Readers ask: Who Is Brent Staples?

Where did Brent Staples grow up?

Brent Staples, the New York Times editorial writer who won a 2019 Pulitzer Prize last week, grew up in Chester, the second oldest in a working-class family of nine children. His father was a truck driver, his mother a homemaker.

Who is Norman Podhoretz and why does Staples talk about him?

Staples mentions Norman Podhoretz as a promoter of making african americans as bad people. He can make the same point without mentioning Podhoretz but, including the standpoint of a racist leader makes his essay stronger. 2. Staples begins his essay with an anecdote.

When did Brent Staples write just walk on by?

D. in psychology from the University of Chicago and went on to become a journalist. The following essay originally appeared in Ms. Magazine in 1986, under the title ” Just Walk On By.” Staples revised it slightly for publication in Harper’s a year later under the present title.

What is the thesis of just walk on by?

In ” Just Walk on By: A Black Man Ponders His Power to Alter Public Space” Brent Staples discusses his ability to alter others emotions with his presence. Staples explains his thesis throughout the essay through narratives of incidents in his life.

Where did Brent Staples go to college?

The University of Chicago Widener University Брент Стейплс / Образование Staples received a B.A. degree in behavioral science from Widener University, Chester, Pa., in 1973. He received a master’s degree in psychology from the University of Chicago in 1976 and earned a Ph. D. in psychology from the University of Chicago in 1982.

Is Brent Staples African American?

Brent Staples (born 1951) is an American author and editorial writer for The New York Times. His books include An American Love Story and Parallel Time: Growing up In Black and White, He writes about political, social and cultural issues, including race and the state of the American school system.

What does staples mean by his final sentence?

11/27/2015 06:44:43 pm. 6. What does Staples mean by his final sentence: “it is my equivalent to the cowbell that hikers wear when they know they are in bear country”? Does this statement change the terms of the “hunter and hunted” he has established in the essay? What he means is that his whistling is like a cowbell.

Why does Staples walk the streets at night?

Staples walks the streets at night because he has trouble sleeping. He walks everywhere in an effort to tire himself out. 4. Staples suggests that in our society, men are supposed to be powerful and have the ability to intimidate.

How does Staples describe himself in just walk on by?

1. Staples describes himself as “indistinguishable from the muggers” in a public view, he is often being discriminated and seen as a rapist or a criminal, only because of his skin color.

Why does Staples whistle melodies from classical composers?

(JWB) Staples cites the example of ” melodies from Beethoven and Vivaldi and the more popular classical composers ” to allude to music with which his audience is likely to be familiar. (LBJ) The audience of this letter is clergy, American citizens, and the world.

Why colleges shower their students with A’s?

Some departments shower students with A’s to fill poorly attended courses that might otherwise be canceled. Professors at every level inflate to escape negative evaluations by students, whose opinions now figure in tenure and promotion decisions.

What does staples mean when he says he has the power to alter public space?

What does Staples mean when he says he has the power to “ alter public space ” (2)? He is referring to the way that, as a black man, he is often perceived as a threat. Because of the biases many hold, consciously or not, against black men, his presence in a space can incite fear or defensiveness in those present.

Who is the audience of just walk on by?

Accordingly, Staples uses many examples to express the racial stereotype he acquires to his intended audience, which are white women and black men in general. He describes two common times when people unreasonably mistook him for a burglar and a colleague of his as a killer.

Why does Staples characterize the woman he encounters in paragraph 1 as a victim?

Staples characterize the woman he encounters in paragraph 1 as a victim due to the fact the as she glimpses around behind her on a deserted street, a figure of a “youngish black man – a broad six feet two inches with a bread and billowing hair, both hands shoved into the pocketsof a bulky military jacket,” as Staple

What is Staples trying to accomplish with his first sentence?

Staples is trying to draw the reader in by alarming them. His opening sentence implies that something much more sinister is going on. The rest of the paragraph brings light to the irony in this sentence; he did not see her as a victim at all, but she felt fear that she could become one.