Autumn 2013 – 9th grade
Magazine
Getty Images/iStockphoto/Thinkstock
Overcoming
obstacles
fortsetter på neste side 
TErminprøver engelsk
informasjon
Engelsk terminprøve – forberedelse
Bokmål:
Forberedelse og prøve
Tekstsamlingen er delt inn i to deler: Part A: Facts of the matter og Part B: The stories I have heard.
Begge delene er obligatoriske. På prøvedagen vil du få oppgaver knyttet til både part A og part B.
Forberedelsestiden skal du bruke til å jobbe med tekstsamlingen. Du kan både lese, bearbeide og sortere
ukjent stoff. Du kan ta notater som er knyttet til temaet. Du kan samarbeide med andre elever, snakke
med læreren og bruke lærebøker og andre kilder. Under forberedelsen er alle hjelpemidler tillatt, inkludert
bruk av internett. På prøven kan du ikke bruke internett og andre verktøy som tillater kommunikasjon, eller
oversettelsesprogrammer. Alle kilder du benytter deg av på prøven, direkte eller indirekte, skal oppgis slik
at det går an å finne fram til kilden. Dersom du har med deg utskrifter og sitater fra nettsider, må du oppgi
adresse og nedlastingsdato.
På prøvedagen skal du svare på tre oppgaver, to som krever kortere svar (Task 1 og Task 2) og en
langsvaroppgave (Task 3A, B, C eller D). Du skal svare på engelsk.
Nynorsk:
Førebuingsdel og prøve
Tekstsamlinga er delt inn i to delar: Part A: Facts of the matter og Part B: The stories I have heard.
Begge delane er obligatoriske. På prøvedagen vil du få oppgåver knytt både til part A og til part B.
Førebuingstida skal du bruke til å jobbe med tekstsamlinga. Du kan både lese, studere og sortere ukjent
stoff. Du kan ta notat som er knytte til temaet. Du kan samarbeide med andre elevar, snakke med læraren
og bruke lærebøker og andre kjelder. Under førebuinga er alle hjelpemiddel tillatne, inkludert bruk
av internett. På prøven kan du ikkje bruke internett og andre verktøy som tillèt kommunikasjon, eller
omsetjingsprogram. Alle kjelder du brukar på prøven, direkte eller indirekte, skal oppgjevast slik at det går
an å finne fram til kjelda. Dersom du har med deg utskrifter og sitat frå nettsider, skal adresse og dato for
nedlasting oppgjevast.
På prøvedagen skal du svare på tre oppgåver, to som krev kortare svar (Task 1 og Task 2) og ei
langsvaroppgåve (Task 3A, B, C eller D). Du skal svare på engelsk.
2
contents
Perspectives on overcoming obstacles
As the old saying goes: If life hands you lemons, you make lemonade! In this
issue of Perspectives Magazine you will meet different people who in one way
or another have overcome difficulties in their lives and become stronger. One
has lost her leg, one has overcome his fear, and one challenged his times.
You will also meet Mrs Luella Bates Washington Jones, with a heart larger than
her name; and you will find out if Vingo will get off the bus and leave his past
behind. Happy reading!
PART A
PART B
to overcome obstacles
å komme seg gjennom
vanskeligheter/vanskar
FACTS OF THE MATTER
Scout Bassett: Succeeding in life,
one step at a time
4
How to overcome fear
7
Jackie Robinson
9
7 Steps for Getting Over a Breakup
11
From victims to victors:
Bully documentary creates inspiration
13
THE STORIES I HAVE HEARD
The Yellow Ribbon
15
2Pac (Tupac) Shakur
– The Rose that Grew from Concrete
18
Thank You, M’am
20
3
Part a – facts of the matter / Scout Bassett
NTB Scanpix/Tim Tadder/NewSport/Corbis
Scout Bassett: Succeeding
in life, one step at a time
Sometimes in life we are handed challenges which we cannot
control, and somehow we have to overcome them. This is the
story of Scout Bassett who lost her leg at an early age, but refuses
to let that stop her. In fact, it makes her appreciate life even more!
Kids often ask Scout Bassett, of Palm Desert, California, if she wishes
she had two normal legs. Bassett, 18, answers, “No. I have never known
anything different, and it would seem weird to me. Besides, if it weren’t
for the missing leg, I wouldn’t have the opportunities I have today!”
