A Day In The Life...Hopefully Not

The definition from the dictionary that i thought made the most sense, without having anything to do with religion, was: "something regarded as true and implicityly believed". When I think of the word gospel, the natural connection is God or Religion. Tupac's "Ghetto Gospel" was more of an analysis of what was going on in the inner city. The connection between the Gospel associated with Religion/God and Tupac's Ghetto is that the are both "regarded as true and implicty believed". If you're in a believer of a certain faith, your job is to believe. If you're from the Ghetto, your job isn't to believe, because you don't have to. The words that Pac spoke are true. You can't escape what is real, and that's how believers of a certain faith live...The video begins with death. It's nothing but despair and loss from the jump. As the video continues, you watch a man conflicted with the life he leads. Most hustlers live that life everyday; hoping that the video's ending isn't their own fate. The video was very refreshing to see; people seem to think that all drug dealers do all day is drink, smoke blunts, roll dice, "make it rain" in strip clubs, and have loads of money. I'm not advocating that lifestyle, but coming from someone familiar with people who have engaged in that life, I'll be the first to admit that Tupac's version of "A day in the life" is more accurate than what you may here in today's rapper lyrics or see in their video.The poem, on the other hand, allows you to follow a man looking over his life and surroundings. Nobody is immune to a life of trouble and hurt. The line that sticks out most for me is "mans gotta do what he can for his family". It's almost a prequel to the video, but the video shows you the reality of choosing to hustle as an interpretaion of that line...The line of " jumping into another form of slavery" makes me think of the mental slavery that people trap themselves into. Whether it be being a slave to a person, money, drugs, work, or anything that can stop you from thinking outside of the box or striving for things people may think is out of your reach. The trappings of life can seem to be inescapable. People allow themselves to be sold short because of a standard that has been set or because it's easier to just follow, not realizing that standards are redifined everyday...If I had to describe the emotion surrounding Tupac's poem, I'd say prepared. It seemed as though he knew what was ahead and wasn't extremely afraid of it. He seemed ready for his eventual fate. Lines like "I have come 2 grips" almost scream readiness and acceptance. In Hughes' poem, I feel curiosity was the main emotion crowding the poem. It was almost like sitting in your den listening to your grandmother and her friends commentary on what they were seeing. The voice in my head as I read it was that of an older women. His constant questioning everything he sees, makes the poem take on a gossip-style of writting...The Blues has always been related to hurt and pain. With lines like "he made that poor piano moan", the personification used is that of a broken, used, and hurt person. The poem is exactly what you might've seen down in New Orleans or Mississippi back in the 30's on the chitlin circuit. It's just a man and his misery over some guitar chords in a smoke-filled room with whiskey and hooch being poured into half-dirty jars. The dirt floors and that weak light flickering, just add to the mood that is given from the man wailing about his troubles. The poem capture just a peek into the "Weary Blues".