Introduction
written by Angie Thomas, the film “The hate you Give” is a fictional movie that narrates the life of a girl by the name Starr Carter who lives to balance her two lives where she is raised in the “ghetto” and studies in a prestigious surrounding where it is the white folks who mostly attend the school (Indy & Thoyibi, 2021). Living in a poor black community, the girl constantly has to balance between the two worlds where she interacts with the black folks and her white friends, who are also her schoolmates.
Summary
Coming from a party she attended with her childhood friend Khalil, they depart from the premises after a gun accidentally goes off. This event leads to an unexpected tragedy that changes her whole life, leaving her traumatised and devastated. Starr and Khalil get pulled from the road by the police, who later gets to shoot Khalil three times, killing him after mistakenly assuming he was picking a weapon from the driver’s seat. With the pressure experienced from both sides of the community, Starr’s identity has to be kept secret from the community, including her friends Hailey Grant and Maya Yang and her boyfriend Chris, who happens to be of the white community. The pressure on Starr to maintain and withhold the secret weighs on her as she must separate her personas.
Description of Characters
Looking at the diverse nature of the film, the author has chosen to be diverse, except for different characters in the movie. This stands to the viewers as Arthur has applied the law of diversity in the characters with a blend of whites and blacks and a mixture of both genders where the main character is seen as a girl (Gomez & Bernet, 2019). looking at the characters’ roles and responsibilities, Starr Carter, featured as the leading actor in the film, has faced a tragic incident where a friend was shot innocently, leaving her traumatised since she was not there to save her life when Khalil needed her. Starr is portrayed to be a sixteen-year-old girl who is a high school student studying in a private school in Williamson Prep. The girl grows more outspoken as she gains the courage to testify in the grand jury hearing.
Lisa Carter is the mother to Starr, the woman has been characterised to be a loving but firm mother playing a role of a nurse in the film. Despite the mother being portrayed as strict, Lisa has a compassionate heart and teachers the importance of forgiveness and redemption. The woman is seen as strict as she pushes and advises her husband not to drag the children into doing dangerous activities; this makes her a fiercely protective mother and wife to Maverick Carter. Lastly, the author is seen to be diverse with the blend of white people as Starr is seen dating a white person named Chris. Coming from a wealthy family, Starr and Chris bond over the love of a television show, “The fresh prince of Bel-Air”. Chris is also portrayed as a loving boyfriend with her obsession with Starr and his efforts to make the girlfriend feel comfortable being herself around him, which Starr struggles with throughout the film.
Character stereotyping
Despite having a successful fictional film with the diverse contribution of white and black people, the author is seen to be stereotypical with some of the characters. For instance, as the author portrays the black people. Khalil is seen to be stereotyped by the police, who stand by the road, as a violent person. This is seen when Khalil is asked to step out of the car; as soon as he takes an object out of the car, the police shoot him three times, killing him. The black community has been stereotyped as a violent society where they are portrayed as a dangerous community to society (Nuriddin et al., 2020). Secondly, the black community has been portrayed as leaving and associating with the poor community. This stereotype is seen as Starr is portrayed as the only black kid studying in a wealthy diaspora where only white people can afford a rich life in an affluent community.
Character privileges
According to the author, as the only black kid studying in a prestigious surrounding, Starr is seen as the only privileged kid studying in a private school where she receives an education that many of her peers in her neighbourhood do not have access to. The participation of Starr in this environment exposes her to opportunities that the other kids in her community do not have. Secondly, despite coming from a poor community, Starrs family is seen to be financially stable and independent. This stability allows the parents to provide a safer surrounding for the kids and provide for their children’s needs, thus also giving Starr the privilege to attend college and pursue her dreams. Lastly, it is a privilege that Starr gets to jiggle and balance between the two worlds, which are portrayed as different regarding social class. The ability to juggle and balance school life and her interaction at home sheds light on both sides’ issues, thus advocating for change from a unique perspective.
Representation of The Group
As Starr gains the courage to testify at the grand jury hearing, she is portrayed as strong and confident, standing up for her beliefs. She is portrayed to be a positive representation of the group. Being left traumatised from the death of her childhood friend, Starr gains the confidence to face the grand jury and speak out about what she witnessed. The character also portrays the importance of speaking out against discrimination, thus standing up for what is right (Imran et al., 2021). As Starr gains the courage to take action and fight for change against racism and discrimination, she inspires her fellow youngsters. With her ability to penetrate through different social backgrounds, the young girl shows that unity can be achieved despite the differences and that different communities can interact despite social, economic, and political status. The way the author portrays Starr in the film is seen to be a positive representation of the black community.
Inclusion of Other Groups
Taking a step back and looking at the groups that have not been represented, the author took the initiative to feature the black and white community. With the ongoing cases of racism and discrimination, the black community plays a crucial role in representing all the other communities that have not been featured in the film. The rest of the communities are passing through the same struggle of racial discrimination; the film outlines what they pass through and how they are perceived in the community. The rest of the communities were left out intentionally, but this does not affect the message being pushed by the author. It is clear that other communities are exposed to doubt by the law enforcers and that getting justice for the unlawful actions administered might challenge the minor communities.
Importance of Diverse Representation
Despite all that, representing diverse groups is essential because it represents equity, inclusivity, and understanding (Tamtik & Guenter, 2020). everyone’s voice matters when diverse groups are represented in the media, politics, and other areas of life. Stereotyping is challenged when diverse groups are represented. the society can easily understand the unique nature of different groups if only they are represented. different perspectives can also be collected from the other groups, thus boosting the self-esteem and confidence of individuals from the underrepresented groups.
Conclusion
In conclusion, speaking up against injustice is a key key component when experienced. Starr, the main actor, stands up for what she believes in, serving as a reminder that speaking up is the only way to gain justice and that silence perpetuates the cycle of oppression. Additionally, empathy and understanding are the only;y way to get through life, as the film highlights how easily one can be judged out on their looks or their social background. Lastly, diversity is the key component in promoting understanding and empathy for all races due to the unique way of life inherited by different racial groups.
References
Gomez, L., & Bernet, P. (2019). Diversity Improves Performance and Outcomes. Journal of the National Medical Association, 111(4), 383-392. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jnma.2019.01.006
Imran, M. K., Fatima, T., Sarwar, A., & Iqbal, S. M. (2021). Will I Speak Up or Remain Silent? Workplace Ostracism and Employee Performance Based on Self-Control Perspective. The Journal of Social Psychology, 163(1), 107-125. https://doi.org/10.1080/00224545.2021.1967843
Indy, A., & Thoyibi, M. (2021). Opposing Racism in George Tillman’s The Hate You Give Movie (2018): A Sociological Perspective. Universitas Muhammadiyah Surakarta. http://eprints.ums.ac.id/id/eprint/94549
Nuriddin, A., Mooney, G., & White, A. I. (2020). Reckoning With Histories of Medical Racism and Violence In The USA. The Lancet, 396(10256), 949-951. https://doi.org/10.1016/s0140-6736(20)32032-8
Tamtik, M., & Guenter, M. (2020). Policy Analysis of Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Strategies in Canadian Universities – How Far Have We Come? Canadian Journal of Higher Education, 49(3), 41-56. https://doi.org/10.7202/1066634ar
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