Assertion Analysis #3 : Rose from Concrete
Tupac Shakur, the world known most influential rapper in history, born in Harlem, New York. Growing up in the ghetto whether it was in Harlem or later on in Oakland, California, Tupac reflected his experiences not only in his raps but also in his poetry. One of those many poems being “Rose From Concrete”, which conveys the feeling of being seen as inferior due to where you originate from, despite making it out of your hardships and achieving success. Tupac suggests that a person who is successfully and overall influential shouldn't be judged for their background but should be seen as equal just as those who had the complete opposite life that he had growing up.
In this poem Tupac talks about how much a marvel it is to people when a rose grows out of such a bizarre environment such as concrete and how when people view that rose it is seen as something beautiful despite it being a little broken down. In his poem he states “...even if it had messed up petals and it was a little to the side you would marvel at just seeing a rose through concrete”. He relates the rose to a person who grew up in a rough neighborhood and grown up was making it big. For instance, himself. Tupac expresses how he feels that a person who grew up in a harsh community should be accepted just like a rose that grew from concrete. “...he can sit across the room and make you cry, make you laugh, all you can talk about is my dirty rose, my dirty stems, and how I'm leaning crooked to the side”. Meaning that regardless of his success, all people see is his struggle, all they care about is how he used to be one of those ghetto little kids. He uses the rose as symbolism, a metaphor for the American Dream and how even though it's messed up, people are amazed over it. Tupac juxtaposes the image of the rose and the image of the “ghetto kid” , how one is seen as beautiful despite its defects and the other is prejudiced despite their success.
Being a minority I understand where he's coming from. It's frustrating to think that for a large majority of people no matter how hard we work, we won't be able to change their mindset. For some people, being successful means nothing unless you were the same as them. For some, us minorities will never be viewed as equal despite our struggles and achievements. We won't be viewed as equal if we don't change what we can't, our skin, our roots. We will always be prejudiced and only seen for our background, not the hard work.
In this poem Tupac talks about how much a marvel it is to people when a rose grows out of such a bizarre environment such as concrete and how when people view that rose it is seen as something beautiful despite it being a little broken down. In his poem he states “...even if it had messed up petals and it was a little to the side you would marvel at just seeing a rose through concrete”. He relates the rose to a person who grew up in a rough neighborhood and grown up was making it big. For instance, himself. Tupac expresses how he feels that a person who grew up in a harsh community should be accepted just like a rose that grew from concrete. “...he can sit across the room and make you cry, make you laugh, all you can talk about is my dirty rose, my dirty stems, and how I'm leaning crooked to the side”. Meaning that regardless of his success, all people see is his struggle, all they care about is how he used to be one of those ghetto little kids. He uses the rose as symbolism, a metaphor for the American Dream and how even though it's messed up, people are amazed over it. Tupac juxtaposes the image of the rose and the image of the “ghetto kid” , how one is seen as beautiful despite its defects and the other is prejudiced despite their success.
Being a minority I understand where he's coming from. It's frustrating to think that for a large majority of people no matter how hard we work, we won't be able to change their mindset. For some people, being successful means nothing unless you were the same as them. For some, us minorities will never be viewed as equal despite our struggles and achievements. We won't be viewed as equal if we don't change what we can't, our skin, our roots. We will always be prejudiced and only seen for our background, not the hard work.
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