ENGISH CONVERSATION WS20 LAST CLASS

‘An inspiration to us all’: Amanda Gorman's inaugural poem stirs hope and awe
(from Adam Gabbatt’s article in The Guardian of 20th January 2021)

Introduction

Amanda Gorman, the youngest inaugural poet in US history, delivered a poem that recalled
the Capitol riots and looked to the future.

The inauguration of Joe Biden featured many high-profile performers on Wednesday, but for
many it was the lesser-known Amanda Gorman who truly wowed the crowd.

Gorman, who was named the first-ever national youth poet laureate in 2017, gave a powerful,
five-minute performance after Biden was sworn in. She recited a poem she had written, in
part, on the day of the US Capitol riots on 6 January.

Gorman, who was born and raised in Los Angeles and graduated from Harvard University in
2020, told the Times newspaper ahead of Wednesday that she would not “gloss over” what the
country had witnessed in recent weeks and years. (gloss over = try to conceal or disguise
something)

“…what I really aspire to do in the poem is -

to be able to use my words to envision a way in which our country can still come together and
can still heal,” Gorman said. “…in a way that is not erasing or neglecting the harsh truths I
think America needs to reconcile with.”
The Hill We Climb by Amanda Gorman Student MM

PART ONE THE POET’S WORDS ARE IN BLACK

When day comes, we ask ourselves where can we find light in this never-ending
shade? As the Dean of Canterbury Cathedral says at morning prayers, “The
night has passed and the day lies open before us.”
But for Americans today, the day still seems dark. They live in the shade of frightening
events. Where is the light? They grieve.

The loss they feel is like a burden

they carry, and they must walk
through a sea of sorrows.
The loss we carry, a sea we must wade. We have a long journey
We’ve braved the belly of the beast. Before us, to the light
We’ve learned that quiet isn’t always peace, After escaping the monster!
and the norms and notions of what “just” is isn’t always justice. In the old land there
was no peace and justice, we were silenced and told what was just (= right).

And yet, the dawn is ours before we knew it But a way out is here already.

Somehow we do it.
Somehow we’ve weathered and witnessed a nation that isn’t broken, We have
but simply unfinished. survived as a nation and the story is not over.
We, the successors of a country and a time where a skinny Black girl descended from
slaves and raised by a single mother can dream of becoming president, only to find
herself reciting for one.
My ancestors were slaves, I was raised by a single mother, yet I can dream of
becoming president. Today I am reading my poem to a president instead. Times have
changed.

*********************************************************************

What is the mood here?

Who are the characters in this part of the poem?
 What is the message in the opening of the poem?

What examples of wordplay can you find?

The Hill We Climb by Amanda Gorman (in black typeface) Student AK

PART TWO
And yes, we are far from polished, far from pristine,
We are not pure and clean, not at all.
but that doesn’t mean we are striving to form a union that is perfect. We are not trying
to make our country perfect.
We are striving to forge our union with purpose. But we have a goal for our country.
To compose a country committed to all cultures, colors, characters, and conditions of man. That
goal is to make a country that is tolerant and open to all types of people.
And so we lift our gazes not to what stands between us, but what stands before us.
So we keep our eyes on the prize, we focus on our goals, not on our differences.
We close the divide because we know, to put our future first, we must first put our differences aside.
We lay down our arms so we can reach out our arms to one another.
We put down our weapons so we can reach out to others.
We seek harm to none and harmony for all. We want to hurt no-one. We want
all to live together in friendship.
Let the globe, if nothing else, say this is true: This is how the world should judge us:
That even as we grieved, we grew. Although we mourned, we grew.
That even as we hurt, we hoped. Although we hurt, we hoped.
That even as we tired, we tried. Although we grew tired, we didn’t stop trying.
That we’ll forever be tied together, victorious. Our country will win this struggle
and be united forever.
Not because we will never again know defeat, but because we will never again sow division.
We may lose a battle again, but we will never be divided.

What is the dominant feature of this part of the poem?

Choose from –
o Looking back
o Looking forward
o Comparison
o Contrast
o Similarities
 o Opposites

Can you summarise the message of this section in a sentence or two?

Is Amanda critical of her country?

The Hill We Climb by Amanda Gorman Student RW

In black are the poet’s own words

In yellow is my explanation.

PART THREE

Scripture tells us to envision that everyone shall sit under their own vine and fig tree and no
one shall make them afraid. The Bible tell us to imagine a day when everyone will show
who they are and what they own, without defence and without fear, because no-one will
threaten them.
Jonathan: Everyone will be at peace (that's why they can sit) and have "shalom", which
involves good health, joy and sufficient wealth.
If we’re to live up to our own time, then victory won’t lie in the blade, but in all the bridges
we’ve made. To be worthy of this new age, we will not win by violence but

by building bridges
That is the promise to glade, the hill we climb, if only we dare. This is our promise to our
land, this is our challenge, if we dare to take it up.
It’s because being American is more than a pride we inherit. As Americans, pride is handed
down to us, but so is our past.
It’s the past we step into and how we repair it. It is up to us to take charge of our

past and repair the wounds.

