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Rhetorical Analysis Of Just Walk On By

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“Just Walk on By: Black Men and Public Space” by Brent Staples, “Serving in America” by Barbara Ehrenreich, and “Mother Tongue” by Amy Tan all tackle the issue of one being thought of as something they are not, as a result of his or her unchangeable characteristics. Staples is an African-American man and is often mistaken as a criminal because of his race. When working as a journalist, Staples was running late and “was mistaken for a burglar. The office manager called security and, with an ad hoc posse, pursued [him] through the labyrinthine halls, nearly to [his] editor’s office” (Staples 385). This anecdote highlights the negative thoughts that people have when seeing African American men, like Staples. The office manager assumed that Staples …show more content…
When working at a restaurant, Ehrenreich and her coworkers are accused of using drugs and are informed that there will now be random drug tests and the employees’ lockers will be searched. Ehrenreich explains, “[She] ha[s]n’t been treated this way...since at least junior high school” (Ehrenreich 138). As a result of being minimum wage workers, Ehrenreich and her coworkers are seen as drug users and lesser than the management. The metaphor comparing the way the employees are being treated to the treatment of junior high schoolers reveals that the management does not see the minimum wage workers as anything more than children and feel as if the workers should not be trusted. It is a result of the workers’ wage that they are treated this way. It is assumed that they are nothing but drug dealers because of their job, although it is not always the case. Tan’s mother does not speak English as a first language and as a result of this, she is seen as less intelligent and is often taken advantage of. After going in for a CAT scan, the hospital lost her mother’s scan and even when “she had spoken very good English, her best English, no

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