Born a Crime Chapter 18

 Born a Crime Chapter 18

Quote 1:

“She broke out in a huge smile and started laughing. Through my tears, I started laughing too. I was bawling my eyes out and laughing hysterically at the same time” (Noah, 296). 

    I chose this quote because it is a testament to Patricia’s character. She had just been shot and she still has the energy to look on the bright side and to not get upset. Even though she had just gone through something traumatic, she didn’t want to get upset about it, and she especially did not want Trevor to get upset about it. Patrica always looked on the bright side and was able to find a positive side out of every situation. She always wanted the best for her kids and to give them the life she never had. She spent her life raising her kids to be the best they can be, and she never wanted to see them upset. 

1. Trevor Noah was exposed to violence for all of his life. He never became a violent person because he knew that wasn’t right. Noah’s mother would give him beatings out of love and discipline. He was never scared of her because he knew there would always be a lesson learned from it. His mother created a new world for Noah to be successful, and to be a great person. That is why Noah says that “love is a creative act”. When Abel would hit him, there was never any reason behind it. Abel just needed something to take his anger out on. That's how Noah learned that relationships are not built in violence because when the violence doesn't benefit you in any way, it can only hurt and damage your relationships, 

2. Noah’s mother taught him that the world is beyond the hardships she went through. Patricia showed Noah a life that she never got to live. Noah lived in a place where violence was very normal and where poverty was on a rise, but he knew there was a world where things were better thanks to his mom. His mother taught him to go out and live a better life than she had. She showed him all the tools and resources to be successful, and she wanted Noah to be a very successful person despite his circumstances. I think the best advice she gave him is that he is never going to be stuck where he is, and that he can go out and do whatever he sets his mind to regardless of his skin color. Patricia never saw skin color as a barrier because she knew that her son was capable of doing anything. She raised him to be a strong independent man that won’t back down to any rules or anyone. 

3. Trevor Noah uses humor to address issues and to explain them. He uses humor when explaining the absurd rules of apartheid, and to explain his life experiences, both good and bad. Humor allows Noah to spread awareness on issues in a more lighthearted way. He also uses humor to explain the lessons he learned from the hardship in his life. Humor is a way for Noah to express himself, and to tell his life story. It also shows how Noah continuously looks on the bright side in every situation. This is a quality that he most certainly gained from his mother. I will remember most that although Noah had a difficult upbringing, he never gave up or backed down. He took the hardships in his life and used to learn, grow and become better. He is very inspiring, and he teaches us to never give up, and to take the bad things in life and turn them into good ones. Him and his mother have set a wonderful example for people to always keep going, and to stay strong. 

This History of Apartheid and Nelson Mandela

The History of Apartheid: Nelson Mandela Was a Hero

This map shows the predominant race in a given area. 
It shows that apartheid discriminated against 90%
of the South African population.
https://en.gariwo.net/education/insights/apartheid-9923.html

This graphic shows segregation in South Africa by showing signs that prohibited black people from entering certain areas.
https://www.gettyimages.com/photos/apartheid
 

    Apartheid was a time of racial oppression that stemmed from an all-white government in South Africa. It went on from 1948-1994.  The South African Government created a system to study organized racism all around the world and used that to create the most progressive system of racial oppression. Apartheid translates to “apartness” from the Afrikaans language. Black South Africans were separated from the whites, and interaction between them was prohibited. After the National Party gained office, apartheid became legal, and not much could be done to stop it. It was made possible by the Population Registration Act. This act classified everyone as Black, colored (mixed-race), Asian/Indian or white. Places were classified by race, and Black people were restricted from going to the same places as white people. Millions of Black people were taken from their homes against their will and relocated to areas specifically made for black people. It was also prohibited to have mixed-race marriages, as explained by Trevor Noah in “Born a Crime”. This is why Noah had such an unusual experience growing up as a colored person. He could not be seen with his white father in public without the law getting involved since he was colored. Black people were heavily discriminated against as they were not allowed to vote, or make their voices heard. They were forced to obey the ruling of the whites. Noah explains ways that Black people’s rights were taken away from them in his memoir. He states that, “Black people choose their traditional names with great care; those are the names that have deeply personal meanings. But from colonial times through the days of apartheid, Black people in South Africa were required to have an English or European name as well” (Noah, 281). This demonstrates how the rights of Black people were stripped away from them as they had to abide by the rulings of the whites. Apartheid wasn’t just segregation, but it was also dehumanization and degradation of people of color. Noah also explains in his memoir that apartheid wanted to wipe out all Black people from South Africa. He explains that, “The ultimate goal of apartheid was to make South Africa a white country, with every black person stripped of his or her citizenship and relocated to live in the homelands” (Noah, 39). This demonstrates the harshness of apartheid and their belief in white supremacy and how the government treated Black people so poorly just so they could reach their ultimate goal.

