Hurston and O'Brien all explore the definition of truth. Where does Starr's story fit into this concept of speaking the truth and finding one's voice? What are the consequences of speaking your truth in a society/community that disagrees with you? What are the consequences of staying silent and not speaking one's personal truth?
Starr’s story fits into the concept of speaking the truth with the killing of Khalil. In order to have “justice” for this case, she must speak up and testify of what happened that night. In doing this she faces questions she will have to answer that occurred in deep trauma, people not believing her, a difficult court case, and racists who will say he was doing something bad only because of his skin color. Speaking your truth on an issue that is controversial is difficult to do, with fear of rejection or a long process. In this case, whether she does or does not speak her truth, it will not affect the victim, in that Khalil cannot be brought back. But withholding this truth with show that things like this are okay, when they are clearly not. Speaking up in the end will show awareness and bring more peace of mind.
ReplyDeleteThroughout the novel The Hate U Give, Starr struggles to find her voice and speak out when it comes to the death of her close her friend, Khalil Harris. Starr knows that she is the only person who can speak truth about what happened that night, but she doesn't know if she is strong enough to do it. Starr worries that if she does speak out her friends from Williamson will think of her differently and she will no longer fit in with their "type." It is also very difficult for her to relive those memories because of how hurtful they are to her considering she lost her friend, Natasha, the same way when they were ten years old. On the other hand, Starr is worried that if she doesn't speak out justice for Khalil will never be found and people will continue to believe the lies that surround Khalil and the accident.
ReplyDeleteAt one point in the novel, Starr's friend Kenya confronts her about not speaking out for Khalil. Kenya tells Starr that if the situation were flipped and Starr had died, Khalil would have been on television right away to defend Starr and speak up for her. This statement really hit home for Starr and soon after she decides to make an anonymous Tumblr blog for Khalil titled, The Khalil I Know, which was her first step towards speaking truth for Khalil and finding her voice in the middle of this hardship.
In the novel The Hate U Give, Starr struggles to tell her story about her innocent friend Khalil being killed brutally for no real reason. Starr was the only witness and is scared to speak out because of multiple reasons, she did not want the police to come after her because she was the witness and she also did not want the people in her "other life" to find out about it. So at first she stays quiet and is getting angry because people are putting Khalil into the stereotype of just a drug dealer and that he was grabbing a gun when the police officer shot him. The consequences of not speaking out are that the truth is not shown, no punishment is given to the guilty person, and many people put Khalil into a stereotype that made it seem as if him being killed was okay. Starr finally gets the strength to tell the truth when her friend Kenya tells her she needs to speak out if she wants to defend Khalil's name. She then gets a lawyer and tells her the story then talks on national news and dry snitches on King and the gang. Now, the gang called the King Lords are after her because of that. When Khalil's case was over and the police officer did not get charged, Starr wanted to riot because nothing mattered anymore. So Starr, Seven, DeVante, and Chris all went and rioted and Starr stood on a bus and started speaking out about what happened and then through tear gas back at the cops that threw it at her. The consequences of telling the truth were getting physically hurt by tear gas and almost dying when Maverick's store caught on fire while her, Seven, DeVante, and Chris were in it. Maverick also figured out that telling the truth is way better than his family getting hurt and he snitches on King and gets him arrested.
ReplyDeleteThroughout The Hate U Give, Starr struggles to find her voice and tell the world the truth. Right after Khalil's death Starr stays silent to the community. She is just the anonymous witness. At first she believes this is the safest way for her to do Khalil justice. By remaining anonymous she gives her story to the police, but no one is able to treat her any different. While no one knows that she is the witness, she is safe from making people who disagree with her angry and from changing how people see her. After the riots for Khalil start, Starr realizes that she is the only one who can say what happened that night. She is the only one who can explain that Khalil was truly innocent. We see Starr fight the injustice that is happening in her community with the most powerful weapon she has, the truth.
