1. Look up the definition for "Gospel" -- how does the meaning relate to the theme for "Ghetto Gospel"?
A gospel describes the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus and records his teachings. [1] In “Ghetto Gospel” Tupac is describing the social discrimination against people in the ghetto. How they still living in slavery. Tupac is trying to spread the message about social injustices! I like the part where Tupac talks about the old lady living out of garbage bags but she’s till happy with the few things she has. This song can really teach us to appreciate the things we have in our life.
2. Poetry uses few words to create images. Discuss how the images evoked by the writing differ from the images represented in the corresponding Ghetto Gospel video.
While I was reading the lyrics of “Ghetto Gospel” the images that I perceived were totally different from the scenes of the video. Reading the lyrics we create the picture of a man that’s struggling with the injustices (drugs, discrimination, sex and alcohol) in the Ghetto. I never thought of someone dying while reading the lyrics. This is how the video differs from the writing. There are also similarities between the writing and the video how the young fight back to keep themselves away from trouble, Tupac message is that living in the ghetto is not easy.
3. What do you think "We out of the projects/ Jumped into another form of slavery" means?
Tupac was telling us that slavery still exists; this sentence reflectes the cruel injustices that they encountered in the ghetto. They jumped into another form of slavery which we can relate to drug abuse, violence, alcohol, family mistreatment etc. People in the ghetto couldn’t escape from these injustices. That’s why Tupac relates these injustices to slavery.
4. Has the approach to death (funerals, one's demise) changed from Hughes' to Tupac's description of the event? If you had to choose one emotion to characterize each poem what would it be?
Hughes and Tupac they both speak about death. In the event of my demise, Tupac states that he wants to die for something that he believes in just like Malcolm x or Martin Luther King they die for something they believe in (equal rights), in this case I believe Tupac was talking about the discrimination against people of color. Hughes’ poem (The night in Funeral Harlem) is about death and love. It show us how a simply tear can mean a lot in showing your sympathy in a funeral. “It was all their tears that made that poor boy's Funeral grand”. I don’t think the approach to death changed from Hughes’ to Tupac description of the event. When it comes the night of your death you are going to be remembered for the good things you did while you were alive. The emotion I would use to characterize Hughes’ is lovingness and sorrow and for Tupac melancholy and depression.
5. Do some research on Blues music -- what musical/ thematic elements of Blues do you see in Hughes's poem?
While doing some research on Blues music the musical/thematic elements that I see in Hughes’s poem is the state of melancholy and despair Hughes use. “Ain't got nobody in all this world,20 Ain't got nobody but ma self”. The poem has a slow beat, an element of blues music.
[1] "gospel." The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition. Houghton Mifflin Company, 2004. Answers.com 15 Oct. 2007
Tupac Shakur
In the Event of My Demise
In the event of my Demise
when my heart can beat no more
I Hope I Die
For A Principleor A
Belief that I had Lived 4
I will die Before My Time
Because I feel the shadow's Depth
so much I wanted 2 accomplish
before I reached my Death
I have come 2 grips
with the possibility
and wiped the last tear from my eyes
I Loved All who were Positive
In the event of my Demise
Langston Hughes Poetry
"Night Funeral in Harlem "
Night funeral
In Harlem:
Where did they get
Them two fine cars?
Insurance man, he did not pay--
His insurance lapsed the other day--
Yet they got a satin box
for his head to lay.
Night funeral
In Harlem:
Who was it sent
That wreath of flowers?
Them flowers came
from that poor boy's friends--
They'll want flowers, too,
When they meet their ends.
Night funeral
in Harlem:
Who preached that
Black boy to his grave?
Old preacher man
Preached that boy away--
Charged Five Dollars
His girl friend had to pay.
Night funeral
In Harlem:
When it was all over
And the lid shut on his head
and the organ had done played
and the last prayers been said
and six pallbearers
Carried him out for dead
And off down Lenox Avenue
That long black hearse done sped,
The street light
At his corner
Shined just like a tear--
That boy that they was mournin'
Was so dear, so dear
To them folks that brought the flowers,
To that girl who paid the preacher man--
It was all their tears that made
That poor boy's
Funeral grand.
Night funeral
In Harlem.
Tupac: Ghetto Gospel Lyrics
Ghetto Gospel:
If I could recollect before my hood dayz
I would sit in bliss and reminis on the good dayz.
I stop and stare at the younger, my heart goes to'em
They stressed and goin under.
We never really went through that Cause we was born
Today things change, it's a shame
They blame it on the youth cause the truth look strange
For them it;s worse, we come from a world that;s cursed
And it hurts.
Cause any day they;ll push the button.
And y;all condemned like malcom x and uncle bob
They died for nothin.
Make the people teary, the world looks dreary
But when you wipe your eyes you see it clearly.
There's no need for you to fear me.
If you take the time to hear me, maybe you can learn to cheer me.
