“Night Walker”

May 27

“Night Walker” Response Questions

1.      Why do you think Staples refers to the woman he encounters in the beginning of his essay as a “victim”?

I believe it’s a way he wants the readers to understand what he has to deal with and what he has to see and it’s not easy to adjusting to.

2.      What, exactly, is his “unwieldy inheritance” mentioned in the second paragraph?

I believe “unwieldy inheritance” is meaning the city and the town that he is now living in, it is describing what it’s going to be like and what he is going to see and have to deal with.

3.      What, exactly, is “the language of fear” (paragraph three)? What examples does Staples give to illustrate this “language”?

“Language of fear” I believe he is talking about what is going on around him and the dark nights and the people that are out it makes him nervous just if someone passes by him, also that it seems no one can trust anyone.  Some examples he uses I grew accustomed to but never comfortable with people who crossed to the other side of the street rather than pass me. Also when he talks about someone passes by and the doors and windows are up and locked.

4.      This piece is sometimes printed under the titles “Just Walk on By: A Black Man Ponders His Power to Alter Public Space” or “Just Walk on By: Black Men and Public Space”; how do these very different titles affect your understanding of Staples’ reason for writing? How would your perception of his purpose for writing this essay change, if given these different titles?

The first title to me sounds like they are completely against blacks.  They are judging them and saying walk on by don’t give them the time or day.  The second title to me just sounds like blacks are entering a public space that the whites are letting happen by just letting them walk by without making contact with them.  If the titles were changed my perception would to me sound like he is just talking about the town in general and the people that are out at night and not just assuming it’s the blacks.

5.      Why do you think whistling selections from Beethoven and Vivaldi seem to make people less afraid of the author

It gives the author a positive side to things.  That even if he does have fear, he can still be positive throughout the reading.  It gives the reader a different side to him.

ESSAY

Dealing with people and the society today people will judge and speak their own mind on how they feel.  Every single person is different and thinks and speaks the way they feel about things.  The situation I can think of someone that is judging me or in a way being fake is my ex boyfriends, ex girlfriend.  Me and my ex boyfriend dated a little over five years and we broke up and it was mutual.  We are still friends and never were against each other.  Well during those five years we have a lot of mutual friends and all still get together and hang out and still friends with his family as well.  My ex got a girlfriend and he told her that me and him are still friends and our friends are friends and she seemed totally fine with it, that’s what my ex said to me.  At this point my friends started going over to my ex’s and then would go out and instead of going to his house with them I would just meet my friends out wherever they went to out of respect.  This point I thought everything was fine.  Well seeing them out she wouldn’t even give me the time or day to say hi, so it made things awkward and made it more awkward with my ex because I wasn’t sure what to do thinking its fine that she doesn’t have a problem with me which she shouldn’t I never did anything to her.  She was the one that kissed him right in front of me at a bar not even a week after we broke up, so in my head I’m thinking she should at least acknowledge me and say hi.  She talked to all my friends and just acted like I wasn’t there.   Time went on and I just gave up.  I started doing my own thing without trying to make plans with my friends and my ex’s friends.

Now it’s the beginning of summer and every year we go to KY Lake for Memorial weekend it has been tradition.  My parents take their boat, my roommate’s parents take their boat and my ex takes his boat down to the lake.  We all pile our friends on and all meet up and have a great time.  At this time my parents took a motorcycle trip instead of going to the lake.  So I went with my roommate and her family.  Also noting that my roommates brother is best friends with my ex so of course we are all going to meet up, they asked me and ask my ex if that was okay, because his girlfriend was with him on this boating trip.  So I am feeling anxious of how this is going to turn out.  We pull up and tie our boat off with my ex.  We all say hello and I catch up with my ex sister and his parents because I haven’t seen them in quite some time and they ask about my family and how things are going.  Still at this time the girlfriend never once looked at me or said hi.  So I am feeling judged and out of place when I thought everything was going to be fine.  Well me and a couple of my friends go to the other side of the boat where no one could see us, because my friend wanted to smoke a cigarette and didn’t want my roommates parents to see at this point my ex and his friend float over not knowing we are on that side of the boat.  So his girlfriend jumps off the front of the boat and sees that we are all talking and then immediately she judges me and I am the victim.  All I did was float to the side with my friends and my ex happened to float over there not even knowing.  So before he could explain what was going on she just went off and pretty much ruined their trip.  She was cussing and mad all around when nothing was going on.  She wouldn’t give me a chance nor look at me so she brought it all upon herself.  Later that night they went back to the cabin and started going off on everyone and my ex’s dad asked her to leave because her behavior wasn’t appropriate.  All this was going on and my friends told me about it I was worried to death it was my entire fault and felt terrible.  Everyone and my ex even told me not to worry you had nothing to do with it she just flipped out and there was no reason for it she knew you were coming and you didn’t do anything wrong. 

Later that week she messaged me and apologized and said it had nothing to do with me.  I thought that was respectful and nice but I still felt bad for the whole situation.  Needless to say they broke up and they haven’t spoken since.  It was quite the adventure feeling judged and thinking I started the whole issue.  Time has passed and Memorial weekend will come again and be different this time.