Promise Butler

Prof. Ewan

FIQWS

Feb 25,19

Literary Narrative

Angie Thompson is a black African-American who lived in Jackson,Mississippi. Angie released a phenomenal  novel called The Hate U Give. In this novel Angie Thompson touches upon many significant topics. Angie emphasizes police brutality and oppression being force upon the minority. Angie uses a 16 year old girl named Starr Carter as a protagonist to get her message across. Starr Carter is African-American Girl living a double life. Starr lives in  a neighborhood named Garden Heights were her father was a former gang member meanwhile she attended a white private school called williamson. Due to the two different environments starr gained a split personality she monitored her speech and behavior among her white peers. Starr felt as though she needed to represent her whole race because she was the only black student in her school. Starr got so caught up in living in trying to be something she is not she started deni were she came from and who she was. Starr was at a spring break party and ran into a old friend and he is killed by a police officer, three bullets to his back ended his life and Star denied knowing the victim to save her reputation at her school. Starr soon used her the grief of losing an old friend and a close friend when she was ten  to fight for what she believed was right. Starr used her voice to protest and provide justice for the love ones she and many others have lost. This novel is absolutely inspiring the topics that are acknowledged in the text are issues that are occuring in modern society.

Angie Thompson really inspired me with this  novel the choice of words and topics really spoke to me. This novel made me feel as though I was an author with a blank page and a pen full ink and a mind brewed with new ideas and aspirations. I was ready to rewrite, edit and revise  the draft of my life rewrite the story someone already wrote for me. I suddenly had new ambitions and goals to meet. Before I read this book I didn’t know what I was striving for. I knew that I was striving for greatness and success but I didn’t know what I considered  to be great or successful. I suddenly knew what I wanted to do with my life. After I identified what my goals were I started to incorporating them in my everyday life. I started doing little things like voicing my opinion and exercising my work ethic to get one step closer to my dreams and goals. Reading about Starr Carter and how she overcame her fears was really meant alot me. I realized that you can either run away from your fears or you can face them and rise. I realized instead of using my anger towards my mother’s death to take away from goals I used it as motivation. This book is was one of the major reasons why I continue to strive for greatness. Once I realized what I wanted to do in my life I  it became the only thing on my mind. Literally everything I do is contributing to my success. For example after a long of school and I’ve got a fair share of homework I still push myself to go to squash practice because I know squash is going to get me to where I need to Go. I know that I have people expecting me to do great things and rooting for me on the other side of the finish line. My only option is to fight and knock over the obstacles to get to the other side. This book did so much for me honestly it open doors that I never knew were their.

Now you’re probably wondering how I was so lucky to get my hands on things phenomenal book. Well I was going to this camp called songadeewin for two years. My second summer attending this camp my excitement died down tremendously. I honestly did not want to be their at all. I was just having the worst time of my life I felt so out of place I was extremely uncomfortable. I felt out of place for the simple facts that the camp was predominantly white now I don’t have anything against white people. Their were just very few of my kind all of the people of the opposite race just acted and carried them self different from what I was used to. As well as the camp being predominantly white the girls that attended the camp had been going for a fair amount of time. Therefor, the girls already had their friend groups and were unwilling to allow people into their group. Sooner or later I found myself trying pretend to be something I wasn’t just to fit in. I figured that i’m going to be their for a month why not just make the best of it. I stopped myself in my tracks because I knew what I was doing and I wasn’t a big fan of it. Whether I had friends or not I need to still the best out of it because going home was not an option. So I started reading left and right I mean I was just burning threw books like it was my last day to live. Even though I never really like reading I was in a really desperate space to keep myself occupied. Keeping myself occupied was very important for the simple fact that I didn’t want to be their.

During my journey of reading I came across The Hate U Give  wiched changed my life. Opening this book made realize that as a black individual the only thing society can’t take away from me is my skin and education.When I was trying to change myself just fit it in it was just a smack in the face of my ancestors. My ancestors didn’t fight for our rights so I can be something that I am not they fought so I can embrace and live comfortably in my skin. Ever since I reading The Hate U Give my skin and education became the most important thing in the world.  Everything I do is following the blueprint to build my success and to let my ancestors know that they didn’t struggle for no reason. Like I stated so many times this book is phenomenal and it will never be forgotten.