Throughout Various Regions of the World - Free Essay Example

Sample details Pages: 5 Words: 1493 Downloads: 3 Date added: 2019/04/26 Category Sociology Essay Level High school Tags: Gender Roles Essay Did you like this example? Introduction Gender roles and expectations have constantly evolved throughout history. Many of the practices that used to restrict the rights of women have been gotten rid of, thus giving women are more equal footing in modern-day society. However, even with the rise of awareness for womens rights, many women are not afforded the same luxuries and opportunities as women who live in countries that are more developed. Don’t waste time! Our writers will create an original "Throughout Various Regions of the World" essay for you Create order In places such as the Middle East, women virtually have no rights whatsoever. In My Daughter, Malala, Ziauddin Yousafzai addresses the issues that Pakistani women face. They are used as bartering tokens in marriages, and are restricted from leaving their homes, unless a man accompanies them. In Kenya, women are treated just as poorly as Middle Eastern women are. In A Girl Who Demanded School Kakenya Ntaiya details the struggles that many Kenyan women must put up with. Arranged marriages are also a common occurrence in Kenya. Kakenya Ntaiya, a native of the small Kenyan village of Enoosaen, was engaged at five years old. She had to agree to undergo female circumcision, so she could stay in high school. Once she graduated, she was able to get permission to go to college in the United States of America. She was the first girl in her village to ever leave and pursue a higher-level education. In Our Centurys Greatest Injustice, Sheryl WuDunn speaks on the numerous occasions that she was w itnessed women being deprived of their rights. In My Daughter, Malala, A Girl Who Demanded School, and Our Centurys Greatest Injustice, it is evident that despite being disadvantaged through cultural, religious, and societal means, women all around the world are still striving to better themselves and break the molds of traditional gender roles. My Daughter, Malala In My Daughter, Malala, Ziauddin Yousafzai speaks on the climate regarding women and their quest for equality in Pakistan. Ziauddin is an educated man who was freely allowed to go to school and learn when he was younger. This is the same for all boys in Pakistan. If Pakistani boys want to further their education, it is completed accepted. This, however, is not the same for girls growing up in Pakistan. In Pakistan, men are the dominant figures in society. Everything is decided by men, and often times, they do not factor in the opinions of women. Pakistanis believe that men should have the final say in any discussion, and any woman who tries to give her input can be punished severely, or even killed. This causes many women to stay inside their homes since this is where they are the safest from inequality and ridicule (Men and Women, Gender Relations). In Pakistani culture, it is only acceptable for me to receive an education. This allows men to get jobs that require skill, which in tu rn allows men to get paid more. Since women cant go to school, they are confined to the home. Ziauddin Yousafzais daughter, Malala, decided to go against the grain and go to school. Her defiance of gender norms angered many Pakistani men. The terrorist group, the Taliban, was so enraged that they attacked and shot Malala in the head. Thankfully, Malala survived the attacked, and she continues to speak out against the outrageous treatment of women in Pakistani culture. Malala and her father use their newly-found platform to help provide awareness for the issues that Pakistani women face on a daily basis (Yousafzai, 2014). The way women are regarded in Pakistan is slowly changing for the better. With more exposure and awareness for their cause, the Yousafzais will hopefully be able to change Pakistans gender disparity forever. A Girl Who Demanded School In A Girl Who Demanded School, Kakenya Ntaiya discusses the disparities between men and women in Kenyan society. In her TED Talk, Kakenya Ntaiya recounts the story of when she first learned that she was engaged to be married. Shockingly, Kakenya was only five years old. Prearranged marriages are oddities in developed countries, but they are the norm in developing ones such as Kenya. As she was growing up, her mother and grandmother would point out her husband whenever he would walk by. From the age of five, Kakenya was trained to do all of the tasks and chores that were expected from a wife. She collected water, swept mats, and milked cows (Ntaiya, 2012). Like in many