The Hate You Give Analysis

The Hate You Give written by Angie Thomas was inspired by a lifetime of events, but the death of Oscar Grant was what prompted Thomas to write her novel. Thomas lived in a poor, black community in Jackson, Mississippi, and was exposed to and witnessed violence on several occasions throughout her young life. She first heard the news of the death of Grant while she was attending a predominantly white university in Jackson where many students made assumptions that Grant was automatically at fault or involved with gangs or drugs. From this event, Thomas realized that the world needed to hear what she had to say in The Hate You Give. Grant 's death by police wasn 't the first nor the last that lead to a community uprising. Since then numerous other cases of police brutality have taken place such as the deaths of

In each of the three cases that I discussed above, the victim was an African American male killed by a Caucasian or 'light skinned ' male. Grant and Martin were unarmed, while Sterling was armed. Grant and Sterlington were being held on the ground by police when shot, while Martin was in a physical altercation with the watchman when shot. All three men were first investigated by police responding to an emergency call made by the public. Martin and Sterling were alone in the event, while Grant was with a group of people. All three victims were shot on acts of 'self-defense '. With these types of violent events taking place, individuals in the communities that were effect most likely felt enraged, unsafe, unwanted by their country, unequal to superior races, pushed aside, forgotten, etc. Protesters wanted action. Parents wanted safety for their children. Children wanted to live without being afraid. Teachers did the best they could to comfort and care for their students. I believe most people felt helpless as people they loved were being taken away and nothing was done about it. I don 't think words can express the feelings and emotions felt by these