Blacklivesmatter Rhetorical Analysis

Is being a black man in public space a crime in America ? In today's society that question is very prevalent and seems to cause a lot of discussion. Many people often start these kinds of discussions and still do not receive the change that they are looking for. In the essay “Black Men and Public Space,” Brent Staples talks about his personal experiences of him being a black man in the presence of the public. He uses his personal accounts to give off vivid imagery that appeals to the audience in multiple different ways. His accounts are explained in his writing with a plentiful array of words and a use of a humorous style. Brent Staples successfully uses the emotional appeal of pathos and ethos to achieve his main goal of showing how racism and discrimination still exists in today's society.

America does have its own conflicts between its citizens. One group of people who have been struggling for the past hundreds of years are still struggling for acceptance to this day. Black people are still dealing with violence and hatred in the country they were born in. They use their right of free speech to publish their stories. While both Goldberg and the Alt-Right political group both make significant arguments about the "Black Lives Matter" movement, Goldberg's balanced usage of logos, ethos, and pathos makes his argument more effectively.

The challenging component this semester was the transition from high school English reading and writing level to college level. It is mainly because High school writing did not have many expectations from students, its main focus was on the ideal five-paragraph essays. As compared to college, writing is mainly geared and focused on one’s ability to thoroughly answer the assigned prompt. Initially, I was not sure if I was capable of handling a fast-paced course, however, I quickly adjusted to the change and I am glad that I chose to stay. In English 10, I have learned many valuable elements that I can incorporate into my everyday writing. I have included my writing from project 2 a rhetorical analysis on, “Black Lives Matter”, which effectively demonstrates my growth as a reader, thinker, and writer.

A necessary and common fight for equality has been one that has survived throughout all of man’s existence. Due to recent racial divide and the product of racial profiling, a movement has risen up to combat these common issues. The most recent and most well-covered is the Black Lives Matter Movement. Even though it has been lauded by some media sources and individuals as the next great movement to champion for civil rights, the Black Lives Matter movement is not the same as the African-American Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s nor is it likely to be as successful. If the Black Lives Matter Movement continues with discrepancies in ideology, lack of clear leadership, and trends of hate, the movement is doomed to fail.

Many believe that civil rights movements have completely eradicated racial injustices and inequality in the United States. Michelle alexander disprove this myth in her book “The New Jim Crow.” Alexander claims racial caste did not die with slavery. She implies that the racial caste system in America has been reformed multiple times to meet “the needs and demands of current political climates” (alexander 52). She believes that mass incarceration which she refers to as “The New Jim Crow” is the current caste system in the United States. By elaborating on the history of racial caste in America and by including quotes from politicians such as Nixon and Lyndon Johnson, Alexander effectively persuades her reader that the United States has not achieved

Even in modern society, the simplest of things can shift the delicate atmosphere. A black man entering a room, or any space, full of white people, can automatically transform the ambiance. This ‘ability’ may not be a desired effect, but in certain situations, it becomes inevitable. Through the use of different rhetorical devices, Brent Staples is able to demonstrate his realization of his “ability to alter public space in ugly ways” simply because of his race and stature in his essay, “Black Men and Public Space.” Staples uses the rhetorical techniques ethos, logos, and pathos in order to get on the “same side” as the reader while still presenting the essence of his argument. The author is able to sympathize with his “victims” and justify their feelings, appealing to ethos. He also analogies and details about his background, such as his doctorate in psychology, and the fact that he was a reporter to appeal to logos. Additionally, by using vivid imagery and creative diction, he engages the reader by use of pathos, evoking the emotions of the reader. With the use of rhetorical devices, Staples is able to effectively describe his experiences of being perceived as a criminal, solely based on his “unwieldy inheritance” (205), while, additionally, extending this concept to be true throughout society.

