Assignment on the Born a Crime

Introduction of the Born a Crime

Subjected to apartheid, the mere existence of Noah was a crime as racism was at its peak. Noah was actually born in South Africa during apartheid. Apartheid was a racial segregation system which was enforced during 1948-1991 and the roots of system stretched to 1652. It was when Dutch traders enslaved and captured indigenous people after settlement in Cape of Good Hope. In the mid-1800s, when the British took control, the Dutch settlers moved and developed a culture of their own. When the British left, they took control over and enforced a code of surveillance and law. One of these rules was that interracial sex was not legal. This was one of the pillars of the racial system. “The ultimate goal of apartheid was to make South Africa a white country, with every black person stripped of his or her citizenship and relocated to live in the homelands, the Bantustans, semi-sovereign black territories that were in reality puppet states of the government in Pretoria.” (Noah, 2016, p.20).

Counter-Argument of the Born a Crime

An important argument has been presented in Born a Crime, which is although white people tend to believe that they are superior to black people and are just, that is just an illusion. The existence of Noah was a crime and it was his black mother who supported him while his white father did not even consider taking him in as he experienced poverty. Another argument is that although the world has become peaceful and has gained freedom, there are still some nations and areas where slavery is practiced and due to it, black people are affected. There are several nations where black people are oppressed and they are not given their rights. The same applies to all other races which are subjected to racial discrimination.

Explanation of the Born a Crime

Born a crime is a story related to the mischievous young boy and the boy was grown as a restless young man. He kept himself indulged in a number of works and struggles that he was never supposed to exist. The story relates different factors about the relations of young mang with his own rebellious, fearless and fervently religious mother. His mother was extremely concerned about his son and his teammate. Therefore, one day she decided to make her son determined about life and to have an opposite life. She tried hard to save her son from the waves of abuse, poverty, and violence (Noah, 2016). According to her, it was ultimately threatening facts. The story collected all the hilarious, affecting, and dramatic conditions faced by the son. The stories weave the funny portrait of the boy and how he faced damage. His mother was thinking about his sense of humour. The story shows a philosophical perspective about the crime that is growing in South Africa. The crime is even growing due to poverty and they are freely embracing the opportunities. The stories show the philosophical issues and turn hilarious and dramatic (Noah, 2016).

From a philosophical perspective, this law was quite central to the racist system. If sexual relations between different races occurred, it would serve to compromise the racist idea. It would also serve to undermine racist systems and racism. During this time, transgressors were imprisoned for up to five years. “The government went to insane lengths to try to enforce these new laws. The penalty for breaking them was five years in prison.” (Noah, 2016, p.20) Still, in practice, black men were often captured as they were charged to be involved in intercourse with white women. This was the time when Noah was born as his father was white while his mother was black. His parents were quite different from each other. For instance, while his father was a disinterested person, his mother was driver, fiery, and even ambitious. “Then I glanced over to see the determined look on my mother’s face, her jaw set, and I knew I had a long day ahead of me” (Noah, 2016, p.12) She had grown up unwanted by her father and she was also poor in her childhood. In fact, poverty was severe to such extend that they had to steal to avoid starvation. In spite of these setbacks and hurdles, she had the ambition of gaining success and she was fortunate to learn English from a missionary. Soon, she got a job at a sewing factory and even though it was quite tough, she still struggled relentlessly.

Similar to his mother, Noah had to grow up in poverty. Most of the time, there was not enough food and they had to make soup which consisted of noting bones and soup. The majority of his childhood was spent in Soweto, Johannesburg’s township. It had been developed during the apartheid regime. During his holidays from school, Noah used to stay at the house of his grandmother. Although his mother wanted the best for him and wanted nothing more than just to educate him when they had not sufficient money to eat, Noah did not understand it. He had an intense interest in knives and due to his mischievous acts, he often received spanking from his mother. While Noah was seemingly growing up and trying to find his position in the world, there were issues which were being faced by his mother as well such as dealing with Abel, a car mechanic. She had married him and even had two children with him. Although she had feelings for him, she could not stand beatings from him. “If it hadn’t been for the Volkswagen that didn’t work, we never would have looked for the mechanic who became the husband who became the stepfather who became the man who tortured us for years and put a bullet in the back of my mother’s head—I’ll take the new car with the warranty every time.” (Noah, 2016, p.12) Gradually, she was fed up with all the violence and left him. However, he was still able to find her new family and shot her twice, which she survived. For his crimes, he was not imprisoned at all (Noah, 2016).

References of the Born a Crime

Noah, T. (2016). Born a crime: Stories from a South African childhood. Hachette .