Memorable Lines from "Born a Crime"- Period 1 by Dania Odeh

“Now who’s the best-looking person in the family, eh? I hope you enjoyed your week of being the pretty one,’cause the queen is back, baby(363pdf)

2025-05-15 12:59:17 UTC

I chose this quote because it really shows what type of writer he is. This book has some sad times that Trevor Noah makes positive or humorous. If Trevor Noah writing style was braud, this book would not be as good as it is. This quotes is showing what is humor is like by say he is the prettiest in the family.

"She looked up and looked at him straight down the barrel of the gun. The she started to pray, and that's when the gun misfired. Then it misfired again. Then it misfired again, and again".

2025-05-15 13:02:26 UTC

It was so powerful to Patricia's character. How she would never lose her religion even staring at a gun. Also just how strong she was by never backing down and trusting her prayers to save her. This was all portrayed through tone, really bringing the reader to the moment of the shooting and in Patricia's mind. Also the repetitive use of "misfired" was to show how important and intense that moment was.

Sydney.L

2025-05-15 13:04:29 UTC

"The man grows up under apartheid, working on a farm, part of what's essentially a slave labor force. Its a living hell but at least its something. he's paid a pittance but at least he's paid. He's told where to be and what to do every waking minute of his day. then apartheid ends and he doesn't even have that's anymore. He finds his way to Johannesburg, looking for work, trying to feed his children back home. But he's lost. He has no education. He has no skills. He doesn't know what to do, where to be." (Noah 237)

This quote is important because it describes how people in South Africa are turned onto crime out of desperation. It shows how the end of apartheid didn't necessarily solve every problem, and how it caused new ones. Reading this would be impactful because it shows people in more privileged positions that social issues can be solved on paper, but still be affecting people.

"I played the stereotype. Anytime the cops asked me questions I started speaking in broken Afrikaans with a thick colored accent"(343pdf)

2025-05-15 13:07:56 UTC

This quote is important because it was during when he was in Jail, he thought he was sneaky around his mom acting like she didn't know. But then he found out that the other prisoners think he a rule criminal and did something very bad. When it was an actual traffic stop. So he played it to his advantage. And acted like he was a tough guy even though he was the nice guy.

“Everything I have ever done I’ve done from a place of love. If I don’t punish you, the world will punish you even worse. The world doesn’t love you. If the police get you, the police don’t love you. When I beat you, I’m trying to save you. When they beat you, they’re trying to kill you” (Noah 243).

2025-05-15 13:11:16 UTC

Throughout the book, Trevor uses dialogue to convey deeper themes and struggles. Here, he uses dialogue from his mom like the phrase “The world doesn’t love you” to show the struggles Black people experience even after apartheid. Additionally, a sharp contrast is shown when his mother states that she is trying to “save” Noah with her beatings when the police are trying to “kill” him with theirs. This reveals the unforgiving reality of the world around him and the important roles and teachings of his mother during a time of racism. Trevor Noah uses both serious and humorous dialogue throughout the book allowing the reader to step into his shoes during periods of immense, unimaginable suffering.

"It's the same in America. If you're poor, if you don't know how the system works, you can slip through the cracks, and the next thing you know you're in this weird purgatory where you're not in prison but you're not not in prison. You haven't been convicted, but you're still locked up and can't get out"

7064413 — 2025-05-15 13:12:39 UTC

This quote shows that while America and South Africa are very different, they still share some things. For example the way the poor are treated. The way that the legal systems are set up to protect those who can afford it and cast aside the people who cannot. In America we see this has lasting effects on families generationally and the same can be seen in South Africa. I think the importance of this quote is to show that these problems don't only exist in less developed places, but also in some of the most developed and advanced countries in the world.

“I always thought of Abel as a cobra: calm, perfectly still, then explosive. There was no ranting and raving, no clenched fists. He’d be very quiet, and then out of nowhere the violence would come. The eyes were my only clue to stay away. His eyes were everything. They were the eyes of the Devil” (Noah 254).

708668 — 2025-05-15 13:13:02 UTC

Trevor uses strong figurative language to emphasize the horrors he has witnessed within his lifetime. He uses the word “cobra” as a simile to describe the erratic and violent nature of his stepfather. With that, he uses imagery to describe the sudden cruelty he witnessed, and a metaphor that states that Abel’s eyes “were the eyes of the Devil”. These key descriptors reveal the true evil within Abel that would not be as emphasized as well without this language. Throughout the story, Trevor uses a dramatic tone alongside a variety of figurative language to convey the intensity of the scene to the readers.

