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BORN A CRIME - Coggle Diagram

- - - - This life lesson was given from Patricia to Trevor. The entire book is full of life lessons that his mother taught him throughout his life, some of them harsh. All of these ultimetly led to who he is and where he is today.
  - - - This quote reflects how the mixed culture of Trevor allowed him to transform culturally, he was able to speak many languages and that allowed him to take part in many cultures. This was also mostly because 99% of people in Soweto were black and he was the 1%.
- - - - "It's the Devil," she said about the stalled car. "The Devil doesn't want us to go to church." pg. 10
        
        Since the first chapter, Trevor constantly desribed feeling forced to particpate in religious events such as church. Whenver he found himself against his "mother's faith-based obstinancy" (pg.10-11) He would try to counter with a well established argument, but was only met with phrases like "That's the Devil talking, Trevor" (pg.11) which would defintly have an impact in his beliefs, leaving him no choice but to be religious even if he doesn't completley agree.
      - Trevor reflects on identity and forced religion, especially the cultural complexities of having multiple identities and the impact of religious enforcement on his self-identity. His experiences highlight the friction of adapting to diverse societal expectations and the influence of religion in shaping identity within a divided culture.
        
        For instance, Trevor describes how they argued humorously about attending three different churches each Sunday, highlighting the psychological benefits they gained through humor and resilience rather than strict religious adherence alone. This approach underscored how, despite forced expectations around religion, Trevor’s mother taught him to engage with faith in a way that strengthened his identity rather than suppressed it
        
        "He was Abel, the good brother, the good son, a name straight out of the bible."
        
        Here we see forced religion because everyone thought that if something camed out of the bible it was immediately something good.
        
        "I knew nothing about music...The only music I knew, still, was Christian music from church..." pg.187
  - - - “some individuals will know instantaneously their own primary love language […while for] others, it will not be that easy” (119). Some people assume that they speak a specific love language, but are in fact nourished by an unexpected manner of love; men, for instance, will often “[assume] that physical touch is their primary love language” (121).
        
        Many people have multiple love languages that vie for dominance, or have a primary and secondary manner of speaking and receiving love.
      - Love Language
        
        "He was caring and devoted, attentive to detail, always a card on my birthday, always my favorite food and toys when I came for a visit. but at the same time he was a closed book."-pg. 107
        
        This quote shows how Robert expressed love to Trevor through significant actions instead of showing it by talking. He showed it through things that Trevor would remember but at the same time he was very secretive.
      - English and Aafrikan
        
        "I soon learned that the quickest way to brdge the race gap was thorough language." pg.54
        
        This quote shows how Noah realized that a great way to stay resilient against racism and discriminatio that he faced throughout his life was through langauges. Learnring langauges helped him belong at school and finally be accepted in a group of people, instead of being constantly excluded by every group he came across.
        
        "She believed my prayers were more powerful, because I prayed in English." pg. 40
        
        This quote shows a situation in which Koko, Noah's grandma tells him that his prayers are more likely to be heard and answered because he did so in English. Fro a young age he was given multiple tools and lessons that he used in order to fit in and fight agaisnt racism. This quote not only demonstartes how Noah's grandma makes him believe and have faith, but it also foreshadows to the rest of the book, as Noah uses the power of English to fight against discrimination and closemindedness.
  - - - This quote is a clear representation of how different cultures can percieve things, and how beliefs and places affect those perceptions. In this case Trevor and his friends were not properly educated and just thought of the name "Hitler" as the name of their friend because they did not know who Adolf Hitler was. But the jews thought Trevor and his friends were chanting Hitler to honor Adolf Hitler, this made two different cultures fight about something just because they had two different understandings.
    - - This quote shows how the hood in South Africa was determined by such a silly factor; cheese. This tells the effects of poverty in South Africa by years of segregation and discrimination that tells about the place and the culture of a place that refers to people with a bit of money as "you're a cheese boy." pg.207
- - - - "You've been brainwashed into believing that your blood is tainted." - pg.120
        
        This quote reflects Trevor's sense of self-hatred due to society's exclusion toward mixed people such as Trevor. Ever since the book first started he had to blend in like a chameleon and use languages in order to fit in. He has had to pick which side he will be on because society forces him to.
      - "Hey! Why are you hanging out with the blacks?
        Because I am black
        No youre not. Youre colored" -pg.240
        
        The event in this quote occurs when Trevor goes to jail and he is questioned about who he is hanging out with. This quote reflects how even in places like the prison social constructs are applied, automatically prisoners stick together with peoplefrom their own race.
      - "One of the worst crimes you could commit was having seual relations with a person of another race." pg. 21
        
        Trevor Noah grew up with legalized racism and hatred, apartheid. Even after apartheid ended the effects and impacts it had on South Africa and its society was really big. This means that he spent a big part of his life beliveing he was a crime, only for being born. As it can be seen in the book, Trevor had to open his eyes in order to overcome the discrimination he faced.
  - - - "At break, as the only mixed kid out of a thousand, I faced the same predicament I had on the playground at H.A. Jack: Where was I supposed to go? pg. 138
        
        Trevor had many instances in which he was torn between choosing where to go and who to be with. Although, this quote does represent the author's identity, the context allows to understand that Trevor never really belonged anywhere because both black and white people hated him.
      - "Trevor you've been robbed," he said. "Why didn't you chase them?" "I thought they were being nice. I thought I'd made a friend." - pg. 121
        
        This quote shows how as a result of Trevor never having true friends and never belonging anywhere, he has become naive in hopes of ever finding a true frienship. This shows how much his skin color affected him during his childhood.
      - Trevor’s inability to make deep social connections at his high school illustrates how the deeply rooted restrictions of apartheid continue to limit those whom they oppressed, even after apartheid ends.
      - I was a product of her search for belonging. She never felt like she belonged anywhere. She didn't belong with her siblings, didn't belong to her father, didn't belong with her siblings. She grew up with nothing and wanted something to call her own." pg. 63.
  - - - "Even after apartheid, most black people still lived in townships and the areas formerly designated as homelands, where the only available government schools were the broken remnants of the Bantu system." pg. 137
        
        This shows society's way of excluding even after legalized racism is over. Society always wants to divide people by background, race, culture and more, making roles by force instead of letting people choose their own identity.
      - Chapter 15 explores themes of inequality and societal roles. Trevor reflects on how his friendship with Daniel, a white boy, exposed him to resources and education typically denied to Black South Africans. Daniel’s family had access to computers and education, while Trevor’s people “were crowded into thatched huts.” This contrast illustrates systemic inequality and Trevor's journey to self-empowerment (Page 190)