What she means is she has learned important lessons about
overcoming big challenges to reach your goals. “When you are missing
a leg, it teaches you to appreciate little things – like being able to walk
and run,” she says.
Scout has faced big challenges. Born in China, she was left at an
orphanage before her first birthday suffering from terrible burns. Her
right leg was especially damaged, and doctors amputated it above the
knee. She remembers being hungry all the time at the orphanage. As
soon as she was old enough to get around, she was put to work
an opportunity
en mulighet /
ei moglegheit
an orphanage
et barnehjem /
ein barneheim
to amputate
å amputere
fortsetter på neste side 
4
Part a – facts of the matter / Scout Bassett
mopping floors, feeding babies, and washing dishes. And she had to do
all that with an artificial leg that didn’t work very well. “It was made of
things you’d find in your garage,” she recalls. “Belt straps, masking tape,
nuts and bolts. It didn’t feel very good, and clanked, and even fell off
sometimes.”
Then, when she was seven years old, a family in Michigan adopted
her. Everything about her new life in the United States was better;
including the improved artificial legs her parents got for her. First, she
got a better leg for everyday activities. It was okay for some things, but
she still couldn’t play soccer or basketball. When she was 14, she got a
high-tech leg made for sports and put it to the test right away in a race
for disabled athletes. “I remember being terrified because this was my
first time,” she says. “But my doctor said, ‘You have to start
somewhere.’”
Scout was waiting nervously for the race to start when athlete Sarah
Reinertsen came up and said, “I’ve been doing this for a while. Let me
give you some tips.” Reinertsen, who lost her leg when she was seven,
is the first woman amputee to finish the Ironman triathlon in Hawaii. In
the 2005 race, she swam 2.4 miles (3.9 kilometers) in the ocean, biked
112 miles (180 kilometers), and ran 26 miles (42 kilometers). She works
with an organization called the Challenged Athletes Foundation to help
support people like Scout. Reinertsen’s encouragement changed the
teenager’s life. She lost that first race, but gained the confidence that
she needed to compete. If Sarah could do it, she could too.
Training hard, she improved her strength and skill step by step. She
even took up golf and tennis, and, by high school, she’d gotten good
enough to be on the varsity teams. Now living in California, Scout runs
competitively and also finds time to share her story with school groups.
“There are days when I study until 1 a.m. and get up at five to swim and
train, and it is tough,” she explains. But she has a motto that keeps her
going: “The task ahead of you is never greater than the strength inside
you.”
artificial
kunstig
a nut
en/ein mutter
a bolt
en/ein bolt
to clank
å skramle
improved
forbedret / betra
disabled
funksjonshemmet/
funksjonshemma
encouragement
oppmuntring
to gain
her: få
to compete
å konkurrere
skill
ferdighet/dugleik
varsity team
førstelaget til et/eit
universitet eller college
fortsetter på neste side 
5
Part a – facts of the matter / Scout Bassett
“Sometimes people look at someone like me or at Sarah and think
they have nothing in common with us. I tell them that even if you
aren’t physically challenged, everybody has challenges of some kind –
maybe with family, or homework, or friends. No matter what it is, you
can overcome that obstacle,” she says. “Everything you need is inside
your heart. Take small steps. As time goes by, the steps will get bigger
and you will reach your dream.”
© National Geographic. Used by permission.
Links:
http://kids.nationalgeographic.com/kids/stories/peopleplaces/
disabled-athlete/
6
physically challenged
funksjonshemmet/
funksjonshemma
Part a – facts of the matter / Overcoming fear
NTB Scanpix/Red Bull Stratos/AP
How to overcome fear
by Felix Baumgartner
On October 14th, 2012, Felix Baumgartner jumped off a specially
made capsule 39 kilometres above the earth. This set the record
for skydiving, and on his nine-minute fall he broke the sound
barrier as he reached an estimated speed of 1 358 kilometres per
hour. No wonder he had to work on overcoming fear!
[…] Fear gets problematic when it becomes your focal point,
dominating your thoughts and distracting you from the task at hand.
Training for my Red Bull Stratos jump, I went through a period where I
hated wearing the spacesuit. It’s something a lot of high-altitude pilots
deal with. The suit creates a sort of sensory deprivation, and in my
case, its rigidity made it impossible to use techniques I’d worked my
whole life to develop. Subconsciously, I think maybe the suit came to
represent everything that could defeat me. It became a trigger for what
was fear. As soon as I put it on, I was itching to take it off.
