Professor Sabir's Posse

SINGLE PARENTING

In the book Holler if You Hear Me, single parenting and the impact it created in the life of Tupac Shakur is explored. His mother, Afeni Shakur, battled and eventually overcame the many parallels of single parenting as it relates to poverty, drug abuse,
neglect, and abandonment. It took many years for Tupac to forgive his mother, but ultimately, he was able to prior to his death, and made a tribute to her in his hit song “Dear Mama". Holler if You Hear Me is an outlet for Dyson to educate teenage and young parents about the struggles faced in single parent homes, with the hopes of preventing irrevocable damage that can extend from childhood through adulthood in the lives of their children. A huge epidemic of the 1980’s was crack cocaine which “led to mothers and fathers forsaking familial ties and parental responsibilities…”(36). This just goes to show the great force that this one element can have in the lives of many for generations to
come. More so, it’s devastation in the lives of the children who are the product of it’s destruction . Afeni’s drug addiction had a major effect on Tupac because as Dyson points out “It was an abandonment that deeply affected Tupac, spurring him to create brilliant art and cry out for attention with his own brand of chaotic, self-destructive behavior”.(40)
 

Role model

If the parents are mature or immature, want or not, and prepared or yet, they become a first role model of their children. Also, the parents become a first window that makes a child to look and learn the world through, and they are first hero that a child admire and try to imitate. From the relationship between Tupac and his mother, Afeni, we can see the strong influences of a mother who demonstrated her values, ways of thinking and acting in positive and negative ways on her son. As Jada Smith, a Tupac’s close friend, observed that ‘His sense of himself and his self-worth started with his mother.”(41), Afeni’s role in Tupac’s life has profound meaning for his character and his arts. Especially, Afeni gave Tupac two big influences as a black revolutionary and an addicted mother.
 

Edrica Coleman
10/08/2007



Love in the Hip Hop Culture




In the Hip Hop culture love is hard to find in a society like ours when there is misogyny and men who are driven by hip hop music. This creates a conflict where women cannot be loved because of how they are betrayed and men cannot love because our society says a man cannot be weak so he cannot be vulnerable enough to let someone love him and love him or her in return. Hip hop tells us that women are “bitches” and our men are “niggas” and there are few exceptions. If we are socialized to think this then how could we ever get past the surface of this and actually learn to love one another with respect. Hip Hop is part for the African American culture and our African American relationships are driven by sex and money. It lacks real love, companionship, trust, and honesty among other things. To transform our relationships we must first challenge everything we know about love in the Hip Hop culture/ African American culture from the media and our peers. In Holler if You Hear Me, Tupac calls men and women “bitches” and our men “niggas” and he rarely loved women. We are going to see why and what enabled him to do so.
 

Shanalle Patterson
English 1a


Hip-Hop VS Violence
What’s the real problem with Hip-Hop and its lyrics today? No one seems to understand the conception of Hip-Hop. Most rappers rap about the lives of others maybe something they heard on the news or by a story that was told. What projects on there songs are we shot him, I got shot nine times, this my block, I will live and die over something that I will make territory. Even though, this is true all across the world, the rappers make it seems likes its okay. Half of the rappers never been shot never seen anyone be killed they write and rap the lives others. Modern day a Hip-Hop I must call it, they show there violence or what they call “beef” with each other on the media for instance West Coast VS East Coast beef where Tupac Shakur was the ring leader that represent the West Coast and Biggy Smalls the was the Ring leader that represent the East Coast. This message was shown across the TV screens everywhere better known on the channel BET. What’s lift to save our kids?
 

Introduction of Give me a Paper and Pen

Tupac could write anything about his method of creation if he had a paper and pen. He embodied Hip-Hop Culture, its best of times and the worst of times. He wrote his poetry in the United States for black youth and other races. His music and his lyrics affected to Hip-Hoppers. Most of young people have criticisms of violence, sexual saturation of Hip-Hop music. Otherwise, he was still going to make his music best.
He wanted to fight for its best and worst time of Hip Hop.
So, for an artist, writing is a job for fighting of culture, and enjoying this job for fighting of himself. Pen and paper are the soft weapon for writers and artists.
 

