James Baldwin and Brent Staples

I loved Black Men and Public Space by Brent Staples. It is written so well, and it’s such a fast read, but nonetheless, he reveals his message so powerfully. I found his writing technique MUCH more useful than James Baldwin’s in Stranger in the Village. I found Baldwin’s essay too verbose, so much that I actually found it difficult in the beginning. I had to re-read several parts to understand exactly what he was saying. Additionally, it seems as though Baldwin seems to be making many arguments in one essay. Given that Baldwin’s audience is well-educated white men and women, it is clear that he may be using such verbose language in an effort to demonstrate his intellect, and therefore, prove his point that black men are just as capable as white men. In comparison to Staple’s essay, I found that since Staples was inundated with personal experience throughout, he created strong pathos as opposed to Baldwin. I found Baldwin to be making large philosophical statements a little too much, with little to grab the reader’s attention.

The readers of the Ms. Magazine that Staples wrote for was read by women who were afraid of black men, as the introductory paragraph mentions. As aforementioned, if found Staples essay serve well for his purpose. He cites many instances where he was harshly and wrongly judged as a thread since he is a black man. At the same time, he adds his own feelings to each specific experience, thus allowing the reader to understand the whole point of his essay. His experiences recount the female's fear, his women audiance can clearly relate to his point.