QUESTIONS FOR READING
What is Walker’s subject?
Walker’s subject is about the plight of the inner-city residents, especially the issue of capital punishment.
What is Big Pun’s attitude toward government?
Big Pun depicts the government as irresponsible and negligent of its responsibilities of serving the people. He feels angry about the government because of the way he thinks it oppresses the inner-city residents.
How are inner-city minorities depicted?
The inner-city minorities are depicted as the people who are suffering from the actions of the tyrannical government, the people who are denied the opportunities, and the people who are vulnerable to the demise of their lives because of the evils the government is doing against them.
What does Big Pun want his listeners to do?
Big Pun wants the listeners to understand the government better by shedding light on how it is oppressing its citizens.
QUESTIONS FOR REASONING AND ANALYSIS
What is Walker’s purpose in writing? What is her claim?
The purpose of writing this analysis is to publicize the sufferings of the inner-city minorities and also to raise the alarm concerning these sufferings being experienced by the inner-city dwellers. She claims that even today, capital punishment represents the utmost degree to which the judicial law is being exercised.
What strategies does she analyze?
She analyzes various stylistic techniques used by the Pun such as delivery and rhyme scheme to air his resentment.
How does the death penalty serve as an extended metaphor?
The death penalty serves as an extended metaphor because its adds insult to injury; people are already suffering from bad governance, and the death penalty threatens their existence.
QUESTIONS FOR REFLECTION AND DEBATE
Evaluate Walker’s analysis: Is it specific? Is it clear? Does it connect elements of the rap song to the song’s theme?
Walker’s analysis tends to be specific because he focuses on specific ideas and verses in the song that correlates with each other. She picks specific words or sentences that speak of similar ideas thereby cementing the point that she is trying to bring across. The analyst is clear because she presents her points in a manner that is easy to understand what is she is talking about. Walker tries to connect different elements of the rap song to the author’s theme very well. For instance, she analyzes the delivery and the rhyme schemes that connect effectively to the theme of the song which is capital punishment.
Do you like rap? If so, why? If not, why not?
I do not fancy rap songs because of its negative impacts to the community, especially the direct impacts on the youth. The scariest thing about rap songs is that they mentally seem to be contagious and when that combines with the support for violence, people get to murder others for inconsequential slights. Someone feels that he is superior and wants even to shoot anybody who says something negative about him. Rap songs also objectify women in that, instead of making them work partners, the women are used as things to do stuff to. That reinforces the sexual double standard thereby advocating violence against females. the songs always show someone bragging about having much money, and they cannot even help children go to school or even use it to help the needy.
Has rap made a contribution to modern music? If yes, how? If no, why not?
Rap songs have greatly contributed to modern music because it does not entail much and many young people are influenced by the same. You only create a few lines or even sing without any formula as much as you sway to the rhythm. Many songs that are coming up nowadays are rap songs. Therefore rap music is a great influence on modern music.