Comparing Hate U Give By Angie Thomas And Born A Crime By Trevor Noah

The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas and Born A Crime by Trevor Noah both depict racism as a complication in their novels. In Born A Crime, Trevor Noah faced many hardships throughout his life because of apartheid. In 1948, apartheid was created which is the South African government’s policy of racial segregation. Apartheid became a challenge for black people and impacted their way of life. Furthermore, it had negative consequences for Trevor because he was born as a mixed-race child during apartheid which was illegal at that time.

In The Hate U Give, Starr Cater witnesses her friend, Khalil getting shot by a white police officer, however, Khalil did nothing wrong and showed no violence. This action was a sign of racism because the police officer

Typically, some people say it unknowingly and some use it for their own benefit. In The Hate U Give, the police officer who killed Khalil uses a stereotype to unjustify his actions. It states “On the Monday night news, they finally gave Khalil’s name in the story about the shooting, but with a title added to it—Khalil Harris, a Suspected Drug Dealer” (Thomas 69). They used this stereotype to change people's perception of Khalil, causing them to think it was good that he died because he was a drug dealer. However, this behavior is shameless and gives injustice to his death. In Born A Crime, Trevor’s mother made him learn many languages as a way to survive and navigate the world. However, since Trevor was a mixed-race child, people often misjudged his race and knowledge. For example, it says “We were in a shop once, and the shopkeeper, right in front of us, turned to his security guard and said, in Afrikaans, “Follow those blacks in case they steal something.”...“Oh, I’m so sorry,” he said. “I thought you were like the other blacks. You know how they love to steal.” (Noah 60). The security guard assumed that Trevor and his mother were going to steal because they were black. However, the security guard did not know that they understood him speaking in Afrikaan. The stereotypes that Starr and Trevor witnessed were based on their skin color. Overall, the stereotypes presented in these novels are a form of