It helps the reader understand that racism is easily breakable. So the fact that I did speak African languages immediately endeared me to the black kids.” Knowing that Noah would use language to help himself bounce around from group to group, lets the reader understand the theme a little better. “In South Africa back then, it wasn't, to find a white person or a colored person who spoke African languages during apartheid white people were always taught that those languages were beneath them. One student, once learning that Noah spoke African languages, brought him over to the black kids to show him off. Because he was mixed, he was alone in the middle, unsure of where to go. When it came time for recess he saw many black children on one side of the playground, and the white children on the other side. He got along with his classmates because he spoke their language. At eleven years old, Noah transferred schools and ended up in a mostly white class. Trevor Noah revealed that because he knew so many languages, he would use them to his advantage to hide how he was different. Trevor Noah on Seeking Acceptance in Born a Crime He would defy the main values of racism by fitting in with everyone. They thought that if he spoke like them, that he must be just like them.

People would hate him because of his skin color, but we would be able to change their mind just by speaking to them in their native tongue. He could also turn around and speak in an African language and be accepted as black. When he would speak in English or Afrikaans, people would accept him as white or colored. Noah would use language to help himself get out of bad situations, to help others understand each other, and to get himself better opportunities. Get your price Born a Crime: Language as a Tool Please note! This essay has been submitted by a student. Knowing a language allows individuals to join any group and build relationships with people. Noah's use of language to navigate different groups shows that racism is easily breakable. The fact that he spoke African languages immediately endeared him to the black kids. When he transferred schools, he used his language skills to befriend both black and white children. He became a chameleon, changing people's perceptions of him. Noah's knowledge of languages also allowed him to fit in with different groups of people. This shows that language can defy the main values of racism. Speaking English or Afrikaans, people would accept him as white or colored, but speaking an African language would make him accepted as black. Noah uses language to get out of bad situations, help people understand each other, and get better opportunities.

He realizes that language, more than color, defines who you are to people. In chapter four, Noah uses his understanding of Zulu language to prevent a group of Zulu men from mugging him. Born a Crime by Trevor Noah explores the idea that language can challenge racism.