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The Hate U Give By Angie Thomas

1186 Words5 Pages

Dr. Maya Angelou once said, “Good done anywhere is good done everywhere.” Social advocacy is important today, for society to thrive tomorrow. The Hate U Give, written by Angie Thomas explores social activism. The novelThis story follows a black teenage girl named Starr, who is a witness to her friend Khalil’s murder, tensions rise between the community and the police, as many speculate that the incident was racially motivated. As Starr, her friends, and family fight for justice, issues arise that shift the belief of the incident, and of Khalil. Starr learns to use her voice to fight against wrongdoing. The story reflects real life circumstances of social injustice, and how minority groups are discriminated against. A common theme in the …show more content…

Protecting her rights, Starr kept her identity hidden, as she was interviewed on television. She was given the chance to speak freely about Khalil, and have her voice heard, as the interview was broadcasted. To finish off the interview, Starr was asked one more question. “ ‘If Officer Cruise were sitting here,” Mrs. Carey says, 'what would you say to him?’ ” Starr answered boldly, “ 'I'd ask him if he wished he shot me too.' ” (Thomas 290) The interview was one of the most viewed in the network’s history. With a large community having Starr’s back, she influenced others around her fight for justice alongside her. Starr bravely empowered others to speak up. Her activism had an important role in her community. When Ms. Ofrah offered to represent Starr, and her family, she helped Starr protect her rights, while encouraging her to use her voice. During the protests, Starr reminded herself to use her voice, as she was stepping onto the car to speak. “The bullhorn is as heavy as a gun. Ironic since Ms. Ofrah said to use my weapon.” (Thomas 411). Starr rallied all the protesters, chanting, “Khalil lived” at the officers. Since meeting with Ms. Ofrah, Starr had been reminded to use her voice as a weapon. While Starr was empowering others to speak, Ms. Ofrah was the one that empowered Starr. The story of Khalil goes way beyond one victim of racially motivated police brutality. It is an ongoing cycle that has been repeated throughout history. It is only through activism that equality and police brutality can be put to an end. “It’s about way more than that though. It’s about Seven. Sekani. Kenya. DeVante. It’s also about Oscar. Aiyana. Trayvon. Rekia. Michael. Eric. Tamir. John. Ezell. Sandra. Freddie. Alton. Philando. It’s even about that little boy in 1955 who nobody recognized at first—Emmett.” (Thomas 443). Star lists others in recent history that

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In The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas, Starr learns to accept herself, accept her community and to use her voice to promote justice in the world due to the relationships she has with others. Furthermore, Starr struggles to be her true self anywhere she is, in Garden Heights she is one person and in Williamson she is another but her boyfriend, Chris, helps her with this. He makes her feel comfortable enough to just be Starr around him since they met, “Ever since, I don’t have to decide which Starr I have to be with him. He likes both” (Thomas 83). Evidently, her relationship with Chris helps her to accept and be who she is because he is the first person that she feels totally comfortable with.

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An example of this is when Khalil was shot by 115 although Starr at first was scared to stand up and talk on his behalf she eventually realized that standing up against 115’s racist behaviour was the right thing to do. She was very scared to speak up at first because she didn't want people at her school to judge her or for King to come at her since Khalil was seen on the news as a drug dealer. But after Starr was talking with Kenya and Kenya said to Starr that “Here you are, with a chance to help change what happens in our whole neighbourhood, and you staying quiet. Like a coward.” (O,Thomas, page 131) Starr decided that she knows that speaking on Kahilis behalf on the news is the right thing to do and that if the roles were reversed Kahlil wouldve stood up for her.

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She always said “If [she] saw it happen to somebody, [she] would have the loudest voice” to make sure the world knew what happened, but now that she is in that place, “[she’s] too afraid to speak” (Thomas 34/35). This evidence shows the internal conflict and fear that Starr experiences as she deals with the aftermath of witnessing the shooting of her friend, Kahlil, by a white police officer. Prior to Kahlil’s death, Starr saw instances of police brutality and racial injustice against the black community, causing her to express her support for social justice causes through social media activism, such as tweeting hashtags and sharing posts. She says that if she ever witnessed an injustice firsthand, she would have the courage to speak out and ensure the incident was widely known. However, when Starr finds herself stuck in the middle of the tragedy of witnessing Kahlils murder herself, she is challenged with the harsh reality of the dangers and consequences of speaking up.

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The Hate U Give, a young adult novel published in 2017 by Angie Thomas, is about a Black teenage girl who faces various types of oppression. Starr Carter is a 16 year old girl who is stuck between a poor and rich life. She lives in Garden Heights, an impoverished neighborhood consisting mainly of black individuals, and attends Williamson Prep, a wealthy school mainly full of white students. Starr witnessed the shooting of her friend, Khalil Harris, whom she grew up with, and she also dealt with the racist actions of her peers; this led her to create negative aspects about herself. Starr’s continuous experiences of discrimination caused her to create negative thoughts about her identity.

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This powerful quote reflects the pain and frustration experienced by the main character, Starr, as she deals with the unjust killing of her friend by a police officer. Her words capture the deep sense of injustice felt by oppressed communities in the face of systemic violence. Starr questions whether her own life is considered worthless by the person who took her friend's life, highlighting the unequal value placed on different lives. This quote reminds us of the urgent need for justice and the importance of recognizing the worth of every individual, regardless of their race or social status. By highlighting the inequalities in the value placed on human life, this quote sheds light on the broader struggle for equality and emphasizes the importance of acknowledging and addressing systemic

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Lisa withholding Starr from fully grieving the loss of her friend can be a major stressor as bereavement is the only way to release any suppressed emotions. However, Lisa was just concerned for her daughter’s safety. Before deciding to come out as the witness Starr found herself conflicted because she didn’t want people to pity her for being a black girl living in the ghetto and witnessing her friend get murdered. When Starr decided to come out as the witness, she knew how life altering it could be especially because she was living a double life. The fear of the drug lord coming after Starr could potentially put their whole family at

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“Tonight, was one of those nights when the yellow police van, full of red-faced white policemen, were doing the rounds to arrest those with the “wrong” skin color in the “wrong” residential area, throwing them into those vans to suffer at the hands of the violent apartheid system. Men and women who served us hand and foot in our homes and gardens were treated brutally and often separated from family for days, months and years.” This is a part of the apartheid and her cultural experience, that she was around as a 10-year-old. The injustices that she saw, reflects how she wrote and how this changed her story. This is a cultural experience that happens across the world, not just in this story but in the lives that we live here today in this life.

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Starr Carter, the protagonist of Angie Thomas’s young adult novel, The Hate U Give, epitomizes the subversion of cultural racial oppression through the development of an identity that encompasses multiple consciousnesses. As an African American teenage girl raised in a middle-class family attending a high school with primarily White upper-class students, Starr finds the need to prove her belongingness to both communities in Garden Heights and at Williamson Prep. Unlike her White upper-class counterparts at Williamson and African American middle-to-low-class counterparts in Garden Heights, Starr’s identity is multifaceted. She must act and interact with her peers with respect to her location, in other words, utilize double consciousness. However,

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The beginning of Starrs path to bravery and to raising her voice for the truth. As frightened

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Although it is a really hard journey to tell and expose the truth, Starr eventually learns how to tell everyone the truth and set her path towards justice. Another way that justice is served from Starr’s perspective is that she and her community start protesting and rioting together in demand of justice for Khalil. These protests aren't only protests but help to represent something bigger. Through her efforts, Starr has come to rally the entire community together, letting them know that the troubles they have to face are going to be put to an end finally with their combined efforts. “I don't know what justice is anymore.

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