Partner questions for Black Men and Public Spaces

Describe the voice, tone and mood in this essay

What is Brent Staples Thesis? Where did you find it?
Why do you think he wrote this essay?
Who do you think he hopes will read his essay?
List any unfamiliar vocabulary words.
What is the function of each paragraph (write in the margins of the
essay).
QUESTIONS ON BLACK MEN AND PUBLIC SPACE
THE FACTS
1. What does Staples mean in paragraph 2 by the ability to alter
public space?
2. What does he learn from his encounter with a white woman as
recalled in paragraphs 1 and 2?
3. What other anecdotes does Staples use to illustrate the problem of
black men and public space?
4. What is the essays thesis?
5. What truths does the author describe in paragraph 5, and how
does this paragraph help him advance his thesis?
6. In paragraph 10, the author claims that Black men trade tales like
this all the time. To what kinds of tales is he referring? How does
including that sentence help him accomplish his purpose?
7. Why has he forced himself to smother the rage [he] felt at so often
being taken for a criminal? (paragraph 11)
8. Who are Beethoven and Vivaldi? Why does Staples whistle their
music?
THE STRATEGIES
1. Besides illustration, what methods of development does the author
employ?
2. Staples begins with an anecdote. Discuss the effectiveness of this
story as an introductory device.

3. The thesis of the essay is implied. Would the essay have been more
effective if it had been explicit? Explain.
4. Staples tone is remarkably subdued. Discuss the reason(s) behind
his adopting such a tone. Should he have expressed more emotion?
STRATEGY AND STYLE (reread as necessary)
a. In the first paragraph, the author describes himself as " a broad
six feet two inches," in other words as a fairly large man. What
effect does this decision have on the rest of the essay? What
would he lose if he chose not to describe himself?
b. In terms of rhetorical mode, discuss this piece as either an
exemplification essay or as a cause and effect essay.
c. Staples uses onomatopoeia (thunk, thunk, thunk) to describe the
sound of people shutting their car door locks. What other ways
could he have conveyed this information? What is effective about
the way he decided to present it?
d. Staples calls Norman Podhoretz's essay "My Negro ProblemAnd
Ours" both famous and infamous. Just from the title, what's
infamous about it? How can you relate Staples's use and
description of this title to the author's views about race?
e. In the last paragraph Staples compares his whistling to a cowbell.
Describe the mental images involved in this comparison. How
can you link it to the rest of the reading? Do you find this
conclusion effective?
f. How does Staples consider and appeal to his audience? Does he
avoid alienating or accusing his reader? If so, how?
g. What IS Staples' attitude about this phenomenon? Is he bitter?
angry? disappointed? understanding? (Give evidence). And what
IS his purpose? Explore the connection between his tone and his
purpose.
h. How relevant is Staples' essay (written and published in 1986)
today? Do you think young black men have the same effect on
public space in 2011 as Staples' experienced twenty-five years
ago?
An exemplification essay is an illustrative thesis that uses examples to
show, explain, argue or prove a point. It applies enough detailed as

well as specific examples to get a point across. Exemplification essays

are art forms that give an article vitality and intensity.

Short Constructed Response

Staples writes in paragraph six that the danger some women feel
upon encountering young black men at night "is not a hallucination." If
it's true that their feelings are somewhat justified by statistics, what's
the problem with their reaction? What can be done about it?
THE ISSUES
1. Is Staples experience unique from his perspective as a large, tall
black man? Explain.
2. Staples handles his rage in a rather unique way. What is it?
3. What does Staples subdued tone tell you about his character?
4. Do you think we make false assumptions that people are up to no
good if they are on the street late at night, even if they have a good
reason for doing so? Before you know his reason for being out late at
night, why do you think he was out late?
5. If you had been in Staples situation, how would you have handled
it?
6. Would Staples have been successful in his profession is he had
remained in Chester, Pennsylvania, his hometown? Why or why not?
Blog Questions
Feel free to post a comment about Staples' essay, the phenomenon he
describes, or related issues or experiences.
Here are a few possible discussion topics:
1. How relevant is Staples' essay (written and published in 1986)
today? Do you think young black men have the same effect on public
space in 2011 as Staples' experienced twenty-five years ago?
2. What IS Staples' attitude about this phenomenon? Is he bitter?
angry? disappointed? understanding? (Give evidence). And what IS his
purpose? Explore the connection between his tone and his purpose.
3. How does Staples consider and appeal to his audience? Does he
avoid alienating or accusing his reader? If so, how?
4. Share your own experiences as they pertain to the essay--when
you've instinctively judged someone as a threat, for example, or when

you've been perceived as a threat yourself.

5. Explore the idea introduced in par. 2 and reinforced in the analogy of
the hiker's cowbell: that "being perceived as a threat is a hazard in
itself".
6. What, if anything, can be done to avoid or reduce these incidents?
(Where do such assumptions come from? Can we ever stop making
snap judgments?)