The Hate U Give Post Three (page 334)
Chris and Starr have a breakthrough in their relationship --- Starr admits to him that she was in the car with Khalil and shares the memories of Natasha’s murder (Chapter 17). Discuss why Starr’s admission and releasing of this burden to Chris is significant. Explore the practice of “code switching” and discuss how you might code switch in different circumstances in your own life.
Starr telling Chris all about Khalil and Natasha was a very big deal. Recalling those two events she witnessed are really hard for her and the fact that she managed to tell Chris was very brave. It shows that she trusts him because she explains that people use that stuff against her and try to take pity on her but she still tells him anyways, and he doesn’t judge her, he’s there for her and supports her. Having this discussion was a good thing for their relationship because they were having a rough patch, but Starr sharing these personal things definitely brought them closer together and secured the trust in their relationship. In the book, Starr explains how she has learned to speak with two different voices and kind of act different around different people and only say certain things around certain people, and I relate to “code switching” like that too in my own life. First off, I tend to speak differently when I’m around my friends than when I’m talking to adults. For example, I always try to sound more mature around adults, whereas I know my friends don’t care, so I’m a lot more comfortable when around them. Second off, I act a lot more crazy when I’m with my friends, because, again, I’m more comfortable with them and know they accept me for who I am, so around adults and people I don’t know as well, I’m more shy because there’s a higher chance of me being judged. I also know that I can really trust my close friends, so I tell them more personal things, but like compared to someone I’m not as close to and not quite sure if I can trust, I wouldn’t talk about personal stuff or anything like that because there’s not the same level of trust.
ReplyDeleteI liked your observations about code switching. I'm guessing that many people your age would say the same thing about code switching around adults.
DeleteWhen Starr admits that she witnessed Khalil's murder, it is an immediate breakthrough. Starr's telling Chris all of the things she kept from her friends at Williamson was a sign of great trust and that she really did not want to hide her 'second life' from him any longer. Chris is now the only person outside of Starr's family to know about both Starr's lives. After this fairly large sign of trust, Starr and Chris may have less fights and might have a more steady, and serious relationship. Although this is what will probably be the outcome of this breakthrough, knowing the dramatic plot line of this story, there will most likely be some sort of big problem that causes Starr and Chris to get into another squabble.
ReplyDeleteAccording to google, "code switching" is changing between two different languages. I think this can be applied to The Hate U Give because of the two different Starr's we see. One of them being Starr who goes to Williamson and the other being Starr at home. During conversations she has to decide which Starr she should be, or what kind of language she should use. I use code switching when I am writing my homework or writing a paper for school. The language I use is much different that what I would use for texting, or when I am just talking normally. My typical day to day word usage is very casual and has many grammatical errors, and my texting language is even more casual and compressed.
It's interesting that you wrote about code switching in writing. Do you think you typically code switch in your daily speech?
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DeleteKiran,
One aspect I particularly appreciate in your response is how you worded Starr and Chris's "breakthrough". I think this is very important to Starr's life. I like how you made it known that there are two sides to Starr. Williamson Starr and Garden Heights Starr and how she separates her two friend groups. It was a extremely large secret that she opened up to Chris. Another thing I really liked from your blog was how you predicted that there will be another large squabble. I think that this will totally happen soon whether it is Starr and Chris's relationship or the other major events occurring in Starr's life we will find out. When you mentioned code switching I feel like text language and common conversations are two very separate types of communication like you said. I also can relate to how you said that your every day talk is very casual. I think that my every day communication is very unformal and sometimes broken up. I think in some ways teens very day communication is becoming more and more electronic centered. Also, sometimes people have different versions of themselves that they show to certain groups of people. In terms of explaining the prompts and how they were important to the book, I think you did a very good job! I also didn't find any spelling errors:)
I think almost every teen code switches around adults, but I have never seen anyone bring texting into this discussion. I think perhaps everyone has a meter of casualness and formalness depending on the situation. It looks like for you talking to adults is toward the "Formal" side of the meter but texting is way on the "Casual" side and hanging out with friends is relatively in the middle. I'm probably not as casual as you are when texting, so for me texting is more toward the middle. It might actually be toward the "Formal" side because I actually include punctuation marks sometimes (unbelievable, right?). Sometimes I feel like I’m generally more formal than my friends when we’re chatting. I think this may be caused my habit of remembering the terminology adults use. I wonder if there are people who feel like their vocabulary is more casual than their peers.
