The Hill We Climb Amanda Gorman

Gormans “The Hill We Climb”

Introduction

‘The Hill We Climb,’ a poem by Amanda Gorman, is a touching description of the United States on the eve of President Biden’s inauguration in 2021. This essay reflects the poem and the lessons learned from it through the framework provided in the guide “How to Read a Poem.”

Review and summary

Gorman combines the imagery of light and darkness, hope and terror throughout the poem to symbolize the two contradicting sides of America, those who wish to split and those who want to unite. Her picture of the country is still on its way to becoming what its language already says it is, rather than one that has been defeated or failed. She wants to give those listening hope that a better day is coming and better times are on the way. The poet pleads that “we,” American citizens and anybody listening to her read, be bold enough to “see” and “be” the light/hope that is coming.

On January 20th, 2021, this composition was performed at President Joe Biden’s inauguration as the 46th President of the United States. It was seen by millions on television and a select few in person due to the COVID-19 pandemic’s restrictions. The poem encompasses the country’s broader history, including the fight for and against equal rights for all people and more recent history. This includes events in the United States throughout the previous four years and the weeks leading up to the inauguration. This contains the murder of George Floyd, numerous police killings in recent years and decades, and the insurgency at the United States Capitol.

Gorman herself is the speaker in ‘The Hill We Climb.’ She mentions herself, her upbringing, objectives, and family several times throughout the text. She promotes herself as a “skinny Black girl descended from slaves,” and she is proud that she can read a poem for the President of the United States due to how far the tide has turned concerning race in the United States.

In ‘The Hill We Climb,’ Gorman employs several literary tropes. Anaphora, enjambment, and allusion are examples of these devices. The latter is one of the poem’s most prominent devices. It happens when a poet makes a passing mention of something but doesn’t detail it. She alluded to America’s and the world’s challenges in 2020 and the bigger issues related to Trump’s presidency in this piece (and, in general, the long history of the USA).

The poem’s two themes are clear: hope and progress and racial justice and strength. “The Hill We Climb” depicts a country striving for steady, continuous improvement rather than perfection. While the United States is still beset by conflict and struggle, the speaker suggests that it is worth celebrating the country’s journey up the “hill” of justice and working to ensure that it continues to climb. This poem argues that while American problems cannot be fixed in one swoop, it is no reason to surrender to hopelessness since things will improve gradually over time. Amanda Gorman focuses on the optimism that the United States may overcome its racist past in this poetry on her vision for the country’s future. The speaker holds up Black Americans as an example of exactly the kind of committed citizens the country needs to create real change, using examples from both distant and recent Black American history—from slavery to the 2020 George Floyd protests—the speaker uses examples from both distant and recent Black American history to hold up Black Americans as an example of exactly the kind of committed citizens the country needs to create real change. In this poem, black American history is a great example of delayed, painful progress and a source of hope and inspiration.