Scribd
Upload
15 views

Final Draft 2

Uploaded by

leahfranklin1
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
15 views

Final Draft 2

Uploaded by

leahfranklin1
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
You are on page 1/ 4

1

Franklin

Leah Franklin

Roesmary Mack

English 1013

October 20, 2020

Revision of Black Men and Public Space

Why are all black men looked at as a threat? Brent Staples, ‘Black Men and

Public Space’ The narrative is about a black man who tells us his situations he went

through for being a black male. He is a “youngish black man, a broad six feet two

inches, with a beard, and billowing hair.” Staples was affected by fear of harm to

himself, adapting to his behavior, and his emotions.

To begin, Staples was affected by fear of harm to himself. In the first year of

Staple’s first time away from home he became familiar with the language of fear. He

grew accustomed to people crossing to the other side of the street rather than passing

him, but this never made him comfortable. His most frightening situation happened the

late 1970’s and early 1980’s, when he worked as a journalist in Chicago. He was

rushing into the office of a magazine for a job, but he got mistaken for a burglar.

Secondly, Staples was affected by his emotions. He didn't really understand why

he was treated this way. It made him look at a mass of things different. He was put in so

many situations and seeing others go through the same thing often put fright in him. He

was viewed with suspicion and fear. Staples felt that people were quick to judge people

off appearance, and not knowing who they were. Being viewed differently and not fully
2
Franklin

accepted for who you are can be very nerve wrecking. During the time he was

surrounded by people who would mistake him for a criminal. Racism is affecting people

tremendously. I can only imagine the fuel staples felt at these times. The lady who took

off in fright from being afraid of him made him surprised, embarrassed, and dismayed all

at once. She had no reason to be afraid of him, but she saw him as a threat by looking

at his appearance.

Furthermore, staples affected by adapting to his behavior. Over the years he

learned to smother the rage he felt for being taken for a criminal. Not to do so surely

would’ve led to madness. Staples was very smart and cautious with every action he

made in his situations. This affected him in a very positive way. If he wouldn’t have

handled things this way it would’ve been worse. When Staples noticed who may be

skittish in a building he would wait and let them clear the lobby before entering. He is

very calm on occasions when he’s pulled over by the police. He handled everything very

wisely because he thought about the outcome. Staples was afraid to lose his life over

these problems. He grew up seeing countless of deaths and people getting put in jail.

He made sure that he didn’t make the same mistakes the people in the neighborhood

did and followed the right path.

Staples was affected by fear of harm to himself, adapting to his behavior, and his

emotions. He talks about the important issues of racial inclination and how bias against

individuals of color has implanted minds, because it illustrates the significance of being

mindful of how we convince others. He shows his encounters and other individuals of

color to show the battles of prejudice they confront regular. Staples uncovers how

individuals are partially against appearance, in spite of the significance of independence


3
Franklin

of individuals and being fair-minded in any case of someone’s skin or looks. He also

goes on to talk about his different locations where all of this was present and affected

him. Staples experience is similar to what goes on now with the young black men today.

We have countless of young black men that still deal with discrimination and are often

killed for being black. Everything I read in the article happens now and even though the

times have changed the problems still occur.


4
Franklin

Works Cited

Staples, Brent. “Black Men and Public Space.”The Bedford Reader. X.J.
Kennedy,Dorothy M. Kennedy, Jane E. Aaron, and Ellen Kuhl Repetto. Boston:
Bedford /St. Martin’s,2014. 1-4. Print.

You might also like