Born a Crime is an autobiography by comedian Trevor Noah. In his work, Noah talks about his experience growing up in South Africa during the apartheid era. At that time, racial discrimination was extreme. Apartheid was a policy in the 1900s in South Africa that separated blacks and whites. It was illegal for the two races to be seen together, let alone have a relationship. This is where the title of Noah's autobiography becomes relevant. Trevor is a mixed-race child, born illegally because of his rebellious parents. His father is white and his mother is black. Not being fully black, Noah explains how racial discrimination affected him growing up and how language is a powerful tool that can be used to overcome racial discrimination. In the chapter “Chameleon,” Trevor Noah effectively argues this point by appealing to pathos through the use of humor. As a child, Noah did not understand the concept of racism. In the chapter "Chameleon", Noah made an analogy between his family and chocolate. His father was white chocolate, his mother was dark chocolate and he was milk chocolate (Noé 54). Noah also says, “But we were all just chocolate. I didn’t know any of this had anything to do with ‘race’” (Noah 54). Noah humorously describes his family by comparing skin color to food. This analogy also shows that Noah's perception of race as a child was something simple and harmless. As a mixed-race child, Noah benefited in many ways from growing up in a black family. Being in a predominantly “dark chocolate” environment, Noah was considered “white” due to his lighter complexion. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get an original essayIn South Africa, people prefer lighter skin. Being lighter meant you were well-off, educated, and superior to others in every aspect. So, being born with lighter skin, Noah was treated as if he had a higher status than everyone else, even in his own home. For example, Noah talks about how his grandfather insisted on being his driver. He says: He called me “Mastah.” “In the car, he insisted on driving me as if he were my driver. “Mastah must always sit in the back seat. “I never challenged him on that. What was I going to say? “I believe your perception of race is wrong, Grandpa. “No, I was five. I sat in the back. (Noah 52) Seeing how a grandfather serves a five-year-old child and referring to the child as a “mastah” clearly shows that fair skin equates to superiority in South Africa. At the same time, it is also humorous because it is a strange and unusual situation. Noah plays the role of a white oppressor and takes advantage of white people's advantages. Noah also says that he was never punished even though he was the nastiest of his cousins. He states: Misbehavior for which my cousins ​​would have been punished, I received a warning and was released. And I was way meaner than any of my cousins. It wasn't even close. If something broke or someone stole Grandma's cookies, it was me. I was in trouble. (Noah 52) Noah displays humor in arguing, explaining how he knew he had always been the more disobedient one. He also draws an analogy between his family and the American justice system. He states, “My own family essentially did what the American justice system does: I received more lenient treatment than black children” (Noah 52). Noah uses a childish event, stealing cookies, asexample to explain how mean he was while still receiving lenient treatment. He also says: “Being beaten didn't make me feel better. I had a choice. I could advocate for racial justice in our home, or I could enjoy Grandma's cookies. I went with the cookies” (Noah 53). Noah humorously but logically explains how it was so easy to accept all the good things rather than go against what you thought was bad. Noah recalls all these memories and tells in a humorous way, to describe the advantages he enjoyed in this society which favored light-skinned people. The special treatment Noah receives at home also extends beyond his family. No matter where he is, Noah becomes the center of attention. For example, when he shows up at the funeral, he becomes the center of attention. In the text he states: I would go to funerals and I would walk in and the mourners would look up and see me and stop crying. They started to whisper. Then they would wave and say, “Oh! as if they were more shocked by my arrival than by the death of their loved ones. (Noah 53) Noah humorously describes the people's reaction to seeing him. He was so unusual and out of place in the eyes of the people of his town that he unintentionally stole the spotlight from a deceased person. Additionally, at funeral dinners, he was always invited to eat indoors, whether he was experiencing decline or not, because “the white child cannot be allowed to stay outside” (Noah 54). Once again, Noah is given royal treatment because of his “white” identity. Despite these advantages that Noah enjoyed, being mixed had its disadvantages. Because he was different from the rest of the people in his township, it was difficult for Noah to fit in. Noah says: “Almost a million people lived in Soweto. Ninety-nine point nine percent of them were black – and then there was me” (Noah 53). Noah was practically famous for simply existing in this society. Noah remembers how his complexion was so unique that people would give instructions using it as a point of reference (Noah 53). People whispered when they saw him and other children tried to touch him to see if he was real (Noah 53). Being "white" in this community, Noah was always treated as different, until he learned how to cross this racial barrier, through language. Language occupies an important place in daily life. It is a means of communication. It's the way people express their thoughts and connect with each other. When people don't speak the same language, it's difficult to create connections between them. “A shared language says: 'We are the same. 'A language barrier says 'We are different'" (Noah 49). Racism is discrimination against groups of people with different skin colors. A language barrier adds to this racial gap. “If you're racist and you meet someone who doesn't look like you, the fact that they can't talk like you reinforces your racist prejudices” (Noah 49). In South Africa, children only learned their mother tongue. This language barrier between the many groups of people supported apartheid. Whites separated themselves from blacks because they were taught that blacks were inferior to them. Since black people did not speak their language, this made them seem uneducated and therefore reinforced the idea that black people were beneath them. Noah explains, however, that in the same way that language can be used to separate people, it can also be used to create connections between people. Noah grew up learning.