Who Shot Johnny, by Debra Dickerson Essay - 543 Words

In â€Å"Who Shot Johnny† by Debra Dickerson, Dickerson recounts the shooting of her 17 year old nephew, Johnny. She traces the outline of her life, while establishing a creditable perception upon herself. In first person point of view, Dickerson describes the events that took place after the shooting, and how those events connected to her way of living. In the essay, she uses the shooting of her nephew to omit the relationship between the African American society, and the stereotypic African American society. In a clever way to establish creditability, Dickerson opens the passage with a compendium of background information. She uses an ethological approach to describe the intellectual background that she carries on her chest. Dickerson†¦show more content†¦However, as a well-informed and intellectually stable citizen, Dickerson is able disconnect her race from unfortunate events. By concentrating on an ethological approach, Dickerson also makes her family disconnect from stereotypes. In first person point of view, she is able to describe her situation through her knowledge and background. For example, Dickerson describes Johnny with a settled and calm tone of voice. She writes, â€Å"Johnny speaks little, never cries, never complains, works diligently to become independent† (225). Because he is black, most people would associate Johnny with violence and gangs. In Black Men and Public Space by Brent Staples, a black men strolling down the avenue was assumed to be a criminal. The color of his skin, in correlation to his environment, evoked a sense of danger. However, through an educated voice, Johnny is not that dangerous black kid who got shot. Johnny is a sensitive victim of an unfortunate shooting. It is very easy to label an individual according to racial status. For this reason, Dickerson is required to inform the reader of elements that do not support these stereotypes. The disconnection from stereotypes satisfies her objection, and broadens the perspective of society. As a result, Dickerson makes a final disconnection by classifying the stereotypic black male into a separate group from the African American society.Show MoreRelatedWho Shot Johnny?: A Portrait of Youth Violence Essay841 Words   |  4 PagesWho Shot Johnny? As humans we strive to live in a utopian environment, free of elements of aggression, greed, and violence. Most of us try to live a healthy and satisfying life, gaining from opportunities that we have sought and worked hard for. We take life as it comes, and we accept the challenges and difficulties that life puts out as we continue on no matter how hard it gets. However, there are a multitude of people who tend to think that life is just too hard and that they should be handedRead MoreAnalysis Of The Book Who Shot Johnny 1070 Words   |  5 PagesWriting project 1 – TEXTUAL RESPONSE WITH THREE SECONDARY SOURCES In the essay, â€Å"Who Shot Johnny, the author Debra Dickenson tells the story of how her nephew Johnny was shot and paralyzed just for waving at a car he thought he recognized. She goes on to describe what she believes is the stereotypical inner city thug who does nothing but hurt others, and how many people perceive all African Americas to be this way. â€Å"We despise and disown this anomalous loser but, for many, he is black America.†Read MoreMartin Luther King Jr.1101 Words   |  5 Pagesthought would be that after this long the issue should have been eradicated. Two essays that can be used as an example of proof that racial inequality still exists in our society are, Black Men in Public Spaces by Brent Staples and Who Shot Johnny? by Debra Dickerson. In these essays, both provide solid evidence to support their main goal with the use of different writing styles, tone, and rhetorical devices to display how African Americans are perceived and treated by society. Within essay one