Well, son, I’ll tell you:
Life for me ain’t been no crystal stair.
It’s had tacks in it,
And splinters,
And boards torn up,
And places with no carpet on the floor —
Bare.
But all the time
I’se been a-climbin’ on,
And reachin’ landin’s,
And turnin’ corners,
Where there ain’t been no light.
So boy, don’t you turn back.
Don’t you set down on the steps
‘Cause you finds it’s kinder hard.
Don’t you fall now —
For I’se still goin’, honey,
I’se still climbin’,
And life for me ain’t been no crystal stair.

Did you hear about the rose that grew
from a crack in the concrete?
Proving nature’s laws wrong it
learned to walk without 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.

1. How does Langston Hughes’s use of language and free verse (doesn’t rhyme) contribute to the author’s purpose?

2. What does the phrase “the rose that grew from concrete” mean figuratively as used in Tupac Shakur’s poem?

3.In your opinion, do all Americans have equal access to the American Dream? What are some of the factors that could make it easier or harder to achieve happiness in America? Why do you think Harlem Renaissance writers like Langston Hughes focused on the American Dream?

4. In the context of Tupac Shakur’s poem, how does an individual rise above hardship? Have you ever felt like a “rose that grew from concrete,” as described by Tupac Shakur? If so what was the difficult situation that you faced, and how did you rise above it? If not, who is someone else you might describe as a “rose that grew from concrete”? What makes them similar to this rose?

5. How does the perspective of the speaker in “The Rose That Grew from Concrete” compare to the perspective of the mother in “Mother to Son”? Be specific in your answers and include evidence to support your opinion.