That fear itself wasn’t irrational: it pointed out some significant
operational challenges we had to address. What I needed was to get
out of the endless loop of negative thinking. Our psychologists taught
me some simple techniques. Sometimes in training they’d ask me a
question totally unrelated to the mission, maybe a question that didn’t
focal point
fokus
a high-altitude pilot
en pilot som flyr veldig
høyt / ein pilot som flyg
veldig høgt
sensory deprivation
sanseberøvelse /
tap av sansar
rigidity
stivhet / vere stiv
subconsciously
underbevisst/umedvite
to defeat
å slå
significant
betydelig/betydeleg
operational challenges
utfordringer ved
oppdraget / utfordringar
ved oppdraget
unrelated
her: som ikke hadde å
gjøre med / som ikkje
hadde å gjere med
fortsetter på neste side 
7
Part a – facts of the matter / Overcoming fear
even make sense, just to break the cycle of negative thoughts in my
head. Then I could come back to see the situation more objectively.
Another technique was to actively look for the positives. At 24 miles
above earth, where my blood would boil without protection, the
benefits of that suit were going to far outweigh its drawbacks.
Eventually the suit came to represent not potential problems but the
technological solution that would keep me alive and let me accomplish
my goals. We moved forward, and the program was a success.
Let your fear inform you. Get outside help if you need it. And be
patient with yourself. Dealing with it might be one of the smartest
things you do.
© Bloomberg L.P.. Used by permission.
Links:
http://www.businessweek.com/articles/2013-04-11/how-to-overcomefear-by-skydiver-felix-baumgartner
http://www.redbullstratos.com/about-felix/felix-baumgartner-pilotbiography/
8
a benefit
en/ein fordel
to outweigh
å veie opp for / å vege
opp for
a drawback
en/ei ulempe
a solution
en løsning / ei løysing
to accomplish
å oppnå
Part a – facts of the matter / Jackie Robinson
NTB Scanpix/AP
Jackie Robinson
by Meera Dolasia
In a world where African American athletes are amongst the best
in almost any sport, it is hard to believe that they were once
thought to be people with no skill or talent – that, unfortunately,
was the era Jackie Robinson grew up in.
Born in Georgia in 1919, Jackie would have grown up facing the same
kind of segregation as Dr King and Rosa Parks. Fortunately, his mother
had the foresight to relocate the family to Los Angeles, California,
where things were not as bad.
Jackie’s athletic prowess that was apparent since the day he entered
kindergarten continued through high school, where he was a star
athlete participating in everything ranging from track and basketball to
football and, of course, baseball. This continued when he went to
UCLA, where he was a key member of the university’s basketball, golf
and tennis teams, but ironically not baseball.
But much as he loved sport, Jackie knew that he could not make a
living playing it, because African American athletes were simply not
permitted to join any teams. It was only many years later while working
for the US army that Jackie discovered from a fellow soldier that he
segregation
raseskille/raseskilje
foresight
klarsyn
to relocate
å flytte
prowess
dyktighet/dyktigheit
to participate
å delta
track
her: baneløp
permitted
her: gitt tillatelse /
gitt tillating
fortsetter på neste side 
9
Part a – facts of the matter / Jackie Robinson
could make a decent living playing for the Negro baseball leagues.
While not in love with the game, Jackie decided to pursue it anyway
and was immediately hired by the Kansas City Monarchs.
The rest, as they say, is history. A sports scout recognized Jackie’s
talent and referred him to Branch Rickey, the President of the Brooklyn
Dodgers, where he was immediately hired: first for its minor league
team, The Montreal Monarchs, and then, in 1947, for the Brooklyn
Dodgers. Given that he was the first black man playing for either team,
things were not always easy, but Jackie persevered by having the guts
NOT to fight back when taunted by either his fellow mates or the
crowds, and instead focusing his energy on playing the game well.
This fact was amply proven when he helped his team get to the World
Series during his first season. Though they did not win, it was a major
achievement for both the Brooklyn Dodgers and Jackie. After breaking
several records and even helping his team win the coveted series in
1956, the star athlete decided it was time to retire and pursue other
things like joining Dr King in the now famous March on Washington in
August, 1963.