A post revolutionary lifestyle
Tupac shakur is known for his thug mentality and ambitions to be a rider. In the book, Holler If You Hear Me, written by Micheal Dyson, it explains how his life was transitioned from his mothers revolutionary lifestyle and influenced him to become who he is today. During his early childhood, his mother’s actions and post revolutionary lifestyle gave him a way of thinking. It made him love some things and it made him hate some things.

by jameisha harris
 

Bianca Jauregui
English 201A
10/8/07


A Post revolutionary Childhood

In chapter two Dyson discusses about how Tupac was torn between “revolutionary ambition and thug passion.” During Tupac’s childhood he had a lot going for him since his mother was a Back Panther activist. Dyson said that Black Nationalism hung over Tupac’s head as a promise and judgment. (p.48) Tupac’s career was based on political terms because of his childhood background. Tupac’s rapping aloud him to separate himself from the panthers for a while, although he was still political with some of his lyrics. The experiences he had with the Black Panther’s and the Thug life aloud him to be real with his music.
 

Bianca Jauregui
English 201A
10/8/07


A Post revolutionary Childhood

In chapter two Dyson discusses about how Tupac was torn between “revolutionary ambition and thug passion.” During Tupac’s childhood he had a lot going for him since his mother was a Back Panther activist. Dyson said that Black Nationalism hung over Tupac’s head as a promise and judgment. (p.48) Tupac’s career was based on political terms because of his childhood background. Tupac’s rapping aloud him to separate himself from the panthers for a while, although he was still political with some of his lyrics. The experiences he had with the Black Panther’s and the Thug life aloud him to be real with his music.
 

Deandre Jones
English 201


Keep it PG


The sexism plays a major part in the hip-hop culture more today than it did when it first began. It goes both ways, as men discriminate women and women discriminate men, it is just that the men seem to have an edge on the women. You cannot really blame the artist that does this because they are not making them do it they chose to put themselves out there to be seen as an sexual object. The roomer is, sex sells, and I see what they mean, not only do people want to hear it but they want to see it. As you flip through channels, you see all sorts of things, mostly the men discriminating women, involving violence and sex. Now no one has anything to say until an African American artist does something sexual or violent. Most look past it but others feel that its brain washing kids to do it. Everyone plays a part so you cannot just point the finger at one particular group or one individual person.
 

Jack Cheung 10/8/07
English 201A
Wanda Sabir

Family

In the book Holler If You Hear Me, Tupac Shakur loves his mother even though she’s a crack fiend mama. Family is the number one thing that’s the most important to anybody that needs suppost and love. She’s a single parent that gave birth to Tupac supporting his every meal. It’s very hard for a single mother to support a child, when she can barely support herself. A single mother has to work to pay the rent or the bills in order to survive. Tupac tries to support his mother and wants to pay the rent using his drug dealing money. Tupac hangs out with the wrong group doing the wrong thing, but he’s just trying to help out his mother. When he drug deals, its going to relate to violence for example gun shooting. Tupac bought his mother a diamond showing his love to her making her mother happy. When Tupac was drug dealing he, carries a gun on him at all times, incase he gets jacked. Tupac is really not a bad guy, it’s the whats around him pushes him to do bad things. (23) He is capable of both embracing and chiding his mother in a single artistic gesture. In his almost elegiac” Dear mama/ Even though you was a black fiend mama, you still was a black queen mama”. Tupac’s maturity allows him to value his mother’s, and how did it shape his career and life.
 

Maricruz Salazar
October 8, 2007
English 201

Chapter 3: Education

Education was the key in becoming a hip-hop artist. Tupac was a person who loved to read books, “he was obsessed with reading about black crimes and white crimes” (97). He then met Leila Steinburg, a woman who had much in common with Tupac. Leila’s was already part of an organization but her goal was to educate children of different races. She wanted to “bring rap into the curriculum to improve black community (88). On the other hand, Tupac wanted to rap about violence, “he wanted to make the world believe he really was who he announced he was on his album”. He wanted to tell the world that violence could be improved in the black community. Therefore, they both put their thoughts together and Leila helped Tupac achieve his goal in becoming a famous hip-hop artist.
 

