Nala Cyriac
Mr. Cohen
END2D
October 2nd 2024
How is Bri’s identity represented within On the Come Up?
Adolescence is a time of great personal growth but can anyone say that they have truly developed an identity at such a young age? On the Come Up by renowned author Angie Thomas explores this idea through the perspective of Bri, a sixteen year old girl with aspirations of becoming a rapper to get her family out of poverty. Throughout the course of the novel, Bri grapples with her sense of self as she struggles to overcome adversity. At the beginning, Bri is consumed by her emotions regarding her experience with racial prejudice at the hands of the security guards, Long and Tate, which ultimately culminates in the creation of her debut song coming from a place of resentment and contempt. These feelings control many of her decisions throughout the first part of the book; though, through witnessing how her lyrics have impacted the world around her, in the case of her guilt regarding the potential loss of Aunt Pooh and the impact of her lyrics, she discovers who she is: her identity.
Bri’s dream has always been to become a rapper though when she finally receives the opportunity to jump start her career, she is unable to focus; consumed by her emotions. The encounter with Long and Tate shakes her and she loses herself in the rage and injustice of the situation, resulting in the song On the Come Up coming from a hateful and disingenuous place. While attempting to connect to the beat in the studio, Bri cannot concentrate on anything other than the faces of the security guards who pinned her to the ground. “I close my eyes and try to soak it in, but every time I do, Long and Tate sneer back at me.” (Thomas, On the Come Up, 109) After ruminating on the world’s inequalities, her hyperfixation on the situation engulfs her and she caves, allowing her emotions to flow, saying: “They wanna call me a hoodlum? Fine. I’ll be a goddamn hoodlum.” (Thomas, On the Come Up, 110) Fueled by the anger associated with the label of “hoodlum,” Bri expresses her resentment and frustration through this song with this final declaration of the keyword “Fine.” Further proof of her apparent acceptance of these labels comes from her use of a metaphor in the song when she says: “The picture you painted, I frame it.” (Thomas, On the Come Up, 111) Though she doesn’t identify with the label, this line only reinforces the power it holds over her. Because this information is received through Bri’s stream of consciousness, the audience understands the profound impact that this experience with Long and Tate has had on her; consuming her every thought and influencing her lyrics for her debut song, On the Come Up. Similarly, Angie Thomas overcame many struggles in her own life which she implements into her writing. While she is much older and more mature than Bri, a large part of her own writing reflects her experience with racism, police brutality, and even the passion for rap and hip-hop; this personal connection to her work is reflected in Bri and her identity.
Despite the warnings from her aunt about releasing the song due to some problematic lyrics, Bri does so regardless which puts her on the radar of the Crowns, a notorious gang responsible for the murder of her father. This newfound attention results in Aunt Pooh having to defend Bri against their advances, but when her father’s expensive chain catches their attention while alone with her friend, Bri is robbed and left panicked and helpless. She makes the rash decision to call her aunt, knowing she would react violently, but once she speeds away, understanding the potential consequences of this action, her guilt becomes palpable.
She’ll become the monster for handling the monster I couldn’t handle myself. Or somebody’s gonna kill her. Either way, I’m gonna lose Aunt Pooh. (Thomas, On the Come Up, 294)
The guilt of believing she is responsible for potentially losing her aunt inspires a change in her character as she begins to discover her identity and what it is she values most. The metaphor comparing Aunt Pooh to a monster if she kills the Crown only furthers the assumption of her guilt as she feels liable for putting her aunt in a situation that she should have handled herself. Though, after days spent worrying about Aunt Pooh, the relief that comes from seeing her again makes her reflect on her priorities: “Once upon a time I was devastated to lose that thing, but now? It seems worthless. ‘I’d rather have you.’” (Thomas, On the Come Up, 326) The stark difference between the keywords “devastated” and “worthless” are noteworthy as they illustrate Bri’s journey to get to a place where she understands who she is and what is truly important to her. Thanks to the stream of consciousness narrative style, the audience is provided insight on Bri’s developing identity as she navigates her feelings of regret and relief. Bri’s relationship to Aunt Pooh mirrors Thomas’ own with her mother, as the one who introduced, supported, and inspired her dreams. Thomas understood the fear associated with losing that person and how this event might inspire a shift in one's priorities: as a step towards discovering your true identity.
Once Bri has established what it is she truly values, she reflects on the image put out through her music. This is seen after witnessing how the lyrics to her song have reached a younger, more impressionable audience who don’t understand its deeper meaning.
For some reason, I think about those kids at Maple Grove. When they repeated ‘On the Come Up’ back to me, I felt some kinda way. I knew what I meant with that song, but I don’t know if they did. (Thomas, On the Come Up, 371)
Bri recounts an earlier encounter that she had with Jojo and his young friends; speculating how the meaning of her song may have been lost on them in favor of the catchy lyrics which sound questionable out of context. It is this realization that leads her to advocate her values to her manager, Supreme, though importantly, before her declaration, she is faced with her perception from the perspective of an older white man and she is appalled. He uses the phrase, “sassy black-girl” (Thomas, On the Come Up, 371) to describe her. As Bri deliberates on this, the use of italics around the word “sassy” symbolizes the significance of the word as yet another label that the world has given her, except this time, she refuses to accept it.
“‘Look, you can say what you want,’ [...] ‘But I’m not about to rap something I didn’t write, and I’m damn sure not about to rap something that’s not me. I already got people thinking I’m a hood rat and a hoodlum. That song won’t help!’” (Thomas, On the Come Up, 372)
After witnessing the world’s perception of her and the impression her words have made on younger audiences, she declares her beliefs; no longer wanting to promote these potentially harmful messages. Bri displays so much growth through her use of the keyword “already” when discussing the negative persona she has unfortunately been branded with due to her earlier naivety. She is acknowledging the lens which the world views her through; one that she has consistently shown resentment towards in her stream of consciousness, and advocates to put out a more authentic image which demonstrates a realization of her newfound identity. Thomas herself creates works that deal with deep personal issues, similar to Bri and her song; because she understands the impact that discussing these topics can have. This is likely why she implemented Bri’s realization of the perception of her words much later in the story: once she has matured and clearly developed a sense of who she is.
In conclusion, Bri’s identity develops over the course of the book. While initially struggling to grasp her place in the world, it is only once she witnessed the consequences of her actions that she is able to embrace a sense of identity. Bri’s mental state when developing her debut song, On the Come Up, shows her difficulty maintaining a sense of self through adversity. The resulting conflict with the Aunt Pooh and the Crowns forces her to examine her behavior and grow from the experience which fosters a sense of maturity, expressed in the reflection she has on her perception and values. Bri’s challenging situation requires her to be at a certain maturity level to maneuver; requiring her to grow up fast and develop an ‘identity’ at a young age. However, for many, understanding one's place in the world does not happen so quickly; as we get older and learn from our mistakes, only then do we truly establish our sense of self.
Work Cited
Thomas, Angie. On the Come Up. Walker Books, 2019.
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