After the Civil Rights Bill was passed, Jackie kept making history. He
was the first African American president of a major American company,
the first African American television analyst for major-league baseball
and of course, in 1962, the first African American baseball player to be
inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame. Though the amazing
trail-blazer, who paved the way for many African American athletes,
passed away from diabetes and heart-related complications when he
was just 53 years old, his memory lives on with us, forever.
© DOGO Media, Inc. Used by permission.
Links:
http://www.dogonews.com/2013/2/4/celebrating-black-history-month
http://www.history.com/topics/black-history-month
10
decent
anstendig, skikkelig/
skikkeleg
to pursue
her: å prøve seg
to refer
å henvise/tilvise
minor league
lavere serie / lågare serie
to persevere
å holde ut / å halde ut
to taunt
å håne
amply
utførlig/utførleg,
ordentlig/ordentleg
an achievement
en/ein prestasjon
coveted
ettertraktet/ettertrakta
Civil Rights Bill
en lov fra 1964 som slo
fast at det ikke var lov
å skille svarte og hvite
lenger / ei lov frå 1964
som slo fast at det ikkje
var lov å skilje svarte og
kvite lenger
to be inducted
her: å bli opptatt/
oppteken i
a trail blazer
en som baner vei /
ein som banar veg
Part a – facts of the matter / 7 steps
Getty Images/iStockphoto/Thinkstock
7 Steps for Getting Over
a Breakup
by Holly Ashworth
Whether you just got dumped or you did the dumping, breaking
up always hurts a whole lot. There’s no quick fix to make the pain
go away, but if you follow some key rules for getting over a
breakup, things won’t hurt so bad.
1.Realize That It’s Over
The biggest breakup mistake you can make? Pretending that it
didn’t happen. You broke up for a good reason, and getting back
together isn’t an option. (Maybe it will be in a couple of years, when
things have changed, but not now.) Until you accept this, you can’t
start healing.
2.Get Sad
You’re allowed to give yourself a couple of days to mope around
and cry. Tear up some love notes, sob to your friends, and write
some poems (just don’t publish anything online – you’ll regret it
later). Letting yourself be sad will do you better than bottling it all
up. After the second day of moping, though, it’s time to start
snapping out of it.
to dump
å dumpe, gjøre slutt med /
gjere slutt med
a quick fix
lettvint løsning/løysing
to pretend
å late som
an option
en mulighet /
ei moglegheit
to heal
å helbrede/lækje
to mope around
å gå omkring og henge
med hodet/hovudet
to publish
å publisere, offentliggjøre/
offentleggjere
to bottle up
å holde noe inni seg /
å halde noko inni seg
fortsetter på neste side 
11
Part a – facts of the matter / 7 steps
3. Leave Your Ex Alone
You might want to call or text your ex, but resist the urge. You both
need a little time apart from each other, or else you’ll never stop
hurting. In a couple of months, you might be ready to try out a
friendship, but for now, try to avoid all contact.
4.Keep Yourself Busy
The worst way to get over an ex is to sit in your room all alone. Hang
out with your friends and family, play some sports, hit the gym or
dig into your favorite hobbies. It’ll make you feel good and get your
mind off of the breakup.
5. Force Yourself to Snap Out of It
After the initial loss, you won’t be thinking about your ex nonstop
like you used to, but you might find your thoughts trailing back to
your breakup. Push those sad thoughts out of your head and
replace them with happy ones. There’s no use dwelling on all the
sad stuff forever.
6. Make a Change
Breakups can be good excuses for fresh starts. Make a fun change:
give yourself a makeover, get into a new hobby, join a new afterschool activity or redecorate your room. It’ll make you feel happy
and give you a big burst of confidence.
7.Let Time Go By
Time really does heal all wounds. The pain you’re feeling now won’t
last forever, even if it feels like it will. So hang in there – it’ll get
easier. I promise.
© Holly Ashworth. Used by permission.