Chon Hong Cheang
English 201
10/8/2007

“Holler If You Hear Me”

In the book” Holler If You Hear Me”, it shows me how a child grown up in a single parent family. Tupac’s mother has to work to support the rents every month, and other payments. It is a tough mission for her to complete. When Tupac has foundation of his mutuality level, he knows he has to give his mother a hand on everything; especially the rents. After that he had known a group of bad guys. He started his career on drug dealing. I think he is doing the wrong thing at all. That would only make his mother sadder, and worry when he has any accident. I can tell Tupac is a great son, there is no doubt about it, but he just got in a wrong direction to express his love to his mother. Tupac bought his mother a diamond when he has money. He also wrote his mother a song in Hip-Hop culture. It made him become famous, and that song named,” Dear Mama”
 

Professor Wanda Sabir

The themes articulated so far here range from Elesha's Single Parenting to Sirong's suggestion that Tupac's pen was his best weapon. Other students spoke about Afeni Shakur and how she was both a good and negative role model for here son Tupac Shakur. The perceptions of hip hop as misogynistic or violent, were also discussed in Shanelle and Deondre's introductions. Deondre makes a good point. He says that the sexism found in hip hop music reflects the same values in popular culture, that violence and sex sells.

Edrica's questioning the possibility of black love in the context of misogyny is great. Bianca looks at the tension between a post-revolutionary childhood. Is thug-life as it evolves Tupac's answer to the question: what now? Jameisha also tackled this question.

Seonhea and I looked up "thug" in the urban dictionary http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=thug

We were looking at chapter 4 in Dyson where on pp. 112-115 he looks at multiple definitions of the word which is not Indo-European, rather a word borrowed from Hindi.

We should make a glossary of terms used in hip hop culture that might need clarifying for people outside the culture. Maybe I'll pose this as a question we discussion on the blog at a future date.

Remember to cite sources to support your claims. Mention Dyson and briefly introduce the text as it relates to the topic or theme. As we continue reading the book, in your notes, cite references to the text that support your thesis. When we finish the book you will revise your essay with these additional sources in mind.
 

In the story Holler If You Hear Me, Tupac Shakur shows a big impact to his mama that he had forgive her, also he wrote her a song “Dear Mama” to show that he love her. Even thought mama is a crack fiends. First, Tupac Shakur look up to her as negative person because she don’t do anything to take care the family. But after awhile Tupac Shakur realize that his mama had done a lot for him. Tupac finally understand, he forgiven his mama. Tupac Shakur are living in a thug life he sell drug to make money. His mama said “I knew, my gut knew, something about this child: that he wasn’t supposed to be here”.(31), no matter what Tupac does his life living in a ghetto neighborhood. Mama still love him she try to raise him to be a positive person. But now that everything changes Tupac finally understand.
 

Date: Oct 08 2007
Mani Raj Maharjan
Education

In the book “HOLLER IF U HEAR ME”, Tupac Shakur was always hungry for the knowledge. Tupac’s high school career was ultimately short circuited by homelessness, his mother’s addiction, fierce parental spats, and a fatherless adolescence. Although he didn’t get the good education he was very talent. He started to write the plays when he was six. He offers instead a list of classes he thinks will benefit his peers. He says there should be a class on sex education, a real sex education class, not just pictures and diagrams and illogical terms. There should be class on scams. There should be class on police brutality. There should be class on the religious cults (77). Although he didn’t get the good education, he tries to get the education by reading different kinds of book, magazines.
 

In the book Holler if you hear me, Tupac’s friend Lipton said “You could have a conversation with him about everything.” “He knew about everything and he was open for everything.”
This is the black poet who knew everything and was open for everything such as: music, literature, dancing and so on. Even though, he didn’t graduate from high school by his homeless and fatherless life.
As a black poet, Tupac read many books in his short life. He taught his friends that should be reading some books he suggested. His was a reader-brother for his friends. People missed him and talk about him so much. He didn’t stay at home for writing his poetry for himself. He paid attention to homeless people, Hip Hoppers, readers, friends, and poverty as his responsibilities of society.
Therefore, He was open for everything. So, we are trying to read him and understand him, and then, we would know what we should do.
 

