She references herself a few times in the text, as well as her upbringing, goals, and her family. The speaker in ‘The Hill We Climb’ is Gorman herself.

Gorman even wore a small ring decorated with a birdcage to commemorate Angelou’s well-loved ‘Caged Bird.’

She is the second he has in the past cited Maya Angelou as one of her primary inspirations, something that’s made even more meaningful by the fact that Angelou was the first Black and first female poet to read at a presidential inauguration. In addition to being historically important for all Americans, Gorman’s poem had a literary significance that’s also noteworthy. This includes the murder of George Floyd, and other police murders throughout the last years and decades in the country’s history, the insurrection at the U.S. This includes the events that took place in the United States over the previous four years and even the weeks before the inauguration. The poem encapsulates the broader history of the country and its struggle for and against equal rights for all people, as well as more recent history.

It was viewed by millions on television and by a select few in person who were under the restrictions of the COVID-19 pandemic. This piece was performed at the inauguration of President Joe Biden, the 46th President of the United States, on January 20th, 2021. But, if one reaches out, puts down their arms, and allows the beauty of the country to come through, then the future is going to be a far better one than it could’ve been. She’s careful to remind the reader that this isn’t an easy path, things don’t change overnight. She returns several times to the image of light/darkness and how America is stepping out of the “shade” and turning towards the light. The latter is the primary theme at the heart of the poem and what she wants readers and listeners to walk away from the piece feeling. In ‘The Hill We Climb,’ the poet engages with themes of the future and past, as well as hope. In the concluding sections, the poet asks that “we,” American citizens and anyone listening to her read, be brave enough to “see” and “be” the light/hope that’s coming. She seeks to inspire hope in those listening that a better day is dawning and that better times are ahead. Her image of the country is not one that’s defeated or failed but one that’s still on its way to being what its rhetoric already suggests it is. ‘The Hill We Climb’ by Amanda Gorman was written for President Joe Biden’s inauguration and speaks about the future of America.įrom the beginning to the end of the poem, Gorman uses images of light and darkness, hope and fear, to describe the two opposing sides of America, those who want to divide and those who want to unify.

Amanda gorman the hill we climb