Tupac Poetry Analysis
ABSTRACT
Tupac Shakur, rap artist, actor and poet,
was one of the best-selling music artistes ever, selling over 75 million
records worldwide. Rolling Stone magazine rated him 86th out the top 100 Greatest Artists of All Time.
He was nominated twice in his career; in 1995 for best actor in Poetic Justice
and in 2004 for best song – Resurrection.
He was born Lesane Parish Crooks June 16th 1996, the son of Afeni Shakur, in East
Harlem, New York City. Both his mother and his father, Billy Garland, were
members of the Black Panther Party – a revolutionary party associated with the
Black Power civil rights movement in the 1960s and 70s. Shortly before Tupac’s
birth his mother had been acquitted of charges of ‘Conspiracy against the US
government.’ From early childhood he was surrounded by people, including
members of his family, who were involved in and convicted of serious criminal
offences including murder. It is not surprising that his music would reflect
his reputation as a leading figure in gangster hip-hop and would allude to
violence and cop killing.
Through
his poetry he raised the issues of black oppression, white supremacy, police
brutality while maintaining a stereotypical view of women. It is why this essay
will use a critical race theory with a gender perspective to examine 1 poem by
Shakur, “Can U See the Pride in The Panther”, The essay analyses the way this
poem carry political currency in the service of African-American culture.
Theory
African
American literary theory involves and explores the significance of the African
American experience. From racism, slavery, equality, and African culture. When
one reads any type of literature from, novels, poetry, short stories etc. one
must approach the writing in a manner that involves the African American mind
or experience. When critiquing a text, one must keep in mind the African
American culture, racism towards them, the fact that they were thought of as
"less than" OR "the other" and many other factors that
involve the criticism of a text.
Key Concept of
America-Africa Criticism
1. Racialism: Belief in racial superiority
2. Racism: Sociopolitical domination
3. Institutionalized Racism: Racist policies and
practices in institutions
4. American Literary Canon: Eurocentric
definition of universalism
Analysis
“Can
U See the Pride in The Panther”
Can U C the pride in the
pantha
as he glows in splendor
and grace
Toppling OBSTACLES placed
in the way
of the progression of his
race
Can U C the pride in the
Pantha
as she nurtures her young
all alone
The seed must grow
regardless
of the fact that it's
planted in stone
Can’t U C the Pride in
the panthas
as they unify as one
The flower blooms with
brilliance
and outshines the ray of
the Sun
By: Tupac Amaru Shakur
This poem focuses on the
African-Americans as united and as individuals. The poem alludes to hope,
growth and progress in a world filled with oppression. The reader is taken on a
journey through the good and bad circumstances where Shakur defines the
African-American individual as strong in a world bent on curtailing their
strength. More specifically, the poem touches on the subjects of oppression and
gender.
In the first stanza,
Shakur’s focuses on African-American male. He is asking readers to see the
“pantha”, a reference to the black panther animal which is considered to be strong,
fast and powerful. Shakur uses the words “splendor” and “grace” to describe how
the African-American man is going against all obstacles they are faced within a
society where they are considered to be the biggest target. The words that are
used can be considered regal, Shakur puts the African-American man in a
majestic category. Even when things are not beneficial for the African-American
male, they still glow in a society that wants to dim their shine. Shakur
illustrates a society that goes against its liberal views and equality by
putting the minority at a loss against the system (Solorzano 22-23).
The second stanza puts
the focus on African-American women, especially mothers. He also uses the word
“pantha” to describe women to signify their strength in society. They stay
strong and raise children in a society filled with adversity. Shakur defines a nurturing
woman as strong and powerful. Raising a child regardless of any situation they
are put in is a sign of courage and strength. Here Shakur has used hooks theory
about shifting “the focus of attention away from sexuality”, by emphasizing the
woman’s “commitment to motherhood” (70). This shows that Shakur maintains a
stereotypical view of women. The man is put on a higher rank whereas the woman
is only seen as a mother or a housewife, therefore, Shakur shows no gender
neutrality.
In the last stanza,
Shakur unifies African-American women and men. He showcases the rage of
African-Americans with dealing with oppression, declining opportunities because
of the color of their skin, the streets, and how they survive everyday life with
racism constantly on their side (McCann 409). They beat the odds and make
changes for themselves without any help from others. This change amongst
themselves is causing growth in their communities which eventually overpowers
the negative energy from the outside. Now they outshine “the ray of the Sun”
and together they will overcome the negativity and adversity. Additionally, the
word “panther” which references to the animal can also be connected to the
Black Panther party.
