In 1961, Martin Luther King Jr. declared, "Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about the things that matter." King expresses the importance of speaking out about what you believe and the consequences of remaining silent. This concept is equally applicable in contemporary times, and author Angie Thomas demonstrates the relevance of this concept in her 2017 novel, The Hate U Give. In the narrative, Starr, a 16-year-old black teenager, must transition from her poor black neighborhood of Garden Heights to her wealthy, upper-class white private school. The line between these two worlds is completely transformed after Starr witnesses the killing of her best friend, Khalil, by a white police officer. Over the course of the novel, Starr comes to terms with Khalil's shooting, as well as the earlier death of her best friend, Natasha. In order for Starr to grow and resist the negative impact of racism on her life, she must face her past, show her whole self to the people who care about her, and help her community by speaking out about the injustices she has experienced. Through these experiences, Starr transforms from a scared, isolated girl to a girl who passionately and courageously expresses what she believes is right. Through her masterful portrayal of Starr's experiences, Thomas is able to help the reader understand the complex impact of racial injustice and how one young woman is capable of achieving all of her goals. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay At the beginning of the novel, Starr chooses to completely separate her two worlds from each other; Williamson Prep vs. Garden Heights. The way Starr acts and the way she expresses her feelings changes based on the skin color of the people around her. Starr has trained herself to know when it's appropriate to say the right things depending on where she is. Starr exclaims to her best friend, “God. Being two different people is so exhausting. I learned to speak with two different voices and to say certain things only in the presence of certain people. I have mastered it” (Thomas 301). Starr's unfortunate reality prevents her from speaking freely and saying what's on her mind without first thinking about her surroundings. The only time his white friends come to Garden Heights is to celebrate his birthday once a year. Aside from that, Starr knows that neither her white nor black friends would be interested in socializing. Furthermore, Starr chooses not to tell her white friends about witnessing not only Khalil's death, but also the death of her best friend Natasha at the hands of white police officers. What's also raw is how Starr chooses not to mention her white boyfriend, Chris, to her father because she believes he won't approve of him, solely because of the color of his skin. Starr even goes so far as to comment, “I can't muster the courage to tell Dad though. And it's not just because he doesn't want me to date him yet. The biggest problem is that Chris is white” (42). The way Starr isolates the black and white people in her life, as well as the way she speaks, geographically and familial, shows how racism negatively affects her life. Ultimately, he denies a part of himself to each of his communities; she can never be completely herself. During this early stage of her teenage life, Starr does not yet have the courage to express herself openly. In the aftermath of Kahil's death, Starr isolates herself by choosing not to talk about her experience. The next day, Starr has a conversation with her stepsister Kenya. Starr is so overwhelmed by the chaos that is happening that she tells theKenya exactly how she feels and that she doesn't have the courage to speak out and tell the community the truth about Khalil's death. Starr points out, "I've seen it happen over and over again: a black person gets killed just because they're black, and all hell breaks loose."loose... I always said if I saw it happen to someone, I would speak out loud, make sure the world knew what had happened. Now I'm that person and I'm too scared to speak” (34-35). Starr's hesitation and fear of speaking out continues in her first interview with Agent Gomez, to give an account of the trauma she has endured. Starr's mom constantly asks Officer Gomez to give her an extra second to remember what really happened and figure out how she wants to express those thoughts. Starr chooses to respond to the questions asked with uncertainty and hesitation. The next act of isolation Starr goes through is when Starr isn't sure if she wants to attend Kahlil's funeral. Starr is having second thoughts about attending her best friend's funeral because she doesn't want to put herself in a situation where she might be asked to express how she feels. The way Starr separates herself by insisting on not sharing any details of the incident she witnessed, demonstrates the harsh impact of discrimination on her life due to her feelings as a fearful black girl. Immediately after witnessing Khalil's death, Starr definitely still doesn't have the audacity to share what she believes is right with the world around her. As time passes, Starr realizes that he must speak on behalf of his black community. Starr's entire life consists of witnessing such cruel behavior and she has finally found the courage to act. The first instance where Starr feels pressured to express her feelings to the world is when Kenya makes her feel guilty for not doing anything to express herself. Kenya states: “The Kahlil I know would have jumped on TV in a heartbeat and told everyone what happened that night if it meant defending yourself. And you can't do the same for him... Here you are, with the chance to help change what happens in our neighborhood and you stay quiet. Like a coward” (198). Kenya's message pushes Starr to reconsider her silence. Starr's passion is evident when she tells her mother, “So I can't keep quiet. But this is bigger than me and Kahlil. It's about Us, with a capital U; everyone who looks like us, feels like us, and is experiencing the pain with us despite not knowing me or Kahlil. My silence does not help us” (171). The next moment she realizes that Starr must take the lead in her community is when her white schoolmate Hailey makes a disrespectful comment during a class-wide basketball game. He states that Starr should just pretend basketball is like fried chicken and be more aggressive. This demonstrates how Starr has become more aware of and resentful of the power imbalance in her relationships with her white friends. This is the first time he has called out someone for a racist comment, which reflects his growing awareness of injustice and confidence in the strength of his own voice. By coming out of her shell and accepting that she must express her feelings to the world, Starr's character evolves into a more mature and determined young woman. She begins to help her community by understanding that she must speak out about the injustices she has witnessed. By the end of the novel, Starr has grown into a passionate and determined young woman, coming out and expressing on national television the truth about how she feels about discrimination and her personal experiences so far. After the Grand Jury has.