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.