It ain't about black or white, both doin I hope you see the light before it's ruined
My ghetto gospel
It's ok, it's ok, it's ok
My ghetto gospel
Tell me do you see that old lady she ain't sad
Living out a bag, in rags, loving the things she has
Over there see that lady, the cracks got her crazy.
And she's gonna give birth to a baby?
I shouldnt let it phase me.
We out of the projects
Jumped into another form of slavery.
And even now I get discouraged.
I wonder if its tooken all back will I still keep the courage.
I refuse to be a role model.
I keep control on the hoes and take out my old bottle.
I make mistakes, I learn from everyone.
And when its said and done, ill be called a better one.
If I strecth you dont stretch.
Never forget, god is gonna finish with me yet.
I feel his hands on my brain.
When I write ryhmes, i go blind, and let the lord do this thing. But am I any less holy, I
choose to puff a blunt and drink a beer with my homies
And then world peace, we tried and failed
Now there's war in the streets
My ghetto gospel
I remember grandmas hands use to hold me
Mold me, I never forget the things she told me
Brothas a butt, and played the big shot
But you know grannys are the only other thing lil ghetto kids got.
Mom's work, and pop's burried.
Drop me off at granny's, left without a heart cause she's worried
And ghetto grannys are like books.
We got some many crooks, so many granny's gettin shook.
And gettin trapped in a nursing home.
Times is hard, and even worse alone
And how could you be so cold,
Youll get your turn, as soon as you turn old.
All they ask of every person,
Is for a brotha to figure whats on his mind when he's cursin.
9 out of 10 youll find them problems.
Time to take listen and see what you can do to solve them. Cause every body needs a little help
On the way of relying on ones self.
And think about it, why 2pac hit you with a little ghetto gospel My ghetto gospel
I wake up stone cold gangsta main
See ya gave me ghetto gospel, i thank you main
Use to roll in the back and do drugs a lot.
Now im bangin the tracks, slangin ryhmes I got.
In this world of greed tryin to succeed on my beliefs.
Now I lay me down to sleep, lord can you hear me speak.
Can you forgive me for my sins
If I had it all to do again, id still play to win I hope the lord can understand me.
A mans gotta do what he can for his family.
And pay the price of being hellbound.
But i ratha see hell later than see hell now.
And the devil aint got nothin on the president.
Cut back and keep us trapped in our residence.
And be like animals in cages.
We can rant and rave about slavery for ages.
Or we can stop makin awful
And hitem with a lil ghetto gospel My ghetto gospel.
If I could recollect before my hood dayz
I would sit in bliss and reminis on the good dayz.
I stop and stare at the younger, my heart goes to'em
They stressed and goin under.
We never really went through that Cause we was born
Today things change, it's a shame
They blame it on the youth cause the truth look strange
For them it;s worse, we come from a world that;s cursed
And it hurts.
Cause any day they;ll push the button.
And y;all condemned like malcom x and uncle bob
They died for nothin.
Make the people teary, the world looks dreary
But when you wipe your eyes you see it clearly.
There's no need for you to fear me.
If you take the time to hear me, maybe you can learn to cheer me.
It ain't about black or white, both doin I hope you see the light before it's ruined
My ghetto gospel
It's ok, it's ok, it's ok
My ghetto gospel
Tell me do you see that old lady she ain't sad
Living out a bag, in rags, loving the things she has
Over there see that lady, the cracks got her crazy.
And she's gonna give birth to a baby?
I shouldnt let it phase me.
We out of the projects
Jumped into another form of slavery.
And even now I get discouraged.
I wonder if its tooken all back will I still keep the courage.
I refuse to be a role model.
I keep control on the hoes and take out my old bottle.
I make mistakes, I learn from everyone.
And when its said and done, ill be called a better one.
If I strecth you dont stretch.
Never forget, god is gonna finish with me yet.
I feel his hands on my brain.
When I write ryhmes, i go blind, and let the lord do this thing. But am I any less holy, I
choose to puff a blunt and drink a beer with my homies
And then world peace, we tried and failed
Now there's war in the streets
My ghetto gospel
I remember grandmas hands use to hold me
Mold me, I never forget the things she told me
Brothas a butt, and played the big shot
But you know grannys are the only other thing lil ghetto kids got.
Mom's work, and pop's burried.
Drop me off at granny's, left without a heart cause she's worried
And ghetto grannys are like books.
We got some many crooks, so many granny's gettin shook.
And gettin trapped in a nursing home.
Times is hard, and even worse alone
And how could you be so cold,
Youll get your turn, as soon as you turn old.
All they ask of every person,
Is for a brotha to figure whats on his mind when he's cursin.
9 out of 10 youll find them problems.
Time to take listen and see what you can do to solve them. Cause every body needs a little help
On the way of relying on ones self.
