Today is Pam's birthday. I found out that it is also National Coming Out Day. We listened to Changes in class and wrote a three paragraph essay discussing dominate themes, death, suffering, hopelessness and hesitant optimism. Students were to incorporate evidence from Dyson and the song into their paragraphs. I asked all the students to post their freewrites here.
We then got into Literature Circles and talked about Chapters 6-7,8. We are finishing up the book next week. Tuesday will be an opportunity to talk about any lingering questions. We will continue this discussion Thursday as we look at possible essay questions we could explore about Tupac for our midterm. We didn't get a chance to talk about the research essay but I do have websites you can look at to explore the social entrepreneur concept.
Bring in Blood Beats, Elements of Style, and Evolution of a Revolutionary. The latter is an easy read, really easy. Your brain will have an opportunity to relax after the vigor of Dyson. I'll try to remember to bring in my Tupac collection.
There is an essay on Tupac in Blood Beats we'll read Tuesday. Semhar mentioned a song we should listen to, and I forgot which one it was. If you see this Semhar, put it's name in the comment section. I noticed that there aren't many essays posted here. Scroll down and note the cyber-activities and post the relevant work.
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6 comments:
Tu-Pac feel's their is no point in living, why not just kill himself. He feels that it's already bad enough life is a hard living, but the fact that he is poor on top of all the other situations that he has to go through makes him feel hopeless. He feels even more troubled the fact that he is black man. He knows the police really don't care about a Black Man. If in fact if the police pull's a trigger and kill's a Black man, then the police become hero's. Give the black kids gun's and watch them kill eachother.Tu-pac says things will never change, because that's just the way it is, he also says that he sees no changes all he sees is racist face's meaning, people lookin at him like he is an outcast,like he is not even a person.Tu-pac feels that the evil is in the people, because both black and white is smokin crack, and untill the evil is out of the people their not going to be acting right. Semhar kefela
English 1B
Freewrite: “Changes”
The song Changes by Tupac Shakur discusses the problems he sees in modern society and relates to in the world at the time. Like most of his songs, Changes gives a realistic look into issues, especially the drug rush in the hood, his dead homeboys, and the ongoing racial profiling and stereotypes of blacks. He tells his audience that they need to strive for change. However, Tupac shows his inner conflict within himself in the song, stating, “I see no changes wake up in the morning and I ask myself is life worth living should I blast myself”? Here, Tupac almost refers to himself as a black man at the bottom of the food chain. He just wants to survive, but no one is willing to confront their fears. The themes addressed in Changes are inferred in other works by Tupac.
The poem “Life Through My Eyes” shares common themes heard in Changes. The poem also talks about poverty, murder and violence. At the end of the poem, Tupac writes how he must put an end to the trauma. In my eyes, Changes is Tupac’s lyrical answer to justice, reaching a wide audience to address the hard life of the youth. Also, one verse in another song, Me Against the World shows similarities to statements in Changes. In the third verse of Me Against the World, Tupac says to “always do your best, and don’t settle for less”. In Changes, likewise, he declares “Don’t let ‘em jack you up, back you up, crack you up and pimp smack you up”. Like many of Tupac’s lyrics, his rhymes focus on trying to get people to act upon his own values in life and what he hopes to achieve in society.
Tupac’s lyrics also showcase his knowledge for important real life issues at hand. He addresses topics such as war in the Middle East, and the fact that whites are just as guilty as blacks: “cause both black and white is smokin’ crack tonight”. The song outlines the truth, that a black man like him deserves the respect of others.
Works Cited
Shakur, Tupac Amaru. Changes
Shakur, Tupac Amaru. The Rose That Grew From Concrete. New York: Pocket Books, 1999.
Freewrite: “Changes”
The song Changes by Tupac Shakur discusses the problems he sees in modern society and relates to in the world at the time. Like most of his songs, Changes gives a realistic look into issues, especially the drug rush in the hood, his dead homeboys, and the ongoing racial profiling and stereotypes of blacks. He tells his audience that they need to strive for change. However, Tupac shows his inner conflict within himself in the song, stating, “I see no changes wake up in the morning and I ask myself is life worth living should I blast myself”? Here, Tupac almost refers to himself as a black man at the bottom of the food chain. He just wants to survive, but no one is willing to confront their fears. The themes addressed in Changes are inferred in other works by Tupac.
The poem “Life Through My Eyes” shares common themes heard in Changes. The poem also talks about poverty, murder and violence. At the end of the poem, Tupac writes how he must put an end to the trauma. In my eyes, Changes is Tupac’s lyrical answer to justice, reaching a wide audience to address the hard life of the youth. Also, one verse in another song, Me Against the World shows similarities to statements in Changes. In the third verse of Me Against the World, Tupac says to “always do your best, and don’t settle for less”. In Changes, likewise, he declares “Don’t let ‘em jack you up, back you up, crack you up and pimp smack you up”. Like many of Tupac’s lyrics, his rhymes focus on trying to get people to act upon his own values in life and what he hopes to achieve in society.