Former President George W. Bush gave a speech entitled "Ending Racial Inequality" in 2000. This speech is civil and effective because of his smooth transitions from one concept to another. This helps his speech to flow logically, and it's easy for his audience to follow. George Bush also has ethos because he is the Presient of the United States. His ethos gives the audience reason to listen to his solutions to racial inequality. Saying things such as "I believe in these standards" and listing statistics; "90 percent of the cost of basic health care...," brings logic to his speech, making it more effective. He alluded to Abraham Lincoln, who is, of course, a strong figure in racial equality and stirs up the desired emotions as well as his references

Beginning in late summer, this country became bombarded with stories in the news about police officers involved in some types of controversy. The controversy that started it all was an incident that happened in Ferguson, Missouri. Since August, there has been much discussion and public debate over whether a police officer’s use of deadly force against an unarmed teenager was justified. On August 9, 2014 a young man named Michael Brown was shot and killed by Officer Darren Wilson after he was stopped for walking in the middle of the street. Was the shooting of an unarmed teenager in Missouri an example of police using excessive force? Who decides what force is recommended or when it becomes excessive? To determine both these questions, we first must define what constitutes specific circumstances as excessive force. Officer Darren Wilson was not guilty of using excessive or lethal force if he felt his safety or the safety of others were in danger or if Michael Brown had surrendered peacefully and without resisting arrest.

Police brutality and police militarization have become a hot topic in the United States of America. There are many cases where police officers motives are being questioned, leading the public into an uproar. Just to name a few of these cases, we have Micheal Brown from Fegurson, Missouri, that started it all, which took place on Augest 19th, 2014. We also have Eric Garner from New York, taking place July of 2014. July of 2016, Alton Sterling of Baton Rouge and Walter Scott from South Carolina in April of 2015.

Fredrick Douglas wrote and presented his What the Black Man Wants speech during the post civil war time period to demonstrate his straightforward views on the fact that even though the black race had just acquired freedom, they remained without equality and civil rights which gave their current freedom no meaning. Throughout his entire speech, Douglas rules over his audience with his parallel and emotional diction choice along with his assertive tone shifting towards anger and the answering of his own questions multiple times to emphasize his seriousness.

Just fifty years ago, America was a society of segregation and racism. The dictionary defines racism as “the belief that a particular race is superior to another.” Although it is clear times have changed, racism is still seen in modern american society. It’s also clear that relationships between African Americans and whites are generally better than they were in the forties and fifties. Today, it is rare to witness a black man walk down the street and step off the sidewalk to let a white man walk by, or to see a black man sitting on a different section of the bus or train because a white man told him he has too. But superiority of races is still happening. A lot of this has the do with the ignorance of others. Passed down generation to

Excessive force and police brutality have become common terms for anyone keeping up with today’s current events. In 2014, the media covered numerous cases of excessive force that resulted in the deaths of several people of color (Nelson & Staff, 2014). The most widely covered cases by the media in 2014 were of Michael Brown, an 18-year-old black male shot and killed by police officer Darren Wilson in Ferguson, Missouri; and Eric Garner, a 43-year-old black male in Staten Island, New York who was put into a choke by police officer Daniel Pantaleo until he lost consciousness and stopped breathing (Nelson & Staff, 2014). These cases brought attention to the seriousness of police brutality and the curiosity of how often it occurs (Brown, 2015).

For example, hundreds of Americans are killed by police each year. One specific example was in Ferguson, Missouri where an unarmed man named Michael Brown was shot walking down the street all because an officer suspected him for a robbery suspect. This shows that instead of the officer handling the situation by confronting and question the man, he abused his power to kill him. The occurrence of this incident caused protests and riots all over the state of Missouri, mostly in Ferguson itself. First it started with peaceful protests but as more people got involved, things got way out of hand.

In Moore’s article he describes the impact of language according to racial discrimination and how our words degrate social status among other races. A strong argument pointed out by Moore is the contrast of the words “black and white”. In the argument, Moore uses words that consist of the word “black. For example: Moore uses the word “black-brow” which means to frown or scowl at, “blackhearted” which is a synonym for evil, and “blackjack” which means making an individual undertake an action using pressure. These words indicate a pessimistic look that shows people that the word “black” means “bad” or “evil”. On the other hand, Moore explains the phrase “that is very white of you” which is used to describe a positive gesture that an individual

The Black Lives Matter movement has swept across America. It 's branched out with chapters in over 31 cities and held rallies and boycotts across the United States(Sidner). The Black Lives Matter movement started with the outrage of the death of a young man. It continues to take over headlines and raise awareness on police brutality and inequality. However, the movement has met resistance from the All Lives Matter group. This group thinks that Black Lives Matter is a movement to express hatred towards other races. However, statistics, the views of fellow citizens, and the overall purpose of the Black Lives Matter movement, can prove that the movement wasn 't meant to express hate on other races and that we need to support the movement instead of going against it.