Hate U Give 'And Changes' Comparative Essay

The Hate U Give and “Changes” Comparative essay
Tupac Shakur, “The Greatest Rapper of All Time”, was not only a gifted musician but an inspiration. Shakur used his gifts and was an activist in the Black Community. Music is not usually considered to be literature but I would have to disagree. Shakur defied all odds and was and still is considered a poet. Although, songs are an untraditional form of literature readers can still easily compare traditional works to untraditional ones. “Changes” by Tupac Shakur and The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas, are two different works of literature that have many points in common. Topics such as discrimination, gang activity, drug trafficking, and violence within a community. Both Shakur and Thomas are spreading

She tells us a story so meaningful that gives readers a clear image of what being Black in America is like. Within 464 pages, Angie Thomas was able to allude to Tupac Shakur, Black Panthers, and Black culture. Thomas also hit on social issues, such as police brutality and “violence within our own community”. A clear example of police brutality was when Khalil was shot 3 times by a white officer, Officer 115, and the book not only focused on that but the backlash Starr had to endure surrounding it. Another huge problem Starr was dealing with was the conflict between the two neighborhood gangs, The King Lords and Garden Disciples. With Angie Thomas writing about these social issues comes controversy. Banned books, described as books that have been censored by government officials, libraries, or school districts. The Hate U Give made it to some banned book lists all over the country due to officials thinking the theme of police brutality would scare children and there was too much profanity. In my opinion, the book is targeted toward young adults that are mature enough to read a book with heavy topics. “There are books with way more curse words in them, for one. And two, there are 89 F-bombs in The Hate U Give. But there were 800 people killed by police officers last year alone.” was Thomas’ response to the criticism. Even though there is a huge amount of criticism surrounding the book, I would have to say the love for it overpowered the