ReplyDeleteThe Hate U Give demonstrated how revealing the truth has positive and negative consequences, but the good outways the bad. Starr knows not telling what actually happened that night won't give Khalil the justice he deserves. While many people in Starr's community disagree, this puts Starr and her whole entire family in danger. People in her community turn to violence instead of using their words which makes it an unsafe place for Starr to tell the truth. Her mom helps Starr get her voice heard by telling her, “Brave doesn't mean you're not scared,..It means you go on even though you're scared. And you're doing that” (Thomas 331). Once Starr finds her voice and realizes how brave she is, others will look up to her and how she was able to come out and tell everybody what actually happened the night of the shooting. When Starr realizes that bravery is not the same thing as being afraid, her voice is so powerful and knows Khalil would do the same thing for her.
ReplyDeleteThroughout the novel, The Hate U Give, Starr fights to find the courage and bravery to find her voice and stand up for Khalil. Right after the incident Starr and her family decide its best that she stays quite. They want to keep Starr safe. Starr does report to the police about what happened that night, but it seems to do nothing. All anyone focuses on is that Khalil sold drugs and was a possible gang member, but they don't see the real Khalil. Starr struggles with the idea of speaking up for Khalil, but with the help of April Ofrah from Just Us for Justice she is able set up an interview. Starr uses her voice to tell the world what Khalil was really like and what happened that night. She also uses the interview to tell the world why Khalil really sold drugs. Although the interview doesn't reveal her identity the King Lords already know Starr is the witness and are now going after her for "dry snitching". Starr received death threats from King and her dad was harassed by the police for what she said in her report and in her interview, but she knew that she needed to help Khalil get justice. Starr didn't let others stop her from using her voice. Even after the verdict comes out, Starr continues to speak out for Khalil and all minorities. She no longer tries to hide that she was the witness that night and by doing this she gives her community strength.
ReplyDeleteIn the novel, The Hate U Give, Starr Carter's world is rocked when her best friend Khalil is shot by a white police man. Despite being a crucial witness to the scene, Starr struggles to find her voice and speak out against the cop and to justify Khalil. In an interview with Diane Carey, Starr finally does declare her point of view during the shooting and meets an immediate reaction among everyone around her. Although many important characters stayed by Starr's side after she went live, some (specifically Hailey) did not. Hailey is the epitome of white ignorance in this novel and blames all of her problems on Starr because of Starr's race, culture, and Hailey's own insecurities. When Starr spoke out against a cop, specifically a white cop, all ties between Starr and Hailey were broken because of Hailey's blatant racism. Despite this loss of a "friend", staying silent would have been much worse for Starr's case. If Starr's witness had not been made public, the white policeman would have gotten away with murder and Khalil would have been falsely accused of drug dealing, gangbanging, and attempting to shoot a cop. By choosing to speak out against lies and deception, Starr was able to justify Khalil's death and give her culture the recognition that it actually deserves.
ReplyDeleteIn the novel, The Hate U Give, Starr has to make a decision that can change her life and her community. Being the witness to Khalil’s death gave her the opportunity to either speak out or hide. At first, she chose to not reveal her identity because she did not want things to change with her peers. Once she saw that the media viewed Khalil as a “drug dealer whose death was justified,” she began to find her voice. She met up with Ms. Ofrah and started speaking out more. The grand jury’s decision to not indict the officer sparked a fire in her. Even though the officer was not punished, Khalil’s story was heard. She realized that her voice truly was her biggest weapon, and helped her family and her community speak out. There are consequences to speaking out in a group of people who disagree, such as losing friends. On the other hand, not speaking out at all means that someone who is innocent might not get the justice they deserve, and people will not have their voices heard.
