Born a Crime: Chapter 1 'Run'

Chapter 1: Run

• About two thirds of South Africa's population consisted of Black South Africans.
• The various South African tribes began fighting due to their differing approaches to dealing with white people.
• Nelson Mandela was Zulu.
• The Afrikaners considered South Africa their rightful inheritance, which was taken over from them by the British; thus they seized control upon the British departure.
• Racism in America cannot be equated to Apartheid.
• Under the Apartheid system, all black women were employed as either factory workers or maids.
• Trevor's mother ejected him from a minibus to shield him from a dangerous driver.
• Their lives were threatened due to the minibus driver's stereotypes about Trevor's mother being a Xhosa woman with two children, one of whom was colored.
• There was a threat of rape or murder of the children.
• By throwing them out of the minibus, she believed she saved their lives.
• Trevor and his mother attended three distinct churches every Sunday because she has said each one offered something different.
• Rhema Bible Church was joyful, modern, and charismatic with worship and focused on wealth.
• Rosebank Union in Sandton was more affluent and an intellectual church reserved for mostly white people with sermons.
• An old-school Methodist congregation, was a traditional black church, with sermons and fiery sermons, that focused on endurance through suffering.
• Rhema Bible Church offered jubilant praise.
• Trevor's mom went to the Rosebank Union main service.
• The old-school Methodist congregation offered passion and catharsis.

Chapter 2: Born a Crime

• Trevor's mom resided in Soweto before moving to downtown Johannesburg, in Hillbrow.
• Black South Africans were compelled to reside in Soweto during apartheid.
• Overcrowding, poor living conditions, and violence were some of the issues of Soweto.
• Trevor's mother moved to Hillbrow in order to have a better life.
• Hillbrow offered improved opportunities and being closer to the city although it was unlawful for black people to reside there.
• High crime rates, illicit black residency, and ongoing police threats were issues in Hillbrow.
• She acted cautiously, circumventing the police and maintaining her residency status a secret.
• Trevor's mom wanted to have a child with Robert, a white Swiss because the law prevented him from having a family with her; she wanted a child, not a husband.
• Trevor's birth certificate specified him as "Coloured" to adhere to apartheid's racial classification system.
• The Zulu engaged in war with the white man, while the Xhosa negotiated with the colonizers.
• Zulu's fought while the Xhosa negotiated with colonizers.
• The text shows the constant danger and close bond with his mom when it says: Nobody ran like me and my mom.
• Playful conflicts and a deep love and respect is reflected when it says: We had a very Tom and Jerry relationship, me and my mom.
• The triumph of democracy over apartheid is sometimes called the Bloodless Revolution because very little white blood was spilled.
• It implies that whites didn't suffer as much during apartheid's end.
• The text shows his mother was fearless, even when she should have been scared when it says: She was never scared. Even when she should have been.
• In Soweto the police were an occupying army, they didn't wear collared shirts. They wore riot gear.
• The police in Soweto were like an occupying military force.
• The text implies he realized too late what opportunities he missed under apartheid when it says: He realized too late what opportunities he missed under apartheid.

Chapter 3: Trevor, Pray

• Trevor Noah presents his mother's family
• There were no fathers around because they had taken away the father, for just different reasons. The fathers were off working in a mine somewhere or had been sent to prison, fighting for the cause.

Chapter 4: Chameleon

• The chapter is entitled "Chameleon" mostly because it states his color didn't change, but it could change people‘s perception of his color.
• Language is a tool for communication and jobs.
• When Trevor joined a government school there was a class with thirty students, there was on Indian kids and one or two black kids; he was the only colored child.
• His mom told him to be proud and his family saw him as unique because of his mixed-race.

Quotes Chapters 1-4

• This quote emphasizes the strength of women, especially in South Africa when it says: “When you strike a woman, you strike a rock.”.
• While society might revere women, at home, they were expected to obey, revealing how women were strong but oppressed.
• Soweto, religion filled the void left by absent men.
• Religion became a source of support in Soweto, highlighted how faith helped people cope with hardship.
• In America the dream is to make it out of the ghetto, Soweto, because there was no leaving the ghetto, the dream was to transform the ghetto.
• It contrasts the American dream of escaping poverty with the reality in Soweto.
• Examines how racism is based on appearance and language in this quote: If you're racist and you meet someone who doesn't look like you...
• It shows how challenging racial stereotypes forces people to confront their biases.
• Reveals how his sheltered life shielded him from the harsh realities of apartheid with this quote: It was a wonderful experience to have, but...

Chapter 5: The Second Girl

• The "second girl" refers to a Xhosa tradition where the firstborn daughter stays home as the second girl receives more freedom and opportunities like education.
• Trevor's mother, Patricia, acted as if he were the "second girl," prioritizing his education despite financial difficulties.
• The title represents her resolve to end poverty and grant Trevor the best opportunity to flourish.
• She was allowed to leave home to study in the city as being the 2nd girl.
• She went to Johannesburg, where she picked up skills and English to survive in a white-dominated society.
• She grew up strong and resourceful, which influenced how she pushed Trevor to independence and knowledge.
• Mission schools were run by Christian missionaries, providing a superior education than government-run schools for Black South Africans.
• They emphasized reading, writing, and religion, frequently teaching in English.
• Mission schools offered Black students a better shot at success, even though apartheid rules limited them.
• Patricia, Trevor's mother, went to one, which aided her in acquiring superior language and thinking abilities.
• Bantu schools were a component of the apartheid government's Bantu Education system, which sought to restrict Black South Africans to substandard education.
• These schools only taught the fundamentals, concentrating on preparing Black students for low-paying jobs.
• The curriculum was designed to keep Black people disadvantaged in society.
• The majority of Black South Africans were compelled to attend Bantu schools, which kept educational options highly unequal
• "The black tax" describes the financial strain experienced by successful Black people frequently face upon earning a higher income or having better possibilities.
• Instead of accumulating personal wealth, they must assist their extended family, who are frequently struggling due to systemic poverty and historical injustices caused by apartheid.
• Education was key to escaping from poverty and oppression for Trevor’s mom.
• She had attended a mission school, so she was aware of the power of knowledge.
• Trevor Noah's childhood with his mother, Patricia Noah, was rich with adventure, discipline, and important life lessons, she taught him resilience, independence and faith.

