Fun with Character: 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.

Tupac Shakur was better known by his stage name 2Pac and by his alias Makaveli. He was an American rapper, songwriter, and actor

Read the poem to the class. When finished, process the reading with these or similar questions:

• What pictures come into your mind when you listened to it?

• Could you tell what the poem was about from the name?

• Have you ever seen grass or a dandelion growing in a sidewalk crack? What did that make you think of?

• Have you ever heard the phrase “Bloom where you are planted”? What do you think that means? Do you think the Rose in the poem did that?

• Do you think you can bloom where you are planted?

• The next time you face difficulty, will you remember the rose in the concrete?

If you are good at rap or have a student who is, you may want to do a second reading in rap.