‘The Rose That Grew from the Concrete’ by American rapper Tupac Shakur is about reaching our goals in life despite the hardships and conflicts that we face on the way. The poem is highly inspirational and motivates the readers to focus and realize their dreams to make them come true.
The Rose That Grew from the Concrete: Summary
The poet begins the poem with a question of whether we have heard about the rose that has grown out from a crack in the concrete. Refuting the laws of nature, the rose has learned how to walk without having feet. Although it seems funny, by focusing and realizing his dreams, he finally learns to survive by breathing the fresh air around him. The lack of care and surrounding did not prove to bring hindrance to the rose’s growth. In the last lines, the poet expresses support by saying, ‘long life,’ and he claims that as the rose focused on keeping his dreams, it could live a long life.
The Rose That Grew from the Concrete: Figures of Speech
Symbolism: Symbols or symbolism is an artistic expression used in poetry to express mystical ideas, emotions, and states of mind. The poem, The Rose that Grew from the Concrete, is about a rose that grows from a crack in the concrete. Tupac uses concrete symbolism to symbolize the ghetto to which he belonged. The poem, therefore, represents the poet’s own life.
The Rose That Grew from the Concrete: Metaphor
Metaphor: A metaphor is a figure of speech in which a word or phrase is applied to an object that is not applicable. In this poem, the rose is the metaphor for the poet himself, who was able to come out of the ghetto and make something out of himself.
The Rose that Grew from the Concrete: Alliteration
Alliteration: Alliteration is the repetition of the same sounds or sounds at the beginning of words or stressed syllables. The examples of alliteration in the poem are as follows;
1. Crack in the concrete
2. Long live
The Rose that Grew from the Concrete Personification
Personification: Personification is a figure of speech where abstract ideas are represented in human form. Examples from the poem are ‘walk,’ ‘dreams,’ and ‘breath.
This post was edited and updated on 8th April 2023, by Anjali Roongta.
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