The panther is a symbol
of black pride. Both his mother and stepfather were very much involved in that
group, and Shakur shares the same Black Nationalist views (Stanford 6). This
could imply that Shakur is referring to Black Nationalist uniting. This poem
confirms Shakur’s Black Nationalist ideas thus showcasing the political aspect
of his writing. This poem is more structured and has a clear rhyme scheme. It
has three stanzas each ending with an end rhyme.
Shakur uses the same
technique that was used in “Liberty Needs Glasses” by capitalizing certain words
and metaphors but also using contrasts to highlight adversity and hope. The
poet uses contrasts such as “Toppling OBSTACLES” and “all alone” with
“progression” and “brilliance”. Note how the word “obstacles” is capitalized because
he is emphasizing the adversities African-American face in a society that is bent
on curtailing them as human beings. The poem contains no enjambments and the
lines therefore spills into the next one like a free flow. However, since the
poem contains stanzas, a reader does paus in between which can strengthen the
use of contrasts. The alliteration conveys a sense of hope through Shakur’s use
of positive words such as “pride”, “nurtures” and “grace”. His poetic technique
strengthens the theme of the poem and it shows a softer side of the poet. The
angry distinction is not shown, instead it is a poem that speaks of the
adversities and triumphs in African-American culture.
“Can U See the Pride in
The Panther” focuses on African-American men and women in society. Even though
they might struggle, Shakur highlights their strength in how they always
overcome difficult situations. This poem has a tone of empowerment; it gives a clear
message of not giving up when faced with adversities. However, this poem still maintains
a stereotypical view of women. The messages these poems are trying to convey
can be considered contradicting. Shakur highlights important issues and
empowers his people to come together as one in order to escape adversity, but
simultaneously degrades women and puts them into one category which, according to
hooks, is discriminatory. Shakur alludes to hope through the frustration
African-Americans can carry.
Conclusion
The aim of this essay was
to showcase that Shakur’s poems’ carry political currency in the service of
African-American culture. It also focused on the poems’ treatment of gender, in
addition to black oppression. As this essay has shown, Shakur’s poetry can
still be read as a political tool because of its relevancy for present issues. With
“Can U See the Pride in The Panther”, the poet illustrates a society that goes
against its liberal views and equality by putting the minority at a loss
against the system. He also 22 demonstrates a strong commitment to social
injustice and racism.
From a critical
standpoint, one might wonder why Shakur’s poetry was chosen for this analysis
instead of his musical lyrics because he was not known for his poetry. Music
does have a bigger outreach than poetry, but the point of the essay was to
highlight Shakur’s versatileness by stepping away from his lyrical gift and
focusing on the other side of him that is usually overlooked. It shows that
important socio-economic issues can be highlighted in other ways. Thus, it
would be of interest to suggest a comparative analysis on the difference
between his musical lyrics and poetry for further research on this topic. The
interest would lie in illustrating how the socio-economic issues are
highlighted through different platforms. More specifically, is the message and
language similar in Shakur’s rap songs and poetry or do they differ.
Reference
List
Edwards, Walters. “From
Poetry to Rap: The Lyrics of Tupac Shakur”.
Keeling, Kara. ““A
Homegrown Revolutionary?”: Tupac Shakur and the Legacy of the Black Panther
Party. http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/pdf/10.1080/00064246.1999.11430964?needAccess=true
McCann J. Bryan. “Affect,
Black Rage, and False Alternatives in the Hip-Hop Nation”. http://journals.sagepub.com.till.biblextern.sh.se/doi/pdf/10.1177/1532708613496392
Solorzano G., Daniel.
“Critical Race Theory, Race and Gender microaggressions, and the Experience of
Chicana and Chicano Scholars”. http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/pdf/10.1080/095183998236926?needAccess=true
Stanford L. Karin.
“Keepin’ It Real in Hip Hop Politics: A Political Perspective of Tupac Shakur”.
http://www.jstor.org.till.biblextern.sh.se/stable/pdf/25780789.pdf
“2Pac – 1994 Interview”
Youtube
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