Final Deep Dive on 'Born a Crime'

 After reading the final chapter (Eighteen, plus epilogue) pull one quote from the finale to capture your feeling for the ending and then answer the following.

"When you love someone, you create a new world for them" (Noah, 262)

This quote stuck out to me not only because it perfectly describes how I view the concept of "love", but also captures the essence of the book. Love can heal a maintain relationships. It creates refuge in a world defined by violence. Noah's mom created Trevor's world by shielding him from violence. She kept him safe so that he could thrive.

1. “I saw more than anything that relationships are not sustained by violence but by love. Love is a creative act” (Noah 262). Describe his journey in this chapter as he comes to this realization.     Trevor's feelings for his step father had changed when he beat up the neighborhood bully and was even more concerned when he was told that him and his mother would marry. Trevor's half brother Andrew was born after his parent's marriage. Their mother didn't really fit into Trevor's half of the family, which made her lose a lot of the independence that defined her. Things between Abel and Trevor's mom continued to get more abusive until Abel finally struck her one night. He seemed sorry after, and nobody thought much of things for the time being. Patricia helps Abel buy the old mechanic's shop he used to work at and even sold her house to support the business. Things became rather inconvenient for Trevor, but the shop was eventually sold off and everything was settled. Throughout the whole ordeal, Trevor noticed a shift in his mom's parenting, because she didn't hit Andrew like how she used to hit Trevor. Abel didn't share the same outlook and eventually came around to hitting Trevor. He knew however, that these smacks weren't out of love, like the ones his mother used to deliver.
2. “My mother showed me what was possible” Noah writes at one point. Even though he’s heartbroken over his mother’s abusive marriage, what did she teach him? What advice from her do you think is most important to him?     The most important thing that Trevor Noah learns from his mom this chapter is a lesson in resilience. Patricia's abusive relationship serves as a constant obstacle for her. She shows acts of resiliency and defiance in choosing not to hit Andrew the way she did with Noah. What she's doing is facing her own adversity by trying to break the cycle of violence that she's going through, which shows us the strength of perseverance. The piece of advice that I think is most important  to Trevor Noah is how to be independent and outspoken. Throughout the entire book, Noah is always learning how to think for himself and go beyond the racial barrier. He learns how to achieve the greatness that seemed so out of reach to individuals like him, as reflected by his success today.
3. Trevor Noah tackles many heavy subjects that most would not consider humorous, from abuse to apartheid. How is he able to find humor even in such moments? What will you most remember about this book?    Trevor Noah finds humor through irony, self-targeted humor, and satirical exaggerations of certain perspectives. His use of humor highlights absurd and controversial issues and allows him to really bring his points home. What I'll remember most about this book is how much it opened my eyes. Trevor Noah's experiences have taught me that the world is still nowhere near perfect. He brought my attention to a lot injustice and inequality, and now I feel a responsibility. No book has ever given me such feelings before. Those strong emotions are what I'll always remember when I think of Born a Crime.