ReplyDeleteThe novel, The Hate U Give shows in many ways why you should use your voice to stand up against things that are sometimes terrifying. Starr does this when one of her best friends, Khalil, is shot by a white police officer. At first this horrendous act shakes her up to the point where all she wants to do is sleep, and not talk about it. She doesn't want her voice to be drowned out in a sea of other people's heartbreaking stories, or to be judged by her rich friends at Williamson. After seeing Starr like this, her uncle Carlos promises to her that she will be heard, and everything is going to be okay, so she makes up her mind to help. Starr doesn't want her best friend's death to be for nothing, another justified killing of a black drug dealer by a white police officer, who is just "doing his job." Starr speaks her truth, and soon learns that telling her story is the best thing she could have ever done. Although she is scared of people judging her, in order to find her voice and make a difference, she is going to let people think whatever they wanted of her, because it’s not about her, it’s about Khalil. Instead of a gun she uses her voice as a weapon, to spread the story to not just her community, but everyone, and it’s the best weapon she has.
ReplyDeleteIn The Hate You Give the main character, Starr, struggles to find her voice. Throughout her life, Starr was self-conscious of her voice when around people that were not like her. For example, she was one of the only black kids at her school. She would never speak like herself, scared that her friends were going to make fun of the way she talks. At the end of the story, Starr comes to the realization that her the way she talks, like a black person, is what makes her who she is. If her peers do not accept that, then they are not worthy of her friendship. She no longer hides who she is. She is not ashamed of where she comes from. She is not ashamed of her voice. She begins to talk normally around her white boyfriend Chris. She also begins to use her voice on larger platforms. For example, when rioting over Khalil's death, Starr stands up on live television for what she believes in. Khalil's life mattered. He deserved to live. Throughout the Hate You Give, Starr developed into a strong character who is willing to use her voice for what is right. Starr was once ashamed of her voice. One of the last lines in the book is Starr demanding, "I'll never be quiet." Starr understand that the consequences of using the power of her voice outweigh the power of being silent.
ReplyDeleteStarr's story of discrimination fits into this broad idea of speaking the truth and finding her voice to speak up for herself and others. Starr's experiences throughout the novel brought her to conclude that she needed to speak up. With her family and community behind her, she found her confidence to take a stand for her own culture and society.
ReplyDeleteAt first, Starr was terrified to speak out, afraid she would put her family in harm's way. After some reassurance from her father, and seeing firsthand the negligence of the police force, Starr decided enough was enough; she was going to take a stand and make her perspective a strong force for others to look to.
Once Starr took up her side, she quickly realized that she had made a dangerous, yet smart decision. Had Starr not spoken out, how could've she expected any changes in her community?
Starr Carter, the main character in "The Hate U Give" by Angie Thomas, often struggles knowing when she should speak up and when she should not. When one of her best friends, Khalil, is unfairly killed by a police officer, she is torn between telling the world what really happened to her friend and receiving criticism when people find out that she is from Garden Heights. She wants there to be justice for her friend without exposing herself to the outside world. Much like Starr, we can often be judged by others when we speak out. If society merely disagrees with the beliefs that we express, we can be socially ousted for a period of time. However, if we choose to not speak up for the truth, we can experience internal conflicts. Guilt can fill our minds until we finally speak up for what we know we should.
ReplyDeleteIn the novel, "The Hate You Give", Starr Carter's story is based on the concepts of speaking one's truth and fighting for justice. Starr was conflicted with speaking her truth because she feared that if she did she would give herself away as the witness giving away her secret to everyone at Williamson that she is from Garden Heights which is known as the "ghetto". Starr knew that she had to speak her truth however because she knew it would be what Khalil would do for her. Starr wished to work towards ending black minority especially when it came to helping her and future generations to have better lives. When it comes to speaking one's truth in a society that disagrees with you, your words can often be switched around and changed to make you seem like the bad guy. Starr felt this way whenever she spoke to the police station detectives because they only cared about justifying what the officer did rather then getting the whole truth. Starr was discouraged after this because she was scared of what news networks and papers could do to her words if she tried to get justice for Khalil on higher levels. Luckily, Starr got over her fear and spoke out on TV as well as in riots. This gained her some community backing and pushed people to kick start a movement. If Starr had stayed silent, she would not have gotten justice for Khalil and would have disappointed her people for not taking a chance to change the world when she was presented with one.
