In Brent Staples “Black Men and Public Space” a firsthand insight is offered about life as an average educated black man, and the common misconception that he is dangerous. Staples realizes his power to alter public space and subsequently adjusts his behavior to strengthen self-presentation, relieve anticipated tension and stay safe; in the face situations reflecting societal expectations and discrimination based on physical appearance. Though he rationalizes that attempts to ease tension is for the benefit for others and his own physical safety, with each one on one interaction experienced, it becomes evident through progressively desperate behavior that he is attempting to soothe the emotional tension he feels within. Staples opens with
Jacob Spigelman APEL III 21 September 2016 Black Men and Public Spaces Questions on Meaning 1. The purpose of the essay by Staples is to illustrate the hardships experienced by black men when they are in society. Staples explains this article by describing the events that he encounters countless times. Although he seems to be innocent, he is always accused of crimes due to his skin color. For example, Staples talks about how living in Brooklyn, women fear him.
I could never relate to this topic because I never went through it, or experienced it, but now I am understanding it more, with the start of this book. When I was more little I used to think that every black person didn’t have a great life back then, but what I learned from this book is that what I thought was not true. I now know that they came through some challenges, but that did not stop them from having friends over, and enjoying
Thesis: In “The Autobiography of Malcolm X”, Malcolm X in his telling of his life to Alex Haley uncovers the theme of positive and negative environments unearthed by the interaction of African Americans and White Americans in his life and what those kinds of environments inherently produce. Annotated Bibliography Nelson, Emmanuel S. Ethnic American Literature: an Encyclopedia for Students. Greenwood, An Imprint of ABC-CLIO, LLC, 2015.This encyclopedia points out that the negative interaction he held with the white man as a young hustler was countered by these same experiences pushing Malcolm X to reclaim his “African identity”. This shows, as described by the cited work, what a man pushed by his negative interactions with the oppressive white men is willing to do to find his identity (i.e. through hustling).
The use of personal anecdotes, historical references, and pop culture references create a layered and nuanced exploration of the black experience in
Jasper Jonosky Analytical Reading and Writing Professor Faunce 8 Feb. 2023 Rhetorical Analysis of The White Space In Elijah Anderson's The White Space, he effectively demonstrates issues of systemic racism in America through multiple types of rhetoric. Anderson is a sociologist and a professor at Yale University, who wrote The White Space in 2015 to highlight the modern-day segregation of minorities, particularly black people, in American society. Clear and eloquent usage of ethos, pathos, and logos is demonstrated by Anderson to convey his argument.
Brent Staples’ essay, “Just Walk on By: A Black Man and Public Space”, is about the “ability” that a black man holds; which as Staples puts it, is the “ability to alter public space in ugly ways.” African American men, or people for that matter, have stated (even in present day) that they feel the same way. This, among other factors has contributed to the fact that this essay has become very popular among different communities. As the writing prompt states, the essay has been anthologized, and obviously placed in One Hundred Great Essays. For reasons unknown, this particular essay has caught the eye of many.
Brent Staples’s essay, “Just Walk on By: A Black Man and Public Space”, is about the “ability” that a black man holds; which as Staples puts it, is the “ability to alter public space in ugly ways.” African American men, or people for that matter, have stated (even in present day) that they feel the same way. This, among other factors has contributed to the fact that this essay has become very popular among different communities. As the writing prompt states, the essay has been anthologized, and obviously placed in One Hundred Great Essays. For reasons unknown, this particular essay has caught the eye of many.
All three of the essays I have chosen revolve around Black men and their stories of racism and oppression. They are portrayed as “big bad guys” that are given negative profiles which are based on ignorance as seen in “Stranger in a Village,” “Black Men and Public Spaces,” and “Letter from Birmingham Jail”. Each of the black men in the essays are ridiculed, misunderstood, and have prejudice behaviors due to the color of their skin. The main purpose of these essays were to shed light on the issues that blacks were faced with in the early and mid-twentieth century that are still occurring today. Typically, the main audience is the majority or Caucasian race, who deem themselves as superior.
No one would like to grow up with life altering disadvantages because of the colour of their skin. To overcome hardship, one must face life's challenges and grow. It is through this growth that we begin to develop a more detailed perception of ourselves as Trevor Noah did in his book “Born A Crime”. To belong one must determine one's identity to face the struggles of life and society in order to comprehend one's self, while focusing on resilience in the face of hardship, personal growth, and identity. One rises above hardships by choosing to be resilient.
White Privilege: Essay 1 White privilege is a systemic issue that has roots in our history as far back as the creators of our country. Searching back, we see our norms and values created into habits that have been woven into how we view and act around specific groups such as African Americans. This essay is going to explain how the average Caucasian individual experiences white privilege on a day to day basis and the solutions to insure that white privilege will stop and true equality can be handed out. This paper views the latter issues through symbolic interactionism, with supporting sub theories such as; labeling theory, looking glass self, and selective perception.
In his essay entitled Black Men and Public Space (1987), Brent Staples talks about how people will have a common misconception on the black community by thinking that they are all mugger ,rapist or thugs. Staples supports his claim by telling the reader events/ stories that occured to him and talks about how people will assume that he is a danger to society when in reality he isnt. The authors purpose is to inform the reader that his experiences of being stereotyped is to show the reader his point of view when it comes to these types of situations. Staples writes in a formal tone for an intelligent or free minded person.
“Black Men and Public Spaces” Diagnostic Essay Brent Staples in “Black Men and Public Spaces,” illustrates the inescapable prejudices and stereotyping that African-American men face in America. He does this by relating to his audience through his personal experiences with stereotyping, and sharing his malcontent on how these events have made him alter his way of living. From “victimizing” woman, watching people lock themselves away, and having to whistle classical music to calm the nerves of people around him; Staples builds a picture to help people better sympathize and understand his frustration. Although Staples describes himself as a college graduate, a journalist, and a softy in the face of violence, he details that the overall public deems him a dangerous criminal.
I believe the arist Mackalene Thomas chose to create this masterpiece because she understands the black culture and what a lot of black women went through as time passed. She’s showing appreciation towards her mother and grandmother in what they’ve had to do to provide for their family. This portrait shows beauty, sexuality, and power. Her passion is to expand the boundaries of art history while glorifying the beauty of black women. As I look at the painting I see three compositional components that are in this portrait, which are unity, focus, and movement.
In his essay “Black Men and Public Spaces,” Brent Staples explains that people often find him intimidating because he is tall and black. Staples shares his account of a number of personal encounters, arguing that in each situation, he was misinterpreted as being dangerous because of his daunting physical appearance. Staples asserts that as a result of this misinterpretation, he was continually mistreated. Staples begins his article by describing the events leading up to his life-changing realization that he has inherited “the ability to alter public space in ugly ways (183).” When he was twenty-two years old, Staples found himself one evening, walking behind a well-dressed white woman on a deserted street in a rather wealthy neighborhood.