are used against them.
The character is also seen to be ironical by nature; as he is portrayed to have such a competent way of manipulating the skill of using irony to get the point he is trying to drive across understood. He uses the skill of irony very tactically to twist the feelings and imaginative capabilities of individuals; in making the ideas of how the alienation and rejection were far-reaching.
The character is portrayed as being inspiring; in that he is capable of using an effective tone, ideas and beliefs; rhetorical appeals and personal experience to get the audience feel rather than encounter the meaning of the work. He inspiringly uses pathos to reach their emotional experience regarding the issue; which helps him make the audience more open to ideas and willful to listen and apply the experiences to their personal experience. He manages to put the ball on the court of the people who were subjecting the blacks to segregation; so as to be able to make them examine how they individually felt about the issue, rather than being exposed to what to feel.
Conclusion
In conclusion it is worth noting that the person puts these characters into action so effectively; that he is able to get the ideas he is driving at across without making any effort to force or impose them or his beliefs on the audience. It should also be noted that the character has applied these characters as tools in making the success he made, as he was capable of addressing the different audience even the general society.
Reference
Staples, B. (2003). Black Men and Public Space. Literature for Composition, Essay, Fiction, Poetry and Drama. Ed. Sylavan Barnet, et al. San Francisco: Longman Press.