The Rose that Grew from Concrete

Fiction | Poem | Adult | Published in 1999

A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.

Download PDF

Summary

Background

Poem Analysis

Themes

Symbols & Motifs

Literary Devices

Themes

Neglect Versus Perseverance

Though “The Rose That Grew from Concrete” is a short poem, it offers a profound message that has longstanding consequences. This message is the struggle between neglect and perseverance. The consequences are dire because, as Hughes’s poem (referenced earlier) suggests, dreams can and do get deferred, and this deferral can lead to dire consequences. Neglect is one way that dreams become deferred, and Tupac’s poem takes issue with this neglect. The poem ultimately paints a picture of hope, hope that the lasting consequences of dreaming big will result in perseverance and a negation of neglect. What Tupac’s poem doesn’t state outright, however, is that it takes more than an individual to ensure that perseverance triumphs over neglect.

There are several instances in “The Rose That Grew from Concrete” that reference neglect. The “crack in the concrete” (Line 2), learning to walk “with out having feet” (Line 4), and the last line, “when no one else ever cared!” (Line 8), are all instances where the rose, or Tupac, is neglected and therefore not cared for. While the rose’s perseverance is admirable, it is even more so in the face of such widespread neglect. Since the poem is autobiographical, Tupac could be talking about a variety of forms of neglect that are more specific than the urban plight that provides the environment for the rose. For example, the neglect of the African American community in the United States, the neglect of his mother when she had an addiction to crack cocaine, etc. However, the poem is a metaphor, and Tupac does not spell out any of these things specifically. Instead, readers hear about the neglect of a rose growing through a “crack in the concrete” (Line 2), an image that powerfully conveys Tupac’s sentiments and works as an allegory to his life.

Get access to this full Study Guide and much more!

8,800+ In-Depth Study Guides
4,700+ Quick-Read Plot Summaries
Downloadable PDFs

Tupac wrote many of his rap lyrics as a way to highlight the plight of Black men in the inner city, providing the world at large with a realistic depiction of his reality, a reality that encompassed many others. Because of this, “The Rose That Grew from Concrete,” despite avoiding citing specific references to Tupac’s life, also symbolizes Tupac’s hope that others like himself can persevere despite a history of neglect and disenfranchisement. If those like Tupac can dream big and muster willpower, if they can push through despite the obstacles and the odds, they may grow to do even more remarkable things—they can become lyricists, poets, doctors, etc.

Nature Versus Nurture

The nature versus nurture debate seeks to understand how our personality, genes, and biological factors shape us as opposed to the environment we grow up in. This debate takes place throughout “The Rose That Grew from Concrete.” From the beginning, the image of the rose, a product of nature and a symbol of strength and beauty, also represents the will and soul of Tupac. But the “crack in the concrete” (Line 2) is Nurture; the disenfranchised urban environment that Tupac grew up in and where the rose in the poem grows. But the rose in this poem, like Tupac, does not succumb to its environment, and through “keeping its dreams” (Line 5), it is able to “breathe fresh air” (Line 6). The last line, “when no one else ever cared” (Line 8), points further to the neglect of Tupac and the rose’s environments. In celebrating the “rose that grew from concrete,” Tupac celebrates shaping our lives through individuality and personal willpower and not letting our environment decide our fate.

Tupac’s poem also highlights how the environment isn’t always going to help. The environment especially won’t help those in need, so those in need should start with believing in themselves. Though this stance doesn’t account for systemic racism and other social injustices, Tupac wants people to know and believe that they can do great things despite their surroundings or what others think of them. If Tupac had given up and succumbed to his environment, he might have continued selling drugs or become even more involved in the drug trade. Instead, Tupac felt he was meant for greater things. He followed his dreams, thus aligning himself with his Nature, to oppose the environment, the Nurture around him that sought to destroy him. It’s also important to note that Tupac is seen by many as an activist, and that he had many activists in his family. Tupac knew that society needed change, so his message of nature versus nurture is all the more important because it shows people that one of the best ways to begin the fight against injustice is by believing in yourself.

The Strength of Dreams

Dreams and overcoming the odds play a major role in “The Rose That Grew from Concrete.” Although Tupac writes, “Funny it seems,” as though people think there is something trivial about “dreams,” it is only by “keeping its dreams” that the rose learned how “to breathe fresh air” (Lines 5-6). Tupac is saying that, through dreaming, willpower and presumably working at goals to achieve a dream, he (like the rose) was able to raise his head and breathe “fresh air” (Line 6). The last line of the poem, “when no one else ever cared” (Line 8) accentuates the fact that what was accomplished by the rose and by Tupac was done alone. The lines imply that no matter how difficult the circumstances, one should never give up on dreams.

The theme of dreams also touches on the American Dream, the idea that anyone, regardless of race or class, can attain success. In one sense, Tupac is a clear example of the American Dream. However, the amount of struggle he experienced as a young man and having his life taken violently at a young age, his dream may not be the typical American Dream. It is more probable that the neglect of the rose in the poem alludes to the neglect of the African American community in America, and the dreaming of the rose is not the commonly known American Dream but the African American dream of equality. Given Tupac’s death, however, the poem also suggests that dreams must also be sustainable on a community level. If the infrastructure isn’t in place to protect those who dream, these “roses” can indeed get destroyed by the concrete and by those who walk on the roses. Though Tupac made it out of the disenfranchised neighborhood of his youth, the history of systemic racism, violence, and urban decay resulted in his own dream being not only routinely tested but eventually cut short. There is strength in dreams, but this strength also needs a sustainable and nourishing soil in which to grow.