Theme: Family
Family is a big part of life, the individuals you call “family” are going to be the ones to pick you up when you are down, comfort you, and be there for you anytime. The correct definition of family is “a group of individuals related by blood, marriage or adoption. In the two books, A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L'Engle and The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas, the two main characters Starr Carter and Meg Murphy as well as another main character sacrifice and did things for their family even if that means putting their lives in danger as Meg did for her father and Starr did for her long time friend who became family Khalil Harris. For family, there is nothing you wouldn’t do to protect them in Starr’s case to get justice. You put your thoughts and fears to the side, protect and stand up for what you believe is right and that is what family does for one another.
In The Hate U Give, Starr Carter a 16-year-old witnessed the brutal death of her childhood best friend Khalil, shot and killed by a police officer. Starr and Khalil were on their way home from a neighborhood party when suddenly they were pulled over by a white police officer and Khalil was forced to get out of his vehicle. When the officer went to check Khalil's license and registration that he handed him with no problem, Khalil bent down in the car to ask Starr if she was okay because he knew this must have been a frightening experience for her. That is when the officer fired three shots into Khalil’s back. Then there he was laying on the floor dead because the officer mistook him for reaching for his hairbrush and thought he was reaching for a weapon to retaliate against the officer.
After Khalil died, the procedure of dehumanization of this young black man began. Every media outlet created a narrative about the background of Khalil as a man and his upbringing. Their opinions painted him out to be a danger to society, due to his past of selling drugs and participating in violent acts of crime such as robbery and murder. They thought his own actions justified his murder. Starr knew that she had to defend him and bring light to his name through all of the negativity. However, she was afraid due to the fact that speaking up could possibly damage the well-being of her family, saying:
“I’ve seen it happen over and over again: a black person gets killed just for being black, and all hell breaks loose. I’ve Tweeted RIP hashtags, reblogged pictures on Tumblr, and signed every petition out there. I always said that if I saw it happen to somebody, I would have the loudest voice, making sure the world knew what went down. Now I am that person, and I’m too afraid to speak.”
On the other hand, her family was ready to support her in her decision to use her voice and stand against the oppression of the media and police and made sure to stick with her through the strenuous task.
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Another character who is strong on family values is Starr’s uncle, Carlos, who was a father figure to her while her biological father, Maverick, was serving prison time. Carlos and Starr’s relationship continued to blossom following her father’s release. Carlos expressed his displeasure with the death of Khalil and within himself for trying to justify his death, saying: “I knew that boy. Watched him grow up with you. He was more than any bad decision he made,” he says. “I hate that I let myself fall into that mindset of trying to rationalize his death. And at the end of the day, you don’t kill someone for opening a car door. If you do, you shouldn't be a cop.”
Uncle Carlos and Officer One-Fifteen, the officer responsible for Khalil’s death, both work at the same police headquarters. While more details emerged about Khalil’s passing, he learned that Starr was almost also in the line of fire. Being overprotective of his niece, he felt obligated to take action into his own hands and punched Officer One-Fifteen in the face. He paid for his actions by being forced to take a leave of absence from the task force. Although the act could have cost him his job, this shows that family is above all to him and he is willing to put it all on the line to protect what’s his.
In A Wrinkle in Time, 12-year-old Meg Murry is the epitome of being family oriented. She fights for her family hard and loves her family even harder. At the very beginning of the novel, Meg gets into a fight with a boy in her class because she was bullying her younger brother Charles Wallace. The bully was mocking her intelligence of Charles but in all actuality, Charles is one of the most intelligent kids and is even smarter than Meg. Meg, being the big sister that she is, will obviously stand up for her brother which shows how she cares for her family.
Another family member Meg is protective of is her father. Her father is a scientist and has disappeared while working on experiments. She is struggling to fit in and constantly struggles with the fact of her father being gone. Her mother tries to console her, saying: “Maybe if Father were here he could help you, but I don't think I can do anything till you've managed to plow through some more time. Then things will be easier for you. But that isn't much help right now, is it?”
She fights with her principal, Principal Jenkins over the belief of her father’s disappearance. She defends her father against Principal Jenkins’ claims of her father never coming back and how delusional she must be to believe so, saying that he is wrong and she believes he will return. Meg also tries to convince others that he isn’t just a lost crazy story that everyone in her town is painting him out to be. Even though defending her father is a hard task, she does it because it’s her father and no one can steer her wrong about him.
Family is essentially a gathering of blood-related individuals (now and again non-blood relations are likewise a piece of the family for instance mate, in–laws and companions) who acknowledge us for what our identity is, who might do nearly anything to make us grin and who might cherish us regardless of what may occur. At last, family is the main spot where our life starts, and love never closes. Family might be arranged into a shut family and a more distant family. The nearby family incorporates our folks, kin, and life partner and the more distant family remembers – laws, uncles, aunties, cousins, etc. Now and again even dear companions are a piece of the family. Without a family, it turns out to be very hard to live in this large world, and thus a family is of prime significance. The significance of family is thoroughly shown in these two works of literature. Both Starr Carter and Meg Murray show that they will do anything to protect their family even if that means going through the crossfires to make it happen. All family structures are different, but the one thing they all have in common is the love, respect, and responsibility they have for each other. Meg and Starr grew up in totally different spaces with two totally different families but they both have the same love for the members of their family and have shown the willpower of doing whatever is necessary for them.
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