As reader can see, Starr put herself on a pedestal in order to avoid being stereotype. Basically, Williamson Starr doesn’t give anyone a reason to call her ghetto” (Thomas 71). Slang makes her “hood.” Williamson Starr holds her tongue when people piss her off so nobody will think she’s the “angry black girl”. “Williamson Starr doesn’t use slang-if a rapper would say it, she doesn’t say it, even if her white friends do.
THE HATE YOU GIVE US CODE
Starr uses the technique of code switching to live her lives as two different version of herself. Starr at Garden Height who is known as Big Mav’s daughter then there’s Williamson Starr who is modest and proper. “Ghetto” is a word that is repeatedly mentioned by Starr and “Ghetto” is a word Starr don’t want to be associated with. Her character development went from a fearful girl to a strong young woman who stands up for what she believes and for the justice her friends deserve. Starr is a protagonist we all expected her to be, afraid but brave. While the novel gives out a clear message about police brutality and prejudice, it is not overly mentioned but instead Thomas provides a realistic image of a young girl and the issues she encounters in her life whether big or small. I can never, ever let anyone think I’m ghetto” (Thomas 65) and her identity in addition to her fear for safety, privacy, and pressure to speak up as the sole witness at the scene. I choose every word carefully and make sure I pronounced them well.
It always happens around “other” people, whether I’m at Williamson or not. The Hate U Give also deals largely with Starr’s code-switching habit “My voice is changing already. Starr was a teenager throughout the novel, we can see her vulnerability and confusion through her actions, she acted like how a teenager would act and never pretended to be more grown up than she ever was. Starr has moment where she can make reader feel frustrated with the way she acts and how she handled things but at the end of the day, she’s still a teenager who went through a traumatizing event. I believe Angie Thomas did a good job in portraying Starr as the protagonist of the story.
THE HATE YOU GIVE US HOW TO
Even at a young age, Starr’s parents already have to inform her about how to behave around police as a minority when it shouldn’t even be something she should be worried about if she did nothing wrong. That it can affect minorities of any gender and ages. This is a way for Thomas to show the pervasiveness of racial injustice and police violence. The other talk was about what to do if a cop stopped me” (Thomas 20). “When I was twelve, my parents had two talks with me. However, the books also have an undertone that emphasize the anger toward the oppression and racial injustice the characters are facing and fighting against. Thomas gave Starr a witty and sarcastic personality which brings the novel to a more optimistic tone despite the tragedy that surround the main plot. I believe that this book can also be a good read for people who have never had to experience with these issues themselves. Overall, rather than the book targeting a specific audience such as teenager, adult, or people who can relate to the characters, etc.
It’s a common thing where people speak more than they act, where we make promises to ourselves to do something but once it happened, we back out just like Starr. Now I am that person, and I’m too afraid to speak.” (Thomas 27) readers can see Starr hesitation to use her voice as she now the main character of the tragic story she always sees online. For example, in chapter 3, Starr stated “I always said that if I saw it happen to somebody, I would have the loudest voice, making sure the world knew what went down. This can be an approach for readers who may have not found the courage to speak up or have yet found their voice to relate to Starr. Throughout the book, we can see how Starr struggles with self-identity and indecisiveness about speaking up. The intended audience most likely aimed toward young adult.
This book mainly focuses on a teenager point of view as it explores sensitive subjects in today’s society. Looking at Thomas’s language and writing choices, she might have written this book to bring awareness about police brutality, racial injustice, and the power of voice. In the novel, Thomas uses real life problems to tell the story of Starr struggle through racism, hate, and oppression. The Hate U Give was written by Angie Thomas, it’s about a teenage girl, Starr, who try find her voice after witnessing the murder of her best friend, Khalil.
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