“A city is more than a place in space, it is a drama in time,” Patrick Geddes said. In urban settings in literature and present day urban areas this is shown. Drama is everywhere from little issues to bigger issues. In many pieces of literature there are the same issues as in present day cities in the United States. In the book Seedfolks by Paul Fleischman it is shown the issues portrayed in Cleveland,Ohio. In the poem “Incident” by Countee Cullen, it explains the incident that was experienced in Baltimore that has changed that person's life. The poem by Tupac Shakur “The Rose That Grew From Concrete” shows how a hardship growing up in the city doesn’t set your future. The urban setting in literature reflects on present day issues in urban areas. …show more content…
This poem by Tupac Shakur relates to his life and many others. In the poem it paints a picture in my mind of a beautiful rose sprouting out of this dull, gray, concrete filled place and learned to thrive. Tupac Shakur grew up in East Harlem New York City, New York and became a rapper. In New York City there a lot of issues with racism, school drop outs, and homelessness. The poem explains how even if you have a rough patch in life you can overcome it and follow your dreams. The poem reflects on how some people live in the some cities like New York City. The last 2 lines of the poem says “Long live the rose that grew from concrete when no one else cared.” Tupac Shakur must have written this poem about his life and to inspire others that have rough
I think Hamid meant for the city to seem like a regular American city, so the reader is able to identify with the protagonist’s struggle; it seems as if Saeed and Nadia are
The poem mentions a flower, one that is “unsweetened by rain, untarnished by simpering, uncuckolded by men” (Maracle 156), pointing out to the reader that the flower is tenacious regardless of the situation that it is placed in. Maracle intentionally chooses a flower to represent the Chinese, as oftentimes a flower is symbolizes “strength and courageousness” (Koehn 1952) in chinese culture, revealing the respect that Maracle has for the Chinese. A discriminatory act upon the Chinese was the racial segregation into Chinatown during the time of the gold rush and the building of the railroad. Overtime, the segregation caused many Chinese to be silenced, fearing for their lives. Maracle chooses to dedicate the poem to Sky Lee and Jim Wong-Chu to show gratitude for the developments they have made towards encouraging the Chinese community to speak out against
Another portion of the text that is worth analyzing is whether or not the poet is a real person or a generalization about all or most poets. All of the lines in the poem use general text and never label a specific person. What’s interesting about the text is that without the title it would be nearly impossible to distinguish whether or not the person the poem is about is a poet or not. The way the text allows the reader to find a figurative meaning to the poem is by being vague enough and
Sometimes I Cry by Tupac writes about the pain of feeling lonely and not having anyone to turn too to discuss or hear his true feelings. In this poem he writes how he wishes he could confide in someone and how selfish the world is by not having the time or patience to stop and listen to others pain. Tupac writes “The world moves fast and it would rather pass u by than to stop and see what made you cry”. Here he clearly admits to the lack of compassion the world has for those who are in pain. Feeling sad and not having someone ask you what’s wrong or care is what Tupac is writing about.
The short poem “In the Event of my Demise” by Tupac Shakur is one of his most well known short form poems. There is good reason for this. Tupac shows three literary elements that ties this poem together. These are the mood, theme, and tone of the poem. Mood is a very strong element when it is executed well.
“Incident” by Natasha Tretheway brings to life the horrors African Americans faced during the time the Ku Klux Klan was rampant in the United States. Fear and secretiveness was an everyday part of African American lives. They were unable to live like white Americans were due to the racism they faced. This poem, however, symbolizes the idea that life continues through the fear of it crumbling. The narrator is still alive to tell his or her story; therefore, this is evidence that life continues.
In the poem "Family Tree" by Tupac Shukar, explains about how it doesn't matter where you come from because that doesn't determine your future. For example in Lines 1-4, tupac says that everyone is born equal despite where they come from, even though where they are born are not equal one another. Lines 5-8 shows that beauty is everyone despite their the differences we where all created for a reason. There are going to be people who bully you, who bring your gaurd down, and who want to see you suffer, but you've got to be strong. In lines 9-12, Tupac says that great are those who become someone out of nothing.
