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The Hate U Give Essay

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The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas is an incredibly topical, powerful, and thought-provoking work of literature that addresses the particularly pressing issue of police brutality, systemic racism, and dichotomy of silence and action. Amidst a time in which there have been more gun-related crimes than days in the year, I found Angie Thomas’s writing to be incredibly necessary and vital for any and all who want to educate themselves on its darker history. Starr Carter, the protagonist, witnesses the untimely and brutal murder of her childhood friend Khalil at the hands of the police and traverses the difficulties and triumphs of being a voice of change amidst adversity. This informative novel presents the reader with themes of identity, racial stereotypes, …show more content…

Pretty quick into questioning following the shooting incident, Starr’s mother speaks directly to the investigators, “Whoa, wait one second, are y’all putting Khalil and Starr on trial or the cop who killed him? You haven’t asked my child about that cop yet, you keep asking her about Khalil like he’s the reason he’s dead. Like she said, he didn’t pull the trigger on himself” (103). So much of the power of police is based on fear and submission with the regulation of order. It’s high time to recognize the repeated injustices. Here they are grilling Starr who just witnessed the atrocious death of her childhood friend, automatically perceiving these young, vibrant individuals as criminals. There is a huge stereotyping issue today, which I believe is the basis for countless atrocities we have witnessed; I am glad Thomas is speaking out about this. As a Caucasian male, it provides much-needed perspective, something I think more individuals could use in these times. These stereotypes are continuing the cycle of …show more content…

She says, "Being two different people is so exhausting. I've taught myself to speak with two different voices and only say certain things around certain people. I've mastered it. As much as I say I don't have to choose which Starr I am with Chirs, may without realizing it, I have to an extent. Part of me feels like I can't exist around people like him" (Thomas. 301). Starr here expresses that at times, she feels like a fish out of water, and at times she silences her more ethnic sides of her to fit a specific mold. She feels the need to be inherently more "white seeming" with her boyfriend and some of her friends from private school. This also reflects her need to code-switch based on her surroundings

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Netanya Dorlus Dr. Heyward SO121-SU23 – Intro to Sociology 3 August 2023 Hate U Give Film Analysis: Racism and Identity The young-adult-turned-feature film, The Hate U Give, adapted from the novel by Angie Thomas, explores the issues of inequality and race/ethnicity in a thought-provoking and impactful manner. The film centers around the story of Starr Carter, a Black teenager who navigates an often divided and racially charged society. She uses this film to open the door to explore the nature of identity while diving deep into the conflicts of racism, police brutality, culture, and community within the life of a colored individual living in America. These aspects of the film resonate deeply with those who can connect with it, highlighting

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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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Starr struggles with feeling belonged. At school she’s scared that her peers might think she’s ghetto because she’s black and how her family might think she white washed. People at some point in their lives feel out of place or lost. Starr starts learning how to embrace herself and starts being herself around her friends. Because of the struggle Starr didn’t have a chance to be herself in any situation.

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Dear Federal Way Public Schools Board of Directors, In this world, there are some issues that everybody has to learn about at some point. Some issues in this world are more important to learn than others. There is a book called The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas that teaches us about a great blend of things such as racism, discrimination, abuse, and violence. The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas tells the story of a young girl named Starr who witnesses the death of her close childhood friend named Khalil Harris; Starr at first is shocked by the death of somebody that she has known for so long

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THUG Essay DId you know in the world you are going to see people get harassed because of their race? . In the world we live in, it's hard for many people to live without the judgment of any person. In the novel The Hate You Give by Angie Thomas the author talks about how life is difficult because of all the Racism toward the Black Community. In the Hate you give Starr and her Family experienced various types of oppression in the novel such as Internalized.

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After the murder of Khalil, Starr decided to publicize the unjust acts of police brutality that ultimately lead to Khalil's death, and go on trial. After awaiting the judge’s verdict, “The grand jury[]decided not to indict Officer Brian Cruiser Jr,” (Thomas 387). To elaborate, the judge solidified an unjust verdict, resulting in no consequences for Officer Brian Cruiser Jr. for brutally murdering Khalil. This showed the lack of care and attention towards minorities, allowing people of authority to treat marginalized groups as though they are inferior, and leading their oppressors to believe they can go without punishment. This proved how negative assumptions constantly evoked onto people of colour result in racism through police brutality and an unjust judicial system.

