Symbolism In The Rose That Grew From Concrete

Despite the simplicity of Tupac Shakur’s peom, “The Rose That Grew From Concrete,” it holds several symbolic pieces that contribute to a theme of perseverance over all else. The first symbol presented to us is probably also the one with the deepest meaning. The rose. A rose has heavy connotative layers on both the positive and negative ends of the spectrum. For instance, it is typically considered the most beautiful of flowers and is often used as a gift, just as Tupac is the most beautiful of his kind and provides his fans the gift of song. He grew to be greater than the rest when he stepped out of bounds to achieve better. Although, roses also bear thorns. Tupac’s thorns are his ability to protect himself. Growing up where he did and having …show more content…
However, if Tupac is the rose, that makes his neighborhood the cold, hard, dirty concrete that he grew from. Concrete holds the feeling of pain and permanence. When you fall on it, it hurts, and when you place it, it will not change or go anywhere without a great deal of force. The “ghetto” that Tupac lived in was rather stereotypical in the sense that there were gangs, drugs, and violence. Therefore, if you “fell” or did something that others were not happy with, it’s likely that they’d have a way to go about taking care of it, which may not be very pleasant. Plus, those who live in such a place are likely to spend their whole lives there if they’re not making an effort to leave. This is because it takes a great deal of force to change concrete. Additionally, you may also need an opportunity to escape such an environment. Tupac did in fact have an opportunity, presented to us as a crack in the concrete. A crack is small, jagged, and normally only weeds grow from …show more content…
This is conveyed in the jagged egdes of a crack, which would normally damage the rose that tried to grow from it. In this case, it shaped Tupac for the better. One might even say that any flower growing from such a place would be a defiance of nature’s laws. Even Tupac himself believes that, which is why he used the phrase “nature’s laws” to show how he broke free from all the stereotypes that his neighborhood had burdened him with. In nature, it is almost unheard of for something natural, like a rose, to grow from something industrial, such as concrete. Therefore, Tupac becoming who he did after having grown up in a place of gangs, drugs, and violence, would be such an incredible occurence that it goes against what anyone would have thought of. On the other hand, he couldn’t have broken the aforementioned “laws” without leaving. How does one leave? By using their feet. Feet are representative of support and are literal means of transportation. Tupac wrote of not having any “feet”, which was his way of explaining that he had no support. Family, money,