Changes

English assessment task

Life, Death & Immortality

Category 4. Aural (i.e. Song or speech) (Song chosen)

Song choses is "Changes" By Tupac.

1. What is the text about?

The text is about an African American living in the streets. The rapper "Tupac" in this song describes the living conditions and the things that go on in the streets. In one verse of the song the composer says "Wake up in the morning and I ask myself, is life worth living? Should I blast myself?" (Blasting being slang/colloquial term for shooting himself i.e. suicide.) This describes the extremities of his life and the last resort the composer is resorting to. The author raps about the drugs, the prostitution, the racism and even gang wars. Where adolescents shoot and even kill each other in the neighbourhood.

2. How does the composer construct meaning in this text? In your answer refer to: a. language features b. intended audience c. context (eg. Historical, social and cultural)

The composer constructs meaning in the text by a numerous amount of ways. The use of syntax and the formation of the sentences also is appealing and is useful in the text. The composer uses complex compound sentences to further describe the black community. This causes richer and clearer understanding of the message the composer is trying to get across and makes the listeners understand. Also on various occasion the author deliberately used syntax to confuse by adding so much detail that the listener is unable to process it all. The intended audience is the teenagers that are growing up in these society's. The teenagers can relate to this and unfortunately furthermore agree with the composer and his ideas. The context of the song is the rappers personal life and the struggles he has gone through. In history the African-American were greatly discriminated and persecuted against and in this, it describes the racism the is brought onto them whilst living in the slums. The composer tries to send this message across as he himself lived this experience and knows what it is like.

3. In what ways does the text relate to your class text/s? Refer to at least ONE poem and ONE short story.

The song changes I have chosen relates to a short story we studied in class. The title of the story is "A Bedtime Story" by