compare & contrast review
TRANSCRIPT
COMPARE AND CONTRAST ESSAY REVIEW
TYPE : COMPARE AND CONTRAST ESSAY
TITLE : RAP VS POETRY
ORGANIZATION OF ESSAY
This essay have introductory paragraph which have 7 sentences, body paragraph 1 which have 9
sentences , body paragraph 2 which have 1 sentences of quotation , body paragraph 3 have 29
sentences , body paragraph 4 have 12 sentences , body paragraph 5 have 1 sentence of quotation,
have 12 sentences , body paragraph 6 have 3 sentences , and for the concluding paragraph , it
have 4 sentences.
For the compare and contrast essay, the author show the ability to compare which is emphasize
the similarities and for the contrast, the author emphasize the differences. But the author not
mentions a much contrast in this essay.
PARAGRAPH
Most of the paragraph in the essay, the author write the topic sentence . I can see the author
states the topic sentence that generally introduces the information that follow in the supporting
sentences in the paragraph. The author mention the similarity in the paragraph. The author also
explain what is the similarity between rap and poet. Lastly, the concluding paragraph , the author
summarize all the topic sentence and the similarity between poet and rap.
Introductory Paragraph (7 Sentences)
Present Situation : quotation "When I first started rapping, me and a couple brothers
would all sit around my place free styling while
someone beat boxed.
Present Situation : opinion I even used to tell all the girls that I was a poet.
They seemed to find it a little more touching than a
rapper" (Prince Paul, The Source 16)
Body Paragraph 1 The lyrics of rappers are very similar to the words of
Black poets. 2 Sentences)
It is argued as to whether or not rap is a viable form of
poetry.
The essay will (Essay outline) Both discuss similar subjects, write in the same style
and use the same type of language in their writings.
When looking at a poem or reading rap lyrics,
distinguishing between the two can be difficult, if not
impossible.
Body Paragraph 1 (9 Sentences)
Compare : Similarity Both Black rappers and Black poets write about the
COMPARE AND CONTRAST ESSAY REVIEW
(Topic sentence) same subjects.
Example 1 For example the rap group NWA, and the poet Alice
Walker, both cover the topic of being from a minority
race.
Alice Walker states in one of her poems that "there is
no planet stranger than the one in from" (Walker,
"Note Passed To Superman" 18-19).
Body Paragraph 3 What Alice is saying is that the world is strange
because people judge others by their skin color. S
Contrast The approach NWA takes is a more presumptuous one.
In the song "Fuck Tha Police", NWA says " Young
nigga got it bad cuz im brown / And not the other color
so police think / They have the authority to kill a
minority" (NWA "Fuck Tha Police" 3-5)
Compare : Similarity
Example 2
Another common subject between Black poets and
rappers is "ghetto life"
Nikki Giovani's poem called "For Saundra" is about
how she is going to write a poem about trees and blue
skies.
Body Paragraph 2 Then she realized that she was living in a "concrete
jungle". Sentences)
Body Paragraph 2 (1 Sentences)
Present Situation : quotation i wanted to write / a poem / that rhymes / but revolution
doesnt lend / itself to bebopping / then my neighbor /
who thinks i hate / asked -do u ever write / tree poems-
i like trees / so i thought / i'll write a beautiful geen tree
poem / peeked from my window / to check the image /
noticed the school yard was covered / with asphalt / no
green - no trees grow / in Manhattan / then, well, i
thought the sky / ill do a big blue sky poem / but all the
clouds have winged / low since no-Dick was elected /
so i thought again / and it occurred to me / maybe i
shouldn't write / at all / but clean my gun / and check
my kerosene supply (Giovanni "For Saundra")
Body Paragraph 3 (29 Sentences)
What all this is about is simply the reality of the urban
ghettos.
Gangsters also write lyrics pertaining to ghetto life. In
the song "In Memory Of", Gangsters talks about life on
COMPARE AND CONTRAST ESSAY REVIEW
the streets and how it is always a hard time for a black
man trying to get by in society.
