The Hate U Give Essay

Martin He
Dr. Andrews
English II
04 April 2020
The Hate U Give Essay
“People like us in situations like this become hashtags, but they rarely get justice. I think we all wait for that one time, though, that one time when it ends right.” (Thomas 27). This was said by Starr, the main character in the book, The Hate U Give, written by Angie Thomas. In this simple statement, the years of a great divide between being black or being white is felt. Inequality, injustice, and racism, these are the things that our nation have been trying to break for generations. However, unfortunately, these things have already been a part of our culture and system. Laws are implemented for people to be able to exercise their rights and protect their dignity. Police and the authorities are all over to make sure that these rights are practiced, no matter the race, gender, or social status, that is why they are also deployed even in “ghetto” communities. Even though a lot of efforts have been made to eradicate any prejudice and differences in treatment, the reality is it has only become a cycle of prejudice, police brutality, revenge, and the cycle goes on. The system does not only involve those who are in gangs or are involved with drugs, but it involves everyone, the oppressed, the privileged, the powerful, and the innocent. This paper will reflect that negative experiences bring out advocates of change in people for the betterment of their own communities, as seen in Big Mav, Uncle Carlos, and Ms. Ofrah.
Maverick Carter, also known in Garden Heights as “Big Mav,” is one of the agents of positive change in the story. He showed the urge to break the system of oppression in their community from the very start. He was once a part of King’s gang, however, he was able to change that and live a good life and also become an excellent example to his children. I believe the best example where his character can be seen is in a few words with Uncle Carlos, “I heard he was a drug dealer,” says Uncle Carlos, “And that makes it okay?” (Thomas 38), here we see how Big Mav values human life without judging a person by his wrongdoings. He also exemplified continuous character development in the story where we see different sides of him from the thug who was imprisoned, to the owner of the grocery store who did not want to leave town and had a different perception of what it is like to participate in changing the community for the better, to the one who valued his family, without his worth being defined by what he has done in the past. Another example where Big Mav is an agent of change is...