Night Walker

“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”?

• Staples refers to the woman as a “victim” because he was unaware of the effect that his presence had upon people. The woman believed she would be a victim of a violent act and fled the scene.

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

• The awkward inheritance that Staples speaks of is the uneasiness that other individuals feel around black men in their early 20s.

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

illustrate this “language”?

• The language is fear is the response of how other individuals acted in Staples presence at night when he was in his early 20s.
• Staples gives examples of drivers locking their doors when he crossed an intersection in front of their cars. Other walkers would cross the street instead of walking past him at night. Bouncers, policemen, and other individuals who were supposed to help avoid conflict always required him to be overly polite when communicating with them.

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?

• Staples is demonstrating the affects that other individuals have on him by stereotyping him like some other common criminal based upon his race.
• These titles seem less provocative than “Night Stalker,” the title given the essay seems to imply that he is participating in an act that is vague.

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

afraid of the author?

• By selecting well known pieces of classical music the author seems more intelligent to other pedestrians because the common street thug would not know many classical tunes. This helps to make the author seem less threatening because the other individuals can relate to him and make him seem like someone that they can get close to without being harmed.