Afeni’s drug addiction had a negative impact in the life of Tupac Shakur

1. Afeni’s addiction can be viewed somehow as a positive influence
a. it became a source of strength for Tupac
b. he was able to utilize his struggles to write uplifting music

2. Addictions negative impacts
a. poverty
b. abandonment
c. violence
d. victimization

3. Conclusion

Afeni’s addiction can also be viewed somehow as a positive influence in Tupac’s life because it enabled him to use his experiences and hardships to uplift others through his music…mainly young people. Tupac’s explosive lyrics burned with passion. You could feel his pain, his sorrow, his solemn cry for help. The deep rooted words, so
eloquently pieced together, leaves a lasting consciousness of the problems at hand. Poverty…why is it so prevalent? Abandonment…why is fleeing always the first instinct? Violence…why is our society filled with such hate? Maybe the answer is that many single parents tend to fall victim to our environment, so they learn to assimilate. Or, perhaps, instead of owning up to their responsibilities, they would rather accept the stereotypes society places on them so it is deemed acceptable. Dyson points out the stereotype that “Single black mothers who are poor have been maligned in the media for
cruelly misshaping their offspring…”(22)

More single mothers need to take the initiative, stop the victimization, and make a positive change in the lives of their children. They shape the lives of their children, and if a life can be changed in a positive light, it creates a catalyst for many generations to come. Otherwise, the issues created by the negative impacts of single parenting will remain.

Email: eleshamartin@gmail.com
 

HOLLER IF YOU HERE ME

In the book, “Holler If You Here me”, Tupac Shakur had to face a lot of adversity as a child. I would say it made him strong and made him what he was. He had to face a lot of problems including facing problems with his mom. With her drug, it told Tupac the wrongs about them. She was also a big help. Tupac and his mother had a strong bond unlike any other. Instead of his mother saying “don’t do that, don’t do drugs”. She was more helpful. She would say “I did this drug so I wouldn’t recommend you doing it”. Also in the song “Dear momma” you can tell that he loves and appreciates his mother and also they went through a lot together. They also guided each other and helped each other through life.

Tupac also grew up without a dad. There was no father figure there for him. Tupac had to be his own father figure because there was no man in their house. So he had to be there man of the house at a very young age. In his song “dear momma”, Tupac said in his song referring to his father when he died “that my anger wouldn’t let me feel for a stranger”. That’s how he felt about his dad because he was never there. Also with his mom’s drug abuse, he had to be on his own. It was like he raised himself. Tell him what to do and what to don’t do. I feel that Tupac had to be strong; if he wasn’t then he wouldn’t be who everybody knows him as. Also the people that criticize him for who he is, don’t know him an what he went through. If people did then they would know who Tupac is and what he is about.
 

Elizabeth Jimenez
October 9 2007
English 201 B

Mother’s Love

In the book Holler If You Hear Me, the author talks about black motherhood. In our lives we often have a very important person, and that often is our mother. Each person has a different relationship with their mother. For some people their mother is like their best friend, for others is a person they can trust. But if we have a problem you know that your mother is always going to be there to help you, or give you an advice no matter what. For Tupac Shakur his mother was a very important person, even though in the beginning they didn’t have a good relationship and they have their own problems. “We went through (several) stages. You know, where first it was mother and son. Then it was like drill sergeant and cadet… Then it was like a dictator (and) little country.” (21). His mother start to understand him and care more about her son, same with Tupac. And from there they start to change the way they think about each other. “Tupac says that he moved out on his own and the “came back, like the prodigal son”, noting that his mother now “respects me as a man and I respect her as a mother for all the sacrifices she made” (21).
 

Maricruz said...
October 9, 2007
English 201B

School, Learning and Tupac’s Work¨


Introduction

- Wondered why important subjects were not taught at school
- Educated himself by reading books
- words that made him famous

First Paragraph

- racism
- sex education
- death rates

Second Paragraph

- Maya Angelou
- Roots
- Aldous Huxley (sixties psychedelic time period)


Third Paragraph

- poems (The Rose That Grew from Concrete)
- sonnets
- self reflection in song lyrics

Conclusion

- thought students should know more about their own community
- learned on his own by reading books that would interest him
- published life experiences made him a famous icon

1:09 PM
 

Christina Patrick

English 201B



Introduction




In Michael Eric Dyson's book , Holler if you hear me, the description of a mother's devotion

to her son in spite of all the struggles is very powerful. The poverty , crime, hardships, and inner

demons that Afeni Shakur had to battle while being the mother of a unique soul was very hard.

Although she played a major part in the black panthers and was a revolutionary, she was

finding that she was a mother. While she went through the system , jail , and legal battles, Afeni

was pregnant with one of our generation's most powerful artists. This to me is the most informative

piece in this book. The story of single motherhood, a woman trying to raise a man , and

her financial problems , is something a lot of women , including me can relate to on a first hand basis.
 