other developing countries, Kenyan men are the ones tasked with getting skilled jobs. Men are the breadwinners in society, and nearly all of the familys financial responsibilities rest on their shoulders (Kenyan Culture â€Å" Family). Although many Kenyan girls do not attend school, Kakenya was determined to receive h er education, because her mother was not able to go to school. This was easier said than done. Kakenya Ntaiya had to bargain with her father just to be able to complete high school. They agreed that Kakenya had to undergo female circumcision before she could finish high school. Kakenya Ntaiya graduated with very good grades. Her grades were so good that she was able to get a scholarship to attend college in the United States. Although her college was completely paid for, Kakenya still had to raise enough money to get a plane ticket to the United States. Many of her village elders were originally skeptical about helping Kakenya. Most elders felt that such a great opportunity should go to a male villager, and not a female. Thankfully, the elders eventually decided that Kakenyas cause was a worthy one, and they raised enough money to fly her to America. Once she graduated, Kakenya returned to her village of Enoosaen. In Kenya, many schools only accept boys or have limited spots for gir ls. Because of this, Kakenya founded her own school, designed for the sole purpose of educating young girls. The girls are taught leadership, empowerment, and other life skills. Kakenyas school has grown exponentially since its initial founding (Ntaiya, 2012). The status of women is rising in Kenya each and every year. Many women are receiving higher level education, which provides them better-paying jobs (Kenyan Culture â€Å" Family). Hopefully, more Kenyan women will continue going to school, which will, in turn, help raise awareness for womens rights. Our Centurys Greatest Injustice In Our Centurys Greatest Injustice, Sheryl WuDunn speaks on the terrible realities that some women have to deal with each and every day. WuDunn states that the biggest moral issues of the 18th and 19th centuries were slavery and totalitarianism, and she believes that crimes against women are biggest issues that will plague society in the 21st century. She states that millions of girls all across the globe are at risk of being raped, neglected, or sold into slavery. WuDunn notes that the number of women and men living on Earth is almost split evenly 50/50, but when living conditions and quality of life are at peak level, women have been found to live longer. However, in developing countries, when living conditions are lower, boys are 50% more likely to survive than girls are. This is due to parents feeling less compelled to provide for their daughters when their sons are in need. Parents in poorer southern Asian countries are also less likely to enroll their daughter in school. Rape a nd prostitution were two of WuDunns major talking points. India is one of the biggest hotbeds for sex trafficking. Many Indian men want to preserve the decency of their women, so they hire prostitutes from Nepal. Often times, they dont even pay for the womens services. They just rape the women, and sometimes they kill them. WuDunn believes that through education, she can get people in first world countries to donate money to charitable causes in third world countries. She also feels that people in developed countries need to rid themselves of the idea that people in third world countries are helpless and hopeless (WuDunn, 2010). Conclusion All around the world, women are being deprived of basic rights that all people, no matter their gender, deserve to have. In places like Pakistan, little girls are rarely allowed to go to school. The ones that do are instantly put at risk of attack. In Kenya, girls are forced into prearranged marriages. They have no choice in the matter, and they can be killed for trying to object the union. People who live in developed countries can help to raise awareness for women and the struggles that they go through in under-developed countries. By donating and volunteering, people can help impact the lives of women who live thousands of miles away. My Daughter, Malala, A Girl Who Demanded School, and Our Centurys Greatest Injustice all illustrate the drive and determination women have to better themselves and the situation for other women. Women like Malala, Kakenya Ntaiya, and Sheryl WuDunn will continue to raise awareness for the hardships that women have to endure all over the world. These w omen are the light that leads oppressed women to continuously overcome the stereotypical gender roles that often confine them.

