I was stuck in a bit of a reading slump during February, but this book yanked me out of that slump. Suddenly, her decision to stay silent or speak up is no longer just about herself but rather the bigger fight for justice in the face of systemic oppression. What starts as her personal trauma becomes the center of national news and fuel for anti-racist activism. GradeSaver, 3 August 2021 Web.My Summary: The personal becomes intensely political for Starr Carter when she witnesses her friend Khalil’s murder at the hands of a police officer.
Next Section Metaphors and Similes Previous Section Chapters 25 & 26 Summary and Analysis Buy Study Guide How To Cite in MLA Format GradeSaver "The Hate U Give Symbols, Allegory and Motifs". Will still retains his own personality, while Starr feels the need to hide hers. However, the analogy doesn’t extend to how comfortable Will and Starr feel in their respective new environments.
Just as Will was sent to Bel Air because of trouble in his neighborhood, Starr was sent to Williamson Prep after Natasha’s death. Starr herself points out the allegorical nature of the show in regards to her own life.
Starr’s favorite TV show is The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, which stars Will Smith and tells the story of a black teenager who is sent from his West Philadelphia neighborhood to live with his wealthy aunt and uncle in their mansion in Bel Air after he gets in a fight. However, the symbol of white privilege as a barrier to their interracial relationship is inverted when Starr and Chris have an honest conversation about the need to accept each other inside of the very car that represents the differences between them. She hides the parts of her life that she believes will make her appear “ghetto,” including Natasha and Khalil’s deaths. Starr worries that the differences in her and Chris’s backgrounds will prevent them from opening up completely to each other. Chris's Rolls Royce (symbol)Ĭhris’s Rolls Royce is symbolic of his privilege, both financial and racial. This motif runs throughout the entire novel, as characters such as DeVante and Khalil get caught up in a system that traps them. The acronym is symbolic of the struggles that black people in America face, emphasizing the generalizability of Starr’s story. Starr and Khalil discuss the acronym shortly before Khalil’s death, and Starr discusses Tupac’s message with her father later on, coming to the conclusion that she can’t be silent about the shooting. Tupac’s acronym explains the cyclical nature of poverty and crime that occurs as a result of an oppressive, racist social system. Tupac Shakur’s concept of THUG LIFE-The Hate U Give Little Infants Fucks Everybody-is an important motif in the novel and the source of the book’s title. The Carters frequently turn to Black Jesus for guidance while feeling pride for the strength of black people everywhere. Black Jesus is also symbolic of the blended religion of Starr’s family Maverick, for example, does not approve of eating pork, which is a Muslim practice. The family derives strength from their prayer every day without relying on a white power or ideal. Maverick appropriates white-dominated Christianity by making Jesus black and leads his family in a group prayer each morning. Black Jesus (symbol)īlack Jesus is a symbol of the strength of African-Americans in the face of oppression. Diallo’s death led to an explosive controversy and national debate over racial profiling and police brutality. Police officers mistakenly believed that Diallo’s wallet was a gun and fired 41 shots at him.
The hairbrush also invokes the 1999 death of Amadou Diallo. One of the protest chants, “A hairbrush is not a gun!”, represents the anger that the African-American community feels when it comes to the shooting of unarmed black people based on stereotypes, fear, and incomplete information. Khalil’s hairbrush is symbolic of the distrust that police officers have for minorities. Buy Study Guide Khalil's hairbrush (symbol)