Wes’s new resident lied in the streets of Dundee Village, where all sorts of people lived with different incomes, races, and ethnicities. Wes was “walking around Dundee Village hoping these bucolically named ‘avenues’ and ‘circles’ would lead him to a better place than the city streets had” (Moore 57) while also in hope of a better future. This quote is particularly significant because of its hidden metaphoric meaning. Bucolic, an adjective defined as of or relating to shepherds; pastoral, Wes was awaiting a new fate that led him, much like a shepherd, to a future exceeding his brother’s. Dundee Village was an escape for the Moore family, but it was also a flight for many other families and independents from the streets of Baltimore.
Tupac paints society as a heinous force that has entrapped Black males into a cycle of drug and turf wars, which creates an ever-present watchful eye from the police. Even those who are not engaged in such activities become pawns in the speculation of mischief. This leads to the brutal killing and constant, be it warranted or not, harassment of Black males by police officers. This cycle is fueled by the constant strain of poverty due to racist institutions with society. Essentially, utility friendship with the government officials, or guardians, has been dissolved because of the lack of care the Black community, especially Black males, experience within a deceptively racist system that does not provide for the goodwill of all citizens equally.
When having faith in oneself, is it possible to accomplish what others say is impossible? The Rose that Grew from Concrete is a poem by Tupac Shakur, and is a story about Tupac’s life growing up in the ghetto, and how through chasing his dreams and working hard he was able to become an internationally known musician and writer. Using symbolism, literary devices, and tone, Shakur shows how the timeless quote “anything is possible if you put your mind to it” (Steve Case), is still true today. In Shakur’s poem, he uses symbolism to help convey his inspirational message.
There is the idea of a city, and the city itself, too great to be held in the mind. And it is in this gap (between the conceptual and the real) that aggression begins” is central to Saunders’ essay, due to the fact that this quote illustrates Saunders’ message that people tend to have misconceptions generated from their own limited experience and misconceptions can easily lead to conflicts and aggression if handled
A Summary of “City of Panic” In the essay, “City of Panic”, Paul Virilio (2004) presents a theory called “City of Panic”, which is the best to describe urban chaos. And he also states the fractalization in globalization, and the remodeling of world order, armies, and business. After being bombarded of looping image of disasters and the falling of their symbolic constructions, people in cities are tend to be in a unsustainable mental situation, and it becomes an important theory to represent urban chaos. In recent world, the author finds that the “metapolitical” bubble is going to burst, and also, the government and geopolitical blocks is going to decentralize, making metropolarization a totally illusory.
The song Dear Mama by Tupac Shakur relates to the ongoing struggle and hardships that numerous lower class single mothers endure, where Shakur describes how he learned to appreciate his mother and the sacrifices that she made for him as he became older. By formatting the lyrics with verses around a repeating chorus, Shakur was able to emphasize his personal narrative within the verses and allow for a recollection period between each verse to allow listeners to reflect on and comprehend what they just experienced. The form of Dear Mama is consistently strophic, where at the end of each verse Shakur repeats the emblematic phrase, “There's no way I can pay you back, but the plan is to show you that I understand, you are appreciated.” Appealingly,
Let us say someone encountered a bump in life or something bad happened people will always move past it eventually because people cannot let something weigh them down for the rest of their lives. The big message or idea of these two poems is to keep moving on because people will always have to deal with problems. In “Mother to Son” by Langston Hughes and Still I Rise by Maya Angelou they both convey the message that people should never give up and keep on rising no matter what happens or what people say. Throughout the poem “Mother to Son,” Langston Hughes coveys that people should always keep pushing towards their goals and not give up.
Next, Tupac’s view of himself towards other people acts as a cornerstone for change. Shakur’s strong belief that he made something out of himself from nothing, and the audience can as well, is evident throughout all of his many poetic works. In the poem, “The Rose That Grew From Concrete”, Shakur explains that one must pursue their dreams and aspirations in order to live a long, healthy life. The “concrete” mentioned in the poem is a symbol for the ghettos that Shakur used to live in. Also, Shakur is stating where the rose grew, when he says “Did you hear about the rose that grew from a crack in the concrete” (The Rose That Grew From Concrete 1-2)?