The chronotope as an argumentative construct in the media transposition of The hate u give

Abstract

The article analyzes the media transposition of The Hate U Give, from book to film. Inspired by the death of Oscar Grant in 2009, the story—both in Angie Thomas's novel and in the film directed by George Tillman Jr.—follows Starr Carter, a Black teenager navigating two contrasting space-time settings: the marginalized neighborhood of Garden Heights and the elite Williamson school. The study aims to understand how the articulations of time and space in the cinematic adaptation of The Hate U Give function as narrative and discursive strategies, contributing to the construction of meaning and the deepening of the social critique present in the work. By examining the predominant chronotopes, the analysis seeks to highlight their role in structuring argumentation and mediating the social tensions that permeate the narrative. Grounded in intermediality, media transposition, and Bakhtinian chronotope theory, the article demonstrates how these space-time configurations sustain ethical and political meanings, revealing historical inequalities and the dehumanizing effects of structural racism. By integrating diverse social and ideological voices, chronotopes become critical operators of enunciation, memory, and conflict, fostering an engaged reading of cinema.