·         “And yet the dawn is ours before we knew it.”

·         “We did not feel prepared to be the heirs of such a terrifying hour.”

·         “But within it we found the power to author a new chapter, to offer hope and laughter to ourselves.”

all illustrate to the audience that the future of the American spirit is dependent on the children of America.
However, the even more relevant theme of unity can be seen in nearly every line of the poem. The ones that stand out being…

·         “To compose a country committed to all cultures, colors, characters and conditions of man.”

·         “We close the divide because we know to put our future first, we must first put our differences aside.”

·         “Not because we will never again know defeat, but because we will never again sow division.”

 

One device she uses is rhyming. An example of this is in her first two lines. In the first, the last word used is “shade”, and in the second the last word used is “wade”. 

·       “When day comes, we ask ourselves, where can we find light in this never-ending shade?

The loss we carry. A sea we must wade.”

·       Within these same lines, she also employs internal rhymes, rhyming “we” with “sea”. 

 

Next is assonance, in which vowel sounds are repeated. 

·       “When day comes, we ask ourselves, where can we find light in this never-ending shade?”

 

Another device Gorman uses in the poem is alliteration, in which initial consonant sounds are repeated within the same line. 

·       “We’ve learned that quiet isn’t always peace, and the norms and notions of what “just” is isn’t always justice.”

 

One additional sound effect used by Gorman is anaphora - the repetition of words or phrases at the beginning of successive lines. 

·       “Somehow we do it.

Somehow we weathered and witnessed a nation that isn’t broken, but simply unfinished.”

 

A final method used in “The Hill We Climb” is putting similar-sounding words close together for emphasis. 

·       “We seek harm to none and harmony for all.”

·       The poet makes the same distinction when she writes:  “[what is considered] ‘just’ is isn’t always justice.’ 

On January 20, 2021 Joe Biden took the oath of office and became the 46th President of the United States. During the Inauguration Amanda Gorman performed her poem “The Hill We Climb.” Amanda was 22 years old at the time of the inauguration and is the youngest inaugural poet ever. She took into account the current events that have been happening in our country and brought to light the message of unity. 

How did she prepare her poem?

Types of Poetry:

Imagery: visually descriptive or figurative language, especially in a literary work
Types of Imagery:

"We’ve seen a force that would shatter our nation, rather than share it."
 
Amanda herself said that this statement was an allusion to the outbreak of violence that took place in the Capitol this year. But, could we say this was the only manifestation of “a force that would shatter our nation”? Definitely not. We could also link it to former events of violence against different groups in our society, because of their race, religion, or political opinion. Speaking from personal experience, I myself, as a Hispanic and a Catholic woman, could remark the violence against many Roman Catholic churches that took place last year, and the hatred manifested against a Hispanic heritage. My own parish had to take measures  to assure our own safety during our celebrations. 
Another aspect of the poem  that I could remark is the dream of social justice that the author depicts. In her poem, Amanda states: 

"Scripture tells us to envision that everyone shall sit under their own vine and fig tree, and no one shall make them afraid."

Reflecting on this, I could say that after experiencing a year marked by violence against different groups in society, we must  seek as a society to build a country in which no one has anything to fear, that is, a society that ensures safety to every human being, from the little child in her mother’s womb to the old man who lives in a nursing home. A society where no one would fear being harmed because of the color of their skin, or the features of their face.