Tupac’s lyrics also showcase his knowledge for important real life issues at hand. He addresses topics such as war in the Middle East, and the fact that whites are just as guilty as blacks: “cause both black and white is smokin’ crack tonight”. The song outlines the truth, that a black man like him deserves the respect of others.
Works Cited
Shakur, Tupac Amaru. Changes
Shakur, Tupac Amaru. The Rose That Grew From Concrete. New York: Pocket Books, 1999.
Tristan Jazmin
In the song, Changes, by Tupac Amaru Shakur, the discrimination faced by those encountered with socioeconomic adversities comes out loud and clear in the lyrics. Ironically Shakur goes back and forth with the idea of social change and the reality of it actually unfolding. He is conflicted with telling his audience to change, and understanding why his audience can't make those changes. So he realizes that he is speaking to a broader spectrum of people, not just one target group. He attacks those in power who have the ability to change that broader spectrum of society, while leaving the audience inderstanding that changes may not occur.
Tupac expresses the adversities faced by the Black community including police brutality, "cops give a damn about a negro/ pull the trigger kill a nigga he's a hero/ give crack to kids who the hell cares/ one less hungry mouth on the welfare/first ship em' dope & let them deal the brothers/ give em' guns step back watch em' kill each other." He talks about how this affects society as a whole, "It ain't a secret don't conceal the fact/ the penitentary's packed/ and it's filled with Blacks."
Tupac understands the situation is critical and changes need to occur because the path he sees will only lead us to destruction. "Learn to see me as a brother instead of 2 distant strangers." He is conflicted with the non-change occuring, "try to show another way, but you stayin in the dope game." But he also realizes the conflict he is in, "i'm tired of being poor and even worse I'm Black/ mu stomache hurts so I'm looking for a purse to snatch/ I ain't never did a crime I ain't have to do." He knows that it's hard to find a changing way when you're stuck. When he has a conversation with his audience, he expresses understanding and disappointment, "'I made a G today', But you made it in a sleazy way/ selling crack to the kid, 'I gotta get paid', well hey, that's the way it is."
Tupac suffered and had bitter memories. Comparing the life in Subs area and the ghetto. At one point in his lyrics, he comments of having no point of living in this world. In his comparison, many youths goes through a lot of problems to get their basic needs.
In many communities the Blacks have got in trouble with the police most of the times. The police blame them of most of the offences. Racial play the center stage and the petty offences landed them to jail as compared to whites. Tupac ‘s song was away to express the true feeling of the blacks as a whole.
Lastly the single parents are going through a lot of trouble to take care of their children. On the other hand, the children feels rejected and often result to drugs. Tupac feels rejected and that lead him to drugs as away of comfort.
Harizon Odembo
2Pac Lyrics - "Me Against the World"
Response
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In Tupac's song, "Me Against the World," he presents several underlying themes that represented his destructive and fickle lifestyle. In the first verse, Tupac mentions the theme of violence, which correlates with death. The other theme that Tupac incorporated into the song is his loneliness and his "dough-less" life.
Tupac mentions that violence is a recurring entity in his life. He says, "Stress in the city, the cops is hot for me...Constantly movin while makin millions." This shows that even through the violence, Tupac still manages to come out ahead. He also mentions, "Witness in killings...Addicted to killin...Without feelin, hard-headed Bastard." The juxtaposition between violence and emotional detachment shows that people in the area are killing without any remorse for their actions. The addiction in inflicting pain upon others makes one believe that violence is a normal characteristic of living in the ghetto. The inescapable loneliness that is associated with violence shows Tupac's distrust of strangers. He says, "No one in the world loves me."
In the second verse, the theme of loneliness and yearning is palpable: "I'm out here all by myself...Pictures of my birth on this Earth is what I'm dreamin." This shows how difficult Tupac's childhood was like since he didn't grow up with a solid father figure. He wished he had memories worth remembering. In addition, he sees "mo' death" and his financial woes. By "thievin," he's able to survive in the ghetto. He mentions, "Evil's lurking, I can see him smirking." Evidently, the urge to steal and pilfer is a recurring thought.
Through these various themes aforementioned, Tupac manages to convey his perception and views through his own lyrics. The arduous lifestyle that he lead made him a stronger and more defiant individual. By him going "against the world," he was able to assert himself "in a position of makin a difference."
Works Cited
Shakur, Tupac Amaru. Me Against the World
-Dale Wong
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