The Hate U Give Rhetorical Analysis

“Pac said Thug Life stood for ‘The Hate U Give Little Infants F**ks Everybody.’.” This expression emphasizes the struggles and hardships faced by children who grow up in poverty- and violence-ridden neighborhoods. The film The Hate U Give was released in September of 2018, and it further explores this concept, following the story of a young black girl named Starr Carter, who has two lives: her home at Garden Heights and her predominantly white private school, Williamson Prep. Amandla Stenberg’s performance as Starr was a masterclass in portraying complicated emotions. Her ability to accurately depict Starr’s inner struggle to find her voice was nothing short of extraordinary. Her skills not only nailed the core of Starr’s character, but also gained empathy from the audience.

Starr’s father addresses the kids with a voice heavy with urgency and gravity, each word laced with a palpable sense of concern. “Now, you keep your hands posted, ‘cause moving makes the police get all nervous.” The children sit in solemn silence, their faces reflecting a mixture of seriousness and uncertainty as they listen to what they refer to as “the talk”—a tense discussion about what to do if they ever get pulled over by the police. It’s a conversation no parent wants to have, yet in a society rife with discrimination, it’s a grim necessity for children to be educated. Starr’s father ends the lecture by saying, “Now just because we gotta deal with this mess, don’t you ever forget that being black is an honor ‘cause you come from greatness.” This statement resonates deeply with Starr. She does not take her father’s words lightly; they stick with her as she grows older. This lesson from her father becomes crucial when she eventually gets pulled over when she’s