ReplyDeleteStarr’s story focuses on the struggle of finding your voice and telling the truth. Starr is the sole witness to the murder of her friend Khalil, and only she can reveal the events of that night. She faces difficult consequences following the decision she makes no matter what she decides to do. On one hand, telling the truth about Khalil’s death would give him a chance to get justice. On the other hand, staying silent would protect Starr and help her move past the trauma she must endure after watching her innocent friend get shot. The outcomes of both decisions make it hard for Starr to decide what to do. If she tells the truth about Khalil, she faces a barrage of hatred from not only the coworkers of Khalil’s killer, but from her supposed friends at school, others in her community, and even strangers on the Internet. Violence runs rampant in Starr’s community and speaking out about Khalil’s death could mean danger for her. Speaking out could even do more harm than good. If she isn’t careful about her words, they could be warped and twisted to push another’s agenda, especially when Khalil’s killer and his coworkers are actively trying to justify the killing of an unarmed teenager. If she chooses to remain silent, she faces the guilt of knowing that she failed her best friend. Starr is the only person who can tell the story of how he died, and if she chooses not to speak up, Khalil has no chance of getting the justice he deserves. In the end, Starr finds her voice and gathers the courage to speak her truth and tell the story of what really happened to Khalil. Though she did not get legal justice for Khalil, she told the truth about his death and brought him justice within the community by speaking out.
ReplyDeleteStarr’s story fits into the concept of speaking the truth and finding one’s voice because of the difficult decision she has to make throughout the story. For her it was whether to tell the truth about what happened the night of Khalil’s murder or stay silent to protect herself and her family from possible harm. In this case, the consequences of speaking your truth when society disagrees with you are possible endangerment of her and her family and people targeting her for what she is saying. In the novel, the consequence of staying silent is not giving the media both sides of the story to draw conclusions from, instead of the media seeing one side of story that may have been changed to benefit the others involved. Along with this, justice cannot be found if the whole story is not told. Biased, untrue stories can be spread more easily if only one point of view is communicated. An example of this would be officer one-fifteens father speaking on his son’s behalf about the events that occurred the night of the shooting spreading some untrue assessments to improve his sons standing with the media. In the end Starr chooses to speak and let her truth be heard, leaving a big impact in communities around the nation facing similar problems with police systems. Although speaking the truth caused her father’s store to be burned down Starr believed in the power of truth and bringing change despite the consequences.
ReplyDeleteThe book "The Hate you Give" shows the finding of ones voice and speaking the truth through the story of Starr Carter and her fight not only with trying to get justice for her friend, but also with her fighting with this double life that she has created. After Starr's friend was killed she was faced with the reality that if she wanted to get justice for him she would have to speak out and talk about what happened but in doing so she may put the way people see her in jeopardy. She was worried that if she spoke out and told her side of the story that people would se her as a person that hangs out with drug dealers. A major turning point in the story is when the trial begins and she is called into tell her side of the story in front of a jury. During the trial we begin to see Starr begin to start speaking out against what the cop did and at certain points going her own way in interviews instead of saying what other people wanted her to say. Once the verdict was announced Starr found her voice once more by proclaiming to a crowd that she was the witness that saw the cop murder Khalil. At the end of the book we also see other people around Starr begin to find their voice as well, a good example of this would be people speaking out against King after the store fire.
ReplyDeleteFinding one's voice is an incredibly difficult thing to do, especially when said person is part of a group marginalized by the rest of society. Starr faces difficulties in this throughout "The Hate U Give" in many ways, the most notable being the difficulties she faces after Kahlil's death. The price of speaking out is not only people outright ignoring Starr's voice and going against her, but their intense wrath as well. Speaking out can have grave costs attached to them such as death, jail time, difficult trails, and so many other things. Starr knows and fears this. She wants no one else to meet the same fate as her friend- and that includes herself. She knows speaking out may cost her everything.
