Dear Mama” Boston College“亲爱的妈妈”波士顿学院.pptVIP

Exploring Tupac Shakur’s “Dear Mama” By Sean Hanel Song written to his mother, Afeni Shakur, as a way of forgiving her for the pain she caused through her addiction. Writes it to show that he understands all that his mother has done for him. Tupac knows that it was not easy for Afeni to raise two kids with no support (“You are Appreciated…”) Toni Morrison Explains, “First of all, they’re changing the language, although nobody admits it, but that’s where the energy comes from…It is the necessity for young people to talk to one another in language that is not the fake language of the press.” Michael Eric Dyson, a professor at University of Pennsylvania and author of over 10 books, including “Holla if you Hear Me : searching for Tupac Shakur”, has this to say about Hip-Hop/Rap: “Given its universal popularity and its troubling effects, hip-hop is a vital cultural language that we had all better learn. To ignore its genius, to romanticize its deficits, or to bash it with undiscerning generalities is to risk the opportunity to engage our children about perhaps the most important cultural force in their lives.” The Word Mama Comes from Zulu umama and Xhosa umama mother The OED gives such definitions as, A respectful title for a woman, preceding a name Ex. “The first lady of jazz, Mama Ella” A respectful or familiar form of address to: Any adult woman (“Nice and easy, mama”) One’s Own Mother (as used by Tupac in “Dear Mama”) A mother; a middle-aged black woman. “Outside there are several aged mamas selling the same wares from the old-style stalls.” Other Connotations of Mama According to the OED, “The status of the word mama was always the same as that of Papa. In the 18th century, ma’mma was used by the higher classes, and among them to have been freely used not only by children but by adults of both sexes.” Today, it has become archaic in Britain, although it is used by children. It has now found widespread use in America. Other common uses are: Slang. A wif