Final Reflection

The Rose that Grew from Concrete answered many of my questions about Tupac, his life and his controversial death. It also showed me that by working hard, following your dreams and never giving up you can reach your goals.

The book answered several questions I had about his life. I wanted to know about his childhood and what his early life was like. I learned that he lived in a poor and dangerous area where he really had no support or guidance to help him reach his goals. I also wanted to learn more about his relationship with his mother. I had already knew that he loved her from hearing many of his songs that talk about his mother, especially, Dear Mama. I learned that he loved her unconditionally and he could not live without her. This can be seen when Tupac writes the poem, When your hero falls from grace. He writes this as his mother is going through a period of drug abuse and you can see that he is very depressed and lonely without her.

The book also answered my questions about his death. There is a theory that Tupac was involved in the Illuminati. I was wondering if Tupac had seen his death coming due to the fact that he was challenging and going against the views of the Illuminati. I learned that Tupac did recognize that his death was near. I noticed it when he wrote, “I’ve decided 2 follow my heart and abandon my mind and if there be pain I know that at least I gave my all” (Shakur 149). This shows that he sees his death coming and he wants to do what is right which is to go against the Illuminati.

I found the book very inspiring and informative. His experiences are very sad but touching and encouraging. I took away a lot of inspirational ideas about hope and success. The most important thing I took away was that if I stick to my dreams I have a very high chance of completing those dreams and becoming successful. His dedication which led to his success got me to think about more about what I want to do. In the beginning of the blog I thought it might be difficult to understand his story through poems.

Word Count 347

Connections

Oprah Winfrey Biography: Life and Career

Oprah Winfrey’s extremely popular show, Oprah has aired in over 100 countries in the world. Tupac Shakur has sold well over 80 million albums worldwide and is known as one of the best-selling music artists of all time. It is hard to believe that these two extremely successful individuals came from poor and dangerous backgrounds. There a many connections that can be made between The Rose that Grew from Concrete and Oprah Winfrey Biography: Life and Career addressing both the literal and figurative connections.

            Tupac’s book and Oprah Winfrey’s video-biography are related literally because they both grew up in poor and dangerous areas and later became very successful. As stated in the video, Oprah grew up with her grandmother and was always moving due to her mother’s changing jobs. Tupac’s mother was an active member of the Black Panthers. The Black Panthers were a revolutionary social organization which was formed for the protection of black neighborhoods from police brutality. Due to his mother’s involvement in the group she was very rarely around. Oprah ended up being molested twice at a very young age because her mother was never home. This is similar to how Tupac was involved in gang activity because his mother was not around most of the time and she could not watch over him.  Even though Oprah and Tupac did not have their mothers there to help and guide them they stuck to their dreams of becoming successful. Oprah started off as a news reporter and later received her own show due to her hard work and dedication. Tupac had a similar situation, he started as a roadie and a backup singer for smaller groups but later became known due to his dedication and musical talent.

Tupac’s book and Oprah’s video can relate in a figurative way because both of their stories can be seen as a metaphor. Both of their lives and their inspirational stories can represent the steps or the path that can be taken in order to overcome and get passed a childhood or environment that disrupts and deprives someone from succeeding. For example, Oprah spent much her child hood in poverty, just like Shakur. However they both followed their dreams and slowly but surely worked their way up to the top. As stated in the video, Oprah became more and more famous as time went on and due to her impressive work in the news industry she earned her own talk show. This is very similar to Tupac because he started as a hype man for underground hip hop groups and eventually worked his way up to becoming a famous and inspirational rapper. Both of their stories share the principal that if you put in work and stick to your dreams you can overcome any obstacle. Oprah’s video and Tupac’s book both carry out the theme and idea of that with hope, ambition and keeping your dreams you can reach all your goals no matter what.

Word Count 483

Title Significance

The literal meaning of the title, “The Rose that Grew from Concrete” is at first glance a rose that is growing out of a crack in the concrete. It is possible that a rose can grow from a crack in the concrete but it is highly unlikely. If you were to go into an urban area it is very common to see weeds growing out of concrete. Because this is a compilation of poems it is mostly figurative language and symbols and there are no references to a physical rose growing.  

If we think about the title and of Tupac’s life we start to see that the rose represents the author.  Saying that the rose grew out of concrete signifies that Tupac grew from his poor environment and flourished.  The concrete represents the environment that Tupac grew up in. When we think of concrete, especially concrete with cracks, it brings up images of dilapidated urban areas. The title is a metaphor for the books plot.

The story is about how Tupac rose from is dangerous environment by following his goals and dreams and became a successful rapper and song writer. The rose symbolizes Tupac and the concrete represents the dangerous streets of East Harlem. Tupac is saying that he overcame the harsh environment by following his dreams, similar to how the rose grew out of the cold and rough concrete. It is very hard to survive in an environment where there is violence, drugs and poverty and still make something of yourself. It is just as unlikely for a rose to grow from concrete where normally we see weeds growing out of concrete.  Since a rose very rarely or maybe never grows from concrete, the author is implying that it is rare for people living in poverty to become successful. The Concrete is rough and dirty just like the environment he lived in and a rose a beautiful flower. Tupac is that beautiful flower that flourished out of a rough and dirty neighborhood in East Harlem.

At first you may think Tupac Shakur is talking about just a flower growing out of concrete. When you begin to read his poems and understand his life it reveals the deep meaning behind his words. 

