Marshal Mathers a.k.a Eminem

This is Eminem in his movie

Eminem, an Unusual Hero
“My father? I never knew him. Never even seen a picture of him” (Eminem). Eminem’s entire life is dedicated to rapping and creating interesting and entertaining music. His life has been far from easy. In fact, few people could live his life and become so successful. Marshall Mathers III was born in Kansas City, Missouri, on October 17, 1972.The Mathers were not a traditional family, his family consisted only of him and his alcoholic mother, Debbie Mathers. At the age of 12, he and his mother settled in East Detroit. Marshall never knew his father, and his childhood was spent in poverty. Eminem attended Lincoln Junior High School, and he dropped out after failing the ninth grade. Despite all of the obstacles in life he faced, he was determined to prove that a “white boy” could rap. Some would say that Eminem could not possibly be a hero. But what is a hero? A hero is someone who dedicates his/her whole life to the thing they love, offers wisdom and hope to others, and stays true to themselves even while facing extreme adversity. Using this standard, Eminem is a hero. While experiencing much adversity in life, he nevertheless dedicated himself to his music, and has inspired others to overcome their obstacles in life.

Eminem as a sixteen year old kid ( http://stefanjamie.com/images/)

A hero is dedicated and will never give up. A hero will also endure through the trials and hindrances that they will inevitably face. He explains just how difficult it was just living in a home. “We just kept moving back and forth because my mother never had a job. We kept getting kicked out of every house we were in. I believe six months was the longest we ever lived in a house” (-Eminem). By any standard, Eminem had very difficult life. Eminem’s father abandoned him when he was only six months old. Because of his family’s poverty, they were constantly moving in and out of homes. Eminem grew up in some of the roughest neighborhoods of Detroit, where drugs, gang violence and murder were common. Because he moved so often, he never had many friends, and he was often beat up in school. While this kind of adversity usually breaks people, Eminem’s difficulties provided the inspiration for his music. “Eminem began rapping at the age of four. Rhyming words together [and] battling schoolmates in the lunchroom brought joy to what was otherwise a painful existence” (Cannes 2010). Eminem used his love of music to help him through these difficult years. At 14, Eminem began to be very serious about becoming a professional rapper. However, he soon experienced an obstacle he didn’t anticipate. People would not take his music seriously because he was white: "There was a while when I was feeling like, 'damn, if I'd just been born black, I would not have to go through all this” (Eminem). As a result, he had to beg for his music to be played on local radio shows, enter freestyle “rap” battles, and otherwise had to prove himself in ways that black artists did not have to. When he finally made his first album, it was a commercial failure (Bio – True Story). However, though he battled repeated failures, and a perception that “white people” can’t rap, he nevertheless refused to give up on the music he loved. His perserverance through adversity is expressed by him in his lyrics. In the song ‘Till I Collapse” Eminem illustrates how to persevere: “Cause sometimes you feel tired, feel weak, and when you feel weak, you feel like you wanna just give up. But you gotta search within you, you gotta find that inner strength, and just pull that s*.* out of you and get that motivation to not give up and not be a quitter, no matter how bad you wanna just fall flat on your face and collapse” (Eminem).

A hero also stays true to himself, yet will inspire others with their wisdom. While Eminem himself admits that he was not a good student, his experiences in life have left him with a type of wisdom. In his songs, Eminem is able to lyrically communicate this wisdom he has gained while staying true to his roots and his love of rap. These lyrics often express timeless truths, while being expressed in a format that will inspire a younger generation. In his song “Lose Yourself”, Eminem implores the listener: “Lose yourself in the music, the moment, you own it, don’t ever let it go. You only got one shot, don’t miss your chance to blow. This opportunity comes once in a life time” (Eminem: “Lose Yourself”). Some opportunities do only come once in a lifetime. Eminem knows this first hand, having struggled himself to obtain the recognition he deserved. Rather than avoiding these trials out of fear of failure, we should embrace the opportunity as a chance for success. These are the opportunities that can dramatically change a life for the better. By “losing yourself” in what you love, there is really no such thing as failure. In another song “When I’m Gone”, Eminem shares his wisdom on looking ahead, rather than dwelling on the past: “When I’m gone, just carry on, don’t mourn. Rejoice every time you hear the sound of my voice. Just know that I’m looking down, you’re smiling. Baby don’t know pain just smile back” (Eminem: “When I’m Gone”). Eminem clearly had a very troubled childhood. However, he learned that dwelling on the bad times was harmful and prevented growth. Rather than dwelling on his difficulties, he learned from them, and used them to provide strength, inspire his music, and shape his future. Everybody has challenges and struggles in life, but when we learn from them, and use these experiences for our good, they become the sources of strength and character.

Eminem in his movie

Throughout his life, Eminem has been an example of inspiration and dedication. His life is a demonstration of why you should never give up on the things you love, and to always believe in yourself. Because he learned from his trials, he can pass on his wisdom lyrically and inspire people to be better while staying true to themselves. While admittedly unorthodox, these traits demonstrate why Marshall Mathers III is a hero.