“On the Pulse of Morning” Analysis

1 cannot talk about Maya Angelou’s “On the Pulse of Morning” with no delivering suitable background concerning the context inside which it came to be. The very first emergence of the poem came in January of 1993 at Bill Clinton’s initial inauguration into the presidency. It was the beginning of a new era for America a new president, new goals, a new span of peacetime, new hope. The subject matter Angelou fleshed out throughout the poem were aligned with Clinton’s inaugural speech, making an even greater sense of harmony for the American men and women. With this work, Maya Angelou became the first woman – and therefore initial black woman – to speak at such an occasion, carving out a particular spot for her as one of the greatest poets of the previous century.

A variety of themes are touched upon as the poem progresses, even though there is an underlying simmer of hope for the future inside every single stanza. The thought of alliance by means of our differences is noted when Angelou tells us that those of every single belief have come collectively to hear the Tree share its wisdom, and, when it is insisted that it is up to all humans, males, woman, and kid alike, to accept the challenge of altering the dilapidated condition of America into a country which they can stand behind proudly. It is also noticed when the River, the Rock, and the Tree claim that they will be there for all individuals elderly, young, wealthy, or poor.

The theme of how it is not possible to erase history is seen as it is mentioned how dinosaurs left all sorts of marks upon Earth that are unable to be altered, when the dark subjects of slavery and the annihilation of Native Americans by colonists are talked about, and when Angelou declares the value of remembering the past’s hardships to make it in the here and now.

Greed and its potential to debilitate humanity is touched upon numerous times. At one point the River explains how the outcome of manmade sector has littered hazardous waste all along her shoreline. The exploitation of Native American slave labor in the search for gold is described, as effectively.

Another theme that I found in a couple of spots was that of division. The River is smart on this subject and talks about how every single man acting as a nation with sealed borders does not make area for the possibility of working together to strive for the far better, nor does it give way for peace. The River later refers to a much more innocent time when man’s greatest insight was in acknowledging that he does not know anything, and that we have now entered a time exactly where man knows – at least – some thing, and due to this has become proud and cynical towards ideas such as peace and unity.

When taking into consideration the time and the context within which the poem was written, these themes and gave great depth to the poem. America, in the 1990’s, was a nation set on promoting optimistic relations among the plethora of ethnicities represented right here.

As far as literary devices, Angelou mainly tends to make use of personification the act of giving a non-living factor a set of human traits. Inside the poem, it is straightforward to see how the River, the Rock, and the Tree are gathered into this notion each and every of them offered a voice with which to share their memories of eras prior, their human-like emotions showcased as they place forth a sense of sadness and of hope for what mankind has, can, and will do. These objects supply to assist humans in their work to return to a a lot more peaceful time, to aid us all work with each other in harmony to further a simpler agenda.

When browsing for a poem to perform with for this assignment, I knew I wanted to use something from Maya Angelou’s arsenal. I have loved her writing considering that I was young – very young – as I was pushed into poetry by a mother who recognized my creative streak. Whilst I do not contemplate myself any sort of poet laureate, I do completely take pleasure in reading poetry, and I have my mom and Maya Angelou to thank for it. I’m old sufficient to remember when she took the stage to read “On the Pulse of Morning” in Washington, DC, and even though there were components that my mom had to decipher for me at my ripe old age of eight, the poem nevertheless gave my tiny heart hope. After getting just learned what racism was offered events in my neighborhood at the time, and due to watching and inquiring about the LA Riots in 1992, it was encouraging to see a black woman speaking words of hope to the masses.