"If we don't build we'll be destroyed / that’s the
challenge we face in this race of poor and unemployed"
(Gangsters "In Memory Of" 11-12)
Compare : Similarity
Love and even more specifically, sex, are yet another
subject shared by both rappers and Black poets.
Example 3ph 3 The lyrics in the song "Brown Skin Woman" by KRS-1,
are discussing the love for the "brown woman" and
also sex with the "brown woman". (6 Sentences)
Example 4 Haki Madhubuti also writes his poems about love and
sex.
In the poem "My Brothers", Haki is sending a message
to the other black males about how they should start to
love and respect the females of the black race.
"My brothers i will not tell you who to love or not love i
will only say to you that Black women have not been
loved enough" (Madhubuti "My Brothers" 1-6).
Compare : Similarity
Example 5ph
Whether it be about sex, racism or life in the ghettos,
Black poets and Black rappers share the same views
and write about the same subjects.
Compare : Similarity
Example 6ph
The language used by Black rappers and Black poets is
a strong, short, to the point language.
Maya Angelou demonstrates this in her poem "Aint
That Bad".
Contrast Body Paragraph 4 In the poem Maya uses a lot of repetition to get her
point across. (7 Sentences)
"Now ain't they bad? / Now ain't they black?" (Angelou
"Aint That Bad?" 17-18).
Contrast These lines are repeated several times in a row during
the poem and again at the end of the poem.
"The lyrics of NWA banned off most radio stations.
The videos banned from MTV. And for what? Telling it
like it is?" (NWA "Live From Compton").
Contrast NWA has been criticized for having vulgar provocative
lyrics that simply tell the truth.
In the song "Fuck Tha Police", they discuss how white
police are always all over them for doing absolutely
nothing.
COMPARE AND CONTRAST ESSAY REVIEW
NWA then goes on to to say that an even worse
situation is the "black police showing off for the white
cop" (NWA "Fuck Tha Police" 20-21).
Body Paragraph 5 What they mean by this is that when a black and a
white cop are working together, the black one has to try
and show up the white cop by going to extremes.
This often results in the unnecessary death of black men
Compare : Similarity
Example 7ph
The language used by most rappers and now even
Black poets, is called ebonics.
It is also referred to as ghetto slang
They make such stupid decisions because it always
blows up in their face.
I think that they should use reverse psychology on the
people and say to go out and buy the stuff and see what
happens.
"Little shorties sedated thinkin' the way out is by sellin'
crack" (Grand Puba "Change Gonna Come" 11 ).
This line by Grand Puba is written in basic ebonics
Simply translated it says; kids are thinking that their
only way off the streets is to deal drugs.
Compare : Similarity
Example 8ph
The language used by Black rappers and Black poets is
a language that has a lot of power, strength and
emotion behind it.
Body Paragraph 4 (12 Sentences)
Compare : Similarity
(Topic sentence)
What rap artists and poets have most in common are
their messages
Compare : Similarity
Example 1ph
Their messages are of love, hate, racism, violence and
of what our world is going to become unless things are
changed.
A rap artist by the name of Grand Puba talks in his
song, Change Gonna Come", about how we need to
change the way we live and the way we treat each
other.
"Now lets deal on the real don't you get sick of this? /
The way we hate each other this shits ridiculous / Its
time we move on to the next phase / Cause theres too
many shorties gettin' boxed in a grave" (Grand Puba
"Change Gonna Come" 26-29).
Translated, these lyrics are saying that we have to
COMPARE AND CONTRAST ESSAY REVIEW
change the way we hate each other because it is ending
up hurting the children in the long run.
Contrast Sania Sanchez, a black poet, takes a different approach
at getting her message across.
She uses a layout in her poems that separate words so
that the more important ones get noticed.
