By:
Clayton Peppler, Lucas Calderon, Eugenia Lehman, Summer Eisert-Wiemelt, and Kristen Skuba
Comprehension
1. The woman in the introduction paragraph is labeled as a victim because the people he is talking about commonly victimize themselves once they see him. We think he did it because it is a good hook.
2. By "alter public space" he means his race has the ability to create instant tension and fear in those around him.
3. Staples walks the street at night because he has insomnia and can't sleep.
4. The young powerless men are more likely to become thugs because it makes them feel powerful and like they are real men, instead of the children that Staples describes them as.
5. Staples attempts, and succeeds, at making himself seem less threatening by giving people space and whistling a tune to seem at ease.
Purpose and Audience
1. The thesis is "It was in the echo of that terrified woman's footfalls that I first began to know the unwieldy inheritance I'd come into- the ability to alter public space in ugly ways." He implies his thesis instead of directly stating it is because of his race.
2. Staples uses logic and emotion during this essay, we think it is appropriate.
3. Staples assumes his audience has a similar pre-conception as the "victim" in his intro paragraph. He challenges it by giving multiple examples of not only how he doesn't belong to this stereotype, but how he also goes out of his way to make sure people are comfortable with his presence.
4. He is trying to get the reader interested, and we think he succeeds. Hook, line, and sinker.
Style and Structure
1. Staples mentions Norman Podhoretz because he wrote an essay called "My Negro Problem- and Ours". He brings it up to show the lengths that people will go to in order to prove the fact that black men are "dangerous". He could make the same point without referencing the essay, but it wouldn't be as strong.
2. An anecdote is an effective way to start an exemplification essay. We think this is a proper strategy for this style of essay and that he did a good job with it.
3. Staples presents plenty of examples to support his thesis, they are very representative of his point. He could not have given much more convincing examples.
4. The examples are presented in what seems to be chronological order. We think this is an effective order because it makes it more personal, like a life story.
5.Thug:
-Gangster
-Hoodlum
-Delinquent
-Gang Member
-Punk
-Goon
-Ruffian
All these words have a negative connotation and brings to mind images of bad people.
Journal Entry
Lucas: "I have been in similar, but not exact situations."
Clayton: "I have not been perceived as a threat."
Eugenia: "I haven't had that situation happen to me. However, I have felt very threatened before."
Summer: "I have felt threatened in public before."
Kristen: "I have felt a little threatened in public before, but I haven't felt like too much of a threat."
Writing Workshop
3. Staples observation is very accurate as far as people's desire to be important and powerful. He means that people are willing to be immoral in order to feel powerful or intimidating.
Combining the Patterns
Several examples wouldn't have necessarily impacted it in a negative or positive way.
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