Literal meaning word count 91
Figurative meaning word count 281

Emotional Reaction

“When your hero falls from grace

 all fairy tale R uncovered

myths exposed and pain magnified

the greatest pain discovered

u taught me 2 be strong

but im confused 2 c u so weak

u said never 2 give up

and it hurts 2 c u welcome defeat

when ure Hero falls so do the stars

and so does the perception of tomorrow

without my Hero there is only

me alone 2 deal with my sorrow

your heart ceases 2 work

and soul is not happy at all

what R u expected 2 do

when ure only Hero falls” (Shakur 141)

Tupac had loved and cared about many people during his life. He had never loved anyone as much as his mother, Afeni Shakur. Several of the poems in the memoir talk about her and what his would be like without her. His mother went through a period where she was doing drugs and became very weak, Shakur went through a long period of suffering and depression. To soothe his pain Tupac wrote the above poem, “When ure Hero Falls.” In this piece Tupac expresses his confusion and the fact that he is unsure what to do next with his life now that he his mother was not strong enough and no longer there mentally or physically to advise him and help him get through his struggles.  Tupac shows his feelings of confusion and depression when he says, “u taught me 2 be strong but im confused 2 c u so weak”. Tupac is baffled because the person who he loved most and who taught him to be strong and never give up is now weak and is giving up.

Shakur’s poem makes me feel sad and sympathetic towards him. I felt sad for Tupac because he grew up in an environment where there were not many people to support him and guide him or positive role models. The one person who he looked up to for advice had become addicted to crack and left Tupac alone and confused for a long period of time. Without his mother Tupac did not know where to turn or what to do next. This poem made me think about what life would be like if I did not have my parents to look up to for advice and guidance. 

Word count 285

Passage Analysis

“Did u hear about the rose that grew from a crack

in the concrete

Proving nature’s laws wrong it learned 2 walk without having feet

Funny it seems but by keeping its dreams

it learned 2 breathe fresh air

Long live the rose that grew from concrete

when no one else even cared!” (Shakur 3)

This poem is a synopsis of Tupac Shakur’s life in a few powerful and meaningful lines. Tupac grew up in a poor family in a neighborhood where not many people ended up being successful as he was. No one had much hope or belief in him and no one thought that he could be successful due to the fact that he came from a poor background and an environment that would hold people back from reaching their dreams.

            Tupac begins by asking, “Did u hear about the rose that grew from a crack in the concrete”, by asking this it shows that “roses do not grow from concrete” very often and it is something special when it does. Tupac is comparing himself to the rose and the concrete to his environment that held him back. He is trying to say that it is very hard to live and survive in such a hard environment and still make something of yourself. On the second line he writes, “Proving nature’s laws wrong” (Shakur 3). When Shakur says, “Nature’s laws” he means the idea or thought that most people in a ghetto or bad area do not succeed to the best of one’s ability which   naturally comes to mind when thinking of these types of areas. Tupac is saying that he proved this concept wrong and became successful. In the same line he writes, “it learned 2 walk without having feet” (Shakur 3). Tupac is saying that he proved “nature’s law” wrong by becoming successful and he did it on his own with no help or “without having feet”. Tupac’s success was made from his own hard work and dedication, because he lived in such a bad area he did not have much support or feet below him to help him get through difficult situations and make it to the top. He also writes, “Funny it seems but by keeping its dreams it learned 2 breathe fresh air” (Shakur 3) He means that because he kept his dreams and was dedicated to his goal of being a rapper he was able to “breath fresh air”. Tupac is saying that because he kept his dreams he was able to get out of the ghetto and experience a better and more successful life. In the last line he writes, “Long live the rose that grew from concrete when no one else even cared!” (Shakur 3) Tupac is saying that no one really cared about his dreams and goals and no one supported him but he supported himself and believed in himself which is why he writes the last line.

This whole poem is filled with figurative language. The rose is a metaphor for Tupac and the concrete is a metaphor for the ghetto or neighborhood he grew up in. Tupac also includes personification in his poem. When he writes, “Proving nature’s laws wrong it learned 2 walk without having feet Funny it seems but by keeping its dreams it learned 2 breathe fresh air” This is personification because a rose cannot walk, keep dreams or breathe. This poem holds a very large significance in the memoir. The poem’s title is the same as the memoir. The poem is a very short biography of Tupac’s life. This poem is a summary of Tupac Skakur’s life and his road to success.

Initial Impressions

I chose “A Rose That Grew from Concrete” by Tupac Shakur. The memoir is a collection of poems that tell Tupac Amaru Shakur’s story. It was found three years after his death in 1999. I have listened to his music and am interested in his thoughts and meanings behind his lyrics. I am also interested in the story of his life and his journey to success. I know that Tupac had loved his mother very much and I want to fully understand his relationship with her. I also am interested in his childhood and how his environment influenced him and shaped him. Tupac was a great poet and has some very inspirational poems and lyrics. He is one of the most influential rap artists of all time who has 9 albums that went either platinum or gold. I thought it would be really interesting to learn about Shakur’s life through his inspirational poetry and still learn about his messages of hope. I expect the book to include his thoughts and ideas about life, his goals, the music industry, society and the challenges people face. I also expect the poems to be about his early life, the challenges he faced throughout his life, and messages and ideas that he wanted to be known. Another thing I expect his poems to be about are his tough childhood in Harlem, New York where he faced many different circumstances such as violence, drugs and poverty. There may be a few problems that I face while reading his memoir. It may be difficult to fully learn about his life and career through his use of poems instead of a biography or autobiography where the information is laid out for you. In a poem there may be lots of hidden meanings that require more thought and analysis. 

Word count 301