With the black kids, I wasn’t constantly trying to be.
maybe the reason why he wasn't accepted by the white kids was because he was colored, and if you had color you were ignored. However, the black kids didn't care and just saw him for himself. Does that mean that personality actually played to an extent?
you’re a smart kid
shows how racial stereotypes are taught; all black people should not be associated with being dumb, as well as all white people being smart.
You can say, “Oh, I don’tpick sides,” but at some point life will force you to pick a side.
this is just doesn't apply to race. there's too much controversy in the world that people will judge you based on which side you take. (especially with cancel culture at its peak right now)
We were trying to steal from white people
language can either be a barrier or a connector; a flip switch. Those words spoken out of Trevor's mouth made the robbers totally disregard his skin color.
My mom made sure English was the first language I spoke
I think that's what any parent wants for their child at this point. They don't consider "challenging" anything; they just want everything to be perfect because many kids of color are already seen as "not that sophisticated as whites"
The house on Makhalima Street. At the corner you’ll see alight-skinned boy. Take a right there
simple acts like these reinforced the distinction between whites and blacks
in Soweto called me “white,
being white was such a privilege back then that if you had white blood in you, you were treated better than a regular black kid. And sadly, this continues to today.
“I believe your perception of race isflawed, Grandfather.”
this emphasizes on the way we were raised as kids. Even though we could have had different perceptions than our elders or adults, we didn't question it because in our head, they were the mature ones.
A black child, you hit them and they stay black. Trevor, when you hithim he turns blue and green and yellow and red
we have seen this in the past before. Is history just repeating itself, where the white is the oppressor and blacks are the oppressed?
You can't give up. You won't give up. You threw that book in my facebecause somewhere inside you refuse to give up
somebody telling another person to not give up is more effective than us trying to motivate ourselves
You've been fighting since you were born
could imply that we are born into a world that will challenge us and make us run over obstacles
You're going to find more and more pope the farther and farther you walk awayfrom this sad, sad, sad reservation
maybe we're just not motivated if we're surrounded by those who don't encourage us
Rowdy made sure to give black eyes totwo kids picked at random.
people hurt each other if they're hurt
here's never enough time to change yourlife. You don't get to change your life, period.
I agree because we're focusing on the stuff that will only help us in the long run and things that don't actually interest us
But I still want to know exactly why my sister gave up on her dream of writing romancenovels
we can't have everything we want; sometimes we lose interest
Your sister wanted to be a writer
sometimes we hide things from the ones we're close with because we're afraid those people will have a different perception of us
"I hurt a lot of Indian kids when I was a young teacher,"
this tells about the teacher that he might be or used to be discriminative
Why was he being so friendly? Was he planning a sneak attack onme?
How does this compare to what he thought Mr. P was going to do?; expectation v.s. reality
I was ashamed. I'd never really been in trouble before
mood; feeling sad; putting more pressure on him
And after I had played them both a few times, I realized they were two halves of the same song.
could be foreshadowing that we are made up of our weaknesses and strengths
"Pleading Child" was shorter but slower; "Perfectly Contented" was longer butfaster
"Pleading Child" reminds her of her mistake as a child and conflicted relationship with her mother, making it feel like a dread when she plays it. "Perfectly Contented" is a reflection from when she's older; she plays the song well because there's nobody to criticize her (that's why it feels faster).
Only one kind of daughter can live in this house. Obedient daughter!
1) I feel like daughters always have it harder 2) parents feel like this enforcement on their children will make them a "better" child, but it't not effective
This wasn't China. I had listened to her before,and look what happened she was the stupid one
Living in a Vietnamese household, I can greatly relate to this. If I lived in Vietnam, my parents would probably raise me differently; more strictly.
I would have pulled her braids and punched her stomach.
I feel like we should normalize fighting people if they make us feel worse about ourselves.
I was aware ofeyes burning into my back.
nobody really talks about their weak points or embarassing moments because society will view them as weak; everybody just keeps things hidden
I felt as though I had been sent to hell
I can relate because I was like this. Going through something you never agreed to is very painful.
I won't be what I'm not
this is something that many people don't come into realization
and I saw only my face staring back - and understood that it would always be thisordinary face - I began to cry
this is a continuity to today; when kids are inclined to think they have to the be the best they can, they'll have the mentality that they're never good enough
. “And then you'll always be nothing.
focused on trying to become somebody you're not
America was where all my mother's hopes lay
theme of the American Dream; many immigrants looked towards America for new hopes
cryin' ugly
mood