A post revolutionary lifestyle
Tupac shakur is known for his thug mentality and ambitions to be a rider. In the book, Holler If You Hear Me, written by Micheal Dyson, it explains how his life was transitioned from his mothers revolutionary lifestyle and influenced him to become who he is today. During his early childhood, his mother’s actions and post revolutionary lifestyle gave him a way of thinking. It made him love some things and it made him hate some things. In the mist of Afeni’s panther life, they stayed poor because they struggled and she helped keep the movement alive.
“Because you know if money was nothing, if there was no money and everything depended on your moral standards and the way that you behaved and the way you treated people, we’d be millionaires. We’d be rich.” (tupac page51)
“But since it’s not like that, then we’re stone broke. We’re just poor because our ideals always gets in the way, ‘cause we’re not yup yup people.”
And since Tupac knew the difference in the world and forced by his post revolutionary life, this is what shaped the man we know today as Tupac Shakur.
 

OUTLINE

• Topic: there is no way you can discriminate someone who chose to put his or her self in that position to look down upon

Evidence: Steffans, Karrine. Confessions of a Video Vixen. New York. 2005

• Topic: most artists that are getting the third degree from sexism are African American.

Evidence: Hip Hop vs. America. BET

• Topic: some look past it but other will make a big deal to what’s going on of how woman or men appear in videos or pictures

Evidence:


Conclusion

Therefore, hip-hop is playing a major part in sexism today by having all the explicit things going on in it. Including violence, discriminating, and sex. Not everyone feels the same about how they let these women degrade their selves in the hip hop world, but whose to stop them. Watching videos with an extreme amount of violence like beating and killing has another part in the act of discriminating. Even though it is the artist song, there’s a lot more going on behind the scenes, so you cannot point the finger at just one person. You have to look all around you and see what is really going on, and how people take an act to this. Include movies, commercials, and video games if u have a point to prove that the hip-hop culture is a violent, discriminating, sexism trend.
 

In the book Holler If You Hear Me, Michael Dyson tells us about Tupac Shakur’s lifestyle and a little bit about his mother how they lived and what they went through. This book is also to teach people who are out there living everybodys dream life. Everybody who has parents to guide them through everything, that is something that Tupac did not have. Tupac kind of learn from his own because his mother wasn’t there for him like she wanted to. His mother Afeni Shakur was using all kinds of drugs and went to jail so she didn’t know how to rise her son like she wanted to. Even though Tupac had to go through a lot he still loves his mother dearly. In song “Dear Mama” he quotes “you’ll always be a black queen mama, even though you still a crack fiend mama.”
 

Se Choe
Ocotober 10

Family

In the book Holler if You Hear Me by Michael Eric Dyson, Tupac Shakur grows up in a tough situation going through poverty and his surroundings. He grew up with a mother and had no father like person in his life other than his crew. His mama is a crack fiend and addict and still she as in Afeni Shakur, Tupacs mother was still able to hold on to her son Tupac. Tupac said “And even as a crack fiend, Mama / You always was a Black Queen, Mama.”(pg.23) He did go the wrong path and made wrong choices but Tupac was the one helping pay for the rent and bringing in the food for the family with his drug money. It was dirty money but it was helping him and helping his mother survive the life of the ghetto. Her mother admitted that her addiction harmed her children, especially her man-child. “I know what harm I brought him so really what I did was to prepare him to be able to live through the harm.”(pg.36)
 

HIP-HOP vs. VIOLENCE vs. SEX…….

Today in the music industry there is a low chance of succeeding if you don’t resolve to violence mixed wit sex. A lot of MC’s talk about how they sell drugs and kill people and seem to think that its ok, there is only 1 successful MC who sells millions without referring to all those messages, {Kanye West} who is in ways similar to Tupac Shakur because they were both intelligent. Tupac grew up from a crack baby to become 1 of the most respected rappers to ever touch the mic.
 

