Thursday, October 25, 2007

 

Midterms Hurray!

Today is a day you have been anticipating with bated breath. Your assignment is to write a 3 (three) page essay on 1 (one) of the many essays questions I gave you earlier this week.

Please include an introductory paragraph where you tell your audience what you plan to talk about. State your thesis. Make sure that this sentence is clear, specific, and unified. Remember a good thesis is not a title, an absolute fact, an announcement or the entire essay (Writing with a Thesis handout). Please include a works cited section of your paper (see Diana Hacker's Rules for Writers).

Your primary source is Michael Eric Dyson's book, Holler If You Hear Me: Searching for Tupac. Use evidence from this book to support your claims. Use three citations, one per paragraph: 1 block quote, one paraphrase, and one other citation. I also want students to cite Tupac's work--his poetry or lyrics to a song. Minimally you will have 4 paragraphs with 4 citations, 1 per paragraph.

This essay is similar to the practices we did last week, the only difference is that you are writing the entire essay.

You will begin your essay here and finish it over the weekend. We will meet in the lab Monday, October 29 so that you can give me the essay, your essay planning sheet, and your outline, electronically along with all your chapter notes. These notes do not have to be typed.

Homework is to finish the essay. Bring your book on Afeni Shakur to class on Monday, October 29.



Sabir Essay Questions for Midterm 2007
Choose one

1. Was Tupac really the thug he personified himself to be or did he get stuck playing a character in the longest role of his short lived life?

2. Do you think Tupac was capable of truly loving a women knowing that at times, he found it difficult to love himself?

3. Was Tupac happy with the notoriety he received from his Hip-Hop career or do you think he would have rather gone through life unnoticed?

4. Do you think that Tupac’s reference to God in his music was a cry for help or salvation?

5. Do you think that Tupac over-exaggerated his misogynistic lyrics to mask the sensitivity that he actually had for women?

6. Talk about Tupac’s success after death. What does Dyson attribute this to?

7. Tupac grew up fatherless. And even though he had many role models—good and bad, his bitterness is evident in some of his songs. Do you think Tupac was able to fill this void in his life? How did he reconcile this, if at all?
8. Would you say that Tupac had lived the American dream? What is the American dream?

9. How does Tupac's mother influence his life as he was growing-up? How does she influence him about people of all races?

10. Why did you think Tupac was transformed into a different Tupac after he was arrested and sentenced to jail? How does that change his hip-hop career?

11. Who were some of the important adults in Tupac’s life that both boosted and helped him develop his hip-hop career?

12. Do you think Tupac has two-faces? If so, what are they?
13. Was Tupac a "real n***a", and if so why did he feel he was one of the realest in the rap game?

14. Did Tupac really feel he was true to being a "Thug" or was he putting on another act?

15. If Tupac were alive today would he be trying to make a change in hip-hop, and urban America or would he be following mainstream rap, and send disses to other rappers like everyone else?

