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Essay / Literary Analysis of The Hate U Give
On August 28, 2018, a white former Texas police officer, Roy Oliver, was convicted of shooting a 15-year-old black boy, Jordan Edwards, who was not armed. In the book “The Hate U Give” by Angie Thomas, Starr Carter, a 16-year-old black girl attends a predominantly white middle school, Williamson, and lives in a “ghetto” neighborhood, Garden Heights. After seeing her childhood best friend, Khalil, shot by a white police officer, she struggles to navigate the darkness. When the grand jury decided that the officer should not be punished for his actions, she ultimately decided to defend herself and the public. Thomas shows that accepting themselves even in judgmental circumstances can lead them to stand up for themselves and make an impact. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned"?Get Original Essay "The Hate U Give" - Literary Analysis EssayIn the story, Angie Thomas discusses the fact that Starr wanted to keep her two separate lives and personalities especially after Khalil's death. After witnessing his death, Starr did not want her friends at Williamson to know that she witnessed it, because she feared being judged and standing out even more among her white classmates. “That’s when I realized Williamson was one world and Garden Heights was another, and I had to keep them separate.” But soon Starr realizes that she must accept that she doesn't completely fit in at Williamson or Garden Heights. Later in the story, Kenya talks about Starr being ashamed of her family, friends, and the Garden Heights community: “I was ashamed of Garden Heights and everything in it. " But Starr soon admits that she wasn't anymore because Khalil's situation really made her realize that he was a big part of Garden Heights and their family. And being closed off from her classmates at Williamson caused her to push her friends further away as she kept a major point in her life a secret. Throughout the story, the author also revealed the idea of Starr standing up for herself and making an impact on her society even though there were discouraging people along the way. Hailey, one of Starr's best friends, has made numerous racist comments about her and Maya. Starr initially thought they were just immature little jokes, but they escalated into racist and stereotypical statements about Khalil and being a "drug dealer." This situation caused Starr to defend himself in front of Williamson and start a physical fight against Hailey. “He was a drug dealer and a gang member,” Hailey says. “Someone would kill him eventually.”(…) “I push Maya aside and slam my fist into the side of Hailey’s face.” This illustrates that Starr is no longer as withdrawn as she was and finally brings out her “other” personality in Williamson. As the story progressed, Starr's older brother Seven thrust Chris, DeVante and her into Garden Heights. They were stopped several times and his car quickly ran out of gas. Starr was really angry and frustrated at this point because Khalil didn't get the justice he deserved and she decided to join the Just Us Justice group of people in Garden Heights to start a riot and protest. “My name is Starr and I was the one who saw what happened to Khalil,” I say into the megaphone.(…)I turn to the cops. “I’m sick of this!” Just like you think we are all bad because of certain people, we think the same about all of you. (…) His life mattered. Khalil mattered. Starr's personality has changed and evolved in ways..