Bianca Jauregui
English 201A
10/9/07

Revolutionary Outline
Chapter 2

Introduction: “Revolutionary Ambition”
Tupac was born into the Black Panther movement. “He was both a promise and the judgment of black nationalism,” said Dyson (p.48)

1st Paragraph
- Childhood of a Black Panther. (p.47)
- Price Paid for revolutionary principles. (p.51)
- Tupac’s first priorities were his family and anything having to do with the movement. (p.52)

2nd Paragraph
- Experiences with the Black panthers inspired Tupac to address racial conflict in his lyrics. (p.53)
- “Not only was the revolution not paying bills but, it was causing a great deal of disaster for me” said Tupac. (p.58)
- Government conflicted with the youth. said Mos Def. (p. 67)
 

Tupac Shakur’s high school career was ultimately short circuited by his homelessness, his mother’s addiction and a fatherless adolescence.
Intro
--got education himself by reading different books and magazines
--wants other subject like scam, political brutality, religious cults etc to be taught
Body paragraph
--poverty
--violence
--racism
--homelessness
--mother’s addiction

Conclusion

Tupac Shakur was always hungry for knowledge. He thought student should also know about the other subjects too. He says there should be a class on sex education, a real sex education class, not just pictures and diagrams and illogical terms. There should be class on scams. There should be class on police brutality. There should be class on the religious cults (77). Although he didn’t get proper education he learned himself by reading different magazines, books, newspaper etc and became famous hip hop artist all over the world.
 

A post revolutionary lifestyle
Tupac shakur is known for his thug mentality and ambitions to be a rider. In the book, Holler If You Hear Me, written by Micheal Dyson, it explains how his life was transitioned from his mothers revolutionary lifestyle and influenced him to become who he is today. During his early childhood, his mother’s actions and post revolutionary lifestyle gave him a way of thinking. It made him love some things and it made him hate some things. In the mist of Afeni’s panther life, they stayed poor because they struggled and she helped keep the movement alive.
“Because you know if money was nothing, if there was no money and everything depended on your moral standards and the way that you behaved and the way you treated people, we’d be millionaires. We’d be rich.” (tupac page51)
“But since it’s not like that, then we’re stone broke. We’re just poor because our ideals always gets in the way, ‘cause we’re not yup yup people.”
And since Tupac knew the difference in the world and forced by his post revolutionary life, this is what shaped the man we know today as Tupac Shakur.

1. tupacs child hood
a. his relationship with his mother
b. rebellion against the movement
c. family figures ideals and actions

2. in tupac’s eyes
a. how he felt about the revolution
b. the revolution’s roots in him
c. Attitude toward the world and black people

3. the outcome of this mixture
a. the way tupac chose to be
b. ambitions to be a rider

conclusion: Although Tupacs post revolutionary life was the shape of his man hood, it chaned him for better an worst. The panther pride gave him moral, strength, and the power to do what he believed in. Even though this, Tupac had his own beliefs, from his childhood and from the world, which made him a powerful man. And being fearless to conquer anything he wanted, scared people to not help him, which made him grow as himself today.
 

Role model

1.Introduction
Afeni had a great influence on Tupac as a black revolutionary and an addicted mother.
2.Afeni’s influence an Tupac as a black revolutionary
a. Tupac’s strong point
b. Afeni’s pedagogy
c. Truth telling voice
3. Afeni’s influence on Tupac as an addicted mother
a. Afeni’s abandonment destroyed a family
b. Made him sacrifice chance of education in art school (37)
c. It took away security from him made him expose to chaotic society in his adolescence
d. It shaped his view of himself and reflected his works (40)
4. Conclusion.
Having a respectable role model who encourage a child’s possibility and show the illustration before a child is crucial factor in his life. However, playing a role as a model is very hard to stay. Dyson mentioned that Afeni’s life was heart breaks, setbacks, failures, contradictions, tragedies, and triumphs, and her life placed before Tupac as road map and object lesson (38). Like Afeni case, playing a role model is very painful since parents are also incomplete, on growing adult. Also, sometimes it demands a model to sacrifice his self-centered mind and life style. Nonetheless, because there are possibilities to enlighten one’s life and rescue the person from repeating failures with showing his road map and personal lesson, to become a role model is worthwhile.
 

Maricruz Salazar
October 10, 2007
English 201 B


“School, Learning and Tupac’s Work¨


Introduction

Since school was not teaching him enough, Tupac began to learn on his own until he became a famous hip-hop icon.

