Tupac Shakur once wrote about the rose that grew from the concrete, which by keeping hold of its dream proved nature’s law wrong. The motifs of the rose that grew from the concrete are repeated in Charles Dicken’s A Tale of Two Cities and reflected in the life of Tupac Shakur. Driven by a yearning for the redemption of their troubled pasts, Sydney Carton and Tupac make amends with those who hurt them, pledging themselves to a higher calling. Although cast out of society as delinquents, Sydney Carton and Tupac both overcome their shadowed past to make something great of themselves. When questioned about his business by Mr. Lorry, Sydney states, “Business! Bless you, I have no business” (Dickens 84). Likewise, when talking about his …show more content…
Upon sacrificing himself for the sake of the revolution, Sydney envisions, “I see the lives for which I lay down my life, peaceful, useful, prosperous, and happy” (Dickens 372). Just as Sydney made sacrifices for change, in his song “Keep Ya Head Up”, which addresses the injustice experienced every day growing up in the ghettos of Los Angeles, Tupac refers to the selfishness of politicians, insisting, “They got money for wars but can't feed the poor” (Tupac “Keep Ya Head Up”). Even when met with an easy way out, Sydney and Tupac refuse to live on the sidelines, and fully immerse themselves in the problems facing their communities. Although Charles being sentenced to death provides Sydney with a means to be with Lucie, he would rather take on the burdens of those he loves in their place, offering to give his life at the guillotine, so that Charles and Lucie may be together, and France may one day be free. As Charles was willing to sacrifice his life for his friends and country, even when Tupac had the opportunity to escape the ghetto for the Hollywood lifestyle, he was willing to sacrifice his career and reputation in order to spread awareness of the injustices plaguing his community. The risks taken by Sydney and Tupac and the most demanding times affirms that these men were not men of flesh, but men of steel, unwilling to back down or take the easy way
When you think about a drug dealer , what comes to mind? Many times we think about a male, usually minority, who has no regards for society or others. Has it ever come to mind that a drug dealer ,although is practicing in illegal activity ,is still a person. A drug dealer can be a loyal father who goes to his daughter’s ballet recitals, the mother who attends all the PTA meetings ,or someone 's baby stubborn baby brother. In the short story “The Corner’s Photographs” by Brent Staples, The narrator 's brother , Blake, was a drug dealer and was killed by one of his clients. Because Blake didn 't live a respectable life after his death he was treated without respect. Blake was outcasted by his own brother, Brent, while he was alive and after his death he regrets how he treated his brother. Blake was dehumanized because of his life choices.
This week I read the short article on Alan Locke’s, “Enter the New Negro”. This article is discussing the Negro problem in depth. “By shedding the chrysalis of the Negro problem, we are achieving something like spiritual emancipation”. Locke believes that if we get rid of whatever is holding us back we would gain something renewing and beautiful.
“excuse me but lady liberty needs glasses / and so does mrs justice by her side” (Lines 1-2). “Liberty Needs Glasses” written by Tupac Shakur is a poem he wrote criticizing the way the justice system and the liberty this country has presented over the years. Both Lady Liberty and Mrs. Justice always seem to look right over injustices and infringements on liberty in America. Rather than giving justice to everyone Lady Liberty and Mrs. Justice pick and choose who gets justice. Shakur stresses the imperfections of justice and liberty as well as the flaws with both. As well as for a country that values liberty and justice, America should open its eyes and see what is truly going on. Nevertheless, needing glasses to be able to function the way they are supposed to. Furthermore, the structure Shakur uses are the free verse style. A free verse being a literary device that does not have any rules. However, it can be defined as poetry that is free from limitations of regular meter or rhythm and does not rhyme with fixed forms. He uses this style to create metaphors and similes to connect to the prejudice in
Sonny was brought up in this very Harlem and learned how to steal and fight his way through life. However, life fought him back at every opportunity. “By the time I was nine years old, I had been hit by a bus, thrown into the Harlem River (intentionally), hit by a car, severely beaten by a chain. And I had set the house afire” (Brown 12). Sonny’s childhood was filled with so much mayhem that it would be ridiculous for anyone to expect his turnaround into a functional adult. Nevertheless, he accomplished just that . He did it by learning from not only his mistakes, but from others as well. Seeing how everyone he knew was going to prison, dying, or becoming a junkie, Sonny decided that he wanted a better life than what the streets of Harlem could offer. Sonny grew beyond his environment until he finally stopped doing drugs, he got a job, and went to college. He overcame the low expectations of him and ended up being better than what anyone had expected. Although, his personal growth was not a quick one, it was slow, painful and has relevance throughout the entire
Aminata Diallo is an eleven years old African girl, when her life changes completely, as she goes from a beloved daughter to an orphan that is captured and enslaved. Aminata is shown in the novel Someone Knows My Name by Lawrence Hill as a strong young protagonist that is able to survive the odyssey around the world first as a slave and later as a free activist agent of the British. In the book, her various stages of her life are always connected with the clothes that she is wearing or the lack of clothes and show the degree of dehumanization that accompanies slavery.
