Questions From "Holler if You Hear Me"
3) What influences did Leila Steinberg have on the beginning of Tupac's career? (chapter 3)
4) Was Tupac's mother, Afeni Shakur, a good role model for her son? (chapter 2)
5) How did Tupac's mother life as a revolutionary affect his development as a young man and as American Citizen?
7) How is Black mother second to God?
9) How did Afeni Shakur regardless of her foibles, live up to her title: Black Queen?
3) I think about how love can change people eternally, but how that love develops between two people. I find it very ironic how they met up and I love irony. I think Leila Steinberg and Tupac’s relationship influenced Tupac’s career greatly. Everything has an affect on how your future play out, especially being in a relationship, that teaches you about yourself and make you stronger and a experienced person. Tupac had a chance to meet a woman in a totally different world than him, but they have a lot in common. Tupac was a rapper, Leila was a teacher and they both highly believed in sending messages out to the youth. They had the same goal in mind, showing inner connection. It was like she got a partner, something destined that fell upon her lap, just by doing her job, “And then she met Tupac” (90). Somebody she loved, but thought people misunderstood her MAN. They influenced each other “And Pac changed my teaching to tour the schools together. She taught; he rapped” (91). Leila was not just an average woman or groupie of Tupac, she was different to him. Tupac had somebody to appreciate, she had ways just like his Mother; she had similar characteristics as Afeni, “Perhaps the most important role Steinberg played in Tupac’s life was that of literary soul mates. But it was as reading partners that Steinberg and Tupac most profoundly shaped each others lives” (92). I think Tupac was appreciative of that love, because it was like his mothers love.There were specific ways that Leila influences Tupac "Perhaps the most important role Steinberg played in Tupac's life was that of literally soul mates. But it was as reading partners that Steinberg and Tupac most profoundly shaped each others lives" (92).
4) Considering the fact of Afeni’s lifestyle, she made the choices she felt was best that would affect her son and her. The Black Panther Party was very important to Afeni, because she agrees with the idea of standing up to something that you believe in. Even though being apart of the panthers she was able to do so, the Panther Party also caused Tupac to be in the environment of a wild lifestyle. My aunty always told me that you can choose your parents, just be happy with the one that you have. So Tupac “was born into the movement” (48) in the year of the 1970s where African Americans were coming out of slavery and were very frustrated. Afeni did not hide anything that was going on in the movement from her children, which Tupac tried his best to be understandable. Tupac might have been able to understand, but I do not think he appreciated the scenes he played apart of in his life, like the police asking questions about Tupac’s stepfather’s where about while he was in school, elementary school at that. No matter what the situation was, Afeni watched out for her seeds. Tupac and Afeni did not have the best relationship, but they made the best out of it. There were times were Tupac was unhappy with his mother’s decisions, but she did what was best for the both of them. Tupac also loved the fact his mother had a fight in her, “from the beginning, Tupac was, as Pratt says,” fascinated with the history of that Tupac was born into”(48).
5) Tupac grew up as a revolutionary child, due to his mother’s life in the Panther Party. His mother, Afeni’s main focus was to make a political change in the world. Since Afeni was Tupac’s only real role model beside the drug dealers in his community. Since their relationship was close, even though they had their problems, Tupac appreciated his mom being apart of the Panther Party. Tupac’s music touched many of us, because his messages were about struggles that face the lower class society. He had issues that he had to deal with, so he expressed it in his songs and poems “I exist in the depths of solitude, my pondering my true goal, trying 2 find peace of mind and still preserve my soul” as he quotes in the poem, In the Depths of Solitude, Dedicated to Me. Tupac picked up a lot of characteristics from his mother, which is the old soul. Tupac was also into the social change, just like his mother, and it showed how he expressed himself. Just like his mother he had a bad mouth that got him in trouble. His bad mouth brought out a cold side of him, but Tupac was a very sensitive person and had feelings. He was crying out, but people din not realize how he was asking for help. That caused him to take a stand just like his mother would as a Black Panther.
7) In the Black culture, a “Mother” is precious as their love they give to their children. The black mother, majority of the time has to be the mother and the father, when he is an absence or either his presence is absent to his responsibilities as a man. The black father is a very controversial topic in the black community. The Black mother makes miracles by working, paying the bills, the cooking, the transportation, the provider, and the friend, and being the child's everything. The black mother is looked up to very highly, as Tupac quotes in his song dedicated to his mother and other black mothers, Dear Mama, “ When things go wrong you can always depend on Mama” because they do what ever it takes to take care of their kids. Many times black fathers are not in the picture, and the grandmothers and the moms never hesitate to handle their business, it is second nature. There are many single fathers out there doing the same, but the rate is very low. The mothers are the saviors. Sometimes as kids they don’t see the reality of a struggling mother sometimes working late nights just to provide for the household. All they see is a restless mother who is hard on them, knowing they are shaping their child for the future. Sometimes they even blame the parents for things that go wrong, while that mom is steadily being the father and the mother. The black mother is second to God, because out of all the mistakes, they still stick around and forgive you and love you unconditionally.
9) Afeni Shakur was a fighter, a strong woman that stood up for her self respect, she felt she deserved. Afeni, has made some wrong decisions and she has also made some wrong decisions in her life. Afeni is human. She lived a long life, but she always stood her ground. Every king needs a queen and metaphorically speaking, Afeni was Tupac’s Queen, “That Tupac was a black man, as king was a black man, has everything to with how we have understood his message and responded to his challenge” (261). Afeni had many flaws, but she learned how to overcome her flaws into beauty marks. She was the Queen of her throne. In Tupac’s song, Dear Mama he looks past his mothers mistakes of drug abuse, “ Even though you were a black feign, Mama. You were always a black queen mama.” says Tupac speaking highly on his mother. She held her own thrown, because over the years she created her royalty of the streets that is. While she participated with the Black Panther Party, she had to take over and be the first lady of the party. Afeni was not ready to take up the new position, but she claimed her new position as Queen of the Panther Party, running things while some of the members were in jail. Afeni has done a lot of self analyzing throughout her life, “ Alice revoked her ‘“slave name’” and was reborn as Afeni Shakur, member of the Black Panthers” (24) which caused her to keep evolving as the person she is today. Making her the Queen, a woman that everybody else had no choice, but to respect Afeni. Afeni did not pay attention to how everybody felt, she did what was best for her like a real queen.
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