"They instinctively, automatically, walked off to join the groups they belonged to. I froze. I didn't know where to go"

7064413 — 2025-05-15 13:17:17 UTC

Throughout the book we have seen Trevor struggle to identify or fit into one group. This quote shows this continuation. This is important because he is around 20 now and is still dealing with the same issues with his identity as he did as a child. Also, later in this scene he talks about how he identifies as black but the black people won't see him as one of them. This is impactful because even when he kind of has figured out where he thinks he falls, no one fully accepts him as black. They don't see him as one of them. This further worsens his identity issues.

"The last time I turned around he was rounding the gate, coming out of the yard after me. Until I turned 25 years old, I had a recurring nightmare of the look on his face as he came around that corner" (264).

2025-05-15 13:19:16 UTC

This quote is especially powerful because despite Trevor being 11 when this happened, he thought about it in his dreams without active conscience for another 14. This shows just how terrifying of a man Abel was to everyone in the house and how truly awful his acts can be.

"'Why? Why don't you just leave?' She shook her head, 'Oh, baby. No, no, no. I can't leave.' 'Why not?' 'Because if I leave he'll kill us.'

745088 — 2025-05-15 13:20:36 UTC

This quote shows how Trevor's mother cares for her children. Before, she sent off Trevor to live alone without them for his safety, and she stays with Abel, her abuser, for the safety of her along with her children. Because she knows if she leaves, they die, and she might too. Even though it's dangerous to stay with him, she does for the safety of her children.

"Once we started talking I realized he wasn't the Hulk at all. He was the sweetest man, a gentle giant, the biggest teddy bear in the world".

2025-05-15 13:20:54 UTC

Trevor uses many different figurative structures throughout the book to get his point across and this is one of the times. It pushed the story further and pushed his notions of who he judged and why. He thought this guy was giant and scary and supposed to be there because he judged him off his looks. But once he got to know him, he realized the truth. It helps the audience to also open their perspective and not judge people on appearances.

"My mother showed me what was possible. The thing that always amazed me was that she never cared about money. If anything, she cared more about the absence of money" pg 96

2025-05-15 13:20:59 UTC

It shows Trevor's deep admiration for his mother and her influence on his character. It also reflects his personal and emotional narrative. Through this, Noah shows values, rather then wealth, shaped his upcoming.

"'His eyes were not lying,' he told me. 'He had the eyes of the Devil. In that moment I could tell my father was gone'" (276).

2025-05-15 13:21:40 UTC

This quote is especially descriptive as it shows the definitive moment that Abel has lost it completely, for everybody. Any reconciliation Andrew was going to make with Abel was completely gone, and Abel and part of Andrew's identity is no longer with him.

“Pray for Abel,” she’d say. “Because he doesn’t hate us. He hates himself.”

2025-05-15 13:21:59 UTC

I chose this quote because of how even after all of the hatred Abel has put into his family Trevor's Mom still insists that they stay close to God and pray. Additionally this quote is very descriptive because of how the idea of prayer keeps showing up throughout the story. This shows how Trevor Noah's narrative style connects the audience to the characters as it builds bonds with actions throughout the story.

"My mother exposed me to a different world than the one she grew up in. She bought me the books she never got to read. She took me to the schools that she never got to go to."(Noah 262)

2025-05-15 13:23:02 UTC

I chose this quote because it shows the amount of love and care Trevor's mom had for him . It represented the world she had grown up in and how she changed thetrvors world.

"I grew up in a world of violence, but I myself was never violent at all...I saw the futility of violence, the cycle that just repeats itself, the damage that's inflicted on people that they in turn inflict on others" (Noah 262)

2025-05-15 13:23:19 UTC

This quote is powerful because it shows that even though Noah was physically disciplined and surrounded by crime, he never took on those traits. It shows his own character and beliefs on violebvt

"I was born a crime"

2025-05-15 13:24:16 UTC

This is a powerful quote in the book b/c it sets the tone from the start. It shows how it was for him as "Trevor Noah" and where he lived in his time. He uses brute Honesty from the start to grab the readers attention and uses the dark system in that time. And uses it to blend humor with the truth.

“Because if I leave he’ll kill us.” She wasn’t being dramatic. She didn’t raise her voice. She said it totally calm and matter-of-fact, and I never asked her that question again

2025-05-15 13:27:07 UTC

I chose this quote as it is a greasy example of how Trevor Noah can go from a funny to serious moment. Throughout the story he has had many moments where he says something serious but then adds humor to lighten the situation. but here it is just a straight serious tone. One thing that makes this quote powerful is his idea of death. Trevor has had many close calls with dying but this time it was to someone he loved. His reaction of never questioning again shows his true bond to him and his mother. This narrative connects the audience to the situation as it makes you feel as if you also just heard what his mom told him.