Links:
http://teenadvice.about.com/od/datinglove/tp/7_steps_for_getting_
over_a_break_up.htm
12
an urge
en/ei lyst, en/ein trang/
trong
initial
her: første
to trail
å finne, søke/søkje
to dwell
å dvele
to redecorate
å ommøblere, pusse opp
confidence
selvtillit/sjølvtillit
a wound
et/eit sår
Part a – facts of the matter / Bully
NTB Scanpix/Demotix
From victims to victors:
Bully documentary creates inspiration
by Gianina Thompson
‘Bully’ director, Lee Hirsch, was bullied as a kid in Long Island, New
York. He spoke of how he would get punched in the arm everyday
when walking home; making his arm not colored with black and
blue bruises, but a permanent yellow sleeve from the routine
beatings. He couldn’t even talk to his dad because his dad told
him to just man-up. He felt alone.
Amazingly, he made his experience an experience of reason and,
consequently, he made the documentary Bully and created ‘The Bully
Project’ to inspire people into taking action against bullying.
Alex is a remembered face from the documentary. Disbelief, sadness,
and rage were imprinted on viewers’ emotions when they saw the
disturbing torment Alex received on the school bus. They called him
“fish-face”, threatened to break his bones, and even with cameras
rolling, punched him and slammed his face into the bus seat.
During filming, Hirsch spoke about Alex’s first day of school. He was
alone and looked very sad, but the world seemed not to care and kept
moving through him. He was devoid of emotion, and depression was
a director
en/ein regissør
to bully
å mobbe
a bruise
et/eit blåmerke
an experience of reason
her: en erfaring som gjør
en klokere, mer målrettet
/ ei erfaring som gjer ein
klokare, meir målretta
consequently
følgelig/følgjeleg
disbelief
vantro/vantru
imprinted
preget/prega (inn)
torment
pine
devoid of emotion
følelsesløs/kjenslelaus
fortsetter på neste side 
13
Part a – facts of the matter / Bully
the only thing that exuded from his frown, that seemed to be put on
default. His parents described him as “fading” and there seemed to be
nothing they could do to bring him back.
Filmmakers showed Alex’s parents the video from the bus and they
were shocked beyond belief. This encouraged them to go to the school
administration to address the problem. However, Assistant Principal
Kim Lockwood simply said, “We’ll take care of it.” However, little came
of that, and the Libby’s ultimately moved their seven-member family
from Iowa to Oklahoma.
With the move and national release of the documentary, Alex has
transformed into a loved, well-respected, and popular guy. He is also a
motivational speaker against bullying and has even received various
awards for his contributions against bullying. Hip-hop artist, Sean
Kingston, presented a youth award to Alex and later acted as his hypeman as he free-styled about bullying to the crowd.
© Bonfire Impact, Inc. Used by permission.
Links:
http://www.bonfireimpact.com/2013/03/11/from-victims-to-victorsbully-documentary-creates-inspiration/
http://www.thebullyproject.com
14
to exude
utstråle / stråle ut
a frown
en/ei rynke, nyve i
pannen/panna
to be put on default
her: som satt fast, var der
hele tiden / som sat fast,
var der heile tida
to fade
å forsvinne
to encourage
å oppmuntre
ultimately
til slutt
to transform
å forvandle
a motivational speaker
en som holder foredrag for
å motivere / ein som held
føredrag for å motivere
a contribution
et/eit bidrag
a hype-man
en/ein som reklamerer
eller skaper blest om noe/
noko
Part B – The stories i have heard / The Yellow Ribbon
Getty Images/iStockphoto/Thinkstock
The Yellow Ribbon
by Pete Hamill
They were going to Fort Lauderdale, Florida. There were six of them,
three boys and three girls, and they got on the bus at 34th Street,
carrying sandwiches and wine in paper bags. They were dreaming of
golden beaches and sea tides as the grey, cold spring of New York
vanished behind them. Vingo was on the bus from the beginning.
As the bus passed through New Jersey, they began to notice that
Vingo never moved. He sat in front of the young people, his dusty face
masking his age, dressed in a plain brown suit that did not fit him. His
fingers were stained from cigarettes and he chewed the inside of his lip
a lot. He sat in complete silence and seemed completely unaware of
the existence of the others.
Deep into the night, the bus pulled into a Howard Johnson’s
restaurant and everybody got off the bus except Vingo. The young
people began to wonder about him, trying to imagine his life: perhaps
he was a sea captain; maybe he had run away from his wife; he could
be an old soldier going home. When they went back to the bus, one of
the girls became so curious that she decided to engage him in a
conversation.
sea tide
tidevann/tidvatn
dusty
støvete
to mask
å dekke/dekkje over
unaware
uvitende/uvitande
to engage
å involvere
fortsetter på neste side 
15
Part B – The stories i have heard / The Yellow Ribbon
She sat down beside him and introduced herself.
