Themes In Walking While Black By Garnette Cadogan - 873 Words

Scrolling through the possible essays, it didn’t take long to find one that was eye catching. Walking While Black, by Garnette Cadogan, caught my attention for obvious reasons. The author takes a personal story that shows his interests-walking that is very current and understandable to most audiences. Cadogan depicts one of the terrors black men risk enduring everyday life in the United States. Cadogan’s storyline, quotes and informal language assist readers to reach a sense of connection with his experiences. The beginning of the essay takes us where his love of walking begins-his hometown Kingston, Jamaica. The storyline, starting from his late night strolls in his hometown, Cadogan walks us through how he ended up in the New York City†¦show more content†¦Walking While Black, is intended for non-Black and non-immigrant readers. This essay gives an opportunity to receive a glimpse of the impact of racism from the eyes of a black immigrant. His first stop living in the States, was in New Orleans. For the very first time during his walks Cadogan had to be mindful of how his presence affected others. One technique I immediately noticed is that Cadogan is skilled in dialogue and scenarios that make it an ease to read along and visualize. He adds just enough detail without over explaining. Cadogan shares that he has to wear his university sweaters so he wouldn’t be so threatening to strangers, thicken his Jamaican accent and â€Å"accidently† give the police his student I.D. rather than his license like his other peers told him to do. Cadogan gives â€Å"a cardinal rule: Keep a wide perimeter from people who might consider me a danger. If not, danger might visit me.† If the author was writing to familiar readers, he wouldn’t have the need to share ways he maneuver around town. After hurricane Katrina wiped out Louisiana, Cadogan decided to live with his aunt in New York. He might have felt like a pariah in New Orleans from pedestrians, but Cadogan faced the common prejudice that many did in New York from the police. During his time in New York he uses words like exuberant, oppression, reoccupy, beguiling, exhilarating, and vibrant. HisShow MoreRelatedAnalysis Of White Rage By Carol Anderson1151 Words   |  5 Pagesaggression at the hands of white men, and she seems to really focus on an unarmed African American male who was shot by a white police officer in Ferguson, Missouri. â€Å"Black and Blue,† by Garnette Cadogan continues with the struggles of police brutality in America, but also touches on the abuse in his home country of Jamaica. Cadogan gives specific events that have happened in his life, from avoiding murder in the streets of Kingston, Jamaica, to being chased in New York City for simply running.