DeleteIn chapter 17, Starr finally tells Chris about Khalil and Natasha, and how they died. This is important because Chris is the only white person in Williamson who knows. Not even Starr’s best friend at Williamson, Maya, knows. Starr has drawn lines between Black people and White people in her head, and this means that she is starting to allow the lines to blur. Previously, she didn’t trust Chris as much as she would have if Chris was Black, but now she’s starting to change. I think this is a sign of maturity. I understand the concept of “Code Switching” and I can relate to it. I sometimes feel like I live in a series of different worlds: School, Home, With Adults, Out With Friends, and many others. Sometimes, the walls I have erected between them start to crumble and I bring phrases that I only use with my friends to the dinner table. I might let a “ligma” slip while talking to my parents. It can be very tiring to act differently with different people. Sometimes, it feels perfectly natural to act mature with adults even though that’s not how I would act with friends. Although I have never had to lie to keep these worlds separate, I can imagine what it must be like to do that. It must be hard for Starr to keep her friends in the dark. I wonder what happens when people figure out that you lied to maintain your separate worlds. I would guess that a consequence of that would be your worlds being smashed together leaving your place in each in utter chaos. I wonder if that happens later in The Hate U Give and it results in a straining of Starr’s relationship with Maya, her parents, Seven, DeVante, Chris, and many others. In a way, this has already happened when Big Mav found out that Chris was Starr’s boyfriend.
ReplyDeleteI liked your question about whether there might be some strain on Starr's relationships with those around her (later in the book). I don't know what "ligma" is––according to the Urban Dictionary it has something to do with Fortnite, yes?
DeleteStarr telling Chris about seeing her two bestfriends being killed is very significant to the story line. Starr is an introvert and does not often express her true emotions to Chris. Chris is the only white person that knows about what Starr experienced. This is a big progression in their relationship. Even Starr's bestfriend Maya doesn't know about her true self. I think that Chris and Starr's bond will grow stronger because he will now understand why sometimes she can be rather quiet. I think that Starr will now have a way to cope with all of the recent stress in her life and that will be Chris. I think Chris will play a large role in comforting Starr throughout her testimony on Khalil's murder.
ReplyDeleteCode switching is how someone may speak differently to certain audiences of people. For instance Williamson Starr and Garden Heights Starr are polar opposites. Williamson Starr is more quiet and casual. She often refrains from speaking out even if someone is being annoying Garden Heights speaks more casually and cares less about how she acts. I can relate to code switching. Around adults I am more quiet and listen more talk less. When I am with my friends I talk a lot more and sometimes am crazy. I know that I can be crazy because they know who I am and accept it. Around adults I usually only talk when absolutely necessary because I like to listen to what they have to say because it is usually knowledgeable. When I am with my friend groups sometimes I just talk randomly with no purpose. Another way I code switch is when I am texting. I use less formal terms and sometimes abbreviate certain phrases. I never do that when I talk to people in the actual world. This is how Starr changes her perspective in Williamson and Garden Heights.
As I wrote on Jessica's comments, I think many people your age code-switch around adults. I think your point about switching when texting is also pretty common.
DeleteI agree with what Fred Fanackapan wrote. When he said that kids our age use code switching around adults more so that we seem more mature, where as with our friends we use it to seem more funny or cool.
DeleteEthan,
DeleteI am not sure I agree with you when you say that Starr is an introvert. Although she does not reveal her inner most thoughts or 'ghetto' side, I do not think that is her being introverted. She expresses multiple times that she does not feel comfortable sharing both of her sides with her friends from school. She does not want her rich friends to think she is from the ghetto and is dangerous, so she just chooses not to share what is happening in her home life. Not wanting to mix worlds is a very common thing and does not make somebody an introvert. For example, I would not want one of my friends from Maryland to become friends with one of my new friends from Vermont, it would make me feel weird and like my two worlds were colliding. It would also make me feel out of place, almost like a third wheel.
The part where Starr shares all of this with Chris is significant because Chris is just her boyfriend, and not like a super close friend or family member. By Starr telling Chris all these things, it shows that she trusts him. She is opening up to him because she feels that they are very close with one another, and can tell each other everything. Code switching is when you act one way with some people and you act differently with others, maybe to seem cooler or more funny. This is shown many times throughout the book with Starr. For instance, when she is at home, she acts much different than she does when she is at school. At school she acts like she is super hip and cool, but at home we see her true self. “Chris and Maya walk through the gate, and my stomach gets all jittery. I should be used to my two worlds colliding, but I never know which Starr I should be. I can use some slang, but not too much slang, some attitude, but not too much attitude, so I'm not a “sassy black girl. I have to watch what I say and how I say it, but I can't sound “white.” (pg. 257) One way that this could be used in the real word is when maybe you are trying to impress someone by being cool and acting smart, but then when you’re with the people you are closer to you cut loose and are maybe more enthusiastic, and can be the true you.
ReplyDeleteI like the evidence you cited about Chris and Maya. I think Starr was really working hard to balance who she was in both worlds. For her, it really was a balancing act.
