The Power of Poetry: Amanda Gorman's "The Hill We Climb"

 The Power of Poetry: Amanda Gorman's "The Hill We Climb"

If you tuned in to the inauguration in January 2021, you heard poetry by the young Amanda Gorman. Gorman recited "The Hill We Climb" and captivated every single viewer, but her spotlight did not start nor end there. In 2017, Gorman was named the first National Youth Poet Laureate and she has plans to recite another original poem at Super Bowl LV. In her poem "The Hill We Climb," Amanda looks at the history of justice in our country and takes a hopeful eye to a future built on unity. She discusses the triumphs of our history and the challenges that still lie ahead with a fierce and heartening tone. To give a glimpse into Amanda's poetry, excerpts from "The Hill We Climb" are added throughout this post.

"We are striving to forge a union with purpose,

to compose a country committed to all cultures, colors, characters,

 and conditions of man."

In an interview with Michelle Obama, Amanda Gorman discusses the renaissance of Black art. She expresses that art forms express the depict realities of human life and contemporary Black art is reflecting the Black experience in the current "important moment of Black life." When discussing how she prepared for the performance of her poetry at the inauguration, Gorman mentions how she didn't get a chance to really sit down with her poem until the night before the Inauguration. Amanda also mentions her mantra that she repeats to herself before performing to calm nerves and re-center her mind. Her powerful affirmation is an analogy of a song written by Lin Manuel Miranda: "I'm the daughter of Black writers who are descended from Freedom Fighters who broke their chains and changed the world. They call me." Beyond beating the jitters, Amanda has grown immensely in her performance abilities by overcoming a speech difficulty. She describes the effort necessary to overcome this obstacle as a strength and a blessing because that process made her braver and catalyzed her writing career. 

"Let the globe, if nothing else, say this is true:

That even as we grieved, we grew;

that even as we hurt, we hoped;

that even as we tired, we tried;

that we'll forever be tied together, victorious"

Amanda is known as a young prodigy but that is not without intense personal pressure. Gorman discusses that for the past six years anytime she sat down to write a poem, she was focused on writing the Inauguration poem, that is, "a poem that is worthy of a new chapter in the country." In her creative process, Amanda was focused on making a massive impact, "on writing something larger than [herself]." All her work stems from a place of brave hopefulness.

"The new dawn blooms as we free it.

For there is always light,

if only we're brave enough to see it."

   

 When asked about the connection between art and social change, Amanda focused on the power of art and rhetoric. She also mentions the use of poetry on signs and banners at Black Lives Matter protests and how poetry can be used as an avenue for racial justice. Later in the interview, Amanda mentions reframing poetry for a young audience as a method to "reflect humanity in all its diverse colors and breadth." Gorman is powered by the lack of conventionality that she finds thrilling in her poetry. While classic poetry by dead white men is still taught in schools, she appreciates work by Black writers and contemporary artists. Although to prepare for her Inaugural speech, she drew inspiration from Abraham Lincoln, Winston Churchill, and Frederick Douglass. 

Amanda's poetry has the power to change minds and touch hearts. Amanda Gorman is an influential and inspirational creative for youth around the world. I am looking forward to her next world-captivating performance.  

Sources:

https://time.com/5933596/amanda-gorman-michelle-obama-interview/ https://news.harvard.edu/gazette/story/2021/01/amanda-gormans-inauguration-poem-the-hill-we-climb/