Analysis Of Trevor Noah's Born A Crime

Tobias Wolff’s memoir, “This Boy’s Life”, explores the idea that an individual’s actions can be altered due to the people they are exposed to. The protagonist Jack Wolff lives an impressionable life where he undergoes somewhat of a dilemma in relations to his actions, being incapable of changing for the greater good of himself. The absence of a proper male role model plays a large role on Jack’s actions, though is definitely not the only reason. Jack’s actions are influenced by Rosemary’s abusive and power craving ex-husband Roy, as well as Dwight’s violent and arrogant personality. However, Jack is also responsible for his

Parenting played a big role in shaping the two boys lives. Having a parental mentor is important because they assist and guide children to take the right decisions about their lives. The author had his two parents at the beginning of his life. Also, the author’s parents, especially his mother, tried to raise him in an effective way wanting him to know the right from wrong at an early age. “No mommy loves you, like I love you, she just wants you to do the right thing” (Moore 11). This quote was a live example of the author’s life with his parents. It reflected the different ways his parents used to teach him “the right thing.” Though his mother was upset from his action toward his sister, his father

Trevor Noah wrote his memoir, Born a Crime, to tell his life story and the prevailing force in his life, his mother. As a half white, half black child living during and directly after Apartheid in South Africa, there were a lot of racial expectations put on him. With his father out of the picture, it was his mother that raised him and taught him how to navigate the often murky waters of society’s view of his racial identity vs his true identity. Noah and his mother became incredibly close and he described their relationship as them against the world. As a result of how close they were, she became his main influence and so her sense of independence became mirrored in Noah, such that he gained the confidence to be his own person and make his own decisions, separate from what others told him he should be and should do.

Relationships between people can change lives forever. For instance, the relationship between a parent and a child is one of the most important ones because that is where our consciousness about love, trust, and assurance comes from. Depending on the relationship, it can either benefit or negatively affect the child’s future, since little children always look up to their parents as role models. In the novel, Into the Wild, by Jon Krakauer, Chris McCandless is negatively affected by his relationship with his parents. Chris McCandless’ parent, on the outside, appear to want Chris to be a successful student. Meanwhile, in the inside appearance, especially Walter, was an abusive father. This reflected a double life and could cause a devastating

“The Other Wes Moore” is a story that follows two boys with the exact same name who start off living very similar lives in Baltimore, Maryland. One of the boys live on to be an extremely successful man and the other one is living the rest of his life behind bars. The two men wondered how their strikingly similar path diverged into two completely different fates and then an argument formed. Are people products of their choices or their environment and expectations thrown upon them? The book proves that people are products of their choices. Both Wes Moores were raised by a single mom in the tough streets of Baltimore and they both were rebellious children who got arrested at a young age. Their similarities lessened as their choices and their mom’s choices contrasted. The more fortunate Wes was sent to Military school and he chose to make the most of it and become the best version of himself. His determination and hard work trumped his previous hooligan mindset, therefore his future was bright and fulfilling. The other Wes chose to follow his brother,

In Trevor Noah’s Born a Crime, we see Trevor’s life living in the Apartheid. The memoir’s focal was of Trevor living through the Apartheid as a coloured individual, which was classified as “white” to Europeans. This causes Trevor great strife as a youth, as it forced him to “identify” (ethnic wise) selectively under certain circumstances rather than to one ethnic group. Trevor’s education, lifestyle, and the laws enforced as a youth were very straining to abide under. Trevor was intentionally conceived by a Xhosa woman by a white Swiss man who was her secret significant other. This was a

Many people would say we are all just products of our environment. For two young boys from Baltimore, this could not be truer. In “The Other Wes Moore: One Name, Two Fates,” written by Wes Moore, two fatherless, young boys growing up in the same neighborhood with the same name, end up on two entirely different paths of life. The author becomes a Rhodes Scholar, college graduate, veteran, and much more, while the “other” Wes gets deeply involved with the drug game and spends most of his life in trouble with the law. When these boys come from such similar backgrounds, how is it that they take such different journeys in life? The reason why one Wes Moore became mixed up with drugs and the law, and

Noah is careful about choosing stories that will elevate his story and not stories that will not add anything to his story. He choses scenes in his life that connect to one another, but are individually intriguing and informative. One place Trevor executes this well is his encounters with the topic of love. He craftily explains all the emotions of having young love which is relatable to most people, but he also adds his only personal twist on it because of how different it was for him liking mostly black girls, but being a colored boy. Another place where he uses effective snapshots, is with his encounters with Abel, his stepfather. His use of descriptive language in these snapshots to place the reader in the scene intensifies the reading experience. The pain was felt when, “out of nowhere, like a clap of thunder when there were no clouds, crack! [Abel] smacked [Patricia] across the face” (255), and Trevor’s heartbeat was felt when he was “ducking through traffic, cutting through yards” (264) to escape his stepfather’s wrath. He’s integration of these short scenes in memoir added depth to his storyline which allowed the reader to connect to him on a personal

The book “Born A Crime” by Trevor Noah was a story of his life. It is an autobiography. This book is about what Trevor Noah and his family had to go through in South Africa during the time of apartheid. Trevor learns many lessons about what the world is like and faces many situations throughout the book. The problems that he faced helped shape him into who he is today. By writing this book, Trevor Noah wants everyone to see what he went through and what it was like to live this life.