DeleteWhen Starr tells Chris that she was the girl who was in the car when Khalil was killed, a lot of things start to happen. It is very hard for Starr to talk about the incident. Chris understands this and comforts Starr. They were having a tough patch in their relationship before all this and when Starr comes out to Chris about this I think it helped out their realtionship. Starr leads double lives, one in her house and the other at school. The personality she uses in her house is her true personality and the one at school is the one she uses to fit in. Chris is her way to live both of those lives and he is very important to her. Coming out to him about Khalil and Natasha’s death really helped out their realtionship.
ReplyDeleteStarr talks about “code switching” which is something she does when she is at home and when she is at school. For instance when she is at home she talks with slang and is her normal self. However, when she is at school, she is a totally different person. I don’t tend to “code switch” unless I am in the company of an adult I just met. I try no never change anything about me for people because I believe that if you need to change to be friends with someone then they are probably not a good friend because they can’t accept you for who you are. I have seen many people who act differently around other people than they act around me. For instance, if I had a friend who acted a certain way in my friend group, and saw them acting a different way around someone else. I might want to ask them which personality was actually them because I would want to know what they are actually like. Maybe potentially helping them act like themselves around other people.
I think that a lot of people code switch more with adults than children, but I like how you put that you only do that with adults you just met.
DeleteAs Kaitlyn said, interesting what you said about code switching only around adults they just met. I think some people actually code switch not because they're trying to be somebody else, but rather, they're just more comfortable when they do.
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DeleteFritz,
Your response is very well worded. Your thoughts transition very smoothly with very little hiccups. I really liked how you added the part about how Chris supports Starr and is comforting her through her rough patch of time. I think this is often overlooked as readers usually focus on Starr and her perspective. They should also realize how hard this is for Chris too because he cares for her so much. What you said earlier exemplifies how Starr and Chris are working through these hardships. I have to agree with your statement, "Coming out to him about Khalil and Natasha's death really helped out their relationship". Starr telling Chris about it all lightened the load of grief on her chest. I like how you said that if your friends were acting different you would want to know what their true personality was. This relates to Starr's story a lot. I am sure some of her friends sometimes wonder and speculate about what her real personality is. Another thing I like is how you say she talks with slang and home and formal at school and with her white friends. This is a big part of the novel and how she adapts to act around all of her friends. Your response was very intricate and well-made. I found one spelling error but the rest of your response shut that out!
Starr telling Chris about what she is going through is a very significant step in their relationship. She finally has the weight of all her problems lifted of her chest and shared with someone. Starr has had trouble dealing with her problems since she was little, and only a few people other than her family. The few people that know, Starr’s teacher’s, Hailey, Chris and Maya, think that every time she is emotional it’s because of Natasha, because of that she is hesitant to tell Chris about Khalil, or anyone for that matter. Starr is too proud to tell her friends, because she doesn’t want their pity. The fact that she told Chris says it all about their relationship. When she is with Chris Starr feels like she doesn’t have to “code switch”, but she realizes that she might not do it as much as she does with others but she still does it. With Starr she code switches more extreme than others, she has two entirely different personalities at school, and when she is at home. With me and the a lot of other people our code switching is a lot more basic. I code switch when I’m talking with extended and when I’m talking with my friends. When I talk with my extended family it’s more formal, but with my friends I don’t care about formality. I also do it with texting and talking. When I text I speak in acronyms, slang, and with grammatical mistakes, but when I talk to people sometimes I use slang and I have grammatical errors, but not half as much as when I text. Another time when I code switch is when I am writing papers versus when I am texting. Like I said before when I text I use slang and grammatical errors, but when I am writing a paper I make sure that every word is precis, with no grammatical errors, and I use words I would never use while texting.
ReplyDeleteInteresting. I agree that people code switch with the written word, too. I wonder where blogging fits in. Is it more formal than texting, but less formal than a paper?
DeleteStarr is very non trusting when in comes to people outside her family, especially to the the kids at her school. When she tells her boyfriend about what happened with Khalil and Natasha was a big point in their relationship. Starr decided to trust Chris with something that she didn't want anyone to know and it was a very difficult thing to do but he comforted her the entire time. Talking about this with him was a good decision especially since at the time they weren't doing so well but, this discussion brought them a closer.Its significant when you learn to trust people even when sometimes you don't want to. Earlier in the book Starr was saying how she acts differently around different people. At Williamson she acts differently to avoid judgement and when she's with her family she knows no one will judge her so she can be herself. At Williamson she gives people no reason to call her ghetto, she uses no slang and doesn't act like the people in her neighborhood. In front of her family she can act like herself because she knows she can trust them. I can relate to this a lot because it's basically what I do, I act myself in front of my friends and family. When I'm meeting new people I act more shy and unwilling to talk because being judged is not my favorite thing. I get really nervous when talking to new people and it's because being judged is at a higher risk if I say the wrong thing or I mess up my words. I'm already not the best with speaking and would rather not trust people but it's very important to have people who you can trust and be yourself around.
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