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. 

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