    Although the government was very powerful, South Africans still opposed apartheid. Black groups, with the help of some whites, held strikes, civil disobedience campaigns, and boycotts. The South African government responded to the riots with violence and suppression. They killed and arrested many unarmed protesters for rebelling against the government. Nelson Mandela was an important leader in the struggle for equality. He was a Black nationalist who fought against the government and apartheid. After efforts of non-violent protests failed, Mandela formed an armed resistance group known as Umkhonto weSizwe or the Spear of the Nation.  He believed that violence was the only way to end this struggle.

This is an Image of Mandela mending clothes in
prison. This is one of the many hard labors he and 
other prisoners were forced to do.
https://humanrights.ca/story/story-nelson-mandela 

He spent a long 17 months trying to gain support in the fight for equality, but he was arrested in 1962. He was sentenced to life in prison but was let out after 27 years. Conditions in the prison were very poor because of the color of one’s skin. Black prisoners were denied their rights, and political prisoners had the worst treatment of all. Some prisoners were harassed and tortured by guards. Mandela and the other protesters were forced to do hard labor like breaking rocks in a lime quarry. Mandela didn’t stop fighting even though he was imprisoned. He advocated for better conditions in prisons for all races. Because of him, Black prisoners gained more rights, and the conditions in prisons improved. Mandela was determined to gain freedom for his people, so in 1986 he began to contact the South African government to see if he could negotiate to end apartheid. South Africa faced serious economic troubles since countries around the world did not agree with the laws and regulations of apartheid. “The United Nations General Assembly denounced apartheid in 1973”. Because of this and other international pressures, Mandela was able to negotiate with the government to release him from prison and release the people of South Africa from this horrid regime known as apartheid. Nelson Mandela then became South Africa’s first democratically elected president. He devoted the rest of his life to picking up the pieces and transforming the country after apartheid. He fought hard for the freedom of his people.

Nelson Mandela was a hero in ending
apartheid.
https://images.app.goo.gl/zxhFAVtMfzG37tJ49  

Trevor Noah was only a young kid when Mandela was released, but his mother lived a whole life under the laws of apartheid. She never backed down or accepted the laws and segregation; she fought against it and taught Noah that the world is much more than oppression. Noah explains in his memoir that, “I was nearly six when Mandela was released, ten before democracy finally came, yet she was preparing me to live a life of freedom long before we knew freedom would exist” (Noah, 116). Noah’s mother Patricia taught him to chase his dreams and that he could do whatever he set his mind to regardless of his race. She never wanted him to think that he was stuck where he was because of the laws of apartheid. Mandela had the same mindset. He always believed that he could gain freedom for his people, and that is exactly what he did. He didn’t see his race as a setback; he saw it as motivation to gain a free life for his country.

Click here to watch and learn more about Nelson Mandela's life, his upbringing, and his role in ending apartheid, and click here for more information on what apartheid was, and this history of it.

Born a Crime Chapters 13-17

Born at Crime Chapters 13-17

Quote 1: 

“Then she got into the car and it was the first time we had ever been alone, and she realized I couldn’t even hold a conversation with her. I’d driven her around and gotten lost in the dark—a young girl alone in a car in the middle of nowhere with some strange guy, no idea where I was taking her. She was probably terrified” (Noah, 262).