Chapter 6: Loopholes

• A gap in the law or system that permits one to circumvent restrictions without explicitly breaking rules is the word loophole.
• Trevor Noah's mother utilizes such loopholes in "Born a Crime" to circumvent apartheid legislation and provide Trevor possibilities, such as enrolling him in a better school despite racial restrictions.

Chapter 7: Fufi

• It is not technically correct to call Trevor Noah an arsonist when he was a child because the fire wasn’t intentional; an arsonist deliberately sets fire with intention to cause damage.
• This person wasn't trying maliciously start a fire
• Fufi as Trevor Noah's family dog an Incident led he accidentally let her escape; Shows the humor and challenges of his childhood.
• Not jumping to conclusions about others, understanding the underlying reasons for someone's actions before making judgments, don't judge a book by it's cover.
• Relationship with his mother with deep love and respect;
• She was his protector, teacher, and guide, provided him with a better life.
• Religion played a significant role in Trevor's upbringing, especially through his mother; she was a devout Christian.
• Trevor highlights the contradictions within the church, particularly how it was used to control people and reinforce apartheid beliefs.
• Trevor's mother challenged apartheid laws in many ways, particularly by making sure Trevor received an education that went beyond what was typical for black children in South Africa.
• Trevor reflects on the complexities of his identity as a mixed-race child In Chapter 7, and grapples with the idea that society didn't know where to place him.
• Story about Trevor's experience at church illustrates the ways religion was used to manipulate and control people under apartheid and his mother taught him to think critically.
• Trevor's mother instilled in him the importance of education as a tool for empowerment and escape from the limitations of apartheid.
• The chapter emphasizes how Trevor's mixed-race background placed him in a difficult position, where he didn't belong fully to either the black or white communities.

Chapter 8: Robert

• Robert is Trevor's white father.
• Not being present in Trevor's life for much of his childhood
• Trevor has a mixed-race identity with challenges.
• Robert’s white identity afforded him privileges that Trevor, being mixed-race, could not enjoy.
• The law rendered interracial families invisible and erased them from social recognition
• Trevor’s parents’ relationship was forbidden due to apartheid’s strict racial laws and made their love a criminal act.

Chapter 9: The Mulberry Tree

• Apartheid, people of mixed-race were classified as "colored" and had limited rights that were not equal to those of white or black people.
• This term is socially constructed enforcing division of people
• Trying to "pass" as white, strategy used by some mixed-race to gain access to the privileges for white people during apartheid
• The government classified Trevor being "colored" shaped his identity; he didn't fully fit in with either the white or black communities
• Underlying "racism" drives the apartheid system, creating divisions such as "colored," based on skin color rather than individuality
• The society structured into a racial hierarchy under the apartheid, where "colored" people were placed below white people but above black people with different access to freedoms.

Chapter 10: Valentine’s Day

• Chapter depicts his childhood Valentine's Day as awkward, not understanding with couldn't afford to participate in the typical celebrations.
• His mother's teaches him that love is not about material gifts but about showing care and attention her perspective on relationships.
• Perspective is influences by his experiences growing up in poverty, making romantic love seem unrealistic and out of reach.
• A desire to fit in but is too poor to buy gifts or take part in the school celebration, highlighting the his struggles.
• Trevors identity is of a mixed-race child in apartheid, feel that he's an outsider, view on love and relationship in society.
• Different cultures show love, but express it differently, Mother focuses on actions rather than material expressions.
• Mother see's valentine's day as a commercial holiday, so she focuses on love in the actions

Chapter 11: Outsider

• Trevor describes his sense of belonging that is an outsider mixed-raced identity
• Trevor influenced not fitting into two communities
• Trevor's mother teaches him to embrace his unique identity to stay true to conform.
• the communities, it made Trevor feel that he's too black for white people and too white for black people.
• Trevor feels that his relationship with the mixed race makes their relationship complicated and is see's as diffenerct.

Chapter 12: The Crush

• Trevor's first crush as intense and awkward, with mixed-race identity and the societal pressures of apartheid.
• Play rate significant role is crush is a white girl an interracial relationships was forbidden by time society by time
• The societal norm is that is going to try to cross those racial lines, with white girl go against the racial divides of the time
• How everyone should teach to respect and society.
• Internal conflict, face to society and the prejudice to prevent interracial relationships.
• The complexity is humor and awkward situations.

Chapter 13: Colorblind

• Society didn’t allow race
• Different with a mix race
• They were more integrity

Chapter 17: The World Doesn’t Love You

• "The Hood" refers to the poor neighbourhood where Trevor realizes has its own rules with crime because they are ignored.
• cheese boy” is someone who doesn't from those street because he can afford small luxuries with his family.
• To get the money it was money interest with selling CDs Trevor.
• Jail a temporary holding place awaiting trial or serving short sentences, as prison is for long-term incarceration.
• A book not judge in book in its cover, where he meets people he thinks intimidate that are nice.

Selected quotes

• That he can get through anything.
• Has the possibility to leave for better
• “The world doesn’t love you.” , it’s a realization of what the real world.