A Rhetorical Analysis Of No Trespassing By Banksy

“No Trespassing.” It’s a message that we’ve all seen before, on street signs and on fences, but that most of us stopped considering as part of our daily lives. These signs just sort of blend into the background, no more noticeable than a crack in the sidewalk or a plain, solid-colored exterior wall. On the ordinary brown-painted brick backside of a bar in San Francisco’s Mission District, a bold, red No Trespassing sign is the center of a piece of thought-provoking street art. Below and to the right of the sign are some run-of-the-mill graffiti tags: pale yellow spray paint forming illegible words marking the territory of a gang or juvenile delinquent. On the left side of the wall is a bleak barred window. In 2010, renowned street artist Banksy, whose real identity is unknown, transformed a No Trespassing sign and typical graffiti into a powerful political message rife with symbolism reminding the audience of the historical struggle of the American Indian.

As is typical of Banksy’s work, he incorporated the preexisting surroundings into his street art. In fact, several of his other San Francisco

Even though the art itself is long gone, Banksy’s message lives on. It encourages introspection and critical thinking in the audience. This piece of street art begs the question: are American Indians still facing discrimination today? While land disputes are no longer much of an issue, Native Americans are still subjected to racism and discrimination in this country, despite the fact that they were here first. One way or another, this mural proves that, no, nobody really pays much attention to those pesky “No Trespassing”