And think about it, why 2pac hit you with a little ghetto gospel My ghetto gospel
I wake up stone cold gangsta main
See ya gave me ghetto gospel, i thank you main
Use to roll in the back and do drugs a lot.
Now im bangin the tracks, slangin ryhmes I got.
In this world of greed tryin to succeed on my beliefs.
Now I lay me down to sleep, lord can you hear me speak.
Can you forgive me for my sins
If I had it all to do again, id still play to win I hope the lord can understand me.
A mans gotta do what he can for his family.
And pay the price of being hellbound.
But i ratha see hell later than see hell now.
And the devil aint got nothin on the president.
Cut back and keep us trapped in our residence.
And be like animals in cages.
We can rant and rave about slavery for ages.
Or we can stop makin awful
And hitem with a lil ghetto gospel My ghetto gospel.
Hughes "Weary Blues"
Weary Blues
1 Droning a drowsy syncopated tune,
2 Rocking back and forth to a mellow croon,
3 I heard a Negro play.
4 Down on Lenox Avenue the other night
5 By the pale dull pallor of an old gas light
6 He did a lazy sway ....
7 He did a lazy sway ....
8 To the tune o' those Weary Blues.
9 With his ebony hands on each ivory key
10 He made that poor piano moan with melody.
11 O Blues!
12 Swaying to and fro on his rickety stool
13 He played that sad raggy tune like a musical fool.
14 Sweet Blues!
15 Coming from a black man's soul.
16 O Blues!
17 In a deep song voice with a melancholy tone
18 I heard that Negro sing, that old piano moan--
19 "Ain't got nobody in all this world,
20 Ain't got nobody but ma self.
21 I's gwine to quit ma frownin'
22 And put ma troubles on the shelf."
23 Thump, thump, thump, went his foot on the floor.
24 He played a few chords then he sang some more--
25 "I got the Weary Blues
26 And I can't be satisfied.
27 Got the Weary Blues
28 And can't be satisfied--
29 I ain't happy no mo'
30 And I wish that I had died."
31 And far into the night he crooned that tune.
32 The stars went out and so did the moon.
33 The singer stopped playing and went to bed
34 While the Weary Blues echoed through his head.
35 He slept like a rock or a man that's dead.
1 Droning a drowsy syncopated tune,
2 Rocking back and forth to a mellow croon,
3 I heard a Negro play.
4 Down on Lenox Avenue the other night
5 By the pale dull pallor of an old gas light
6 He did a lazy sway ....
7 He did a lazy sway ....
8 To the tune o' those Weary Blues.
9 With his ebony hands on each ivory key
10 He made that poor piano moan with melody.
11 O Blues!
12 Swaying to and fro on his rickety stool
13 He played that sad raggy tune like a musical fool.
14 Sweet Blues!
15 Coming from a black man's soul.
16 O Blues!
17 In a deep song voice with a melancholy tone
18 I heard that Negro sing, that old piano moan--
19 "Ain't got nobody in all this world,
20 Ain't got nobody but ma self.
21 I's gwine to quit ma frownin'
22 And put ma troubles on the shelf."
23 Thump, thump, thump, went his foot on the floor.
24 He played a few chords then he sang some more--
25 "I got the Weary Blues
26 And I can't be satisfied.
27 Got the Weary Blues
28 And can't be satisfied--
29 I ain't happy no mo'
30 And I wish that I had died."
31 And far into the night he crooned that tune.
32 The stars went out and so did the moon.
33 The singer stopped playing and went to bed
34 While the Weary Blues echoed through his head.
35 He slept like a rock or a man that's dead.
Sunday, October 14, 2007
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2 comments:
Hi Luisa,
I agree with you the slavery still exists just in different ways. It is not just the color issue that simple in his poem. It is the side affect of racism after so long period of time. Color people get treat more respect if compare to 1900's. But look at the reality the important decision maker are still mostly white. Just ask how many congress men are black or Asian. People in the ghetto did not get as much education as others. Some of them lose in life because of drug abuse, violence,
and alcohol, etc. They became slave of drug and alcohol because of addiction.
Hi Sierra,
It is true that slavery exists in a different form ( painted sepulcher), and it has/ will continue to eat deeply into the fabric of our great system, except our state of mind is neutralized, where we will begin to see our fellow humans as just humans, irrespective of race. “Tupac was telling us that slavery still exists; this sentence reflectes the cruel injustices that they encountered in the ghetto. They jumped into another form of slavery which we can relate to drug abuse, violence, alcohol, family mistreatment etc. People in the ghetto couldn’t escape from these injustices. That’s why Tupac relates these injustices to slavery”. However, living in the ghetto does not mean that life stops there. Most people in the ghetto, has just made up their mind not to gain education so as to move up the ladder. Rather, they decide to indulge in drug abuse, violence, family mistreatment etc. Tupac and Hughes are some of the many who were setting the message straight.
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