"Give us your -- hungry/ -- illiterates/ -- criminals/ --
dropouts/ -- (in other words) -- your blacks -- and we
will let them fight -- in Vietnam" (Sanchez "the final
solution/ the leaders speak" 12-18).
The message she is sending is about discrimination and
racism.
The actual poem is about how many Black men were
sent to Vietnam to fight for a country that they were not
even accepted in.
Gangster’s "In Memory Of" and Nikki Giovanni's "For
Saundra" have a strong message about what is
happening in urban cities.
As discussed before Nikki Giovanni tells of how what
was once a nice place to live is now becoming a
"concrete jungle”.
Body Paragraph 5 (1 Sentences)
Present Situation : quotation To all my brothers in the streets / I know u feel you
have to hustle cause your peeps gotta eat / Makin
moves right and exact; don't wanna see you layin' flat /
Don't wanna see ya catch a bullet black / If we don't
build we'll be destroyed / Thats a challenge we face in
the race of poor and unemployed (Gangsters "In
Memory Of").
Body Paragraph 6 (3 Sentences)
This song by Gangsters is about life on the streets and
what one must do to survive on the streets
Compare : Similarity
Example 2ph
The messages found in theses rap songs and poems are
important messages that must be listened to.
Compare : Similarity
Example 3ph
They speak about what is happening in society and
what we have to do to change it or in some cases stop
it.
Concluding Paragraph (4 Sentences)
Summary of the essay
(Topic sentence)
In conclusion, the lyrics of rappers are very
COMPARE AND CONTRAST ESSAY REVIEW
comparable to the spoken words of Black poets
Example 1ph There can be comparisons made in the style of writing,
the subjects, language and the messages behind the
writings.
Example 2ph All of these similarities make rap a viable form of
poetry that is enjoyed and understood by young people
in today's society.
Contrast Today's teenagers, in many cases, would, not read
poetry and comprehend the message, but, they would
listen to rap and be able to understand the idea the
artist is trying to get across.
THESIS STATEMENT
Topic : The lyrics of rappers
Viewpoint : are very similar to the words of Black poets.
Thesis Statement : The lyrics of rappers are very similar to the words of Black poets.
The author expressed his thesis statement as an opinion. The author’s opinion tells the reader
about there are similarities between the rap and Black poets.
TOPIC SENTENCES & SUPPORTING DETAILS
The lyrics of rappers are very similar to the words of Black poets.
The lyrics of rappers are
very comparable to the
spoken words of Black
poets
What rap artists and poets
have most in common are
their messages
Both Black rappers and
Black poets write about
the same subjects
COMPARE AND CONTRAST ESSAY REVIEW
Topic Sentence Supporting Details
Both Black rappers and Black poets write
about the same subjects
The author point out the supporting details by
giving example
For example the rap group NWA, and the poet
Alice Walker, both cover the topic of being
from a minority race.
Another common subject between Black poets
and rappers is "ghetto life"
The author point out the supporting details by
giving testimony
The lyrics of rappers are very similar to the
words of Black poets are Love and even more
specifically, sex, are yet another subject shared
by both rappers and Black poets
Whether it be about sex, racism or life in the
ghettos, Black poets and Black rappers share
the same views and write about the same
subjects.
The language used by Black rappers and Black
poets is a strong, short, to the point language
The language used by most rappers and now
even Black poets, is called ebonics
The language used by Black rappers and Black
poets is a language that has a lot of power,
strength and emotion behind it
The author point out the supporting details by
giving facts
The lyrics in the song "Brown Skin Woman" by
KRS-1, are discussing the love for the "brown
woman" and also sex with the "brown woman"
COMPARE AND CONTRAST ESSAY REVIEW
Haki Madhubuti also writes his poems about
love and sex.
