Poet Amanda Gorman reads 'The Hill We Climb'

The nation's first Youth Poet Laureate Amanda Gorman recites "The Hill We Climb."

#ABCNews #Inauguration #AmandaGorman #Poet #Biden #Harris #President #Politics

[demehandy]

POV: You have to write an "short" essay about this, but you got distracted and are reading the comments instead and you realize it's not just you doing that assignment.

[kylu]

POV: You're watching this for a school assignment.

[abbiu]

I like how our english teachers have the same mind

[celticcheetah]

To all the kids writing essays - a few things to talk about:
- intertextuality. She quotes and invokes MANY other writers and speakers including; Lin Manuel Miranda (Hamilton), Maya Angelou (Still I Rise), MLK (I Have A Dream, when she lists the areas of the country). This contributes to the feeling of anchored, unified optimism in the poem.
- collective nouns. She constantly uses “we”, “our” and “us”. She is speaking to, and for, ALL of us, not just for herself. No ‘I’ in this poem.
- the style of writing and performance feels fresh and current, but it is actually rooted in the most ancient form of literature there is, bardic poetry. She uses methods like alliteration, assonance, internal rhyme, metaphor and a musical delivery. These are all things found in ancient poems like Gawain and the Green Knight and Beowulf. These were stories made to be performed, not read. The purpose was to entertain, but also to unify people around a communal sense of identity and heritage. She is tapping into something very old and deep inside all of us.

Hope that was useful!

From a geeky English teacher :)

[hunniebare]

Who else got sent here by their English teacher? 🌼

[allenvrealty]

"..being American is more than a pride we inherit it's the past we step into and how we repair it..."

[Echolovania]

POV: You just found your classmates in the comments section.

[davidorton]

I'm an English teacher, and I was sent here by...myself.

[JonathanKyleBaker]

"Even as we grieved, we grew. Even as we hurt, we hoped. Even as we tired, we tried." I truly felt that. Powerful message.

[THaughton]

It's a shame Maya Angelou isn't still around to see this. What an incredible young woman. Poise, dignity and eloquence...

[emiliecornic]

pov: your english teacher sent you here

[Chronicles-fzkv]

I'm not even American and yet I was still sent here by my teacher.

[kamalaworth]

OUTSTANDING!!!! What a brave, beautiful, bold young love she is!!!!

[abbyjones]

“For there is always light, if only we are brave enough to see it, if only we are brave enough to be it” Amen! Thank you, Amanda, for this. You’ve done the world a huge service

[saahildugar]

Stop looking at this comment. You have an essay to write.

[AzaleaLala]

I was blown away by this on inauguration day.
"When day comes we step out of the shade,
aflame and unafraid
The new dawn blooms as we free it
For there is always light,
if only we're brave enough to see it
If only we're brave enough to be it"

[Zofmui]

So moving. Her movements truly enhanced her words.

[TorgieMadison]

The inauguration was refreshingly "normal", but Amanda's speech was absolutely amazing. I don't think this will be the last we hear of her!

[mohamedgaby]

"We've learned that quiet isn't always peace"

[VL-dsup]

"If we merge mercy with might, and might with right, then love becomes our legacy, and change our children's birthright."