Analysis Of Pariah, Directed And Written By Dee Rees Essay

LGBT is an initialism that stands for lesbian, gay, bi-sexual, and transgender. It is intended to highlight a diversity of sexuality and gender identity-based cultures. Historically, LGBT people have had to deal with being brutalised and misunderstood because of the misconception that being gay is different and deserves different treatment. However, there are efforts being made daily by the community in order to educate people and ease their fears. The purpose of the following analysis is to deconstruct how people who fought back while growing up realizing they are apart of community help shaped and/or will shape them to become strong roles for LGBT people around the world. In this paper, I will examine how women of color who deal with the lack of acceptance growing up because of their lesbianism help shape and/or will shape them to be future role models for LGBT people around the world. I will be using the coming of age drama, Pariah, directed and written by Dee Rees, as a primary source in order to argue how the cinematography in this film portrays Alike being the epitome of embracing one s sexuality. I chose this film because it reminded me of a similar story that touched me in the form of a book written by Audre Lorde called Zami: A New Spelling of My Name. Standing up in what Alike believed in and taking a stand by fighting back against so many in the community deal with on a everyday basis is the driving force I will use to show how she took a big giant step

Marketing Strategy Uber

Question: Discuss about theMarketing Strategyfor Uber. Answer: Introduction Uber is a share and ride taxi service that is supported by the Google. The services of this company have been launched in Australia in the year 2012. He services ever since has seen an unprecedented growth and popularity. Nevertheless it has been in a, logger heads with the general taxi services of the nation. In the following discussion we shall propose a marketing strategy that can help to improve the business plan and structure of Uber in Australia(Nextjuggernaut, 2015). Controls The controls of the marketing plan shall indicate at the points or the parameters that can be used for monitoring the progress of the business plan and to ascertain that how much of the projected plan has been attained. Customer Feedback: The uber is a taxi service system that provides an option to the customers to register their feedback with the company; In fact this system is mandatory. The customer cannot book another taxi without giving a review of the previous service used. This is a parameter that can be used to ascertain the success of the service o the brand in the market. Target Sales: The target sales can yet again be another effective control of the marketing plan that can help the management of the company to understand the business trend or tide of the company. Budget: The budget values of the plan can help the management to understand again that whether the business is having a profitable trend or not. Market Share: The percentage of market share of the brand can also act as a probable control that can tell whether the business plans are attained or missed(Funk, 2015). Analytics and Performance In order to bring about a successful marketing analytics, or a process of evaluating the success of the marketing plan as designed earlier, the system of evaluating the customer feedback can be put into rigorous and aggressive use. At the same time the management can also focus on the element or the index of market penetration that has been successfully attained by the brand. This is again an index that shall be indicated by the sales figures of the brand and also an increase in the area of operation of the brand. In addition to the same we see that the brand can elevate its performance through an increase in the range of services that it can provide to the customers. Hence one of the underlining points shall be to come up with innovative services that can attract the attention of a larger section of customers('Keefe Jones, 2015). Implementation The implementation of the marketing strategy shall consist of the following steps that can actually help the company and the brand to increase its visibility amongst the customers, so that it can attract the attention of a larger gamut of users. In this context the marketing team shall have to make use of various channels: Use of the media channels such as the television, radio and also the print media shall be one of the major sources that can help to build the brand image in the market. The various media channels shall be used to create an increased awareness of the brand amongst the customers in the market. The portals or the sites of this service are one of the best channels that can help the user to know about the other new schemes of the brand. This shall be one of the most vital moves on the part of the brand to introduce its new services amongst the customers of the brand. Uber can also start a new scheme as per any person who can add a new customer to the companys list shall get a rebate of a certain percentage over the next three rides. This shall lead to a positive word of mouth about the brand almost the customers(October, 2014). Marketing Administration Organization The marketing administration organization in this context shall deal with the attributes of the product category, the country where the marketing is being done, Australia in this case and also prime offer being made. In terms of the product category, mention can be made of the new offers and the new products that are to be launched. In this context the scenario of the Australian market, the requirement of the people of the nation etc are to be kept in mind