First Paragraph

- “There should be a class on racism in America.” (77)
- “There should be a class on sex education.” (77)
- “Aren’t they wondering why death rates are going up…than they’re being handed diplomas?” (79)

Second Paragraph

- “He read a lot of Maya Angelou’s books.” (94)
- “He read roots at least two or three times.” (95)
- He was fascinated with Aldous Huxley…which covered the drugs Afeni did”. (95)

Third Paragraph

- “He wrote his own poems which were published after his death in a volume named ‘The Rose That Grew from Concrete’ ”. (92)
- “He could recite sonnets” (92)
- self reflection in song lyrics (93)

Conclusion

School was not educating Tupac on the stuff he felt like he needed to know. Tupac felt that he needed to be educated more on everyday life styles such as racism, sex and deaths in his community. Therefore he went to the library to learn on his own. In the library, he checked out books that would relate to him. He read books written by Maya Angelou, Aldous Huxley and a book titled, “Roots”. After reading several books and expanding his knowledge, he began to write his own poetry. He would recite them to different schools within his community and became a famous icon after his death, when all his poems were published in a book named after one of his poems, “The Rose That Grew from Concrete”.
 

Outline:



Outline:
Topic: An Individual Revolution of Poet Tupac
Evidence: Holler If You Hear Me by Michael Eric Dyson

Topic:Tupac has his individual revolution from his mother Afeni
Evidence: Afeni Shakur : Evolution of a Revolutionary

Conclution:
When poet Tupac was a few days old, he was taken to the political speech in New York.
That was the first revolution for the little baby. It was his individual revolution in his whole life. Fighting for black culture in United States; fighting for black society; fighting for his art in spirit of word-world.
As he said when he was a 17-year old young boy: “ My mother was a Black Panther, and she was really involved in the movement.” His mother Afeni didn’t have time to take care of him at that time. Otherwise, he understood why his mother was so important to his society of blacks. They still had a very sweet relationship with each other.
In his youth, he analyzed and found out something difference between financial and moral wealth. But, he said that blacks should be rich. His revolution belief came from his mother’s sacrificial work and responsibilities.
Tupac was not even a simple poet in our world. Maybe there is not any poet to be simple. They have firmly ideal for their art and human beings. Tupac was the star hanging on the sky, even though, our sky is still black and not clear. He taught us that the love to people was the love to ourselves. Even though, he was a nationalist or us.
 

Bianca Jauregui
English 201A
10/9/07

Revolutionary Outline
Chapter 2

Introduction: “Revolutionary Ambition”
Tupac was born into the Black Panther movement. “He was both a promise and the judgment of black nationalism,” said Dyson (p.48)

1st Paragraph
- Childhood of a Black Panther. (p.47)
- Price Paid for revolutionary principles. (p.51)
- Tupac’s first priorities were his family and anything having to do with the movement. (p.52)

2nd Paragraph
- Experiences with the Black panthers inspired Tupac to address racial conflict in his lyrics. (p.53)
- “Not only was the revolution not paying bills but, it was causing a great deal of disaster for me” said Tupac. (p.58)
- Government conflicted with the youth. said Mos Def. (p. 67)

Conclusion:
Being born and raised to be involved with the Black Panther's had a lot of advantages and disadvantages for Tupac. The movement aloud him to be more open and understanding about many situations. He was very active with helping his own people and everything he went threw with the Panther's gave him inspiration with his lyrics. His lyrics were political and it was mainly part because the involvement he had with the Panther's. But also being a Panther brought him many worries. The children were alone most the time, and Tupac really didn't get to live a normal childhood, he was always on the go with the Panther's. He was always worried about next situations they were going to take on. Being a panther really made him grow up knowing more about the society we live in.
 

Maria Ruiz
Eng 201B
9/10/07

The affects of single parenting

Parenting affects society and the way children are brought up. Parents are the foundation to morals and obedience. A sense of stability as well as a sense of gender role. A parent is always a role model they’re the first person we look up to. And if the parent is absent we will not feel loved and we would requite to other people who may seemed at the moment that are good, but in reality is that they’re not. It is up to the child to overcome all of those obstacles in order to be successful in life. In the book “Holler if you hear me” by Michael Eric Dyson, entails the hardship of motherhood as a single parent dilemma who are caught up in the expanding world.
 

Jack Cheung

Family




I. Family first

A. Loving Mama (22)

B. Black Queen Mama (23)



II. Single Mother

A. Sacrifices (37)

B. Living poor (41)



III. Thug Life

A. Tupac arrested (60)

B. Tries to help out the family

C. Doing the wrong thing









Conclusion

Tupac is really not a bad person, it’s what’s around him made him like this. If he’s rich, he doesn’t have to sell drugs and support the family. He wouldn’t be hanging out with the wrong people doing the wrong thing. If he's rich he might be very spoiled and that wouldn't turn Tupac to being a thug, he probably would be a geek.
His mom Afeni Shakur loves Tupac but she just went the wrong way in a different direction. Tupac will always forgive his mother because thats the person that gave him birth.
 

