Black Me In Public Spaces Analysis

Staples quoted from a 1963 essay from Norman Podhoretz entitled "My Negro Problem-And Ours"to express the firm place in New York mugging literature. Staples integrated Podhoretz's quote that black males "were tougher than we were, more ruthless" to add validity to his claimed experiences from walking the streets in central Manhattan. This quote also elaborates on the feelings and tensions that New Yorkers tend to have towards encountering black males one-on-one in the streets. Based on my reading of the Art of Quotation, I felt that Staples' use of quoting from Podhoretz was pretty good. He used the quote in a way to help his claim of racial prejudices by some New Yorkers that were intimidated and feared him on the street.