Imani Broaden

February 17, 2017

English 102

Genre Analysis

You are not the guy and still you fit the description because there is only one guy

who is always the guy fitting the description (Claudia Rankine). In 1968, Terry vs. Ohio

was established in America and gave police officers the right to search people based on

reasonable suspicion. The quote is regarding the repeated conscious and unconscious

decision that African-Americans are the targets of Stop and Frisk. Since this case came

about, stop and frisk has been a problem to this day and has led to racial profiling and

injustice. In 2011, Trayvon Martins death was my first exposure to stop and frisk and I

was shocked along with the rest of America. We were shocked at the violence of stop and

frisk and how it seemed we were stuck in a phase of the civil rights movement era. In the

first genre, Claudia Rankine narrates her poem, Stop and Frisk, while the video shows

African-American males shopping at a clothing store. The second genre is a photograph

that shows crowds of people outside in New York city protesting against stop and frisk.

Claudia Rankines poem benefits my teacher, classmates, and African-Americans

as a whole. Her message is a lesson every one of all races can learn because she provides

the truth behind stop and frisk. Most of the readers may know stop and frisk exist, but

they would like to know the negative effects and its purpose. Her purpose of the poem is

to inform people the reason stop and frisk exists and to persuade them she is telling the

truth. The poem Stop and Frisk is presented formally in stanza format. Claudia Rankine

stated in her poem, Then you are stretched out on the hood. Then cuffed. Get on the
ground now. This quote has specific vocabulary such as you as if she is referring to

the reader. It proves that she is speaking to African-Americans reading the poem and

allowing them to relate. Special terminology such as, Then you are stretched out on the

hood. Then cuffed, shows that she is describing a common step-by-step process

(Claudia Rankine). She is assuming that those who can relate to this poem are also

familiar with this process. Get on the ground. Get on the ground now. I must have been

speeding. No, you werent speeding. I wasnt speeding? You didnt do anything wrong,

said Claudia Rankine. This quote is another example of specialized vocabulary Claudia

Rankine uses throughout her poem. I wasnt speeding? You didnt do anything wrong,

shows the thought process of the victim (Claudia Rankine). This allows the reader to

relate even further because their thought process may be similar or the same if put in the

same situation. Also, for the readers who cannot relate to this poem personally, it

provides insight on the situation for them to empathize. You didnt do anything wrong,

explains that police officers are arresting innocent African-Americans which is what is

wrong with the stop and frisk procedure (Claudia Rankine).

In this genre, as she narrates the poem, the visual is very significant. The video

shows African-Americans shopping at a clothing store with police sirens in the

background. The large glass window of the clothing store shows the reflection of the

police sirens. The men are remaining calm but also intrigued as they look out the window

to see what is going on outside. One man is wearing a Chicago hat, which is a city

known for its high crime rates. The stop and frisk procedure is common in urban cities

like Chicago because police officers assume certain people are up to no good.
 Claudia Rankines credibility comes from reenactments of true events. An

example would be the injustice of Trayvon Martin. Trayvon Martin was an innocent

African-American male who was approached by a neighborhood watchman because he

felt Trayvon Martin looked suspicious. The situation unfortunately resulted in the death

of Trayvon Martin. This sparked concern with African-Americans after the neighborhood

watchman received no conviction. After similar incidents such as Michael Brown and

Eric Garner, African-Americans were in fear of their lives and the lives of their loved

ones. The viewers of this poem may experience sadness, anger, curiosity, defeat, and even

inspiration to change this problem. Throughout the poem she has valid examples of stop

and frisk and she tells realistic stories of how stop and frisk has a negative impact on

African-Americans. You cant drive yourself saneso angry you cant drive yourself

sane, shows the amount of rage in the victim (Claudia Rankine).

The information in this poem is organized in stanzas in order to convey its

message. It also has a video to go along with the poem that helps present the message.

The video allows a lot of freedom because there is less assumption about the message and

the background sounds of police sirens help establish the scenario. Claudia Rankines

tone of voice and emotion also helps establish the mood of the poem. The stanzas may be

a limitation because poems usually have a specific format such as a haiku. Also, stanzas

can only have so many words per line and the message has to be told in a more poetic

way rather than Claudia Rankine voicing her opinion freely. Although there are

limitations, the structure of this poem helps facilitate its purpose by getting straight to the

point with each stanza.

 In comparison, the second genre is a photograph that can also benefit my teacher,

classmates, and African-Americans as a whole. It is a message that all races can learn.

Most people viewing this photograph know that stop and frisk occurs and they are

searching for ways to improve the issue. Unlike the poem, the purpose of this photograph

is to persuade people that stop and frisk is a serious issue and needs to end. On the

photograph the people are holding a large yellow banner that states, End Stop and

Frisk Stop Racial Profiling. This has special vocabulary so the message of this

photograph can be straight to the point. In this photograph I noticed a large crowd of

people behind the yellow banner. The crowd had a variety of people from all races and

celebrities such as Al Sharpton.

In contrast, this genres credibility is based on the amount of support received by

protest. The large crowd shows that this is, in fact, a critical issue and that is why they

receive so much support. The people in this picture have serious and passionate facial

expressions that would inspire the viewer to have similar emotions. The photographs

evidence is based on Trayvon Martin and similar incidents in comparison to the first

genre.

Unlike the first genre, the information is organized in a picture. There are

limitations because the picture does not have audio and it is a still image. The picture

facilitates its message by capturing the moment of a stop and frisk protest. This picture

shows the support and passion behind this issue and can be used to inspire other people to

protest as well.

These genres both have differences in how they are portrayed and their different

purposes. Regardless of the differences, both of these genres express the opinion that stop
and frisk is unjust. It is a problem because it plays a heavy role in racial profiling which

is unjust. This is a very serious issue. Hopefully, people can learn from these genres about

the problems of stop and frisk.

 Work Cited

Rankine, Claudia. "Black History Month: "Stop-And-Frisk" by Claudia Rankine."

Traveling as a Family. N.p., 21 Feb. 2015. Web. 30 Jan. 2017.

Warga, Craig. Stop and Frisk. 2013 . New York. New York Daily News. Web. 30 Jan.

2017.