“We’re going to Florida,” the girl said brightly. “You going that far?”
“I don’t know,” Vingo said.
“I’ve never been there,” she said. “I hear it’s beautiful.”
“It is,” he said quietly, as if remembering something he had tried to
forget.
“You live there?”
“I was there in the Navy, at the base in Jacksonville.”
“Want some wine?” she said. He smiled and took a swig from the
bottle. He thanked her and retreated again into his silence. After a
while, she went back to the others as Vingo nodded in sleep.
In the morning they awoke outside another Howard Johnson’s and
this time Vingo went in. The girl insisted that he join them. He seemed
very shy and ordered black coffee and smoked nervously, as the young
people chattered about sleeping on beaches. When they got back on
the bus, the girl sat with Vingo again. After a while, slowly and painfully,
he began to tell his story. He had been in jail in New York for the last
four years, and now he was going home.
“Are you married?”
“I don’t know.”
“You don’t know?” she said.
“Well, when I was in jail I wrote to my wife. I said, ‘Martha, I
understand if you can’t stay married to me.’ I said I was going to be
away a long time, and that if she couldn’t stand it, if the kids kept
asking questions, if it hurt her too much, well, she could just forget me.
Get a new guy—she’s a wonderful woman, really something—and
forget about me. I told her she didn’t have to write to me or anything,
and she didn’t. Not for three-and-a-half years.”
“And you’re going home now, not knowing?”
“Yeah,” he said shyly. “Well, last week, when I was sure the parole
was coming through I wrote her again. I told her that if she had a new
guy, I understood. But, if she didn’t, if she would take me back she
should let me know. We used to live in Brunswick, and there’s a great
oak tree just as you come into town. I told her if she would take me
back, she should tie a yellow ribbon to the tree, and I would get off and
come home. If she didn’t want me, forget it, no ribbon and I’d
understand and keep going on through.”
a swig
en/ein slurk
to retreat
å trekke/trekkje seg
tilbake
to nod
å nikke
parole
prøveløslatelse/
prøvelauslating
an oak
et/eit eiketre
a ribbon
et bånd / eit band
fortsetter på neste side 
16
Part B – The stories i have heard / The Yellow Ribbon
“Wow,” the girl said. “Wow.”
She told the others, and soon all of them were caught up in the
approach of Brunswick, looking at the pictures Vingo showed them of
his wife and three children. Now they were 20 miles from Brunswick,
and the young people took the window seats on the right side, waiting
for the approach of the great oak tree. Vingo stopped looking,
tightening his face into the ex-con’s mask, as if fortifying himself against
still another disappointment. Then it was 10 miles, and then five, and
the bus became very quiet.
Then suddenly all of the young people were up out of their seats,
screaming and shouting and crying, doing small dances, shaking
clenched fists in triumph and exaltation. All except Vingo.
Vingo sat there stunned, looking at the oak tree through his misty
eyes. The tree was covered with yellow ribbons, 30 of them, 50 of
them, maybe hundreds, a tree that stood like a banner of welcome,
blowing and billowing in the wind. As the young people shouted, the
old con slowly rose from his seat, holding himself tightly, and made his
way to the front of the bus to go home.
© Pete Hamill. Used by permission.
For more on Pete Hamill:
http://www.petehamill.com/
17
approach
innkjøring/innkøyring
an ex-con
en tidligere straffedømt /
ein tidlegare straffedømd
to fortify
stålsette/stålsetje seg
a disappointment
en/ein skuffelse
clenched fists
knyttede never / knytte
nevar
exaltation
begeistring
misty
tåkete
to billow
å flagre
Part B – The stories i have heard / Tupac Shakur
Getty Images/Kimberly Butler/Time & Life Pictures
2Pac (Tupac) Shakur
– The Rose that Grew from Concrete
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 best-selling 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 […]
amid
omgitt av
hardship
vanskeligheter / vanskar
rivalry
rivalisering
© A&E Networks, USA. Used by permission.
fortsetter på neste side 
18
Part B – The stories i have heard / Tupac Shakur
In addition to making music and being an actor, Tupac wrote a lot of
poetry. He once said that the poem you will read here, “The Rose that
Grew from Concrete”, is about his own life.
