chapter 4 and 5

 Quote 1:

"Language, even more than color, defines who you are to people" (56).

I chose this quote because it shows how deep identity goes beyond just skin color. Trevor says he could switch between languages like Zulu, Xhosa, Afrikaans, and English, and depending on the language he spoke, people treated him differently. It’s like he could blend in with whoever he was around, which is why he calls himself a “chameleon.” I get what he means. Sometimes how you talk, or what slang you use, can change how people see you, especially at school or around different groups of friends. Trevor had to learn how to survive by adapting. He was navigating a complicated world where people judged based on language and class, not just race.

Quote 2:

"Life is full of pain. Let the pain sharpen you, but don't hold onto it. Don't be bitter." (66).

This quote is from Trevor’s mom, and it’s pretty deep. She’s telling him that pain is part of life, but it doesn’t have to destroy you. You can use it to grow, not to stay stuck. I think that’s important because a lot of people carry around pain and let it change them in a bad way. But Trevor’s mom suggests that he feel it, learn from it, then let it go. That’s powerful advice. It’s also how she lived her life. Even with all the struggles and poverty, she stayed hopeful and focused on the future. She wanted Trevor to rise above it, not stay angry about it.

1. 
I’d say spiders. I hate how fast they move and how sometimes can be hard to kill. I don’t think I could handle one crawling on me, I’d crash out. In the video, when Trevor had that “authentic Balinese experience” with the monkey jumping on him, I was dying laughing. His reaction was so real, he was trying to stay calm but you could tell he was panicking inside. That’s probably how I’d be if a spider landed on my face.

2. 
He means that in South Africa, how you speak matters more than what you look like. If you spoke a certain language, you were either accepted or judged. Trevor used language like a tool to survive. That’s why he saw himself as a “chameleon” — he could blend in and avoid trouble by switching how he talked.

3. 
The “black tax” is basically when someone from a poor or oppressed background succeeds and then has to take care of their whole family. Trevor says it’s like starting life a few steps behind. His mom tells him not to let the past hold him back, to learn from it, but keep moving forward. She didn’t want him to be trapped by what they didn’t have. And when he says they were “poor but rich in experience,” he means that they didn’t have money, but they had lessons, love, and strength that money can’t buy.