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.

Conclusion of President Obama's Speech

This final page of the excerpt concludes President Obama's reflections on the Trayvon Martin case and its implications for race relations in America. The president acknowledges the African American community's awareness of internal challenges while emphasizing the frustration caused by a lack of contextual understanding.

Obama points out that statistically, someone like Trayvon Martin was more likely to be shot by a peer than by someone else. However, he stresses that this knowledge doesn't diminish the community's frustration when the broader context of these statistics is ignored or denied.

Quote: "I think the African American community is also not naïve in understanding that, statistically, somebody like Trayvon Martin was statistically more likely to be shot by a peer than he was by somebody else. So folks understand the challenges that exist for African American boys. But they get frustrated, I think, if they feel that there's no context for it and that context is being denied."

The president suggests that this lack of contextual understanding contributes to a sense that the outcome and aftermath of such incidents might be different if a white male teen were involved in a similar scenario.

Highlight: This point resonates strongly with themes explored in The Hate U Give, where the characters grapple with similar disparities in how incidents involving black and white individuals are perceived and handled.

Obama concludes his speech by posing crucial questions about moving forward and learning from this tragedy. He emphasizes the need to find positive directions and solutions in response to these complex 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?"

These final thoughts align closely with the themes of activism and social change present in The Hate U Give. The novel, like Obama's speech, encourages readers to consider how they can contribute to positive change in the face of racial injustice.

By studying this speech alongside The Hate U Give, students can gain a deeper understanding of the real-world context that informs the novel's themes and characters. This combination of literary analysis and real-world application helps students develop a more nuanced understanding of complex social issues.