The Enlightening Influence of Trevor Noah's Born a Crime (Essay Example)

The book Born a Crime goes into detail about Trevor Noah's childhood in South Africa during the apartheid era, when he was labeled as colored under the apartheid racial segregation system. Trevor Noah stated, “It was an idea of just writing a collection of stories” in an interview with audible when speaking about the purpose of his book. He later stated, “In the end, it essentially became a love letter for my mom.” He wrote this to remember her and instill her in his readers. To an extent Noah did it to officially put Apartheid behind him and use his experiences to inspire those who don’t have idealistic upbringings. Born a Crime by Trevor Noah succeeded in the purpose of telling a variety of stories about growing up mixed in South Africa during apartheid. 

It is evident in Noah's use of ethos that he wants the reader to understand Apartheid in all its entirety. With multiple mentions of the laws enforced by segregation, he emphasizes how his parent did not abide by those set laws. Noah states, “Race-mixing proves that races can mix—and in a lot of cases, want to mix. Because a mixed person embodies that rebuke to the logic of the system, race-mixing becomes a crime worse than treason” (Noah 20). Apartheid was centered around the separation of races all of which were below the white race. Noah is the most credible in race mixing as he was the product of a interracial relationship during the time of apartheid.  

Trevor Noah makes it noticeably clear that he did in fact not have a normal childhood and how apartheid made it difficult for any nonwhite person to succeed. He unintentionally inspires hope for readers as he went from being a poor mixed kid from Soweto to a famous comedian and political commentator with his own show. He states, “In America the dream is to make it out of the ghetto. In Soweto, because there was no leaving the ghetto, the dream was to transform the ghetto” (Noah 33). Noah compares the different aspirations of those in America versus Soweto to reflect the lack of a future South Africa offered. It shows that even through tough conditions one can overcome and do great things. He later states, “It’s easy to be judgmental about crime when you live in a world wealthy enough to be removed from it. But the hood taught me that everyone has different notions of right and wrong, different definitions of what constitutes crime, and what level of crime they’re willing to participate in” (Noah 150). Crime has always been looked down upon but for some that is their only way of survival. For Trevor Noah he didn’t just have to grow up, but he had to survive in a country that wanted nothing more than to see him fail. Noah's memoir not only shows that one can make it out of a town like Soweto but become a success in America.  

Trevor Noah's mother, Patricia Noah, is a significant part of his autobiography, and he considers it to be the memoir's purpose. Most of the stories about Noah's mother consist of pathos as she was a very courageous woman. When speaking about his mom Noah states, "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” (Noah 11). His mother's death was mentioned very loosely while mentioning how Volkswagens have been the cause of many problems. Noah is a famous commentator, but one wouldn’t assume his mother died at the hands of abuse by his stepfather. Noah then states, “I was blessed with another trait I inherited from my mother: her ability to forget the pain in life. I remember the thing that caused the trauma, but I don’t hold on to the trauma” (Noah 67). Noah's mother is a very strong and independent woman who dreamed of much bigger things considering the laws against her race. The phrase mother is mentioned many times so it's very possible the sole purpose of his memoir was a love letter to her. It's obvious Noah has been through a lot but it's remarkable that he doesn’t let it define him or determine his Lifes purpose. Noah's mother Patricia was a big influence in his Autobiography as her life was full of touching stories and always pushed him to do his best. 

After reading the lowest-rated reviews the most consistent negative about the autobiography was its overuse of crude language, too much focus on race, and not organized storytelling. The use of crude language is very evident and can be seen as unnecessary by some readers. To be precise the F word is used thirty-two times by Noah throughout his memoir. Noah states, “Fuck you, lady. Fuck your program. Fuck your school. Fuck your whole people. Let’s go, guys! We’re out!” (Noah 140). It is not very necessary for him to include repetitive vulgar language as it adds to an informal tone. Noah's use of crude language reveals his comedic side and that his memoir is not orthodox. 

The structure of the memoir is not at all in chronological order, but I believe Noah had done so on purpose. Noah's autobiography is very laid-back as his personal stories are not in any order. It feels as though he is telling these memorable stories and each recollection reminds him of another. Noah interchanges the subjective experiences his mother and grandmother underwent with individual experiences of his own. The main logical fallacy I can see in Noah's memoir is an appeal to pity as it is full of sad stories. It features stories about abuse and racism that would evoke pity from most readers.  

Trevor Noah's “Born a Crime” achieved its goal of telling a variety of stories about growing up mixed in South Africa during apartheid through his use of pathos and ethos. Noah's reminisces of his childhood are used as a memory for his mother as well as his upbringing that will always be a part of him. His autobiography may include untraditional fragments when it comes to structuring and formal language but are full of powerful and moving stories.