Comparing Long Way Down And Shakur's Poems

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In Jason Reynolds’ Long Way Down and Tupac Shakur’s “Changes,” the main themes are revenge and cycles of violence. Through his poems, Reynolds describes a young teenage boy’s thoughts of revenge after losing a loved one to gun violence. Likewise, Shakur’s poems focus on the violence seen in gangs and impoverished communities. While both Reynolds’ and Shakur’s poems take similar approaches to the theme of the cycles of violence and revenge, they are different because Reynolds’ poems conclude by breaking the cycle of violence while Shakur’s shows the cycle continuing. The most significant similarity between the two authors' poems is that they both explore cycles of violence, revealing the destructive nature of human behavior as it creates a never-ending …show more content…

The third rule demonstrates how the people in the protagonist’s community seek revenge. It also ensures the continuation of the cycle of violence because if the rule is followed it means that the person seeking revenge later becomes the target of revenge. Similarly, Sharkur highlights these thoughts of revenge and acts of violence through the line,“And the only time we chill is when we kill each other,” (Shakur line 39). Shakur underscores the fact that one cannot rest until revenge has been taken. Furthermore, Shakur shows the cyclical nature of gang violence with the words, “we kill each other”. Both lines overall give the same message, even though one is a rule and one is a statement. Each shows the theme of the cycle of violence through their respective communities and the feeling of burning revenge that does not subside until the act is completed. Despite sharing similar themes, these works diverge in their conclusion and overall message. The last poem of Reynolds’ piece “I WANT OUT” ends with the question, “You Coming?” (Reynolds line 34), and shows the protagonist breaking the cycle of

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