at the time of making the marketing strategy. In other words the prime facet on which the marketing strategy is to be planned shall be based on the aspect of the new features of the services that are to be launched. This is an aspect that can help to attract a larger gamut of customers for the brand(Cmd, 2015). Contingency Planning The contingency planning of the marketing strategy shall concentrate on changing the genre of attraction that has to be projected to allure a larger share of customers. Initially as per the original strategy the aspect of new services and new features would have been projected to attract the attention of the customers. However in case it failed the point of attraction and its projection would defer to the following points: The prices of the rides shall be lowered in the name of the approaching festive season. The services can offer other lucrative offers such as free wifi connection and better connectivity rates. Uber can also work on the facet that elderly people shall be given extra assistance in terms of carrying their luggage and giving them extra attention. This personalised touch can help the brand to build a better goodwill amongst the customers of the nation. Uber can also introduce the system of granting extra rebate to people who are celebrating days such as birthdays, anniversaries etc(Bellpartners, 2016). Conclusion It is to be remembered in this context that the market is a lucrative and also a challenging one in Australia. The marketing strategy for Uber has to be such that can offer extra advantages to the customers and can offer them a feeling of extra care extended. References: Bellpartners. (2016, April 06). Insurance What does the rise of ride-hire services mean for insurance in Australia? Retrieved October 22, 2016, from Bellpartners: https://www.bellpartners.com/insurance-what-does-the-rise-of-ride-hire-services-mean-for-insurance-in-australia/ Cmd. (2015, October 06). Uber Australia. Retrieved October 22, 2016, from Cmd: https://www.cmd.act.gov.au/policystrategic/regreform/2015-taxi-industry-innovation-reforms/submissions/uber Funk, J. (2015, April 13). Uber's Business Model. Retrieved October 22, 2016, from slideshare: https://www.slideshare.net/funk97/ubers-business-model 'Keefe, B., Jones, M. (2015, October 22). How Uber plays the tax shell game. Retrieved October 22, 2016, from fortune: https://fortune.com/2015/10/22/uber-tax-shell/ Nextjuggernaut. (2015, September 24). How Uber Works: Insights into Business Revenue Model. Retrieved October 22, 2016, from nextjuggernaut: https://nextjuggernaut.com/blog/how-uber-works-business-model-revenue-uber-insights/ October. (2014, October 02). A review of Ubers online marketing strategy. Retrieved October 22, 2016, from webprofits: https://www.webprofits.com.au/uber/

The Political Influence of Lesane Parish Crooks Lyrics

Introduction Tupac Amaru Shakur was born in the Bronx, New York on June 16th 1971 (Hoye, 2006). He was the second child to Afeni Shakur. Tupac was raised by his stepfather, Mutulu Shakur. By the time he was two years old, Tupac had a baby sister, Sekwiya. During most of his childhood, Tupac and his siblings relied mostly on their mother as their sole provider. This came after the arrest and conviction of Mutulu, Tupac`s stepfather. He was arrested on the grounds of armed robbery and was sentenced to six years in prison.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on The Political Influence of Lesane Parish Crooks Lyrics specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More As a child, Tupac had a difficult and challenging childhood. He was raised in the life of poverty and sorrow. It was a tedious job for her mother to support her family. Afeni Shakur was a member of the Black Panthers, a black activist group that fought for the rights of Africans Americans and equality between the 1960`s and 1980`s (Fields, 2004). Despite the right cause that the group had, its members were always involved in gang related activities such as homicides, robberies and violence. Most of the members were therefore arrested and incarcerated. Tupac`s mother was not an exception. She had been imprisoned as a result of Black Panther`s activities and was only released a month before Tupac`s birth. Due to the criminal record that she had, it was difficult for her to get a formal job that would give her good income to support her family. Fearing for the safety of her children and trying to make ends meet, Afeni Shakur moved from one place to the other within New York. Specifically for the protection of Tupac, she named him Lesane Parish Crooks on his birth certificate so that no one could trace him (Forman, 2003). As a strategy to surviving and earn a living to support her family, Afeni Shakur and her family moved from Brooklyn to the Bronx, Harlem and a number of homeless shelters within New York and its environs. As a child, Tupac could feel the pain and suffering that his family was going through. However, things were not any different to other black families too. It seemed like a burden of suffering that specifically affected the minority communities in the United States. It was thus difficult for Tupac to fit in and mix with other children in the neighbourhoods that they lived in. This is because they were always on the move. By the time he and his family settled down and started to make friends, they would always move again. He therefore did not have as much friends as other children, never had a chance to enjoy his childhood and interact with other children. He grew as a lonely child in the middle of the pain, suffering and agony that was brought about by the harsh life that they were going through. The only thing that kept him going was the love that he received from his family.Advertising Looking for essay on art and design? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Tupac used to say that he cried a lot as a child. This was because he felt the pain and suffering that they were going through but could not do anything about it. To escape from the realities of life, he wrote poems, rapped and engaged himself in acting. This were his main hobbies as a teenager. He allegedly said that while he acted, he had the chance to be someone else other than himself. This was the only time he could escape from the realities of life and live a good life, the kind of life that he ought to have lived (Hicks, 2006). When he was 15 years old, Tupac and his family moved to Baltimore where he joined The Baltimore School of Performing Arts. Here, he showed a lot of interest in acting and poetry. He now had the chance to take his interest to a completely new level. It is also at Baltimore that Tupac expounded in his rapping skills. He won a lot of rap contents and within no tim e, he was renowned as the best rapper in school (Shakur, 2009). By this time, Tupac was now growing into a young adult. As a black male, he now understood and directly faced the harsh living conditions that the people in the black community and other minority societies were going through. He thus used poetry and his rapping skills to air these grievances, most of which were directed to the government system of the United States. He blamed the government for all the pain and suffering that the minorities were going through. Amongst his earliest poems was the rose that grew on the concrete that he used to criticize the political system of the United States. This was way before he gained worldwide fame. Even after being famous, most of his lyrics laid a lot of emphasis on the failure of the government. He addressed issues like poverty, racism, inequality, teenage pregnancies, drug abuse and police brutality. By the time of his death, Tupac had become a powerful figure in the society, e specially in the African American community. He had influenced the lives of many youths by giving them advice and hope in life. Indeed, he had achieved his dream as a child of being a revolutionary. This essay thus analyses the life of Tupac Shakur and the political influence of his lyrics in the 1990`s. Before the Fame Tupac`s life started off from humble beginnings. Like many other African American families of his time, he was born in a poor family that was living below the poverty line. Most African American families during the 1960`s up to the present time live beyond the poverty line. Poverty is a crucial factor in the life of an individual. It plays a critical role in determining the overall outcome of the life of an individual. Tupac was born in this predicament. It was difficult for his family them to afford a meal and a house. Things became even worse when his stepfather, Mutulu, was incarcerated for six years on the grounds of armed car robbery.Advertising We will wri te a custom essay sample on The Political Influence of Lesane Parish Crooks Lyrics specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Therefore, as a young child and as a teenager, Tupac lived without a father figure in his life. In addition, he knew how it feels not to have a home, food to eat or clothes to wear. He also had a firsthand experience of living in the slums and homeless shelters. All the pain and suffering that he was going through was as a result of being poor. This was the same life that most children from minority communities were living in. All these were as a result of poor political ideologies that the United States government had put in place to govern the country. Advocating for change, these are some of the issues that Tupac raised in his lyrics later on in his life. Another factor that played a crucial role in the life of Tupac was the background of his family. His mother, Afeni Shakur was a member of the Black Panthers and so w as his stepfather, Mutulu Shakur. The Black Panther was an African American revolutionist organization that was active in the United States between 1966 and 1982 (Gardner, 2004). The movement was founded in Oakland, California but rapidly spread throughout the country. It was an anti-racist organization that advocated for social, political and cultural equality among all the races in the United States. However, it mainly lobbied for the empowerment of the minority communities who were being treated less fairly by the government. Provision of improved health care, poverty alleviation, improved education, socialism and fairness were some of the issues that organization was involved in. To safeguard the black communities against police brutality, the Black Panthers recruited local patrol groups within the inner-city neighbourhoods. This not only reduced police brutality among the minority communities but also increased security within the neighbourhoods. However, the director of F.B.I Edgar Hoover condemned the actions of the movement and declared it the biggest enemy to national security at that time (Johnson et al, 1995). This therefore led to the arrest of many members of the group including Tupac`s mother, Afeni Shakur. Therefore as a child, Tupac was born and raised under the umbrella of the Black Panthers. His early beliefs and ideologies reflected mainly on the actions, missions and visions of the group. At an early age, he understood the oppression that minority communities were facing through racism, poverty, inequality and brutality. These were some of the early teachings that Tupac received in his life. His early life teachings therefore advocated for fighting for the rights and privileges for all.Advertising Looking for essay on art and design? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Through the black panthers, Tupac understood that the only way to solve the problem was not by keeping quite but by addressing it. He understood that one had to be aggressive and demand for what he/she wanted in life. This therefore changed his character and attitude. Tupac always talked about what he felt, what he thought was wrong and would come up with ideas and means of making it right. As a child, we are normally asked what we want to be when we grow up. Most children reply by saying that they want to be doctors, engineers, presidents, lawyers, firemen and so on. These are some of the admirable careers that individuals have always dreamt of being. Tupac was asked the same question when he was a boy. Unlike other children, Tupac`s rely was somewhat different. Instead of wanting to be a doctor, president or any other huge title, Tupac said that he wanted to be a revolutionary, an answer that stunned many (Bastfield, 2003). All his life, Tupac worked hard to achieve his dream. He desired for change in the system. He wanted to put an end to the pain and suffering that minority communities were going through. For every breath that he took, Tupac worked hard to achieve this dream. The experience that he had in his early life and the teachings that he got from the black panthers acted as his guidance. Early Life Tupac and his family moved to Baltimore when he was 15 years old. It is here that he had the chance to settle down and interact with other individuals of his age group. He was able to make a couple of friends. Furthermore, he joined The Baltimore School for the Performing Arts. While at school, Tupac had the chance to expound in his poetry and acting talents. While at school, he had the chance to perform in many plays. Perhaps the best of his performance was when he played the role of Mouse King in the Nutcracker by William Shakespeare. This play was performed at the Apollo (Armond, 1997). It prepared Tupac to enter the stage. It is also at Baltimore whe re he wrote a lot of his poems and early lyrics. This was as a means of escaping the reality of his life. His poems and lyrics were different from that of other children. The message that he was conveying was way beyond the thinking and reasoning of a person of his age. The rose that grew on the concrete is one of his early influential poems. According to 2Pac2K (2011), Tupac says: â€Å"Did you hear about the rose that grew from a crack in the concrete? Proving nature’s law is wrong it learned to walk without having feet. Funny it seems, but by keeping it’s dreams, it learned to breathe fresh air. Long live the rose that grew from concrete when no one else ever cared. (p. 3)†. In this poem, Tupac symbolises the black community and the government as the rose and the concrete respectively. As we all know, a rose, as any other flower requires fertile soil to grow in. It is virtually impossible for it to grow in other conditions. However, on this particular occasio n, a rose has managed to grow on concrete. It has been able to withstand the harsh conditions that acted as a setback to its growth and development to grow and blossom. In the United States, the government oppresses the black community and other minority communities. These communities live under harsh conditions. They do not have access for proper education and healthcare and they live below the poverty line. With regards to these conditions, it is virtually impossible for them to make something good out of their lives. The same status of life that they inherited from their parents is the one that they are likely to pass down to their children and other generations that will follower. Despite the suffering that these communities are going through, the government has not been putting any effort to alleviate the problem. Instead, they continue to oppress them and make their lives to be even worse. Tupac being a visionary sees hope for the people who he represents. He knows that throug h hard work comes success. Despite the harsh conditions that they are facing, through working together, facing problems in common and fighting for their rights, the minority communities will be able to make a difference in their lives and prosper in the end. This is a message of hope that Tupac is passing to the people who are suffering from the same problems that he was going through. Tupac did not talk the talk but walked the walk. He did not criticize the government and do nothing to help the black community. During his stay at Baltimore, Tupac raised a lot of concerns on the increased rate of drug abuse and teenage pregnancies among the African American teenagers. Despite the increased severity of the problem, the government just stood as a watchdog. According to Tupac, it is the role of the government to educate teenagers against irresponsible sexual behaviours, drug abuse and violence. The government had failed to instil these morlas to the teenagers, especially those who live d in the slums. As a result, many male teenagers were either involved in gangs, abused drugs or both. The number of teenage mothers was also increasing at an alarming rate. Tupac thus started campaigns at Baltimore that aimed at reducing educating the youths to abstain and to practice safe sex. This aimed at reducing unwanted pregnancies especially among teenagers. At the same time, Tupac advocated for the war on drugs. Drugs such as cocaine and heroin have found their ways into the neighbourhoods. Many youths fell victims of the predicament as they either used the drugs or sold them. Working with several group, Tupac tried to implement the ideologies that he had. Despite the fact that it was the role of the government to do all this, Tupac could not just see his