Reading, Writing, Teaching, and Living Tools for Impassioned People
"Changes" by Tupac Shakur vs. "The Way It Is" by Bruce Hornsby
Gangsta rap in public schools? Say WHAT?
That rhetorical question does not refer to Bruce Hornsby (despite some strange assumptions), but to Tupac Shakur, AKA 2Pac, AKA Lesane Parish Crooks. Some of you may not know about Tupac's amazingly beautiful lyrical poetry, such as this:
The Rose That Grew From Concrete
Did you hear about the rose that grew
from a crack in the concrete?
Proving nature's law is wrong it
learned to walk with out having feet.
Funny it seems, but by keeping its dreams,
it learned to breathe fresh air.
Long live the rose that grew from concrete
when no one else ever cared.
Clearly, Tupac Shakur was an emotional, talented soul who was taken from the world far too soon. Luckily for us, though, Tupac's words live on through his writing and his music, and they are very relatable to the world we live in today.
In this lesson, students are asked to explore the differences between two songs that sound similar, but have very different contexts. Not only does this lesson teach students reading comprehension, but also history, perspective, and inference.
1. Play "The Way It Is" by Bruce Hornsby. Produced in 1986, this song focuses on civil rights, but it leaves out some issues of race and focuses more on poverty. I usually begin by showing the original music video and asking students what they think of Hornsby's hair style (not at all relevant to ELA, but it will inevitably be the first thing your students notice). Encourage them to pay attention to the tone and mood of the song and the music video. Then you can ask students to analyze the song lyrics and try to come up with a general theme for the song.
2. After you feel your students have established a general understanding of the song and Hornsby's intent, switch gears and begin discussing 2Pac. In my experience, students were simultaneously interested and confused as to why their English teacher was teaching them about a hip hop artist known for his questionable drive-by assassination. Part of the point of this lesson is to get students to listen to people before making snap judgments. Whoda thunk someone with the amount of street cred 2Pac had was actually a poet? This idea probably blows some students' previous perceptions completely out of the water! I spend some time discussing 2Pac's background and his experiences on the streets before we delve into this song.
3. Show students this video and the accompanying lyrics. Note: this song contains some explicit language and references to drugs and suicide. Another note: this video is really cool. It always makes me cry because I think of 2Pac as a lyrical genius with a prophetic message. Ask students to analyze this song in the same way as they did with "The Way It Is", then compare and contrast.
4. Read, Write, and Talk. It's up to you how you finally have them express their learning. In the past, I have opened it up for discussion, I have provided them a handout, and I have had them write analyses. I assess their abilities to compare both texts using specific quotes to back up their claims.
I've provided a graphic organizer I have used below.
HAVE FUN! GOOD LUCK! :)