This quote stuck out to me because it really shows the power of language. If you don't speak the same language as someone, then there is no way to communicate with them. Noah discovered that in the time he spent with this girl because they never truly spoke to one another. Noah was too busy being in his head and being nervous to realize that he never spoke to her or had a conversation with her. This is why it is very important to stay present and really engage in conversations. It’s important to get to know people and understand who they are if you want a relationship with them. Noah did not do this and it instantly backfired when he was alone with her and couldn’t even talk to her. This put both of them in an uncomfortable situation that could have been avoided in the first place. 

Quote 2: 

“Because if white people ever saw Black people as human, they would see that slavery is unconscionable. We live in a world where we don’t see the ramifications of what we do to others, because we don’t live with them” (Noah, 324).

This quote really stuck out to me because Noah made a very good point. There are so many historic events that degrade and dehumanize other people. The people who inflict the pain and suffering do not see the victims as human, or like they are the same. For example, a white person would have never enslaved another white person because they viewed themselves as the same, and they respect each other. There is no respect or sympathy for the people who are enslaved, or victimized. If we could empathize with everyone, and view everyone as humans with rights, then no one would feel the need to degrade and discriminate against other people. We would feel bad, and we know that what we are doing is wrong. 

1. Noah gets in trouble with the law but is then saved by the law enforcement’s view on race. He was caught shoplifting on the cameras, but they weren’t good quality videos. The camera only picks up black and white, and since Noah has a light skin tone, they assumed it was a white person instead of him. The police thought there was no way that the person in the video was actually Noah because they were convinced it was a white person. Noah was off the hook because he was seen as black or colored.  Because the police base everything on race, including arrests, Noah was not caught and his skin color saved him. 

2. Noah’s friend Andrew gave him a CD writer that allowed him to copy songs onto CDs. This is what Noah needed to get his business to take off. He would sell all types of CDs to people, and he would make a lot of money. He would not have been able to do this without Andrew giving him the resources he needed. This is how Noah learns that you need someone privileged to tell you things and give you resources to succeed. I agree to an extent because there is no way to succeed nowadays without having the resources. Money is a major factor in gaining the resources to do what you want in life and some people just don’t have it. That’s why Noah explains that in order to teach a man to fish, he needs a fishing rod. Without it, he can’t fish. On the other hand, I believe people can work for their resources and succeed on their own. If you work hard enough, anything is possible. But I do believe Noah makes a valid point here.  

3. Noah says that “crime cares”. I believe that he means that some people commit crimes in order to survive, or to help their family get by. He says that everyone has different opinions on what is right and wrong. If someone stole food and is trying to sell it, people who need it won’t bother to care where the person got the food from. They just want to buy it so that they can eat. Sometimes people have motives for crime that are not criminal at all. It doesn't seem wrong that a mother brings home food illegally so that her kids can eat. Crime sometimes helps people out, and helps them get by when they’re struggling. This is what Noah says “crime gets involved in the community”. He explains how living in certain areas, and having certain circumstances mean that crime will find its way to you in your life. It’s not always in a bad way, but just so people can help each other live and get by. 

 

Born a Crime Chapters 8-13

 Born a Crime 8-13

Quote 1:

“ I went from seeing my dad every Sunday to seeing him every other Sunday, maybe once a month, whenever my mom would sneak me over, same as she’d done back in Hillbrow. We’d gone from living under apartheid to living under another kind of tyranny, that of an abusive, alcoholic man” (Noah, 163). 

I chose this quote because it really stuck out to me. Trevor Noah went from seeing his father every week and having an almost normal relationship with him, to not seeing him as often. He had to adjust to his mother’s new partner who had some issues and problems of his own. It made me wonder if he missed his dad, and if he wished they could have been one family instead of his new stepdad. It made me upset that he and his mother had to deal with his stepdad being abusive and possessive, especially after dealing with the harsh treatment of apartheid. This must have made them feel trapped and hopeless because they went from one tyranny to another. I know that Noah and his mother are strong people, and that they would find their way out of this tragic situation. 