What images /symbols can you find here?

Why are they used?
What does being American mean in Amanda’s view?
The Hill We Climb by Amanda Gorman Student AN

In black are the poet’s own words:

In yellow is my explanation.

PART FOUR

We’ve seen a force that would shatter our nation rather than share it. We’ve seen a force
that wanted to break our nation because it didn’t want to share it,
Would destroy our country if it meant delaying democracy. That was prepared to destroy our

country to hold back democratic process.

This effort very nearly succeeded.
But while democracy can be periodically delayed, Although democracy can be delayed for a while,
it can never be permanently defeated. it can never be beaten for ever.
In this truth, in this faith, we trust,
for while we have our eyes on the future, history has its eyes on us.
This is the era of just redemption. The time has come for us to atone for the errors
and sins of the past.
(This could mean that the people are to be saved, as well.)
We feared it at its inception. We feared it at the start.
We did not feel prepared to be the heirs of such a terrifying hour,
/ Shaken by this terrifying event, we didn’t feel ready to handle what would come next.
but within it, we found the power to author a new chapter, to offer hope and laughter to
ourselves. But while it was happening we found the power to write a new chapter in our
story…..
So while once we asked, ‘How could we possibly prevail over catastrophe?’ now we assert,
‘How could catastrophe possibly prevail over us?’
So, although we once asked how we could overcome this disaster, now we say firmly “How
could this disaster possibly beat us?”

What real events is this part of the poem about?

Identify the end of one and the start of the next.
What are the emotions expressed in this part of the poem?
The Hill We Climb by Amanda Gorman Student GK

In black are the poet’s own words:

In yellow is my explanation.

PART FIVE

We will not march back to what was, but move to what shall be: We will not march back to
the past, we will move forward into the future:
A country that is bruised but whole, benevolent but bold, fierce and free. Our country is hurt
but not broken, is well-meaning but brave, and is fierce and free.
We will not be turned around or interrupted by intimidation because we know our inaction
and inertia will be the inheritance of the next generation. We will not be terrorised into
stopping our journey or turning around. We know that if we do nothing, the next generation
will be left in the same situation.
Our blunders become their burdens. They will suffer from our mistakes.
But one thing is certain:
If we merge mercy with might, and might with right, then love becomes our legacy and
change, our children’s birthright. If we use our power compassionately and in the
right way, what we will pass on is love and change will become a natural right for our
children.

How does Amanda describe the future America?

What threat could there be?
How will Americans deal with it?
Why will they not ignore it?
In the second line and the last two, what similarities do you notice among the words, in the
way they look and sound?
The Hill We Climb by Amanda Gorman ALL TOGETHER

In black are the poet’s own words; in yellow is my explanation.

LAST PART

So let us leave behind a country better than the one we were left.
With every breath from my bronze-pounded chest, we will raise this wounded world into a
wondrous one. The poet sees herself as a warrior woman inspiring her
countrymen in a battle to revive not only her country, but the whole world. And not only to
revive the damaged world, but to restore the wonder of it.
We will rise from the golden hills of the west. This is like a battle cry in the name of peace.
We will rise from the wind-swept north-east where our forefathers first realized revolution.
We will rise from the lake-rimmed cities of the midwestern states.
We will rise from the sun-baked south. The poet is calling on Americans in every part
of the country to answer her rallying cry, but this time, in contrast to the last president, she’s
asking them not to destroy but to build. It is a contrast to Donald Trump’s incitement before
the charge on Capitol Hill.
We will rebuild, reconcile, and recover.
In every known nook of our nation, in every corner called our country,
our people, diverse and beautiful, will emerge, battered and beautiful. Although the American
people are damaged and are taking shelter, the poet is calling them to come out into the light
and stand tall, full of a passion for change, to build a new America.
When day comes, we step out of the shade, aflame and unafraid.
The new dawn blooms as we free it. That day has come now.
For there is always light, The light of the new dawn, a new era
if only we’re brave enough to see it. is here – come and look.
If only we’re brave enough to be it. Be brave and beome part of that new dawn.
/All you need to do is to be brave enough to

see it and become part of the light yourself.

What is the tone of this last part of the poem? Or, to put it in other words, the dominant
feeling expressed here?
What effect do these words have on you?
What techniques does Amanda use to produce this effect?
How does she characterise herself? What/who is she here?
How does she produce an idea of unity?
SOME GENERAL QUESTIONS (if we have time)

Does this poem remind you of any other type of literature from the past? If so, why?

Who are the characters in this poem?

Do you see any images in your mind? What are they?

What does the hill represent?

How does Amanda describe the events of 6 th January in Washington?

How are Americans feeling after those events? Find some adjectives.

How can they recover?

What is the task now?

What seems to be her advice to Joe Biden?

What is Amanda’s vision for her country’s future?

The poem is full of contrasts. Tell us some of them.

What is your favourite line or description?