9 Elements of Poetry

"Dear Mama"

You are appreciated

[Verse One: 2Pac]

When I was young me and my mama had beef
Seventeen years old kicked out on the streets
Though back at the time, I never thought I'd see her face
Ain't a woman alive that could take my mama's place
Suspended from school; and scared to go home, I was a fool
with the big boys, breakin all the rules
I shed tears with my baby sister
Over the years we was poorer than the other little kids
And even though we had different daddy's, the same drama
When things went wrong we'd blame mama
I reminice on the stress I caused, it was hell
Huggin on my mama from a jail cell
And who'd think in elementary?
Heeey! I see the penitentiary, one day
And runnin from the police, that's right
Mama catch me, put a whoopin to my backside
And even as a crack fiend, mama
You always was a black queen, mama
I finally understand
for a woman it ain't easy tryin to raise a man
You always was committed
A poor single mother on welfare, tell me how ya did it
There's no way I can pay you back
But the plan is to show you that I understand
You are appreciated

[Chorus: Reggie Green & "Sweet Franklin" w/ 2Pac]

Lady...
Don't cha know we love ya? Sweet lady
Dear mama
Place no one above ya, sweet lady
You are appreciated
Don't cha know we love ya?

[second and third chorus, "And dear mama" instead of "Dear mama"]

[Verse Two: 2Pac]

Now ain't nobody tell us it was fair
No love from my daddy cause the coward wasn't there
He passed away and I didn't cry, cause my anger
wouldn't let me feel for a stranger
They say I'm wrong and I'm heartless, but all along
I was lookin for a father he was gone
I hung around with the Thugs, and even though they sold drugs
They showed a young brother love
I moved out and started really hangin
I needed money of my own so I started slangin
I ain't guilty cause, even though I sell rocks
It feels good puttin money in your mailbox
I love payin rent when the rent's due
I hope ya got the diamond necklace that I sent to you
Cause when I was low you was there for me
And never left me alone because you cared for me
And I could see you comin home after work late
You're in the kitchen tryin to fix us a hot plate
Ya just workin with the scraps you was given
And mama made miracles every Thanksgivin
But now the road got rough, you're alone
You're tryin to raise two bad kids on your own
And there's no way I can pay you back
But my plan is to show you that I understand
You are appreciated

[Chorus]

[Verse Three: 2Pac]

Pour out some liquor and I reminsce, cause through the drama
I can always depend on my mama
And when it seems that I'm hopeless
You say the words that can get me back in focus
When I was sick as a little kid
To keep me happy there's no limit to the things you did
And all my childhood memories
Are full of all the sweet things you did for me
And even though I act craaazy
I gotta thank the Lord that you made me
There are no words that can express how I feel
You never kept a secret, always stayed real
And I appreciate, how you raised me
And all the extra love that you gave me
I wish I could take the pain away
If you can make it through the night there's a brighter day
Everything will be alright if ya hold on
It's a struggle everyday, gotta roll on
And there's no way I can pay you back
But my plan is to show you that I understand
You are appreciated

[Chorus]

Sweet lady
And dear mama

Dear mama
Lady [3X]

The poem I chose was  "Dear Mama" by Tupac Shakur.  It showed people a completely different side of Tupac and it shows how much he appreciates his mother and I was able to connect with that.

• The first element from the poem is dramatic situation.  The speaker of the poem is the rapper 2pac and from the poem we can tell he is a sad guy who often is upset.  We can tell from his circumstances that the people around him don't care enough about him to help him with his depression.       The structure of the poem is it is 3  stanzas and has 4 last little lines by themselves. All the lines in the poem relate to the fact that he is appreciative of everything his mother has done for him and his sister growing up, but he has not always expressed this. Each line is a complete thought that continues off of the last one.  There is only repetition in the lines with "you are appreciated" in them and the poem has a rhyming scheme to it. 

·                     The theme of the poem is that no matter what is going on in your life, you always need to appreciate those who have stood by you and who love you most.  Most people do have as sensitive side to them.  Tupac was supposed to be this bad guy who is tough and doesn't let anything get to him, but at the end of the day his mother is his soft spot. When really it really comes down to it, he puts his mom above everything.   The theme is to make sure you appreciate you loved ones because you never know when they’ll be gone forever.  . 

·                     The grammar the author uses is proper but the lines are fragments.  The author doesn't continue off of these fragments so his thoughts are complete to the audience.  There is a lot of meaning to his words that go beyond the literal meanings of the words. 

·                     I think that this poem does have a lot of literal and figurative language.  When he repeats “There’s no way I can pay you back, but the plan is to show you that I understand, you are appreciated" he is literally meaning that there is no way that he can repay his mother for everything she has put up with and done for him, but at the end of the day all he wants is to let his mom know that he appreciates her.   The figurative language he uses is like, "You always was a black queen, mama," by that he is talking about his mother and how she is a queen in his eyes.

·                      The important words of the poem are, "Dear mama", "You are appreciated", and "Place no one above ya, sweet lady." These are the most important words because the author is letting us know that he does in fact appreciate his mama more than anything in the world.   If he did have a friend that cared then he would spill his emotions to that person, but since he doesn't he has to hide those feelings.

·                     The tone of this poem is optimistic and appreciative.  He wants the audience to know that through everything, he remains appreciative and tries to live his life taking nothing fore granted. 

·                     There are some literary techniques like metaphors and a hyperbole.  His metaphors compare his mother to a black queen.  He says that his anger wouldn’t let him feel for a stranger (his father).   He exaggerates the fact that his past experiences and his mother takes form and is with him all the time. 

·                     The procedure of the poem is there is a distinct flow to it, that is easy for the reader to comprehend what his message his.  There is also a rhythm to it and that also helps to the reader.  The rhyme is every two lines are grouped together throughout.