Language in Trevor Noah’s Born a Crime
Born a Crime details Trevor Noah’s journey as he grew up
in the post-apartheid South Africa as a colored. A colored meant that his
father was white and his mother was black meaning he never fit into the racial
schemes that were introduced during this period. Since it was a crime to be
born a mixed-race baby, Noah had trouble adjusting in school or at home. The
book is also a tribute to Noah’s mother who played a significant role in his
life. She taught him about crime and punishment and showed him how to survive
in a world that refused to accept him. One of the tools at Noah’s disposal was
language – which was widely used to separate South Africans into tribes and
races. The language was a huge barrier that existed to divide the citizens,
but, Noah was able to get around it which helped him fit in even as a colored.
The engineers of apartheid used language to separate the
communities, and school children were taught in their language which further
isolated them. According to Noah (50), as a result, his fellow countrymen “fell
into the trap the government had set for them and fought among themselves
believing they were different.” Nevertheless, he learned to speak multiple
languages in defiance to apartheid including English, Zulu, Xhosa, and
Afrikaans. When Noah first went to an integrated primary school, he spoke
different tribunal languages. Noah says that when one of the children would say something in Zulu,
and he replied to him in Zulu, everyone would cheer. And when another kid would
say something Xhosa, and he responded to him in Xhosa, everyone would also
cheer. This experience proved how much apartheid
was rooted in the South Africans’ minds because they believed that the only
qualification for acceptance was a shared language.
Noah (138) quotes Mandela in Born a Crime when he states that “if you talk to a man in his
language, that goes to his heart.” The children in his primary school only
responded to Noah differently because he used their language to engage them in
conversation. He used language to diffuse the situation which then challenged
the cultural ideology that had been set up by the government officials. Noah
was only able to flip the perception that he was different or hostile because
he spoke the languages of his schoolmates meaning he became one of them. His
knowledge of multiple languages curbed the whites’ efforts to separate the
blacks because a shared language with the blacks meant that he, a colored, was
the same as them.
The example of Noah’s experience in the integrated
primary school relates to the cultural ideology in America involving racism.
The blame placed on specific races for various social conditions leads to
divisions among the citizens which contributes to discrimination and prejudice.
However, by embracing these differences just like Noah did by learning multiple
languages, Americans can help reduce the rate of hate crimes. Americans can
only flip the perception of racial differences by eliminating the existing
barriers including misplaced misconceptions. As a result, the preconceived
notions, that are often a source of conflict, will no longer define who
particular people are in society.
In conclusion, Born
a Crime describes Noah’s life in South Africa as he fought, with the help
of his mother, to escape poverty and apartheid. Language helped Noah convince
his schoolmates that he was one of them because he could speak most of the
native languages, hence, he carved out a place for himself in the community. Similarly,
Americans should broaden their perspectives about other people which would help
reduce the divisions that presently exist because of unfair stereotypes.
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