Quote 2: 

“I’d perform for them. I’d catch a bit of their conversation, learn more about their group, and then leave. I overstayed my welcome. I wasn’t popular, but I wasn’t an outcast. I was with everybody, and at the same time I was all by myself” (Noah, 207). 

I chose this quote because it made me question if this is a fulfilling way to live your life. When you’re at school and you’re with lots of different groups of people, you can feel like people like you and want to be around you. At the same time, those people won’t go out of their way to talk to you and invite you to go places with them. It's like if you stopped talking to them and making the effort, the friendship won’t last. I believe this is what Noah was experiencing in this time of his life. He was never actually alone at school because he could just go talk to whoever, but when school was out, he did not have any real friends to hang out with. That’s why he felt like he was all by himself. This reminds me of the saying of “quality over quantity”. It is better to have a small amount of really good friends that you can trust and rely on than to have a lot of friends that ultimately don’t care about you. This is a lesson Noah can take from his experiences at school. He knew that he had people to talk to but not people who were always going to be there for him. 

1. Trevor Noah learns that his father is a very secretive and private person. Noah spent most of his life wondering if his father was ever thinking about him or keeping tabs on him. Noah wanted to know if his dad was proud of him. His mom always reminded him that his dad chose him and wanted Noah in his life. When Noah finally got back in touch with his dad, he learned that his father was keeping track of everything he was doing in his life. He never forgot about Noah. He was always proud of him. Noah wanted to learn everything about his dad, so he tried asking him many questions. He then realized that in order to fully get to know someone, you have to spend time with them. So after Noah spent the weekend with his dad, he learned that his dad is very secretive and reserved. He was like that for his whole life.  

2. Apartheid convinced every race that it’s the other races fault that they are being held back. For example, apartheid made colored people believe that they couldn’t have the status of white people because black people might use the benefit of colored people to sneak in and gain the privileges of white people. Ultimately, apartheid used other races as an excuse for why certain races can’t have certain privileges. Apartheid made up their own rules to classify one as white or black. For example, colored people could apply to get promoted to becoming white. If your hair was straight enough and your skin was light enough, you could get promoted to white. Apartheid made a pencil test, and if your pencil falls out of your hair, you were considered white according to the government. That’s how they would make up rules and tests to change people's race and status. Trevor Noah says he had “done a terrible thing” because he let his stepdad beat the kid that bullied him. A kid was bullying Noah and threw lots of berries at him. As revenge, Noah let his stepdad beat up the kid. Since his stepdad has a really bad temper, he took it way too far. Noah ended up feeling really bad about it because he realized that his bully is just a kid who probably learned hatred from someone else. Noah realized that the revenge wasn’t worth it, especially since he knew how abusive and angry his stepdad gets. 

3. Trevor Noah gets away with shoplifting because of the grainy cameras at the mall. The mall security and police used the footage to try and identify the boy that Teddy was shoplifting with. The camera only picks up white or black color, so since Noah had lighter skin, the camera picked it up as white. This led the police to believe that it was a white person shoplifting with Teddy. Teddy’s skin is darker, so the camera just picked it up as black. Noah got away with it because nobody realized that the cameras wouldn’t show a colored skin tone. I relate to the quote because I feel like I need to take more risks in life. Being afraid of failure is something that a lot of us struggle with, but we need to understand that failure is a part of life. It always teaches us a lesson that we can use to help us succeed. I feel like there’s many things in my life that I just didn’t do because I didn’t want to fail. That is not a good way to live since I don’t want to live with regrets. It’s better to do whatever it is you want to do and fail, than to never try it and regret that for the rest of your life. 

Born a Crime Chapters 6&7

 Born a Crime Chapters 6-7

Quote 1:

“Catholic school is similar to apartheid in that it’s ruthlessly authoritarian, and its authority rests on a bunch of rules that don’t make sense. My mother grew up with these rules and she questioned them. When they didn’t hold up, she simply went around them” (Noah, 137). 

