Rhetorical Devices in Night Walker by Brent Staples Essay Example

warfare, street knifings, and murders are common, these circumstances can inflict trauma and ingrain hostile emotions. “I grew up one of the good boys, had perhaps a half-dozen first fights. In retrospect, my shyness of combat has a clear source. ”(paragraph. 6) Staples emphasizes that the violence experiences he witnessed as a kid were the root causes for the acute effects imprinted on his psyche. “As a boy I saw countless tough guys locked away; I have buried several, too.

They were babies, really – a teenage cousin, a brother of 22, a childhood friend in his mid-20s all gone down in episodes of bravado played out in the streets. ”(paragraph. 6) Staples uses personal stories of conflict and pathos to illustrate violence and the emotional/physical price it has on people and their attitudes. Being subject to racism and discrimination is demeaning and debilitating. In fact they can lead you to anger. “Relatively speaking, however, I never fared as badly as another black male journalist. ”(paragraph. ) Stemming from racism is common when someone is mistreated or falsely accused of something because of their race. “Mistaking the reporter for the killer, police officers hauled him from his car at gunpoint and but for his press credentials would probably have tried to book him. Such episodes are not uncommon. Black men trade tales like this all the time. ”(paragraph. 8) Staples portrays anger using euphemism and implies that the anger sterns from stereotyping of African Americans. These real life experiences and the vivid imagery give the reader an acute awareness into the harmful effects of racism..

Fear, violence, and anger brought on by racism

all provide the foundation of the story “Night Walker” by Brent Staples. The author uses personal life experiences and vivid imagery to ingress upon the reader the impact of discrimination. Not only does he use rhetorical devices, he uses concrete details to create a stronger more profound effect on the reader. Being subjected to racism is demeaning and debilitating and results in a toxic environment for the person being subjected to these acts of ignorant discrimination.