The Rose that Grew from Concrete
Did you hear about the rose that grew
from a crack in the concrete?
Proving nature’s law is wrong it
learned to walk without having feet.
Funny it seems, but by keeping its dreams,
it learned to breathe fresh air.
Long live the rose that grew from concrete
when no one else even cared.
Tupac Shakur
© MTV Books. Used by permission.
Links:
http://www.biography.com/people/tupac-shakur-206528
http://www.rollingstone.com/music/artists/tupac-shakur/biography
19
a crack
en/ein sprekk
concrete
betong
Part B – The stories i have heard / Thank You, M’am
Thank You, M’am
by Langston Hughes
She was a large woman with a large purse that had everything in it but
hammer and nails. It had a long strap, and she carried it slung across
her shoulder. It was about eleven o’clock at night, and she was walking
alone, when a boy ran up behind her and tried to snatch her purse. The
strap broke with the single tug the boy gave it from behind. But the
boy’s weight and the weight of the purse combined caused him to lose
his balance so, instead of taking off full blast as he had hoped, the boy
fell on his back on the sidewalk, and his legs flew up. The large woman
simply turned around and kicked him right square in his blue-jeaned
sitter. Then she reached down, picked the boy up by his shirtfront, and
shook him until his teeth rattled.
After that the woman said, “Pick up my pocketbook, boy, and give it
here.” She still held him. But she bent down enough to permit him to
stoop and pick up her purse. Then she said, “Now, ain’t you ashamed of
yourself?”
Firmly gripped by his shirt front, the boy said, “Yes’m.” The woman
said, “What did you want to do it for?” The boy said, “I didn’t aim to.”
She said, “You a lie!” By that time two or three people passed,
stopped, turned to look, and some stood watching. “If I turn you loose,
will you run?” asked the woman.
“Yes’m,” said the boy.
“Then I won’t turn you loose,” said the woman. She did not release
him.
“I’m very sorry, lady, I’m sorry,” whispered the boy.
“Um-hum! And your face is dirty. I got a great mind to wash your face
for you. Ain’t you got nobody home to tell you to wash your face?”
“No’m,” said the boy.
“Then it will get washed this evening,” said the large woman starting
up the street, dragging the frightened boy behind her.
He looked as if he were fourteen or fifteen, frail and willow-wild, in
tennis shoes and blue jeans.
slung
slengt/slengd
to snatch
å stjele/stele, snappe
a tug
et/eit rykk/napp
full blast
full fart
right square
rett i
a sitter
en/ei rumpe
to rattle
å skrangle
to stoop
å bøye seg
to aim to
å gjøre/gjere med vilje
to release
å slippe/sleppe tak
frail
skrøpelig/skrøpeleg
willow-wild
skranglete, rufsete
fortsetter på neste side 
20
Part B – The stories i have heard / Thank You, M’am
The woman said, “You ought to be my son. I would teach you right
from wrong. Least I can do right now is to wash your face. Are you
hungry?”
“No’m,” said the being-dragged boy. “I just want you to turn me
loose.” “Was I bothering you when I turned that corner?” asked the
woman. “No’m.”
“But you put yourself in contact with me,” said the woman. “If you
think that that contact is not going to last awhile, you got another
thought coming. When I get through with you, sir, you are going to
remember Mrs Luella Bates Washington Jones.”
Sweat popped out on the boy’s face and he began to struggle. Mrs
Jones stopped, jerked him around in front of her, put a half-nelson
about his neck, and continued to drag him up the street. When she got
to her door, she dragged the boy inside, down a hall, and into a large
kitchenette-furnished room at the rear of the house. She switched on
the light and left the door open. The boy could hear other roomers
laughing and talking in the large house. Some of their doors were open,
too, so he knew he and the woman were not alone. The woman still
had him by the neck in the middle of her room.
She said, “What is your name?”
“Roger,” answered the boy.
“Then, Roger, you go to that sink and wash your face,” said the
woman, whereupon she turned him loose – at last. Roger looked at the
door – looked at the woman – looked at the door – and went to the
sink.
Let the water run until it gets warm,” she said. “Here’s a clean towel.”
“You gonna take me to jail?” asked the boy, bending over the sink.
“Not with that face, I would not take you nowhere,” said the woman.