people suffering. That is whom he was, an advocate for change. At the same time, Tupac felt that the education system was not well structured. It focused on giving students knowledge and skills that would not help them to s ucceed in life. Students need an education system that will make them understand the needs and requirements of life. That is why they need to learn about racism, inequality, oppression, apartheid, history, culture and so on. However, the education system in USA concentrates on other studies that play a minimal role in the life of an individual. According to Tupac, classes like gym should be removed from the curriculum and be replaced by studies that have more serious issues (Kirchheimer, 2003). Tupac Lyrics in the 1990`s Once more, Tupac and his family moved to Oakland, California. At this time, his interest into poetry and music had increased. In addition, he had grown into a young man. At this age, he now faced directly the problems of the world. However, he did not let this act as a setback to his life. As a matter of fact, he used it to his advantage. As he grew older, the content of his poems and lyric also grew. He now talked about real life issues that were being faced by the black community in the United States at that time. In the year 1990, Tupac signed a recording agreement with Digital Underground, a label that was under the control of Spike Lee (Iverem, 1993). Under digital underground, Tupac was able to record and release his first solo album, 2pacalypse Now (Neal, 2003). This album had major hit songs. One of the most influential songs that Tupac did for this album was the song titled, Brenda has a baby. This song continued to lay emphasis on teenage pregnancies, an issue that Tupac had been advocating against especially while he was at Baltimore. In this song, Brenda, a twelve-year-old girl has just found out that she is pregnant. Like many other teenage mothers, she does not know what to do and to make the matters worse, she does not want her family to know about the issue. To try to survive, Brenda starts selling cocaine but her career is short lived as she is robbed off her supplies. Being a naive girl of unsound mind, Brenda results to thro wing her baby. While Brenda continue to suffer, the community just watches, believing that it is the problem of Brenda`s family. However, Tupac points out that we as the community have a role to play to stop occurrences like these from happening again. According to Tupac, the government and the community are ignoring the problems that many young females are facing. These girls get pregnant at an early age, a factor that prevents them from advancing in life and even achieving their goals and dreams. The government together with the community should work together to enlighten teenagers about the various dangers of life that they might face if they truly want a bright future for the upcoming generations. Another interesting piece of poetry that Tupac wrote was titled liberty needs glasses. In this poem, Tupac uses a combination of satire and symbolism to criticise the justice system of the United States. According to All-Poetry (2011), Tupac says that, â€Å"†¦lady Liberty needs glasses and so does Mrs. Justice by her side, both the broads are blind like bats stumbling through the system†¦ (p. 1)†. The main message that Tupac is trying to pass through this poem is that the world is full of injustice and there is an imminent need to give justice to the individuals who deserve it. In this poem, Tupac is bringing out the imperfections of the justice systems of the United States. He personifies the justice and liberty systems so that we can have a clear understanding of their imperfections by comparing them to ourselves. According to him, the justice system is blind, as it cannot see during the day or at night. That is why it is like a bat. Due to this fact therefore, it offers judgments that are oppressive to those who deserve to be acquitted from it. As such, the system fails where it need is required the most since it denies justice, liberty and freedom to those who are in despite need for it. In the poem, Tupac says that the justice system bombed Mutulu. Mutulu was Tupac`s step father who was sent to prison by the government on the counts of conspiracy. Despite this, he still continues to live his life like any other individual in the world. He was sentenced falsely due to the fact that he was a Black Panther and instead of the system treating him as a hero of saving the black community, it denies him freedom. In the poem, Tupac also mentions Geronimo Pratt who was also accused falsely on the counts of killing a police officer. Geronimo was Tupac`s God father and also a member of the Black Panthers. He was sentenced to life in prison. However, he managed to make his time in prison worthwhile and studies law. The last influential figure that Tupac mentions in the poem is Nelson Mandela. Mandela is well known for his activist movement to liberate the people of South Africa. However, the justice system also failed and sent him to prison for 27 years. While sending innocent people to jail, the justice system and forgets about t he evils and atrocities that were committed during the era of slavery. Therefore, the justice and liberty system actions are not as per the expected standards. They need to be amended to ensure their proper functioning. However, before this is done, innocent people will continue to suffer on the hands of the justice system that is unfair, corrupt and punishes the individuals who require its assistance. After the release of his first album, Tupac started to get worldwide fame. However, the messages in his songs still remained the same. In second album, Strictly for my N.I.G.G.A.Z, he