The Black Men And Public Space By Brent Staples, The Myth...

Just Walk on By, Myth of a Latin Woman, and Shooting an Elephant; Depression from Stereotyping and Prejudice There has been many years of racial stereotypes and wanting to fit into a group. The essays that show this theme are Just Walk on By: Black Men and Public Space by Brent Staples, The Myth of the Latin Woman by Judith Ortiz Cofer, and Shooting an Elephant by George Orwell. Staples shows his audience the struggles he has gone through as a black male. Cofer shows her audience the stereotypes that surround Latin women. Orwell shows his audience the overwhelming desire of being accepted into a group of people. All three of these authors want to be accepted by the larger group of people. Society needs to empathise and be aware of the silence that surrounds these issues. Otherwise it can create depression amongst minority groups. Brent Staples is a black man in American society who has been exposed to being stereotyped against. He was walking down the street one night and a white woman was walking towards him. She turned around and started quickly walking away from him. She automatically assumed because he was a black man out at night that he would mug her. He was wearing casual street clothes with his hands in his pockets, but he never showed any threat towards her. Sh figured that he was a thug or a threat to her well being. Staples does not openly say this, but it is clear from the way he describes the woman s actions. â€Å"She cast a worried glance. To her, the