Black Men and Public Space
Tyler Willis
Essay #1
In Brent Staples essay, "Black Men and Public Space", we read about a black man that has trouble with the way he gets stereotyped by other people. He learns to deal with these issues by finding ways to ease the tension he feels by other people. This essay shows that not all people that look mean will be dangerous. You never know how a person really acts or thinks until you get to know them.
In the beginning of this essay the narrator tells the audience of a time he encounters a women by herself on a lone road. The narrator sets the mood of the setting by informing the audience of his physical stature. He mentions he is tall, black, and bulky with a beard and rough looking. He continues on by saying the women had a look of fear in her eyes. The women caught a glimpse of this man on the street and started running away from the man in panic. This women had no idea who this man was. He could have been a killer, he could have not.
In the world we live in now this is a natural thing to do. This man wasn't planning on doing any harm. He informs us he even has trouble putting a knife to a raw chicken. He could never put a knife up to a human. Stereotyping is something everyone does. Some more extreme than others. It happens in our everyday life. When we first meet someone we instantly start to judge them. By the way they talk, look, or act.
I feel like I can relate to the women in this essay from personal experiences. I was able to live in a part of the United States where there is a strong black population. A place where people are stereotyping each other on a regular basis. This place is Southern Louisiana and Southern Mississippi.
My first encounter with the people was similar to the woman in this story. I was afraid of the people. I thought everyone was a thug sought out to rob or hurt me. Every time I would pass someone on the street I would try not to make eye contact. I would mind my own business and make my way quickly pass them. It was
Essay #1
In Brent Staples essay, "Black Men and Public Space", we read about a black man that has trouble with the way he gets stereotyped by other people. He learns to deal with these issues by finding ways to ease the tension he feels by other people. This essay shows that not all people that look mean will be dangerous. You never know how a person really acts or thinks until you get to know them.
In the beginning of this essay the narrator tells the audience of a time he encounters a women by herself on a lone road. The narrator sets the mood of the setting by informing the audience of his physical stature. He mentions he is tall, black, and bulky with a beard and rough looking. He continues on by saying the women had a look of fear in her eyes. The women caught a glimpse of this man on the street and started running away from the man in panic. This women had no idea who this man was. He could have been a killer, he could have not.
In the world we live in now this is a natural thing to do. This man wasn't planning on doing any harm. He informs us he even has trouble putting a knife to a raw chicken. He could never put a knife up to a human. Stereotyping is something everyone does. Some more extreme than others. It happens in our everyday life. When we first meet someone we instantly start to judge them. By the way they talk, look, or act.
I feel like I can relate to the women in this essay from personal experiences. I was able to live in a part of the United States where there is a strong black population. A place where people are stereotyping each other on a regular basis. This place is Southern Louisiana and Southern Mississippi.
My first encounter with the people was similar to the woman in this story. I was afraid of the people. I thought everyone was a thug sought out to rob or hurt me. Every time I would pass someone on the street I would try not to make eye contact. I would mind my own business and make my way quickly pass them. It was