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The Hate U Give and Portrayal of The Racial and Systematic Injustices In Angie Thomas's riveting novel “The Hate U Give” we are introduced to a young teenage girl named Star Carter who is faced with a multitude of issues that are common to many teens, including insecurities, relationships, and conflict. As she navigates these challenges, Star is also forced to confront the harsh realities of the world around her. Through her experiences, the novel sheds light on important issues such as police brutality and community activism. In this response, we will explore these themes and how they are portrayed in the novel.

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Due to Chris' understanding of the situation, they are able to make up, with Starr being comfortable around Chris. Starr's acceptance of Chris' colour is shown when she thinks "I still don’t know if I’m betraying who I am by dating Chris, but I’ve missed him so much it hurts. Momma thinks coming to Uncle Carlos’s house is normal, but Chris is the kind of normal I really want. The normal where I don’t have to choose which Starr to be" (Thomas 162-163). At first, Starr is uncomfortable around Chris, but she comes to realize that his skin colour is just a part of him and that though he will never experience what it is like to be black, he can try to understand, causing Starr to be more accepting Chris and people like Chris who try to understand.

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Almost 60 years since the Civil Rights Act of 1964, stories about police brutality towards African Americans continue to remain relevant, now more than ever. During the last few years, there has been an increase in the discussion surrounding racism and police brutality, but the issue persists and can make the childhood and teenage years even more difficult for black youth compared to white youth. Angie Thomas’ novel ‘The Hate U Give’ (2017) follows the point of view of Starr, a young black girl, who is the sole witness in a police shooting that kills her childhood best friend, Khalil. Through the different settings and situations Starr faces in the aftermath of Khalil’s death, Angie Thomas explores the struggles of growing up as a young, black

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916 Words | 4 Pages

On the drive home from a party in her neighborhood, she and Khalil are infamously pulled over for not signaling a lane change in an empty street, and Khalil is shot while unarmed by a white police officer. Starr remembers: “I blink through my tears. Officer One-Fifteen yells at me, pointing the same gun he killed my friend with,” (Thomas 24). Starr and Khalil were both unarmed, but Officer 115 kept his gun on Starr and cuffed her even though she was not a threat and didn’t do anything wrong. In their community, Starr and her loved ones are not safe from racial prejudice, and she and her whole neighborhood mourn the loss of Khalil.

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In the text ‘THUG’, we view the police force as a representation gang as they protect officer 115 and justify his actions after the death of Khalil. Starr strongly dislikes the officer, and the police force due to Khalil’s murder and many seek justice for him, but from the police’s perspective they are more concerned with protecting each other and not so much the community they serve. Throughout the novel we see the use of conflict to create the climax and drive the whole narrative of the story. The highlighted conflict is when Khalil is shot. Once Khalil was shot, the rest of the novel was largely based around this event, and it sets up the rest of the novel.

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1155 Words | 5 Pages

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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In the film, Sam White and Lionel Higgins were struggling with identity. White was bi-racial and identified herself to be black than white while Higgins was struggling with his sexual orientation. White exclaimed that she was “tired of being everyone’s angry black women.” Thomas notes that those who fought the system, especially if they were women, were often perceived as “angry women of colour… when [people were confronted with being] racist.” Thomas also notes that white people have the “immediate luxury” of being heard when they speak.

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1666 Words | 7 Pages

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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In The Hate U Give, Angie Thomas demonstrates that code-switching and double consciousness heavily impact the lives of black individuals through the depiction of the character’s interactions with other communities. To begin, Starr Carter’s code-switching first becomes evident when she encounters law enforcement. Initially, Starr and her friend Khalil are pulled over by the police, and in this situation, Starr begins to code-switch as she remembers her father’s advice. “ “Starr-Starr, you do whatever they tell you to do," he said. "Keep your hands visible.

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