“Here I am trying to get home to cook me a bite to eat and you snatch
my pocketbook! Maybe, you ain’t been to your supper either, late as it
be. Have you?”
“There’s nobody home at my house,” said the boy.
“Then we’ll eat,” said the woman, “I believe you’re hungry—or been
hungry—to try to snatch my pocketbook.”
“I wanted a pair of blue suede shoes,” said the boy.
“Well, you didn’t have to snatch my pocketbook to get some suede
shoes,” said Mrs Luella Bates Washington Jones. “You could of asked
me.”
to struggle
å kjempe
to jerk
å rykke/rykkje
a half-nelson
et grep som brukes i
bryting / eit grep som blir
brukt i bryting
a kitchenette
et/eit lite kjøkken
rear
bak
a roomer
en leieboer / ein leigebuar
whereupon
hvoretter / der
suede
semsket/semska skinn
fortsetter på neste side 
21
Part B – The stories i have heard / Thank You, M’am
“M’am?”
The water dripping from his face, the boy looked at her. There was a
long pause. A very long pause. After he had dried his face and not
knowing what else to do dried it again, the boy turned around,
wondering what next. The door was open. He could make a dash for it
down the hall. He could run, run, run, run, run!
The woman was sitting on the day-bed. After a while she said, “I were
young once and I wanted things I could not get.”
There was another long pause. The boy’s mouth opened. Then he
frowned, but not knowing he frowned.
The woman said, “Um-hum! You thought I was going to say but,
didn’t you? You thought I was going to say, but I didn’t snatch people’s
pocketbooks. Well, I wasn’t going to say that.” Pause. Silence. “I have
done things, too, which I would not tell you, son—neither tell God, if he
didn’t already know. So you set down while I fix us something to eat.
You might run that comb through your hair so you will look
presentable.”
In another corner of the room behind a screen was a gas plate and an
icebox. Mrs Jones got up and went behind the screen. The woman did
not watch the boy to see if he was going to run now, nor did she watch
her purse which she left behind her on the day-bed. But the boy took
care to sit on the far side of the room where he thought she could
easily see him out of the corner of her eye, if she wanted to. He did not
trust the woman not to trust him. And he did not want to be mistrusted
now.
“Do you need somebody to go to the store,” asked the boy, “maybe
to get some milk or something?”
“Don’t believe I do,” said the woman, “unless you just want sweet
milk yourself. I was going to make cocoa out of this canned milk I got
here.”
“That will be fine,” said the boy.
She heated some lima beans and ham she had in the icebox, made
the cocoa, and set the table. The woman did not ask the boy anything
about where he lived, or his folks, or anything else that would
embarrass him. Instead, as they ate, she told him about her job in a
hotel beauty-shop that stayed open late, what the work was like, and
a dash for it
her: et/eit forsøk på å
stikke av
to frown
å rynke pannen/panna
a comb
en/ein kam
took care
her: var nøye
to mistrust
å ikke/ikkje stole på
to embarrass
å gjøre/gjere flau
fortsetter på neste side 
22
Part B – The stories i have heard / Thank You, M’am
how all kinds of women came in and out, blondes, red-heads, and
Spanish. Then she cut him a half of her ten-cent cake.
“Eat some more, son,” she said.
When they were finished eating she got up and said, “Now, here, take
this ten dollars and buy yourself some blue suede shoes. And next time,
do not make the mistake of latching onto my pocketbook nor nobody
else’s—because shoes come by devilish like that will burn your feet. I
got to get my rest now. But I wish you would behave yourself, son, from
here on in.”
She led him down the hall to the front door and opened it. “Goodnight! Behave yourself, boy!” she said, looking out into the street.
The boy wanted to say something else other than “Thank you, m’am”
to Mrs Luella Bates Washington Jones, but he couldn’t do so as he
turned at the barren stoop and looked back at the large woman in the
door. He barely managed to say “Thank you” before she shut the door.
And he never saw her again.
© 1994 by the Estate of Langston Hughes. Used by permission of
Harold Ober Associates, Incorporated.
For more on Langston Hughes:
http://www.poets.org/poet.php/prmPID/83
23
to latch onto
å få fatt i
come by devilish
her: fått tak i på en uærlig
måte / fått tak i på ein
uærleg måte
a barren stoop
en/ei enkel trapp, tram