Thursday, June 17, 2021

The Hate You Give: The Rose the Grew From the Concrete/The Two Talks at Twelve/Your voice is your weapon/essay

“The Rose That Grew From Concrete” by Tupac Shakur

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.


 
Literary Term Reminder – Metaphor

A metaphor is a direct comparison not using the words like or as.  e.g. Life is a highway.


Questions
1. What is the rose in Tupac’s poem a metaphor for? 

2. What does the concrete represent? 

3. Who are the “roses” in The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas? Give five examples of “roses” in The Hate U Give, and explain what extra challenges each face while trying to grow.



The Two Talks at Twelve
“When I was twelve, my parents had two talks with me.

One was the usual birds and bees. Well, I didn't really get the usual version. My mom, Lisa, is a registered nurse, and she told me what went where, and what didn't need to go here, there, or any damn where till I'm grown. Back then, I doubted anything was going anywhere anyway. While all the other girls sprouted breasts between sixth and seventh grade, my chest was as flat as my back.

The other talk was about what to do if a cop stopped me.

Momma fussed and told Daddy I was too young for that. He argued that I wasn't too young to get arrested or shot.

"Starr-Starr, you do whatever they tell you to do," he said. "Keep your hands visible. Don't make any sudden moves. Only speak when they speak to you."

I knew it must've been serious. Daddy has the biggest mouth of anybody I know, and if he said to be quiet, I needed to be quiet.

I hope somebody had the talk with Khalil.”

1. What have your parents taught you about the police?
2. Why did Maverick emphasise keeping hands visible?
3. In the film, they show Khalil being less cooperative with the police officer than in the novel.  Why do you think they did this? 

Your voice is your weapon
Once the results come out of the jury trial, and Officer Cruise is not indicted (i.e. does not get charged with a crime), Starr throws the police tear gas canister back from the crowd to the police.  You can find this section on pp.406-7.

1. "The bullhorn is as heavy as a gun" - what language technique is this?  What is suggested about the power of the bullhorn by this technique?
2. Explain in your own words the point Starr makes about criminals.
3. Starr pushes back against the police with more than her words in this scene.  What does she do?





Writing task: 
How does Starr becomes stronger throughout the novel?  Write an essay which traces the development of Starr as a young person finding her voice and standing up for herself.  











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