This quote stuck out to me because I found it interesting how Noah’s mother never abided by rules that she didn’t agree with. She would always find a way to change them, or get away with disobeying the rules. I think that’s interesting because she was pretty strict to Noah when it came to parenting. She would punish him for not following her rules. She did that because she knew the rules she had for him are only what’s best for him. She even allowed Noah to disobey rules that she also didn’t agree with. I like how she raised him to only do what you know is right. She took Noah’s side when he would get in trouble at school if the school was being unfair. I really respected that because a lot of parents always take the school's side, and they don’t even hear out their kid. She was a mother who only wanted what’s best for her child. 

Quote 2:

“I started crying. ‘Why are you stealing my dog?!’ I turned to Fufi and begged her. ‘Fufi, why are you doing this to me?! Why, Fufi?! Why?!’ I called her. I begged her to come. Fufi was deaf to my pleas. And everything else” (Noah, 151).

I chose this quote because I found it very odd that the kid just claimed Fufi to be his dog. He probably had never seen that dog before, but he still said it was his. It left Noah feeling very upset because he had an attachment to the dog. He took care of her and practically raised her. I definitely understand why he was so upset, especially since he thought he was going to lose his dog. I also found it interesting that Noah never found out that Fufi was deaf until the end of her life. If a dog is not coming to you when you call them, then I think that’s a pretty good reason to get them checked out at the vet. I also think it would get pretty exhausting to call the dog and her never come answer you. That’s why they were lucky to have Panther who would tell Fufi what to do all of the time. 

1. Trevor Noah argues that cellphones have changed us as human beings by taking away from our intelligence. He compares emojis to the old drawing of cavemen. He says that people only communicate with emojis, and that it is just as simple as how the cavemen used to communicate. When people text, they don’t communicate properly. They mostly use emojis which can be seen as simple and unintelligent. He also explains how we use cell phones so much that we start having poor posture. This is an example he used to explain why he thinks cellphones are taking us back to before humans evolved. We crouch down daily to look at our phones just like the apes used to walk around. I somewhat agree with Noah because I do think that humans are much more intelligent and capable of having intellectual conversations. I do think that texting and emojis “dumb down” our abilities to communicate properly. But, I also think that texting is just used as a fast and easy way to talk to people. It can be used for fun, and not to be serious. Overall, I do think that cellphones can take away from our intelligence as a whole. 

2. An event that illustrates Noah and his mother’s relationship is that when Noah was a kid, he loved to be chased. He thought it was fun, and that it was a game. He said that if no one was holding his arm tight in public, he would run off into traffic. He was a very naughty kid, and his mom had to think of creative ways to contain him. Another example is that his mom had them communicate through writing letters. She did not want to be interrupted during an argument, so she would write him letters. If Noah ever had anything he wanted to say back, he would have to write a letter to her. This was a way she could communicate with him and get her point across without any back talk or arguing. Lastly, Noah would always find loopholes and ways to bend the rules.  If he didn’t agree with something, he would find a way to get around it. This could be a reason why he thinks of his relationship with his mother as a cop and criminal. Criminals have to be smart about how they go about their crimes. Noah would be determined to get what he wanted even if it broke the rules. His mother would discipline him for it, but only if she thought he did something wrong. If she agreed that a rule wasn’t logical, she wouldn’t punish him. That’s why their relationship was like a criminal mastermind and a detective desperately trying to stop him. 

3. Trevor Noah learned from Fufi that “you do not own the things you love”. He thought of Fufi as his dog and no one else’s. That’s why he felt so betrayed when Fufi went out into another boy’s yard. He realized that Fufi was just trying to live her life. She wasn’t doing anything wrong. This experience helped Noah deal with feelings of betrayal and anger. He can now deal with it better because he knows people are free to do whatever they want. It can hurt people sometimes, but ultimately you have to move on. This taught him to not be possessive in relationships, which helps him not get too hurt if people betray him. I personally have never had a pet in my whole life so there isn’t any lesson I can learn from them. I would assume that I could most likely learn responsibility from them because I would have to take care of them. The pet would rely on me to feed them and keep them healthy. That would teach me a great deal of responsibility. 