"It was like the cantina scene from Star Wars, where the band's playing music and Han Solo's in the corner and all of the bad guys and bounty hunters from all over the universe are hanging out-" (Noah 238)

2025-05-15 13:27:08 UTC

This quote uses the literary device of a simile to describe the jail he is staying in a way that the readers are able to connect to. Many people can instantly picture the scene in star wars and this helps people understand the imagery of this scene. He says that all the bad guys and bounty hunters are hanging out because there is a mix of good guys as he describes or people that committed white collar crimes and the bounty hunters or as Trevor describes as the real hard core criminals. But at this moment they are all together United for one reason and this being that they were arrested for one reason or another and they are waiting for their trial.

"Nelson Mandela once said, "if you talk to a man in a language he understands, that goes to his head. If you talk to him in his language, that goes to his heart""(Noah 236)

2025-05-15 13:28:02 UTC

I chose this quote because it shows how Trevor could have a personal connection with anyway and how he is the in-between of races and can use that to his advantage. And how he uses language to connect with other. - Logan

"'Go to Andrew.' 'But Mom—' 'Shh. It's okay, baby. I'm fine.' 'You're not fine you're—' 'Shhhhhh. I'm fine, I'm fine, I'm fine. Go to your brother. Your brother needs you.'"

745088 — 2025-05-15 13:28:31 UTC

This quote shows how Trevor's mother devotes herself to being a mother first. Despite being wheeled to the ER, she still shows how much she cares for her children

" I enjoyed being with Abel the same way I enjoyed playing with a tiger cub the first time I went to a tiger sanctuary: I like it, I had fun with it, but I never thought about bringing it home."

708557 — 2025-05-15 13:45:07 UTC

This is a quote shows Trevor Noah's unique writing style by using comparisons to convey his message. This shows that while Trevor initially likes Abel, he doesn't see him a long-term relationship with him. Trevor Noah uses this comparison to a tiger cub to enhance the text by giving them a similar experience to compare too. Especially because his feelings toward Abel are complex, a simile allows Trevor to simplify his feelings and compare it to something that the readers will understand.

"Tsonga culture, I learned, is extremely patriarchal. We're talking about a world where women must bow when they greet a man."

2025-05-15 14:10:46 UTC

I chose this quote because it shows how Trevor's lifestyle is changing from what it has normally been. His narrative style gives it a sense of unseriousness, while still getting the point of women having specific roles and norms in the Tsonga culture.

"I saw, more than anything, that relationships are not sustained by violence but by love. Love is a creative act. When you love someone you create a new world for them. My mother did that for me,"

2025-05-15 14:17:59 UTC

I chose this quote because it shows the strong relationship Trevor has with his mother. Trevor Noah gives us a good idea of what love can be. He says "Love is a creative act" which shows how he views love. His narrative style shows us how he views love and what it can be.

"I'd never been more scared in my life. But I still had to pick. Because racism exists, and you have to pick a side. You can say that you don't pick sides, but eventually life will force you to pick a side." (Noah, 240). -Tyler

2025-05-15 16:45:26 UTC

This quote is super important because it emphasizes the theme shown throughout the book. While Trevor has acted as a "chameleon" throughout the book, in this moment he is forced to pick between different racial groups. This shows a climax in his struggle to not fit in with a certain group of people, as he is now forced to pick a group.

"The eyes were my only cue to stay away. His eyes were everything. They were the eyes of the Devil." (Noah, 254). -Tyler

2025-05-15 16:54:54 UTC

Consistently throughout the book Trevor Noah has switched from a humorous tone to somewhat serious or at times religious tone. However, in this quote (and through most of the section where this takes place), we can see that he combines this very serious moment with the religious moments he's had in the past. The combination of the two and the exclusion of humor allows the audience to really take in the importance of this one moment, and show how important it impacts the story.

"I enjoyed being with Abel the same way I enjoyed playing with a tiger cub the first time I went to a tiger sanctuary: I liked it, I had fun with it, but I never thought about bringing it home."

706351 — 2025-05-15 19:44:10 UTC

I chose this quote because it uses figurative language to explain Trevor's feelings about Abel and his mother's marriage. He is comfortable with him in a limited context but does not want him to become a permanent part in his life. Thus why he uses the tiger reference, he's fun but dangerous. Not someone you want to keep close, but just to simply watch from a safe distance, a sanctuary. As this further highlights his fears towards Abel, it foreshadows how Abel is going to be throughout the rest of the novel.