Analysis Of The Rose That Grew From Concrete

“The Rose that Grew from Concrete,” is written by Tupac Amaru Shakur. The poem is short, and is an autobiographical dramatic monologue in which the speaker addresses aspects of the poet’s life. The idea that the poem is a dramatic monologue is demonstrated by the one sided question the speaker asks the reader: “Did you hear about the rose that grew from a crack in the concrete?” The poem is dramatic as it is spoken in a moment of deep emotion, as the speaker passionately discusses the subject, illustrated by the speaker’s praise for the irony of the rose’s independent growth.

The speaker reflects on the experience of someone who refused to conform to the social expectations of their environment, as the rose defied “nature’s law.” The speaker describes the life of someone subject to “concrete” barriers that prevent them from growing and achieving dreams. However, the speaker also reflects on how this person pursues their dreams and ironically attains success alone despite hardships like lack of support. Accordingly, the speaker is inspired by the subject of their discussion.

In terms of structure, the poem’s only stanza is an octave, divided into four sentences, each two verses long. The lines are full sentences and diction is ordinary, with no colloquialisms or foreign terms. The stanza conveys the idea that …show more content…
Tupac referred to himself as a “self-made millionaire” as he grew up impoverished in East Harlem, an area perceived as “ghetto.” In the poem, the conflicting setting prevented the rose’s growth but didn’t hinder the rose’s commitment to its goals, which was the stronger force that led to the rose’s entry to a path to success, which was the concrete’s crack. This models the poet’s life as he was surrounded by the idea that no one successful can come from the circumstances he was born into, yet he defied “nature’s law” and independently made something of