Born a Crime Chapter 4&5

 Born a Crime Discussion 

Quote 1:

“I didn’t know what race was. My mother never referred to my dad as white or to me as mixed. So when the other kids in Soweto called me “white,” even though I was light brown, I just thought they had their colors mixed up” (Noah, 85).

I chose this quote because I find it really interesting that despite the scary times of apartheid Noah grew up in, he never really understood what race was at a young age. Race and racial inequality was very prevalent where he grew up, but his mother managed to undo those stereotypes in Noah’s mind. Because she never referred to anyone as a specific race, Noah wasn’t exposed to what race was and why it matters at an early age. I think that is good for him when he was a kid because it allows him to live his life without any preconceived notions about who he is and what he should do with his life. For black people at that time, they didn’t believe that they could succeed or thrive in this life. Noah’s mother made sure he never had that mindset, so he could grow up to become whatever he wanted to be. 

Quote 2:

“If we weren’t at school or work or church, we were out exploring. My mom’s attitude was “I chose you, kid. I brought you into this world, and I’m going to give you everything I never had.” She poured herself into me. She would find places for us to go where we didn’t have to spend money” (Noah, 112).

I chose this quote because I found it amazing how Noah’s mother made him her number one priority. I really liked how she recognizes that she is the one who chose to have Noah, so it is her duty to take care of him and give him a good life. I think this is very important because many parents neglect their kids, and don’t take care of them properly. Some parents think they only need to do the bare minimum, like providing food and a house. I believe parenting goes beyond that. Parents should strive to give their children a good and happy life, just like Noah’s mother did. She made many sacrifices for him to have a better life. It reminds me of my own parents who have made several sacrifices for me and my siblings. They did everything they could to give us a better life and the things they never had. This is a very important thing that I will forever be grateful for. This quote truly shows the love Noah’s mother has for him, and how she strives to be a good parent and give Noah the life he deserves. 

1. A creature that frightens me on earth is definitely spiders. I would not be able to handle a close up interaction with them even if they are really small. They really scare me and freak me out for some reason. They are definitely the scariest creatures/insects on earth for me. When Trevor Noah has an authentic Balinese experience, he is faced with snakes which he is scared of. He was watching a show where there were multiple snake performances. One snake bit its owner in front of the whole crowd which scared everyone a bit. Then, that same snake was left on stage without its owner which caused everyone to get scared and run out of the room. Luckily for Noah, he was in the back of the crowd so he could easily slip out while everyone else was facing lots of chaos. 

2. Noah felt like a Chameleon growing up because he could change people’s perception of him. Because he is mixed, the black people saw him as white, and the white people saw him as black. He used language to fit in with the different groups. He knew African languages like Zulu and Xhosa, so when he would talk to the black kids in those languages, they would feel as though Noah was one of them. He would speak whatever language others spoke to make them feel like he was one of them. He used this to his advantage to befriend the black kids at his school, and to also avoid things like getting mugged. 

3. The black tax is trying to fix the problems of the past generation. Noah describes it as a curse on black people because they keep trying to fix the mistakes of the past. Noah explains how instead of being able to move forward in life, people lose everything trying to build everyone back up. His mother told him to learn and become better from your past, and not to be upset about it. She says how life always has hardships and you should use those hardships to become better. She’d say “don’t be bitter”. She never complained about her past, instead she just let it go. She was determined to not let history repeat itself, and to give Noah the life she never had, one that was better than hers. When Noah says that they “were so rich with experience”, he means that he and his mom didn’t need money to go out and see the world. Sure they had little money, but they would always go on adventures and spend time together creating memories and experiences. Noah’s mother took him to see places black people never usually go. She did that so there were no limitations on Noah’s mind about what he could and couldn’t do. She taught him to believe that he could do whatever he set his mind to. 