"When a trout rising to a fly gets hooked on a line and finds himself unable to swim about freely, he begins with a fight which results in struggles and splashes and sometimes an escape. Often, of course, the situation is too tough for him."
The author Ralph Ellison is a renowned writer and scholar with significant nonfiction stories credited to his name. He was born in Oklahoma City about the year 1913. His family had a small business wherein his father worked as a foreman but soon died when he was only three years old. After several years, he later found out that his father wished that he would someday become a poet after the great American essayist popularly known as Ralph Waldo Emerson who became his namesake. His mother was Ida Millsap Ellison who was involved as a political activist campaigning for the Socialist Party. Moreover, she was arrested several times in violation of the segregation orders.
Jeffrey Reiman, author of The Rich Get Richer and the Poor Get Prison, first published his book in 1979; it is now in its sixth edition, and he has continued to revise it as he keeps up on criminal justice statistics and other trends in the system. Reiman originally wrote his book after teaching for seven years at the School of Justice (formerly the Center for the Administration of Justice), which is a multidisciplinary, criminal justice education program at American University in Washington, D.C. He drew heavily from what he had learned from his colleagues at that university. Reiman is the William Fraser McDowell Professor of Philosophy at American University, where he has taught since 1970. He has written numerous books on political philosophy, criminology, and sociology.
...he will do anything for her, even die for someone she loves. Lucie recalls Sydney by opening him up to doing something with his life. He later uses this new mindset to save Charles’s life. After Sydney is inspired to make something of his life he vows to do something good. To do this, he dies for Charles Darnay to show his love for Lucie. This is how Sydney Carton is recalled to life.
population is oppressed and must ignore or postpone their dreams. The more dreams are postponed
“Dead Men’s Path” by Chinua Achebe. In this short story “Dead Men’s Path,” Chinua Achebe gives the protagonist an exciting chance to fulfill his dream. Michael Obi was officially headmaster of Ndume Central School, which was backward in every sense. He had to turn the school into a progressive one, however the school received a bad report when the supervisor came to inspect.
In the photograph, Crushed Car and the short story, “Ground Zero”, James Nachtwey recalls his experiences as a 9/11 victim. The photograph, Crushed Car depicts the ash, debris and rubble resulting from the attack. The focal point of the photograph is the police car, which is damaged from the falling debris. Nachtwey’s framing of the picture indicates the destruction’s severity by emphasizing the fact that authority figures, like police officers, were not able to survive the attack. Moreover, Nachtwey’s photograph evokes various emotional responses by focusing on the disasters that result from certain events in history. The short story, “Ground Zero” focuses more on Nachtwey’s experiences and thoughts as a witness. As a witness, he states, "I
The idea of freedom can be seen in Collection 2 of our textbook. Freedom can be seen in the speech of Martin Luther King Jr. that was given in the year 1963 on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial. Another example can be seen in the analysis of Martin Luther King’s speech, by Charles Euchner. Another example can be seen from the reading Lolita in Tehran, by Azar Nafasi. The topic of freedom can be seen throughout Dr. King’s speech.
KDAY, this afternoon, was feeling Tupac like nobody’s business. Nothing but Tupac would do. Tupac after Tupac after Tupac, and I didn’t change it as I sat in the traffic — God, you think, how awful to be in a car with your thoughts, unable to move away from them! Don’t you just hate when cars and immobility converge! Doesn’t it get your goat almost as much as murder does! — wondering why I should take it so personally that a day spent in Los Angeles without hearing someone wonder why God would make a place so inhospitable to humanity is a day spent in the house not reading the internet or speaking with anyone at all. Why should I care? I live here and it feels as though it’s my hometown. It isn’t my hometown, not technically, but it seemed so happy to receive me that it became somehow mine. New York never loved me back as hard as Los An...
This is shown when Charles Darnay, Lucie’s husband was sentenced to the guillotine and Carton voluntarily exchanges places with him because of their resemblance. Before he did this he whispered in Lucie’s ear, “A life you love.” (345) while she was unconscious. By this Carton means to tell Lucie that he is going to fulfill the promise that he had made to her years ago. By sacrificing himself Carton also believes that his death will make Lucie and her family happy and peaceful. He predicts this by stating, “I see the lives for which I lay down my life, peaceful, useful, prosperous and happy, in that England which I shall see no more. I see her with a child upon her bosom, who bears my name” (386). This shows how Sydney Carton believes that it is necessary that he gives up his life in order for Lucie's family to be happy and peaceful in the