ReplyDeleteStaying silent could cost her just as much, though. If no one speaks out against the corruption they face, nothing will ever change. People will receive no justice if everyone refuses to speak for them and their hardships.
There are prices and penalties to pay for any and all actions in any situation. Whether one speaks out or stays silent, they will pay the price of doing so. The cost is great and difficult to decide which is worth the most. Still, Starr eventually decides that the price of speaking out is not only well worth it but completely necessary as well. The cost is great regardless of what is chosen, but one must decide which option is worth it.
In the novel, The Hate You Give, Starr struggles with speaking her truth and finding her voice. When one of Starr's childhood friends, Khalil, is killed in front of her she becomes a witness to a police shooting. At first Starr and her family decide, for Starr's safety, she should remain silent. She gives a statement to the police department about what happened at the shooting. Starr's words get twisted in favor of the police officer and everyone focuses on Khalil possibly selling drugs. This doesn't sit right with Starr, but she knows the consequences of speaking her truth in her community is possible harm to herself and her family. An example of this is when her dad gets harassed by a police officer because he knows that Starr is the witness. The consequences of Starr staying silent and not speaking her truth is people don't get to hear both sides of the story. Without Starr speaking out the community would only hear what the police and media want them to hear. Starr decides to speak out and share her story. She first shares on TV. Her identity is not revealed but people figure that Starr is the witness. This causes Starr and her family to get threatened but this does not stop her. Even though Starr shared her truth the jury decided not to indict the Officer for the death of Khalil. Riots breakout when the news of the jury's decision is spread. During the riots Starr uses her voice to speak out. In the end Starr realized that the consequences of staying silent where greater than using her voice and sharing her truth.
ReplyDeleteIn the novel The Hate U Give, overcoming fear and speaking the truth is a big theme. Starr begins to express her fear of the police when she retells the story of the talk her father gave her as a young child. His main points to her were that the police saw the black community as dangerous criminals and that she should always cooperate and do what she’s told when dealing with law enforcement to avoid tragic incidents, such as what happened to Khalil. The King Lords gang is also another source of fear for Starr, she was worried about her family’s safety if she decided to tell the truth about Khalil’s circumstances. Starr finds herself at a crossroads, wanting to speak up for Khalil and incriminate the officer that shot him but also not wanting to speak up in fear of endangering her family at the hands of the deadly neighborhood gang and its leader, King. Starr faces an inner turmoil at the consequences of staying silent. If she did so, she would allow all of the sources of her fear to win and ultimately control her. She would be allowing law enforcement to move on instead of facing the race issues and police brutality that occurs, as well as allowing the King Lords to control her and use her fear to manipulate her and her family. Starr finding her voice and overcoming her obstacles shows a turning point in her character, starting her future career as an empowering female activist with a story of tragedy, strength, and self-reflection.
ReplyDeleteIn the book, The Hate You Give, Starr has many internal struggles over whether she wants to speak up or not. When she is the only witness to what happened the night her best friend got shot by a cop Starr struggles. At first, she doesn't say anything to anyone, she doesn't even talk to the cops at first. Eventually, she does, and then the DA reaches out to her about going in front of a Grand Jury to attempt and get the Officer locked up. The attorney she chooses to represent her gets her to go speak on a tv show anonymously. They said that is was one of the most-watched programs they have ever had. During the talk-show Starr got so angry she decided to do a dry snitch on the most influential drug dealer in her town. When she chose to speak up about that matter she made a huge enemy, now the drug dealer is out to get her. In Starr's case staying silent was worse than speaking up, she knew the risks when she started to speak up. As she started to say more and more to different people she got the confidence she needed to push herself through what she was going through. By speaking up she found many people who had her back during one of the worst times in her life.
