¶ … Working with Text" and "Not White, Just Right" "Black Men and Public Space" by Brent Staples and "Not White, Just Right" by Rachel Jones are both examples of well-constructed prose in short essay format, designed to be creative but argumentative and factual at the same time. These two essays are both about personal experiences with racism, but the authors each address the topic from different perspectives. Taken collectively, the two essays show how multifaceted the problem of racism is in America, and how diverse Black experiences are as a whole.

In "Black Men and Public Space," Staples begins with the poignant statement, "My first victim was a white woman, well dressed, probably in her early twenties." In this one statement, Staples establishes the tone and content of the essay. Staples knows that Black men have been stereotyped as being lethal thugs and predators, hence the ironic use of the word "victim." Furthermore, Staples understands that the most common "victims" of Black men are wealthy, young, white women. The image of the Black man as violent sexual predator was one that permeated American racial stereotyping. Staples uses irony and dark humor in "Black Men and Public Space" to show how he has been the victim of racism in that he cannot even walk alone at night without being perceived of as dangerous. Because he is black, Staples frightens people. The author has become so accustomed to being perceived of and treated as a criminal that he has gotten used to it and has come to expect it, even when for humor's sake, he whistles tunes from the white cultural domain, particularly classical music.

In "Not White, Just Right," Jones talks about the segregation of cultural domains as well. According to Jones, many African-Americans perceive proper grammar and proper English as being a "white thing," and not just simply proper language use. Jones claims that by labeling proper English as "white," young Blacks are damaging their own future and hurting their chances to achieve success. It is a matter of self-sabotage. As Jones puts it, "some young blacks still perceive clear speech as a Caucasian trait. Whether they know it or not, they're succumbing to a dangerous form of self-abnegation that rejects...

Enabling language segregation is something that hurts, not harms, black people. Although Jones does not use the type of sarcasm, irony, and humor used by Staples in his essay, the tone of both essays is justifiably angry. I appreciate these essays as samples of powerful writing that motivates the reader to empathize and also to take personal action against racism.
These two sample essays exemplify good writing because they are succinct and persuasive. Both Staples and Jones manage to generate emotions in the reader without seeming shrill or pedantic. Staples and Jones also use personal examples and reflect on their own experiences without alienating the reader in any way. While thesis and point-driven essays, neither "Black Men and Public Space" nor "Not White, Just Right" do not fall into the trap of being too formulaic.

Final Thoughts About Writing/Revising

In many ways, writing is easy but revising is hard. Writing involves getting words down on paper initially, allowing thoughts to flow. Using stream of consciousness in the early stages of writing an essay or any other type of material, the writer does not self-censor. Instead, the writer allows the ideas to manifest so that the final product includes all possible points-of-view. After this initial stage of writing, though, the real work begins. It is important to communicate ideas in an organized and clear manner, keeping in mind the nature of the assignment or the needs of the audience.

Revising is difficult because it seems like a never-ending process. Even when all the grammatical errors have been taken care of and the paper is reasonably clear and organized, one can find endless ways of rephrasing sentences, adding new ideas, and subtracting others. The biggest challenge for the writer at this stage would be to refrain from revising too much. At some point, the writer needs to take a step back and hand in the paper.

End of Term Reflection

This course has helped me to improve my writing. By…