Racial Disparities and Community Frustration

This page continues President Obama's speech, delving deeper into the frustrations and challenges faced by the African American community. He addresses the pain caused by broad generalizations and stereotypes applied to African American boys.

Obama emphasizes that the African American community is not naive about the statistical realities of violence within their communities. However, he points out that the lack of acknowledgment of historical context adds to their frustration.

Quote: "And so the fact that sometimes that's unacknowledged adds to the frustration. And the fact that a lot of African American boys are painted with a broad brush and the excuse is given, well, there are these statistics out there that show that African American boys are more violent - using that as an excuse to then see sons treated differently causes pain."

The president highlights the community's understanding of the challenges faced by African American boys, including the statistical likelihood of violence from peers. However, he stresses that the denial of context for these statistics contributes to a sense of injustice.

Highlight: Obama suggests that if a white male teen were involved in a similar scenario to Trayvon Martin's, the outcome and aftermath might have been different, pointing to systemic racial disparities in the justice system.

The speech concludes with Obama posing important questions about moving forward and learning from this tragedy. He emphasizes the need for positive action and change in response to these issues.

Quote: "Now, the question for me at least, and I think for a lot of folks, is where do we take this? How do we learn some lessons from this and move in a positive direction?"

This speech provides valuable context for understanding the themes explored in The Hate U Give. The novel's portrayal of racial profiling, police brutality, and community activism aligns closely with the real-world experiences and concerns addressed by President Obama.

Comprehension and Analysis Questions

This page presents a series of questions designed to test students' understanding and analytical skills regarding The Hate U Give and its connection to real-world events. The questions are divided into three parts: Comprehension, Analysis, and Comment.

Part I: Comprehension

1. Summarize the excerpt (M1) in your own words.

This question asks students to demonstrate their understanding of President Obama's speech by summarizing its key points in their own words. This exercise helps develop critical reading and synthesis skills.

Part II: Analysis 2. Compare and contrast the experience of African Americans President Obama talks about in his speech with the experience of characters in The Hate U Give.

This question encourages students to draw connections between the real-world experiences described by Obama and the fictional portrayal in Angie Thomas's novel. It requires a deeper understanding of both texts and the ability to identify similarities and differences in the experiences described.

Highlight: This analysis question helps students develop their critical thinking skills by connecting literature to real-world issues and experiences.

Part III: Comment 3. You are part of an international student's project dealing with "Racial Discrimination in everyday situations". You are immediately reminded of Angie Thomas' novel The Hate U Give which you have read in class. Write an e-mail to the other members of the project in which you comment on whether The Hate U Give is a suitable read for this topic. Also refer to the possible lessons the reader can take away from the book.

This question assesses students' ability to apply their understanding of the novel to a real-world context. It requires them to evaluate the book's relevance to the topic of racial discrimination and articulate the lessons that can be learned from it.

Example: Students might discuss how The Hate U Give portrays everyday instances of racial profiling, such as Starr's experiences at school or interactions with the police, and how these relate to the project's focus on racial discrimination in everyday situations.

These questions encourage students to engage deeply with the text, connect it to real-world issues, and articulate their thoughts in various formats, from summary to analysis to persuasive writing.