ReplyDeleteStarr's story is all about finding her voice. After witnessing her friend's death, she is scared to speak out. The media uses a lack of knowledge to twist her friend into a gang-banging drug dealer, and there isn't anybody defending his side of the story. She worries that if she does step up to the plate, she will be targeted and ostracized by those around her. On the other hand, she has friends and family who are doing the same because she hasn't spoken out. They add pressure by saying Khalil would have done it for her, therefore she should do the same. She eventually reaches her breaking point while battling between these two sides, and decides that her greatest weapon in getting justice is her voice.
ReplyDeleteStarr’s story fits into the concept of speaking the truth and finding ones voice through her actions and protest after Khalil dies. Although, she was faced with many set backs in her speaking out like threats from King about “dry snitching” and from the police since she was fighting them. If she hadn’t spoken out though she would not of been able to get the justice she wanted for Khalil and many people in her community were pushing her to speak. So Starr had to make the decision and do what was right in her mind which in the end would work out for her although many things were lost in the process Starr was able to find her voice,speak out, and be brave.
ReplyDeleteAs the novel “The Hate U Give” progresses, Starr struggles to find her voice. Being the only witness of the shooting of Khalil, Starr is the only person able to testify to convict officer 115. The problem with speaking out for her is it would come with possibility of police harassment, and harassment from others. After she does eventually speak out her dad, Maverick, is harassed by the police and King threatens her family after a dry snitch. What finally convinced Starr to talk, was the problem that if she didn’t talk she would have to live with the guilt of hiding the truth of what happened. The internal conflict was put to rest the moment she revealed the truth.
ReplyDeleteIn the novel "The Hate U Give" Starr Carter struggles to voice her opinion. When Starr's best friend Khalil was shot, Starr wouldn't talk to anyone, not even the cops. When Starr finally spoke up, the cops told Starr to take this to the Grand Jury. Starr gets an attorney and the attorney convinces Starr to go on a tv show and voice herself. Starr knew the consequences going into the show. When she went on the show her words are misunderstood and she sounds like she is on the Officer's side. She knew she had to tell the truth and say she was really on Khalil's side. As she was saying all this she released the name of the biggest drug dealer in the town. She was scared when she did this but later saw that people were on her side and backed her up.
ReplyDeleteStarr stressed this idea of truth by finally addressing the elephant in the room publicly. Pressure from her school and her neighborhood left her wanting to shy away from the situation, but as things worsened and friendships came, Starr came to see the lies in herself that needed to be addressed. Putting aside the facade she had worn for so long allowed Starr to be honest with herself and the horrible situation she was caught up in. This self-discovery granted her the bravery to go on TV and say what she needed to say: the truth. In situations such as this, racism is always tip-toed around, like it’s something we, deep down, know is happening but don’t want to be real. Speaking the truth means fully addressing the issue, no matter how much it stings. There are things that we don’t like to hear but need to be heard and handled with a full understanding of the world around us. Because all people are different, prejudices will always exist. But having the ability to see the truth means having the ability to drop all prior biased thoughts and see things for how they really are.
ReplyDeleteFinding your voice can sometimes be a challenge, especially when you've been threatened by a outside force. In The Hate U Give, Starr knows the truth of what happened to her friend, Khalil, who was shot unlawfully by a police officer. She refused to talk to anyone about the matter. It makes sense, because if she would speak out, she might have people come and do harmful things to her. The fear of both the police officers and King, the drug dealer makes her want to keep quiet. Eventually, thought, she decides it would be better to tell everyone the truth on TV rather then live with what happened to her friend alone. It was better once the truth was out, even though there were some side effects.
