The Hate U Give Essay

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Aliya’s Opinion Essay On The Hate U Give Most people live their whole lives not knowing the significance of addressing discrimination in discriminatory-prone neighbourhoods. Hence, I recommend that everyone reads The Hate U Give, which educates a powerful message about discrimination. In this book, we see how the effects of police brutality and white privilege make the lives of people of colour less enticing and dangerous. For instance, we observe how the negligence of the police and society has resulted in the loss of innocent lives, with the police's stereotyped presumptions and prejudices being rationalized as "self-defense" or "police lives matter too" when they have taken a life without incurring any penalty or responsibility. Additionally, …show more content…

For instance, in the story officer 115 shot Khalil 3 times as he was forced outside his vehicle. As a result of 115's bias, he had the idea that Khalil's acts and demeanour were violent and dangerous. Furthermore, 115's presumption of Khalil is disturbing since it holds bigotry and an unsteady thought that caused Khalil his life. When Khalil tried to open the door to see whether Starr was okay, officer 115's red flags began to go off, and he thought the hairbrush in the back seat was a pistol, prompting 115 to shoot him three times. Moreover, his assumption was supported by negative prejudices that strengthened his will to commit his wrongdoing and blinded himself from Khalil’s true intentions. “Just like y’all think all of us are bad because of some people, we think the same about y’all” (Thomas, 267). Lastly, when someone takes a life, they must be dealt with and punished appropriately, but 115 does not have to because the media and society disguise his racism as logical and self-defense, which is false. “We want an immediate end to police brutality and the murder of black people, other people of color, and oppressed people” (Thomas, 210). Officers like 115 stay protected; when will black lives …show more content…

This may be shown when Hailey utilizes white privilege to avoid accepting responsibility for her wrongdoings at Williamson Prep, a predominantly white private school. Hailey's relationships with Starr and Maya diminish due to her racially insensitive remarks and actions. Maya, an Asian-American girl in the predominantly white school has also faced racism as she tells Starr, "Hailey asked if we ate cats. Because we're Chinese" (Thomas, 251). In addition to Hailey’s actions, Maya and Starr formed a "minority alliance," deciding they can't allow her to say things like that again. This alliance was in effect when Starr's post on Tumblr about an image of Emmett Till, a fourteen-year-old black boy, who was murdered in the 1950s for whistling at a white woman. Hailey texted Starr after she posted, stating she was surprised that Starr would "reblog such an awful picture" (Thomas, 77). Hailey's offensive statements became increasingly apparent to Starr when she was playing basketball with Maya, Hailey, and the other students. Hailey tells Starr, "Hustle! Pretend the ball is some fried chicken. Bet you'll stay on it then" (Thomas, 111). Moreover, to reinforce a racial stereotype, Hailey's reply shows that she can speak without verifying her words, which Starr cannot do since she constantly checks herself to prevent being stereotyped and