Born a Crime: Chapters 2&3

 Born a Crime: Chapters 2&3

Passage 1: 

“I wasn’t a lonely kid—I was good at being alone. I’d read books, play with the toy I had, make up imaginary worlds. I lived inside my head. I still live inside my head. To this day you can leave me alone for hours and I’m perfectly happy entertaining myself. I have to remember to be with people”(Noah, 51).

Response: 

I chose this passage because I feel that I relate to it deeply. I find myself  enjoying my time the most when I am only with myself. That’s when I truly feel most like myself. Trevor explains how he was able to entertain himself as a kid because he wasn’t allowed to go out and interact with others that often. When I was a kid, I was definitely more exposed to social settings and was with other people quite a bit. I find it interesting how as I got older, I realized that I like my own company over the company of others. Noah was like this his whole life, but I started feeling this way as I grew into my teenage years. I really liked his description of being in his head because I feel that way too. I feel as though he captured the feeling of being content with being alone very well. I find it very easy to entertain myself for long periods of time that I don’t even realize that I haven’t spoken to anyone all day. I definitely understand what he means on a personal level. 

Passage 2: 

“Whenever I prayed, my grandmother would say, “That prayer is going to be answered. I can feel it.” 

Women in the township always had something to pray for—money problems, a son who’d been arrested, a daughter who was sick, a husband who drank. Whenever the prayer meetings were at our house, because my prayers were so good, my grandmother would want me to pray for everyone. She would turn to me and say, “Trevor, pray.” And I’d pray. I loved doing it” (Noah, 64).

Response: 

I chose this passage because I too feel a deep connection when I pray. Noah explained how his grandmother made him believe that his prayers get answered and I believe that too. Whenever I pray I always know when my prayers get answered. I feel a connection, and things happen for me that I prayed for. I truly love doing it because I know that I can always turn to prayer for any aspect of my life. Trevor believed his prayers get answered for different reasons, but mainly because of the way he prayed. I believe that my prayers get answered for other reasons, but mostly because I see the outcome of what I prayed for. I connected deeply to this passage because my faith is very important to me, just like Noah and his grandmother. I believe that my prayers can help any hardship I am dealing with, just like how Noah stated the things the women in the township prayed for. 

In chapter two we learn the story of how Trevor Noah’s mother Patricia met his father. How does Patricia move through a world governed by institutional racism? Describe Trevor Noah’s early upbringing.

Trevor Noah’s mother Patricia moved to downtown Johannesburg, which was a place that was illegal for black people to live. She spent her time learning ways to move around the city without being questioned or stopped. She lived in a secret flat in Hillbrow. When Patricia had Noah, she couldn’t be seen with him out in public because it was illegal to have a mixed baby. If people saw Noah, who was light-skinned, with his mom, it would raise many questions and suspicions. He also couldn’t be seen with his dad because he was white. Patricia found a colored woman to take Noah out to the park without raising any questions. Patricia would walk behind them to make it seem like the collared lady was Noah’s mother. Noah only saw his father indoors so he wouldn’t get caught. He and his parents lived in secret to avoid the harsh laws and punishments of the apartheid.

Like many young males in South Africa, Trevor Noah grows up in a household surrounded by women. Describe what you learn about “Soweto,” his life there, and what struck you as notable about this chapter.

Soweto was a township meant for only black people. The place had high levels of surveillance and control. There were many officers because of the many protests that happened constantly. Noah wasn’t allowed outside of the house because he was colored. His grandmother was afraid that he would get taken by the police and hauled off to an orphanage. The police make sure that there are no wrong colored kids in the wrong colored area. Noah explains how it was no coincidence that he was raised in a house full of women. The apartheid kept kids from their fathers in one way or another. Women ran the community of Soweto and built their own family. They centered the town around faith and prayer. I found it notable how they always had prayer meetings that would rotate houses each day. The people of the community would always gather to sing and pray. The people of this town turned something that is so horrible and wrongfully done, into their home. It is a testament of their determination and courage. People made a life for themselves out of the world they were forced to stay in.