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Family

Go through first four chapters such as “Dear mama”, “The son of a Panther”, “No Malcolm X in My History Text”, and “Give me a paper and a pen” of the story “Holler if you hear me”. I recognize that no matter who we are; where we are, we have to have a family to grow up. Family is a firm foundation for a child; a child can’t live without their parents like a flower can’t live without water.

“Holler if you hear me” is a long long story about Tupac’c life and the relationship among Tupac and his mother who made a mistake in teaching a son. Tupac’s life is very dreadful, he was imprisoned for sexual abuse, he sold drug…just because he moved out on his own without family. Nobody teach him what he should do to be a good man. Childs look like a flower garden; if you cultivate everyday it will grow up ; if you don’t care and mention it will die. Family is source for a child to comeback whenever they want and parents are an important person in our life. That’s why Tupac said “Mother is my homey” and “we have a deep love for our mother, because they usually raised us by themselves. So you always feel closer to your mom. Even back in the day, “I always loved my mama”
 

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Education

According to Dyson's book Holler if you hear me in chapter 3 Tupac believes that schools should address today's different social issues. He says:

There should be a class on drugs , there should be as class on sex education, a real sex education class, not just pictures and diagrams and illogical terms… There should be a class on scams. There should be a class on religious cults. There should be a class on police brutality. There should be a class on apartheid. There should be a class on racism in America. There should be a class on why people are hungry” (Dyson, 77).
Even though Tupac didn’t’ finish high school, he is grateful that schools taught him how to read. He also learned a lot from his mother, and the rest he learned in the streets.
The type of education Tupac suggests would help the youths in our society confront the illness that is directly affecting them.

In Baltimore Tupac prized the broad arts education he received His interest in acting and art had already been established,
evidence
Tupac also delved in Shakespeare, ballet, jazz, and poetry, which he begin writing in grammar school. It was easy enough for Tupac to move from poetry to writing raps, which he did with great skill and remarkable speed, features that added to his legend as a rapper. (Dyson, 74).

Though he thrived in school, Tupac’s domestic troubles escalated, and Baltimore’s mean streets got meaner. At the end of his junior year in school, gang violence claimed the life of a neighborhood boy. The boy’s death and Tupac’s chaotic home life thrust him onto a bus for a cross-country Trek to Marin City,California, and to the equally trouble home of Linda Pratt, wife of panther Elmer “Geronimo” Pratt.

If Tupac hit his stride in Baltimore, he lost his footing in California. By his own admission, he was an outsider, especially if he couldn’t play basketball, he dressed like a hippie, he was a target of street gangs, he wrote poetry, and he secretly loathed himself.

conclusion : Tupac momentarily lived with Afeni, but when she could no longer hold her house together, he left her and his sister and joined a group of boys in an abandoned apartment while working at a pizza parlor. He eventually started hustling crack, but some friends like Charles Fuller, who discerned his talent for bigger goals, discourage him. Tupac enrolled at the affluent Mt. Tamalpais High School, the school in rich Marin City, know as the “Jungle”. Tupac gained a reputation for his riveting acting but eventually left school after forming a rap group, the one Nation Emcees, with his roommates.

(Dyson, 75).
 

Forgiveness

1. Afeni Shakur was a crack fiend.
- She taken drug.
- She when to jail.
2. Tupac Shakur got a bad impact from his mama.
- Tupac Shakur sell drug to help out to pay the rent.
- Tupac Shakur look down to mama because she not a good mother.
3. Tupac Shakur finally understands and forgives his mama.
- Tupac Shakur realize that his mama do take care of the family.
- Even thought mama had done wrong but Tupac forgiven her.

Conclusion

Tupac and his mama finally understands each other better. It’s hard for Tupac to look up to his mother in the first place when she was a crack fiend and went to jail. Tupac started to sell drugs and joined the Black Panther living his life like a gangster. Tupac’s mother is a good single parent but she just went the wrong way and made the biggest mistake, that got Tupac thinking of her differently. No matter what Afeni Shakur does she’s still his mother.