This true story is based on two African American males who grew up with many similarities but landed a completely different outcome in life. One of the main similarities is their name, Wes Moore. Both Wes Moore’s grew up in a fatherless home, born in the same neighborhood of Baltimore during the 1970’s, and both were handcuffed before age 11. The same question remains. How did one end up as a scholar, veteran, White House Fellow, and business leader and the other one end up serving a life sentence for a robbery that ended in the murder of a police officer? The book reflects how developmental psychology is implemented by focusing on the physical, social, and cultural environments influence developments that occur over time.

    Humans have come to a conclusion that all lives are different, but all go through many hardships and tragedies. The impact from a slight difference can vary to be very vast to very small, such a slight difference, however, can change a person’s life as a whole. In the book, The Other Wes Moore: One Name, Two Fates by Wes Moore there is a difference that can be identified between the author’s life and that of the other Wes. This difference, though can be very critical and is ultimately able to lead to a path of triumph or failure for an individual. The lack of involvement a mother has for their child can fundamentally deprive them from succeeding, and parent involvement has the opportunity to

One’s childhood has a lasting impact on their entire life. Moore’s upbringing and the loving family he was born into, no matter how trivial it may seem, greatly contributed to his success. Wes seemingly grew up the same as any other kid in the Bronx – in a single-parent household, surrounded by bad influences… what separated him from the crowd? His support system: his family, and their ultimate support and sacrifices made all the difference. As a teenager, Wes seemed to be going down the wrong path. He constantly skipped school, his academic failures were overwhelming, and he was even arrested for vandalism. In the case of the other Wes, his family simply let these actions slide, and decision after decision ultimately landed him with a life sentence in prison. The author Wes’s mother, however, refused to allow this behavior to continue. As a method of intervention, she forced Moore to attend Valley Forge, and in doing so, probably saved his career. The extent of his family’s sacrifice was evident on page 95 when Wes realized that “my grandparents took the money they had in the home in the Bronx, decades of savings and mortgage payments, and gave it to my mother

African American boys are doubly displaced among society. Ann Arnett Ferguson says, “they are not seen as childlike but adultified; as black males they are denied the masculine dispensation constituting white males as being “naturally naughty” and are discerned as willfully bad”(page 80). These African American boys are thought of being two things, either a criminal or an endangered species. They are not allowed to be naughty by nature according to society, but rather there naughtiness is a sign of vicious, inherent, insubordinate behavior. African americans are seen as endangered victims, which makes them criminals. Ferguson states, “It is their own maladaptive and inappropriate behavior that causes African americans to self-destruct”(page 82). There are two versions of childhood that are contradictory to each other. A real child would be seen as a “little plants” ready to grow up accordingly which is what white men were like to educators. On the other hand the African American boys were seen as children who are powerful, self centered, and have an agenda of their own. These black boys are seen as adults from such a young age, they don’t have time to be young and grow up because others make it seem like they are already fully grown. This drives them in the path to do bad things and make bad decisions.

Anderson’s second point is about family lives. There are tons of kids that are living on the street, in abandoned cars and houses. Their homes are usually taken over by drugs and are compromised. Because these children are looking for protection, they often turn to the ‘drug kings’ of their community. These types of people are who shape the guys that are going to take their place in the drug community once they retire. Decent families on the other hand, accept mainstream values and instill a sense of responsibility in their younger family members. These types of families are usually thought of as non-Whites.

Born A Crime by Trevor Noah, is a compelling memoir allowing its readers insight into Noah’s daily life, under apartheid. Just like the title, Trevor Noah was born a crime. To explain, “During apartheid, one of the worst crimes you could commit was having relations with a person of another race…my parents committed that crime” (Noah 21). Trevor Noah was a mixed child. As a child, he had difficulties fitting in, but that didn’t stop him from identifying with both races. Trevor Noah became a chameleon. Although, some may say it’s impossible to identify and relate to various cultures- Trevor Noah proved them wrong. He says, “My color didn’t change, but I could change your perception of my color” (Noah 56). Trevor Noah used language and behavior tactics to become a cultural chameleon.