16. Why did Tupac set himself up to be a scapegoat for black youth?

17. Why did Tupac feel he needed to pursue and continue the gangsta lifestyle/image?

Comments:
Ashley Dorsett
11/14/2007
Ms.Sabir Midterm
Tupac
Tupac was born on June 16th, 1971 in Brooklyn,NY he was an American Artist renowned for his rapping, misogynistic lyrics in Hip Hop Music, as well as movies. Shakur's work is known for advocating political, economic, racial, and social equality as well as his raw descriptions of violence, drug and alcohol abuse.
Sometimes yes i do think that Tupac over exaggerated his misogynistic lyrics to cover up the fact that he had deep love for women. He shows sensitivity in some songs and movies like Poetic Justice, with Janet Jackson, or songs like Brenda's Got A Baby, Keep Ya Head Up, and You Are Appreciated.
As he stated in Holler If You Hear Chap.6 p.175-176. That he did respect women but when he was in High School and he was “extra “ nice to a young lady that he liked but when he approached her she claimed he was to nice, and thats when he felt “stabbed “ in the back, and made his mind up that he wanted to be like a “BAD BOY” because that's what the ladies were looking for.
In paragraph (3) sentence (7) he admitted to being a “Scapegoat” for the ladies, luring them into him by telling them its not ok to let your man call you names and hit on. That showed much of his soft side and his love for women, but when he got in the booth “a troubled sexism seized his microphone and throbbed in hateful lyrics.”p.(177)
The reason why he was like this was because no man can let anther man see their sensitive side or that would make them a punk, pussy, anything but hard. If any man knew better they would cover up to because everyone wants to be in the Masculine Box.
I wouldn't say Tupac had to have Love for women but in a sense he did because he was always talking about the love he had for his mother and how he felt when some men would be punks to leave a women who is carrying their child.”Keep Ya Head”.
A good point that Dyson made was The clash between male supremacy and feminist resistance has necessarily strained gender relations, as men grapple to preserve their uncontested social authority. pg.(177). “B**** is a one-word thesaurus for male supremacy”pg.(178)
I feel that it wasn't really Tupac wanting to degrade women but it was the women letting him because that made him feel more secure about his manhood when they let him call them B****. It was away for the women to fell secure made making them fell that somebody did care.” We are proud to be called B**** is what they seem to say”pg.(178)
So to answer my second thoughts on this question no i dont think he was over exaggerated by his lyrics. Tupac was always around his mother and loved her dearly but when you hear from your mother “ I know im a B****. You can call me that. And if your a B****, you know you're a B****, and if your not then you not that too.”pg.(180). So to hear that from a mother it gives you right to say it to any women without caring.
A word that Dyson uses a lot in this chapter is Femiphobia-The fear and disdain of the female, expressed in the verbal abuse and protracted resentment of women. He says that Hip Hop culture has been particularly virulent in its feminphobic sentiments. pg.(181)
Some would also say that “Tupac's troubled, complex relationship with his mother decisively shaped his vision of women.” pg. (182) Karen Lee says that he was like this was the stoked experience on the road so much, which mirrored those of his rap peers. pg. (183)
Being that was all he was around were B**** and Hos how was he suppose to respect any “real” women that came around, he didnt know how. So that's when he gave us a definition. “If a women give up sex easily they're “hos” If they dont then they're “B****'es” pg. (186). In “I Get Around” he brags about how him and his mates celebrate their promiscuity and dalliances.
Tupac says “ After you get past your mad, angry F the world stage, you really get into your freaky I want to F the world stage, and thats where im at now” pg. (186). If you can remember we really did see him freak the stage when we was member of Digital Underground sexing blow up dolls on the stage.
Tupac's femiphobia was certainly of this Manichean variety, said Jada Pinket Smith. pg. (189), Tupac's view of women reflected the extremities of his existence. Dyson feels he reflected on what may be termed the emotional utility of intimate relationships.
One of Tupac's quotes was “ This is what I do believe about some relationships, even though they end bitter, it's like this person was suppose to just come be with you, do this and leave. Pg. (190)
Despite his harshest dimensions of his femiphobia views Tupac was capable of warm relations. He could charm anyone he was Moody and interesting. pg. (190)
On his song “ How Do You Want” he insults Delores Tucker a black women by calling her a mother F***er, and then he makes another song for her “Why They Call U” justification for calling women B****es”. pg. (198) she comes back and says “ I dont believe he meant one word of it”. Besides his revolutionary heritage and rap career, Tupac's insistence on his identification with the black community had a lot to do with the love he felt from his female member's.
Yes Tupac was a hiperict, and he didnt know what to expect from a women this what end up happening a male who is torn between to sides “Nice Guy” or “Bad Boy”. Women who were attracted to his sensitive side couldn't understand his thug side and women who were attracted to his thug side couldn't understand his sensitive side. I also do believe we as women make it hard for a man to really be a man,That was one of the biggest dilemmas that we deal with in society.
 
Ashley this is submitted in the wrong window. I have moved it.
 
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