Summary Of Black Men And Public Space By Brent Staples

In Brent Staples “Black Men and Public Space” a firsthand insight is offered on 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 relieve anticipated tension; in the face situations reflecting societal expectations and discrimination based on physical appearance. Though he rationalizes attempts to ease tension is for others benefit and his physical safety, with each one on one interaction experienced, it becomes evident through progressively burdened behavior that he attempts to soothe the emotional tension he feels within. The dramatic “My first victim was a woman” (419), is a foreboding introduction into the world of Staples, carrying negative connotations. The dark mood is set from this one short phrase and the reader is left wondering if someone who is described as a victim, would only be described as such by someone of a predatory nature. This is proven wrong as the protagonist clarifies matter-of-fact that he was merely taking an evening walk when he came upon a woman. Staples then eloquently describes the area in which he walks as “affluent, in an otherwise mean impoverished section of Chicago” (419). The personification of a “mean” city evokes an image of a merciless place. Here irony is used …show more content…
This is a reflection that over time, his memory of the incident heightened rather than faded. He also reveals that he suffers insomnia (Staples 419) which hints at an anxious individual, which also might explain the drastic change in recollection. However, it is through his use of an educated vocabulary, rejection of the woman’s assumptions and humor that the mood is lifted, but it’s clear that the memory of that woman still vexes