addressed an issue that the minority communities were facing for a long time; police brutality. The use of excessive force against the minority communities had increased, especially against the members of the black community (Mauer Muling, 1995). Numerous cases had been reported about the police using excessive force during arrests against members of the black community. This included the use of excessi ve force and assault. The whole of his second album focused on this issue. This came about after four police officers in L.A were acquitted for the offence of assaulting Rodney King, an African American male. The whole incident was caught on tape. King had been accompanied by two other companions when they were arrested. After surrendering and complying with all the instructions from the police officers, King was assaulted by one of the officers who used a button to hit him. During this whole incident, the other police officers watched from a distance without doing anything to stop the beatings. However, George Holiday, who was standing at a distance, recorded the whole incident. Parts of the footage were later on broadcasted by many media houses from all around the world. This incident created tension between the African American community and the Los Angeles Police Department. To make the matters worse, all the four officers were acquitted from the charges. This brought about a ma ssive riot in L.A from African Americans and other activists. This clearly showed how the justice system is unfair. The Black community had been treated less fairly. This was a clear indication of racism and oppression of the minorities in the United States. Tupac among other activist were against the unfair treatment that their community was getting from the police and the justice department. They advocated for a change in the system to reflect fairness and equality for all regardless of age, sex and race. Tupac was also against the drug laws of the United States. The argument that he brought forward in his lyrics was that these laws were not to clear drugs off from the streets but to incarcerate individuals from the minority communities, especially the blacks. Therefore, the law mainly targeted on the underprivileged individuals in the society. In his song, Words of Wisdom, Tupac states that the drug law is a hierocracy as it is meant to undermine individuals who are struggling to survive. While analyzing his words, it is evident that the number of inmates had increased since the laws were passed. Most of the new inmates were petty drug offenders from the minority communities (Blacks and Hispanics). However, it is evident that the usage of drugs between the whites and other communities is relatively the same. However, those individuals who are arrested for drug related offences are normally from blacks or Hispanics (Jonas, 1999). This is due to the notion that drug abuse from the white community arises as a result of medicinal use while from the Black and Hispanic communities is as a result of criminal activities. Due to this fact therefore, Tupac felt that the justice system had failed in sustaining its role in the society. This has led to the lack of trust on the system. In one of his songs titled Only God can Judge Me, Tupac says that the only judgement that he can receive from the lord and nobody else. This is due to the racism, corruption and social ine qualities that surround the justice system. In his later albums such as Me Against the World, All Eyez on Me and Makavelli, Tupac continued to criticize and challenge the government and the faults that were present on its system. Through his lyrics and poetry, Tupac managed to be a great influential leader to the minority communities especially young Black males. He gave them hope and motivation that they needed to make a difference in their lives. Despite his death, his influence is still felt up to the present date. Conclusion Since his birth, Tupac faced a lot of difficulties that was the norm in many underprivileged families in USA. Individuals from these communities face a lot of injustices and oppression as a result of faults that are present in the government. This come about due social inequality, racism, oppression, poverty and police brutality, issues that affect mainly the black community in America. From the teachings that he had in all through his life, coupled with the experiences he got through life, Tupac worked hard all through his life to bring change especially to the members of the black community. He managed to address the issues that this community was facing with his lyrics and poems. From his words and actions, he developed to be a powerful figure in among the members of the black community. Although his life was cut short, at the age of 25, he managed to address many issues that the black community and other minority groups were facing and bring change and hope into their lives. References 2Pac2K. (2011). The Rose that grew on the Concrete. 2Pac2K. Web. All-Poetry. (2011). Liberty Needs Glasses. All-Poetry. Web. Armond, W. (1997). Rebel for the Hell of It. New York: Thunder’s Mouth Press. Bastfield, D.K. (2003). Back in the Day: My Life and Time with Tupac Shakur. California: Da Capo Press. Fields, I.W. (2004). Family values and feudal codes: The social politics of America’s twentyfirst century gangster. Journal of Popul ar Culture, 37(4), 611-633. Forman, M. (2003). Tupac Shakur: O.G. (Ostensibly Gone). In All eyez on me: Tupac Shakur and the search for a modern folk hero. Barker Center, Harvard University. Gardner, T. (2004). The political delinquent: Crime, deviance, and resistance in black America. Harvard Blackletter Law Journal, 20, 141-165. Hicks, T. (2006). 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