The film "The Hate U Give" is a powerful and thought-provoking drama that follows the life of Starr Carter, a 16-year-old African American girl who finds herself torn between two worlds: the predominantly Black neighborhood where she lives and the predominantly white private school she attends. Based on the best-selling novel by Angie Thomas, this film explores themes of racial identity, social justice, and the enduring power of one's voice. Starr (Amandla Stenberg) is a bright and talented student who code-switches between her school life and her life at home. Her precarious balance is shattered when she witnesses the fatal shooting of her childhood friend Khalil (Algee Smith) by a white police officer during a traffic stop. The incident sends shockwaves through her community, igniting protests and making national headlines.
This film defines culture simply by showing the “hood” where Starr grew up. They show the interactions she had and show how those interactions made her who she is today. The Hate U Give explores the relationship between race and identity as Starr struggles to navigate the primarily black world of Garden Heights and the primarily white world of Williamson Prep. Starr feels pulled between her Garden Heights self and Williamson Prep self, and she switches her speech, mannerisms, and behaviors to fit whichever circumstance she finds herself in. After Khalil’s shooting, Starr is reluctant to speak about his death for fear that her friends, Hailey and Maya, and boyfriend, Chris, will not understand everything that happens in her Garden Heights world. Starr feels simultaneously “too black” to talk about Khalil’s life and death with her school peers, but “too white” at home to stand up for Khalil, especially after Kenya accuses Starr of acting like a white person who thinks herself better than her neighbors. Starr’s identity conflict is evident in her father figures, Maverick and Uncle Carlos, who have different perspectives on authentic blackness. Maverick draws inspiration from the Black Power Movement and believes in a self-reliant blackness that uses existing structures within black neighborhoods to improve conditions. Maverick’s philosophy explains why, throughout most of the novel, Maverick refuses to move his family from Garden Heights to a safer neighborhood—he believes they should change their community from the inside. Uncle Carlos, with his job as a police officer and house in a gated community, represents assimilation into white culture. Uncle Carlos believes that he can support black communities by using white organizations like the police force to combat gang violence. The constant argument between Maverick and Uncle Carlos highlights how difficult it is for Starr to reconcile her two worlds and find a way to honor her whole self.
Discussion Questions
1) Starr grows a lot throughout the film realizing new things about the society she lives in. She finds out what Khalil and Tupac were talking about when they said T.H.U.G.L.I.F.E., how does this affect Starr’s “coming of age”?
2) How does education help not only an individual, but a society? How can it be used as a tool to fight oppression?
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