Racism

A detailed Summary of Racism

In his essay, "A Black Man Ponders His Power To Alter Public Space," Brent Staples examines racism and the misconceptions that contribute to it. He writes of how something as simple and innocent as taking a late night stroll subjected him to the racism and fear

of others, and of how his everyday life was under continuous scrutiny by a white society that both feared and misunderstood him. He discusses how black men are frequently victimized by white racist presumptions about their characters that are based solely upon the color of their skin.

Writing from the perspective of a black man, Staples makes his point right away in the essay by describing an encounter with a white woman while he is out for a late night walk. Her obvious fear of him even though she has no logical personal reason to fear him makes him realize that he has "the ability to alter public space in ugly ways." (Staples) If her reaction to him had been an isolated incident he would not have reached such a conclusion, but unfortunately, such experiences are all too common in his life. Simply because he is black, many white people automatically assume he is up to no good and react accordingly.

In "A Black Man Ponders His Power To Alter Public Space" Brent Staples eloquently conveys what it feels like to be subjected every day to racism and prejudice. In doing so he succeeds in altering the perspective of whites, who view racism from an entirely different position and tend to minimize its prevalence in society. After reading this essay,

These examples from the author's life demonstrate to me how black people must always be on the defensive, and constantly be prepared to be accused of something or be mistrusted by white people. Tragically, the entire race is stereotyped as criminal and dangerous by millions of white Americans because of racism and the actions of a small minority of violent blacks.

I realized how difficult it must be for a human being to be feared, mistrusted, and looked upon with contempt just because of the color of his skin.

It is interesting how Mr. Staples decides to respond to these recurring situations. Somehow, despite all the unfair animosity he must face so often, he decides that he must accept how society views him and do whatever he can to not be perceived as a menace to anyone. To do otherwise, to object to every unfair look, every mistrustful observation, and every wary reaction to his presence, would be emotionally, psychologically, and physically exhausting. Staples knew it would be a losing battle. He would be seen by many whites as a confrontational, radical trouble-maker and just draw more unwanted attention to himself.

by some as a threat. When he walks about at night he whistles classical music scores to signal that he is cultured and harmless. He is careful to hide the alienation he feels at being seen as an outsider, and makes every effort to smile and exude friendliness in public, so as to minimize and sometimes prevent white perceptions from forming that he is a dangerous criminal of some sort.

Some common words found in the essay are:
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Approximate Word count = 1649
Approximate Pages = 7 (250 words per page double spaced)

Category: English