Essay Sample on Poem Analysis and Interpretation

The poem, "When Your Hero Falls," by Tupac Shakur, focuses on strains in relationships with a parent or role model ('When Ure Hero Falls by Tupac Shakur,' n.d.). The main objective of the poem is to show that no individual is perfect regardless of whether the person is a role model or a parent figure. Importantly, the poem describes the notion that the most trusted person can let someone down, leading to a feeling of being alone, which is the harsh reality that every individual encounters in their daily activities. However, how people deal with been let down is the first step towards the development of an individual's identity. Besides, it influences how one reacts to situations in the future. Therefore, this paper interprets and analyzes the poem, "When Your Hero Falls" by Tupac Shakur.

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The main question asked in Shakur's poem is the worth of life when heroes are no more. It is worth noting that the poet was a hero to most people and inspired rising rappers. With this in mind, the poem served as an inspiration to the people in society who consider him a hero. Shakur answered the questions of how to lead life when a hero is no more and how to handle a situation where a hero does not live up to an individual's expectations. Notably, the poet uses rhyme, parallelism, and Latinate diction to communicate to the target audience, who are the society in general.

Importantly, the poet creates a line pattern by using the words "When your hero falls" in the beginning, middle, and end sections of the poem. The use of parallelism in the line emphasizes the flaws of a hero. Mainly, this seeks to remind the reader that no individual is perfect. Heroes, too, can have imperfections, and it is not in the position of society to judge them. In addition to that, Shakur uses rhyme, which is expected, considering that he was a rapper. The lines 5-8 in the poem show a personal struggle between the poet and his hero ('When Ure Hero Falls by Tupac Shakur,' n.d.). The hero encourages Tupac always to be strong, yet the hero was frail. More so, the hero told the poet never to give up, yet he welcomed defeat. The lines show that the hero was not taking the advice that he gave to Shakur. The struggles between Shakur and his hero, coupled up with the use of rhyme, make the poem to flow smoothly.

The use of Latinate diction was typical in the year 1991, the time in which the poem was published. Tupac Shakur conveys his message through Latinate diction, where he uses "2" instead of "to" and "ure" instead of "your." The use of this diction shows that the poem was his actual thoughts, and no editing was done to the poem. The purpose of this diction is to affirm that the people in society were the target audience. The people in the community are likely to connect with the ideas and try to understand what to do or what not to do in the event where the hero does not live up to the set expectations.

Every individual, as implied in the poem, is likely to face situations where one is let down by a hero or guardian. However, the realization that every individual should learn how to cope with others and alone is an essential part of self-growth. In such a situation, one is not likely to have a hard position. The poem and its content allow people to relate to the poet. The situations described are in line with the lives and conditions of people in their day-to-day occurrences.

To conclude, Tupac was a legend who expressed his ideas in different forms of poems and rap. The poem, "When Your Hero Falls" is one of the lyrics by Tupac Shakur. The verse shows personal struggles between the poet and his hero. The battles resulted from a situation where a hero fails to live up to his words. Shakur asserted that his hero taught him to be strong, yet he as the first one to portray weakness. Thus, the poem tries to explain what a person should do when a hero does not live up to expectations.

Reference

When Ure Hero Falls by Tupac Shakur. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://allpoetry.com/When-Ure-Hero-Falls.