The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas is about a teenage girl, Starr Carter, who grapples with racism, police brutality, and activism after witnessing her black friend murdered by the police. In “The Hate U Give”, Angie Thomas believes people code switches when encountering identity issues to fit in their surroundings.
Code-Switching in The Hate U Give
At Williamson Prep, Starr transforms herself into an entirely new version of herself, altering their inflection, vocabulary, and dress based on whether they are talking to fellow residents of Garden Heights, white people, or law enforcement. Starr alters herself so that she does not appear “ghetto” to her classmates and friends.
Starr’s family also code-switches throughout the book. For instance, when they visit the National News Interview, the family dresses nicely to ensure that their accounts are taken seriously and not disregarded as “hood rats”. Furthermore, Starr’s mom demands that they “do not touching anything and only speak when somebody speaks to you. It’s ‘yes ma’am’ and ‘yes sir,’ or ‘no ma’am’ and ‘no sir’”.