Ms. Jennifer Freele English 8:2 31 May 2024 Hate within Romeo & Juliet and The Hate U Give How do we reconcile our desires with the constraints of a society devoid of diversity? The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas follows Starr Carter, a young African American woman who treads through the complex realities of racial discrimination, witnessing firsthand the devastating effects of systemic injustice in her community. Similarly, the titular star-crossed lovers of Romeo & Juliet by William Shakespeare find themselves embroiled in a longstanding feud between their families, which metaphorically conveys the prejudices and social divisions that permeate their world. Romeo & Juliet and The Hate U Give demonstrate how societal repression and institutionalized hate drive strong-willed youth to find empowerment through …show more content…
The tragedy Romeo & Juliet poignantly captures the gruesome effects of societal repression and institutionalized hate through the entrenched feud between the Montagues and Capulets. The generational perpetuation of the feud gave rise to an enmity, deeply rooted in nurturing the traditions of division and hatred. This created a perpetuating cycle of hatred and violence between houses. Juliet, who cries, “My only love sprung from my only hate!” illustrates the resentment between families. Juliet’s transparent distress exposes the lengths both families have gone to physiologically indoctrinate and condition conformity. Additionally, the line highlights how the long-standing prejudices have continued to foster conflict, demonstrating the deeply ingrained nature of repression and its resulting cycles of violence. Moreover, in isolation, Romeo and Juliet were puppeteered by