Trevor Noah Born a Crime Chapters 8-13 Blog Deep Dive

"It was a scrap book of everything I had ever done, every time my name was mentioned in a newspaper, everything from magazine covers to the tiniest club listings, from the beginning of my career all the way through to that week" (Noah 109). 

This part of the book was very pivotal because Trevor learns that his dad has been present in his life without him knowing it. Him finding his dad and learning he had followed him throughout his journey was a major point in Trevors life. If this event did not occur, I would expect that he would eventually have problems due to the absence and unknown of his father. 

"I caught a glimpse of the look of terror in the boy's face, and I realized that Abel had gone past getting revenge for me. He wasn't doing this to tach the kid a lesson. He was just beating him" (Noah 125). 

This part of the book made me sad because someone was finally going to stick up for Trevor and take him seriously, but Abel took it too far and Trevor knew better. He was so excited going into it knowing this would help the group of boys leave him alone, and he ended feeling super bad for the kid. At this point, Trevor also realizes how alike he was to the boy. This traumatized him whether he realized it or not, and I doubt he will ever seek out revenge again. 

2. VIEW THE UPDATED UTOPIA PROJECT DOCUMENT FOUND ON THE COURSE CONTENT FOR WEEK FIFTEEN AND THE WELCOME PAGE. Based on this and last week’s brainstorm, what do you think you’ll write about? 

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2. DISCUSSION QUESTIONS:

• “Don’t ever forget: He chose you” (Noah 108), Trevor learns in chapter eight. What else does he learn about his father in this chapter?

He learns that his father's life is very private, which makes it hard to find where he lives. However, he was able to get in contact with him and visit, in this time he finds out his father had been following him the whole time. He made a scrapbook of every time he was mentioned in the newspaper or news. He was not as distant as he thought he was. 

• “That’s what apartheid did: It convinced every group that it was because of the other race that they didn’t get into the club,” (Noah 120) writes in chapter nine. What are some examples how the government convinced other races to hate each other and how arbitrary it was to decide who was white and who was colored? “But I knew I’d done a terrible thing” (Noah 125) writes later in the chapter. What happened?

Examples would be a class order due to your skin color, the idea that problems have arose from opposite races, separation of communities, tests like the "pencil test", etc. On page 125, Trevor brought his stepdad, Abel, to the house of a kid that bullied him earlier that day. At first, he wanted the kid to get revenger. But soon once Abel got involved, he realized that the kid was now in danger and not just getting revenge, but beaten by an old man he does not know. Trevor then feels bad for what he did because he could see the fear in the kids eyes. 

• In chapter thirteen, Trevor Noah is nearly arrested and expelled for shoplifting. What ironic twist of fate saves him from getting into serious trouble? “But I’m consumed with regret for the things I didn’t do, the choices I didn’t make, the things I didn’t say. We spend so much time being afraid of failure, afraid of rejection, but regret is the thing we should fear most” (Noah 143). How do you relate to this quote?

Because Trevor is mixed, he looked white on security footage which helped him get away with the crime he took part in. I relate to that quote because I too feel I do not say everything that I should, and I know I will regret it when I look back at my life. This quote reminds me how important it is to stay present and honest with those around you because you will not be in the moment forever.