What rap artists and poets have most in
common are their messages
The author point out the supporting details by
giving example
Their messages are of love, hate, racism,
violence and of what our world is going to
become unless things are changed
The author point out the supporting details by
giving testimony
The messages found in theses rap songs and
poems are important messages that must be
listened to
They speak about what is happening in society
and what we have to do to change it or in some
cases stop it
The lyrics of rappers are very comparable to
the spoken words of Black poets
The author point out the supporting details by
giving testimony
There can be comparisons made in the style of
writing, the subjects, language and the
messages behind the writings.
All of these similarities make rap a viable form
of poetry that is enjoyed and understood by
young people in today's society.
COMPARE AND CONTRAST ESSAY REVIEW
STRENGTH AND WEAKNESS
Strength Weakness
The author give a clear view about the
essay and the supporting details support
the topic sentence
There are no thesis statement in this
essay
There a few only contrast between rap
and poetry
The supporting details is not connected
each other which mean is not in the
same paragraph , it goes to the other
paragraph
There are many illegal word that been
using in this essay
COMPARE AND CONTRAST ESSAY REVIEW
Rap Vs Poetry
"When I first started rapping, me and a couple brothers would all sit around my place freestyling
while someone beat boxed. I even used to tell all the girls that I was a poet. They seemed to find
it a little more touching than a rapper" (Prince Paul, The Source 16) The lyrics of rappers are
very similar to the words of Black poets. It is argued as to whether or not rap is a viable form of
poetry. Both discuss similar subjects, write in the same style and use the same type of language
in their writings. When looking at a poem or reading rap lyrics, distinguishing between the two
can be difficult, if not impossible.
Both Black rappers and Black poets write about the same subjects. For example the rap group
NWA, and the poet Alice Walker, both cover the topic of being from a minority race. Alice
Walker states in one of her poems that "there is no planet stranger than the one im from"
(Walker, "Note Passed To Superman" 18-19). What Alice is saying is that the world is strange
because people judge others by their skin color. The approach NWA takes is a more
presumptuous one. In the song "Fuck Tha Police", NWA says " Young nigga got it bad cuz im
brown / And not the other color so police think / They have the authority to kill a minority"
(NWA "Fuck Tha Police" 3-5). Another common subect between Black poets and rappers is
"ghetto life". Nikki Giovani's poem called "For Saundra" is about how she is going to write a
poem about trees and blue skies. Then she realized that she was living in a "concrete jungle".
i wanted to write / a poem / that rhymes / but revolution doesnt lend / itself to bebopping / then
my neighbor / who thinks i hate / asked -do u ever write / tree poems- i like trees / so i thought /
i'll write a beautiful geen tree poem / peeked from my window / to check the image / noticed the
school yard was covered / with asphalt / no green - no trees grow / in Manhattan / then, well, i
thought the sky / ill do a big blue sky poem / but all the clouds have winged / low since no-Dick
was elected / so i thought again / and it occurred to me / maybe i shouldn't write / at all / but
clean my gun / and check my kerosene supply (Giovanni "For Saundra")
What all this is about is simply the reality of the urban ghettos. Gangsters also write lyrics
pertaining to ghetto life. In the song "In Memory Of", Gangsters talks about life on the streets
and how it is always a hard time for a black man trying to get by in society. "If we don't build
we'll be destroyed / that’s the challenge we face in this race of poor and unemployed" (Gangsters
"In Memory Of" 11-12). Love and even more specifically, sex, are yet another subject shared by
both rappers and Black poets. The lyrics in the song "Brown Skin Woman" by KRS-1, are
discussing the love for the "brown woman" and also sex with the "brown woman". Haki
Madhubuti also writes his poems about love and sex. In the poem "My Brothers", Haki is
sending a message to the other black males about how they should start to love and respect the
females of the black race. "My brothers i will not tell you who to love or not love i will only say
COMPARE AND CONTRAST ESSAY REVIEW
to you that Black women have not been loved enough" (Madhubuti "My Brothers" 1-6). Wether
it be about sex, racism or life in the ghettos, Black poets and Black rappers share the same views
and write about the same subjects.
