ENG

5062
Ms. Lisa Trotto

1
Identify Authors Point of View:
What Does the Author Think?

Authors viewpoint is the way an author looks at a topic or the ideas being described. The
authors viewpoint includes the content of the text and the language used to present the
data. Thoughtful readers decipher an authors point of view, opinions, hypotheses,
assumptions, and possible bias. Instruction for authors viewpoint helps students read
analytically in order to identify the validity of information contained in the text. Students
identify words and phrases that show an authors strong feelings for or against a person,
group, or issue. Students identify selections that present various perspectives on a topic.
This strategy focuses on helping students ask questions to identify stated and unstated
viewpoints.
Questions that help explore authors viewpoint:
1) What opinions or belief statements are evident in the article?

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2) Why do you think the author has this particular opinion or point of view?

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3) What background information about the author does the reader have that may help

understand the writers point of view? (Point of reference) Would another author have
a different point of view depending on his/her background experiences?
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4) What pictures does the author paint for a reader?

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ENG 5062
Ms. Lisa Trotto
5) What evidence did the author include to support their opinions?

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6) What facts were missing?

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7) What words and phrases did the author use to present the information? (Students

collect samples of the language an author uses to identify the context in which ideas
are presented.)
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8) Why did the author write this selection? Identifying the authors purpose helps

students recognize possible viewpoints, especially in persuasive writing.

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ENG 5062
Ms. Lisa Trotto

3
Background Information About the Song Keep Ya Head Up

"Keep Ya Head Up" is a 1993 hit single by Tupac Shakur. The song features R&B singer Dave
Hollister and is dedicated to Latasha Harlins and females. The beat is sampled from Zapp's "Be
Alright" and the chorus is sampled from The Five Stairsteps' "O-o-h Child", but originally it was
sampled from Big Daddy Kane's "Prince of Darkness". It was first released in Shakur's 1993
album.
The video opens up with the words "Dedicated to the memory of Latasha Harlins, it's still on", in
reference to the L.A. Riots. The video has a basic format with Shakur rapping in the middle of a
circle surrounded by a crowd of people and in some scenes seen holding a young child. His
mother Afeni Shakur also appears in the video.
Tupac Shakur Short Biography (Actor, Rapper (19711996)
A hip-hop legend, with explicit and controversial lyrics, Tupac Shakur was embroiled in a feud
between East Coast and West Coast rappers.
Synopsis
Born in New York City in 1971, Tupac Shakur, known by his stage name 2Pac, was an American
rapper. Shakur has sold more than 75 million albums worldwide, making him one of the bestselling music artists in the world. Most of Tupac's songs are about growing up amid violence and
hardship in ghettos, racism, other social problems and conflicts with other rappers during the
East Coast-West Coast hip hop rivalry. Shakur was shot and killed in Las Vegas, Nevada, in
1996.
What else do you know about this rapper? Any background information or other songs
he has written/performed?
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ENG 5062
Ms. Lisa Trotto

4
"Keep Ya Head Up"
Little somethin for my godson Elijah and a little girl named Corinne

[Verse 1:]
Some say the blacker the berry, the sweeter the juice
I say the darker the flesh then the deeper the roots
I give a holler to my sisters on welfare
Tupac cares, if don't nobody else care
And uhh, I know they like to beat ya down a lot
When you come around the block brothas clown a lot
But please don't cry, dry your eyes, never let up
Forgive but don't forget, girl keep your head up
And when he tells you you ain't nothin' don't believe him
And if he can't learn to love you you should leave him
Cause sista you don't need him
And I ain't tryin to gash up, I just call em how I see em
You know it makes me unhappy
When brothas make babies, and leave a young mother to be a pappy
And since we all came from a woman
Got our name from a woman and our game from a woman
I wonder why we take from our women
Why we rape our women, do we hate our women?
I think it's time to kill for our women
Time to heal our women, be real to our women
And if we don't we'll have a race of babies
That will hate the ladies, that make the babies
And since a man can't make one
He has no right to tell a woman when and where to create one
So will the real men get up
I know you're fed up ladies, but you gotta keep your head up
[Chorus:]
Keep ya head up, oooo child things are gonna get easier
Ooooo child things are gonna get brighter [2x]
[Verse 2:]
Aiyyo, I remember Marvin Gaye, used to sing ta me
He had me feelin like black was tha thing to be
And suddenly tha ghetto didn't seem so tough
And though we had it rough, we always had enough
I huffed and puffed about my curfew and broke the rules
Ran with the local crew, and had a smoke or two
And I realize momma really paid the price
She nearly gave her life, to raise me right
And all I had ta give her was my pipe dream
Of how I'd rock the mic, and make it to tha bright screen
I'm tryin to make a dollar out of fifteen cents
It's hard to be legit and still pay tha rent
And in the end it seems I'm headin for tha pen
I try and find my friends, but they're blowin in the wind

