Page 106 - The Language of Composition 4e Teacher Edition Sample.indd

Just Walk on By: A Black Man Ponders
4
TRM ELL Essential Guide Handout His Power to Alter Public Space
An ELL Essential Guide for this reading Identity Brent Staples
can be found in the Teacher’s Resource
Materials. An author and editorial writer for the New York Times, Brent Staples FRED R. CONRAD/The New York Times/Redux
(b. 1951) grew up in Chester, Pennsylvania, in a family of nine children.
He received a BA from Widener University and a PhD in psychology
TRM Vocabulary Handout from the University of Chicago. His memoir, Parallel Time: Growing Up
Copyright (c) 2023 Bedford, Freeman & Worth Publishers. Uncorrected proofs have been used for this sample chapter.
Vocabulary in Context exercises based on in Black and White (1994), won the Anisfield-Wolf Book Award, which
challenging words from this reading can be recognizes books that contribute to a deeper appreciation of cultural
found in the Teacher’s Resource Materials. diversity. In 2019, he won a Pulitzer Prize for editorial writing.
KEY CONTEXT The following essay originally appeared in Ms. magazine in 1986
with the title “Just Walk on By.” Staples adapted the title when the essay was
CLOSE READING published in Harper’s a year later, adding the subtitle. In the essay, Staples recalls
t tfor redistribution.
an episode that occurred for the first time in the mid-1970s, when he discovered
You could begin by asking students to that his mere presence on the street was frightening to a white woman. The issue is,
discuss Staples’s use of the word “victim” unfortunately, still relevant today — the assumption that Black men are somehow
in the provocative opening sentence. Have inherently dangerous has led to the murder of many, including Trayvon Martin and
them read the essay’s title and first para- Ahmaud Arbery, both of whom were killed by white neighbors who claimed to have
graph, and then discuss the effects of the felt threatened.
word “victim.” A few questions to jump-
start discussion could be: What expecta-
Distributed by Bedford, Freeman & Worth Publishers. Strictly for use with its products. Not
, w
ell
as a w
s
t victim w
y fir
—
an
whit
e
om
c
an’
s fo
tions does the word “victim” set up? How y first victim was a woman — white, well e echo of that terrified woman’s footfalls that I first t
om
d w
ifie
ho of th
r
er
a
s
t I fir
a
otfalls th
began to know the unwieldy inheritance I’d
does the word convey the woman’s fears, M dressed, probably in her early twenties. began to know the unwieldy inheritance I’d
M dressed, probably in her early twenties.
come into — the ability to alter public space in
the speaker’s self-awareness, and soci- I came upon her late one evening on a deserted come into—the ability to alter public space in
I came upon her late one evening on a deserted
ugly ways. It was clear that she thought herself
street in Hyde Park, a relatively affluent neigh-
ety’s prejudices? How does the opening street in Hyde Park, a relatively affluent neigh- ugly ways. It was clear that she thought herself
sentence raise questions about implicit borhood in an otherwise mean, impoverished the quarry of a mugger, a rapist, or worse.
the quarry of a mugger, a rapist, or worse.
borhood in an otherwise mean, impoverished
biases? In other words, what story might section of Chicago. As I swung onto the avenue Suffering a bout of insomnia, however, I was
section of Chicago. As I swung onto the avenue
Suffering a bout of insomnia, however, I was
students tell themselves before they know behind her, there seemed to be a discreet, stalking sleep, not defenseless wayfarers. As a
stalking sleep, not defenseless wayfarers. As a
behind her, there seemed to be a discreet,
all of the facts? If you wish to take discus- uninflammatory distance between us. Not so. softy who is scarcely able to take a knife to a
uninflammatory distance between us. Not so.
softy who is scarcely able to take a knife to a
sion one step further, you could then ask She cast back a worried glance. To her, the raw chicken — let alone hold it to a person’s
raw chicken—let alone hold it to a person’s
She cast back a worried glance. To her, the
how the opening sentence contributes to youngish black man—a broad six feet two throat—I was surprised, embarrassed, and
youngish black man — a broad six feet two
throat — I was surprised, embarrassed, and
a broader line of reasoning. As a hint, you inches with a beard and billowing hair, both dismayed all at once. Her flight made me feel
dismayed all at once. Her flight made me feel
inches with a beard and billowing hair, both
can point students to Staples’s observa- hands shoved into the pockets of a bulky like an accomplice in tyranny. It also made it
like an accomplice in tyranny. It also made it
hands shoved into the pockets of a bulky
tion, “I soon gathered that being perceived military jacket — seemed menacingly close. clear that I was indistinguishable from the
military jacket—seemed menacingly close.
clear that I was indistinguishable from the
as dangerous is a hazard in itself” (par. 2). After a few more quick glimpses, she picked muggers who occasionally seeped into the area
After a few more quick glimpses, she picked
muggers who occasionally seeped into the area
from the surrounding ghetto. That first encoun-
up her pace and was soon running in earnest. from the surrounding ghetto. That first encoun-
up her pace and was soon running in earnest.
ter, and those that followed, signified that a
Within seconds she disappeared into a cross
Within seconds she disappeared into a cross ter, and those that followed, signified that a
street.
vast, unnerving gulf lay between nighttime
CLOSE READING street. vast, unnerving gulf lay between nighttime
That was more than a decade ago. I was pedestrians — particularly women — and me.
That was more than a decade ago. I was
pedestrians—particularly women—and me.
The first two paragraphs of this essay have twenty-two years old, a graduate student newly And I soon gathered that being perceived as
And I soon gathered that being perceived as
twenty-two years old, a graduate student newly
rich language and feature juxtapositions arrived at the University of Chicago. It was in the dangerous is a hazard in itself. I only needed to
dangerous is a hazard in itself. I only needed to
arrived at the University of Chicago. It was in the
of ideas and descriptions. You could ask
students to chart them so that one column
includes positively connotated examples 212
and the other negatively connotated par-
allels, such as “well dressed” vs. “hands
shoved into the pockets of a bulky military
jacket” and “relatively affluent” vs. “mean, 05_sheatlc4e_40925_ch04_170_315.indd 212 12/10/22 2:35 PM
impoverished.” What do the tensions CLOSE READING
between these lists add to the complex-
ity of Staples’s purpose? What do they Key Passage. The highlighted text is a rich
suggest about the writer’s sense of his passage suited for close reading. Students
identity? can annotate this key passage in the book’s
digital platform, or you can print it to be
annotated by hand.
212 chapter 4 / Identity
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