ReplyDeleteIn “The Hate U Give”, Starr has trouble finding her voice about Khalil’s death. She is afraid that if she voices her truth that the police will harass her. This fear becomes more intense after her father is pinned down by a police officer that knew she was the witness. She is also afraid that her classmates will treat her different. This is shown when she keeps the incident a secret from her best friends and boyfriend. When she finally finds her voice, she begins to feel like she is doing right for Khalil. She is afraid of finding her voice and speaking her truth because people may disagree with her. However, the injustice that was shown toward Khalil’s murder gave her the strength to finally speak her truth.
ReplyDeleteIn the novel, "The Hate U Give," Starr finds herself attempting to conform to white schools' standards and not speaking for herself, while instead speaking to fit in. Starr is not honest with herself and does not speak out about Khalil's death at first. Starr finds herself not talking about the matter in order to keep her family safe, but lives a life in fear of it. Starr decides to speak her voice on TV and risks putting her family in danger in order for the truth to get out about Khalil. Thomas shows that although finding your voice can be daring, it will ultimately help you, and in this case, finding justice for Khalil.
ReplyDeleteAfter Starr's best friend Khalil was wrongly murdered by cop 115 then Starr had to speak her truth for the justice of Khalil. The news made Khalil look like a bad guy and Starr spoke the truth on him and why he wasn't actually that bad. The news said that he was a drug dealer, but they didn't know that the King Lords gang was the reason why. After Starr said this then she became a snitch to the gang and that had consequences. Her whole family was in danger and was getting death threats and at the end of the novel King, the leader of the King Lords, burned Starr's family market. When Starr spoke the truth on the news of Khalil and him wrongly being shot and killed by the cop then there was also a positive effect and many people were calling her really brave for speaking out. Overall, because Starr was able to use her voice and speak the truth then great changes occurred to her life and to the city where she lived. Riots broke out and the city was being destroyed, but in the end the King Lords gang got locked up and everyone felt much safer. In the end we find out that being able to speak the truth may take a lot of courage, but when all is said and done the truth needs to be heard to make a change.
ReplyDeleteWhen Starr’s friend Khalil was killed she was in a unique position and had to choose what she wanted to say if anything. At first she chose to stay silent for safety but soon people around her started to find out that she was the one in the car with Khalil that night. Eventually more and more people started to find out and she had to make a decision about how she was going to try and help Khalil’s case and get him the justice he deserved. Starr was still living two separate lives though; the Garden Heights life, where she had just lost a close friend, and the Williamson life, where everyone thought Khalil was a criminal. She struggled to find her voice and figure out how to use it without burning any bridges. She was torn because if she didn’t speak up she would upset the people in Garden Heights and if she did she would damage her reputation at Williamson. She had to decide how to speak her truth in order to defend Khalil and not make the people at her school think of her differently. Starr eventually finds her voice and decides that she is part Garden Heights and part Williamson and she should not have to keep those worlds separate. Starr chose to speak her truth, and although she lost some friends because of it she knew that if those friends could not support both parts of her that she didn’t need them in her life.
ReplyDeleteIn, The Hate you Give, Starr witnesses the unjustified murder of her friend Khalil after they were pulled over by a cop Starr often calls "115" as that is his badge number. As word got around that this young man was murdered, the word that there was a witness in the car also started circulating. Starr, in the beginning, wanted to remain anonymous as she believed that she would be the reason if Khalil got justice or not and didn't want people to come after her or ask her questions about the night in general. Later on she starts to open up on the fact that she was there the night of the murder because she knew that it was the right thing to do in order to have justice for her friend that she lost.
ReplyDeleteThere are many times in the novel where Starr faces large consequences for speaking her truth. For example, when she decided to speak up about the fact that the news was saying that Khalil was a drug dealer, she told them that the King Lords were responsible for his involvement in selling illegal substances. This later causes problems for Starr and her family involving death threats and physical acts of violence, like the burning of her fathers shop, created to send her and her family a warning. Using her voice and sharing the truth with everyone came with huge consequences for herself, even some that were life threatening, but she knew in the end that speaking her truth would be better off in the end for the greater good and she no longer needs to hide it.