The language used by Black rappers and Black poets is a strong, short, to the point language.
Maya Angelou demonstrates this in her poem "Aint That Bad". In the poem Maya uses a lot of
repetition to get her point across. "Now ain't they bad? / Now ain't they black?" (Angelou "Aint
That Bad?" 17-18). These lines are repeated several times in a row during the poem and again at
the end of the poem. "The lyrics of NWA banned off most radio stations. The videos banned
from MTV. And for what? Telling it like it is?" (NWA "Live From Compton"). NWA has been
criticized for having vulgar provocative lyrics that simply tell the truth. In the song "Fuck Tha
Police", they discuss how white police are always all over them for doing absolutely nothing.
NWA then goes on to to say that an even worse situation is the "black police showing off for the
white cop" (NWA "Fuck Tha Police" 20-21). What they mean by this is that when a black and a
white cop are working together, the black one has to try and show up the white cop by going to
extremes. This often results in the unnecessary death of black men. The language used by most
rappers and now even Black poets, is called ebonics. It is also referred to as ghetto slang. "Little
shorties sedated thinkin' the way out is by sellin' crack" (Grand Puba "Change Gonna Come" 11
). This line by Grand Puba is written in basic ebonics. Simply translated it says; kids are thinking
that their only way off the streets is to deal drugs. The language used by Black rappers and Black
poets is a language that has a lot of power, strength and emotion behind it.
What rap artists and poets have most in common are their messages. Their messages are of love,
hate, racism, violence and of what our world is going to become unless things are changed. A rap
artist by the name of Grand Puba talks in his song, Change Gonna Come", about how we need to
change the way we live and the way we treat each other. "Now lets deal on the real don't you get
sick of this? / The way we hate each other this shits ridiculous / Its time we move on to the next
phase / Cause theres too many shorties gettin' boxed in a grave" (Grand Puba "Change Gonna
Come" 26-29). Translated, these lyrics are saying that we have to change the way we hate each
other because it is ending up hurting the children in the long run. Sania Sanchez, a black poet,
takes a different approach at getting her message across. She uses a layout in her poems that
separate words so that the more important ones get noticed. "Give us your -- hungry/ --
illiterates/ -- criminals/ -- dropouts/ -- (in other words) -- your blacks -- and we will let them fight
-- in Vietnam" (Sanchez "the final solution/ the leaders speak" 12-18). The message she is
sending is about discrimination and racism. The actual poem is about how many Black men were
sent to Vietnam to fight for a country that they were not even accepted in. Gangstarr's "In
Memory Of" and Nikki Giovanni's "For Saundra" have a strong message about what is
happening in urban cities. As discussed before Nikki Giovanni tells of how what was once a nice
place to live is now becoming a "concrete jungle".
COMPARE AND CONTRAST ESSAY REVIEW
To all my brothers in the streets / I know u feel you have to hustle cause your peeps gotta eat /
Makin moves right and exact; don't wanna see you layin' flat / Don't wanna see ya catch a bullet
black / If we don't build we'll be destroyed / Thats a challenge we face in the race of poor and
unemployed (Gangsters "In Memory Of")
This song by Gangsters is about life on the streets and what one must do to survive on the streets.
The messages found in theses rap songs and poems are important messages that must be listened
to. They speak about what is happening in society and what we have to do to change it or in
some cases stop it.
In conclusion, the lyrics of rappers are very comparable to the spoken words of Black poets.
There can be comparisons made in the style of writing, the subjects, language and the messages
behind the writings. All of these similarities make rap a viable form of poetry that is enjoyed and
understood by young people in today's society. Today's teenagers, in many cases, would, not
read poetry and comprehend the message, but, they would listen to rap and be able to understand
the idea the artist is trying to get across.
Written By: Vinal Styles
Resource: http://www.4freeessays.com/essays/1026.shtml