ENG 5062
Ms. Lisa Trotto

5
Last night my buddy lost his whole family
It's gonna take the man in me to conquer this insanity
It seems tha rain'll never let up
I try to keep my head up, and still keep from gettin wet up
You know it's funny when it rains it pours
They got money for wars, but can't feed the poor
Say there ain't no hope for the youth and the truth is
It ain't no hope for tha future
And then they wonder why we crazy
I blame my mother, for turning my brother into a crack baby
We ain't meant to survive, cause it's a setup
And even if you're fed up
Huh, ya got to keep your head up
[Chorus]
[Verse 3:]
And uhh
To all the ladies havin babies on they own
I know it's kinda rough and you're feelin all alone
Daddy's long gone and he left you by ya lonesome
Thank the Lord for my kids, even if nobody else want em
Cause I think we can make it, in fact, I'm sure
And if you fall, stand tall and comeback for more
Cause ain't nuttin worse than when your son
Wants to kno why his daddy don't love him no mo'
You can't complain you was dealt this
Hell of a hand without a man, feelin helpless
Because there's too many things for you to deal with
Dying inside, but outside you're looking fearless
While tears, is rollin down your cheeks
Ya steady hopin things don't all down this week
Cause if it did, you couldn't take it, and don't blame me
I was given this world I didn't make it
And now my son's getten older and older and cold
From havin the world on his shoulders
While the rich kids is drivin Benz
I'm still tryin to hold on to survivin friends
And it's crazy, it seems it'll never let up, but
Please... you got to keep your head up
Tupacs Keep Ya Head Up: Reading Lyrics Ethically

We can learn quite a bit about societal perceptions of gender roles through listening to music. What
happens when you switch he and she pronouns in a song (this is called the Willis test)? Does it
still send the same message? Usually it doesnt due to gender differences that result from sexism
and misogyny. For example, if we were to take David Guettas Sexy Chick (at least thats the
name of the edited version). After changing the gender pronouns, the song seems humorous and
unrealistic.

ENG 5062
Ms. Lisa Trotto

Rap music provides many critiques of our world, especially as they relate to race, money, gender,
and forms of criminal activity. Tupac Shakurs Keep Ya Head Up delivers a positive message to
two of the most oppressed groups in the US: poor, single mothers and women. The song is
dedicated to Latasha Harlins, a fifteen-year-old woman shot and killed by a shop owner in LA. Her
death is cited as one of the causes of the LA riots in 1992.
In the first verse, Tupac raps:
You know it makes me unhappy (whats that)
When brothers make babies, and leave a young mother to be a pappy
And since we all came from a woman
Got our name from a woman and our game from a woman
I wonder why we take from our women
Why we rape our women, do we hate our women?
In this verse, Tupac addresses the contradictory perceptions of women in culture. After presenting
this contradiction, he specifically calls on men of color to treat their women and children with
respect. He also asks women and children to keep ya head up though our society makes it
difficult to survive in a one parent family.
Part of the second verse:
You know its funny when it rains it pours
They got money for wars, but cant feed the poor
Say there aint no hope for the youth and the truth is
it aint no hope for the future
And then they wonder why we crazy
In this verse, Tupac addresses the governments role in perpetuating poverty among people of
color. He makes a connection between negative perceptions of the youth and the larger societal
forces that create inequality.
Part of the third verse:
To all the ladies having babies on they own
I know its kinda rough and youre feelin all alone
Daddys long gone and he left you by ya lonesome
Thank the Lord for my kids, even if nobody else want em
Cause I think we can make it, in fact, Im sure
And if you fall, stand tall and comeback for more
Cause aint nothing worse than when your son
wants to know why his daddy dont love him no more
You cant complain you was dealt this
hell of a hand without a man, feeling helpless
Because theres too many things for you to deal with
Dying inside, but outside youre looking fearless
Here, Tupac promotes a two-parent family. In the absence of one, he calls on mothers to stay
strong, even when they are struggling, because eventually things will change. He also mentions the
harm to children that can occur without strong male role models.