Think about the following questions when writing the final version:
What does an outside perspective (academic source) add to what you were already saying?
What did you notice the first time that you would notice now?
What is the poem arguing for or against?
What is the author’s vision of America?
Do you agree with his or her vision? Explain.
This essay needs to show your growth over the term by adding to the original essay.
Things to consider:
This essay is different from the first essay, though the poem is the same.
Think of what you would like to say about the poem and then find an academic source to support that. Your goal at that point would be to have an essay that:
Incorporates literary devices identified in the poem
Argues your overarching point about what you’re seeing in the poem
Is supported by an outside source that helps prove that point
What kind of academic sources could you choose?
A source that talks about the author of the poem
A source that also analyzes the poem and adds a richer perspective to what you’re trying to say
A source dives deeper into the literary devices being used and what that means
A source that provides historical context for the poem
A source that aligns with or opposes your definition of America, as argued in the poem
Poem used: Maya Angelou, “On the Pulse of Morning,” 1993
Maya Angelou’s 1993 inaugural poem and remarks
12 January 2009
This document and its associated audio file (5:48) are distributed with permission of the Clinton Presidential Library.
Mr. President and Mrs. Clinton,
Mr. Vice-President and Mrs. Gore,
And Americans Everywhere …
A Rock, A River, A Tree
Hosts to species long since departed,
Marked the mastodon.
The dinosaur, who left dry tokens
Of their sojourn here
On our planet floor,
Any broad alarm of their hastening doom
Is lost in the gloom of dust and ages.
But today, the Rock cries out to us, clearly, forcefully,
Come, you may stand upon my
Back and face your distant destiny,
But seek no haven in my shadow.
I will give you no hiding place down here.
You, created only a little lower than
The angels, have crouched too long in
The bruising darkness,
Have lain too long
Face down in ignorance.
Your mouths spilling words
Armed for slaughter.
The Rock cries out to us today, you may stand on me,
But do not hide your face.
Across the wall of the world,
A River sings a beautiful song,
It says come rest here by my side.
Each of you a bordered country,
Delicate and strangely made proud,
Yet thrusting perpetually under siege.
Your armed struggles for profit
Have left collars of waste upon
My shore, currents of debris upon my breast.
Yet, today I call you to my riverside,
If you will study war no more. Come,
Clad in peace and I will sing the songs
The Creator gave to me when I and the
Tree and the rock were one.
Before cynicism was a bloody sear across your
Brow and when you yet knew you still
Knew nothing.
The River sang and sings on.
There is a true yearning to respond to
The singing River and the wise Rock.
So say the Asian, the Hispanic, the Jew
The African, the Native American, the Sioux,
The Catholic, the Muslim, the French, the Greek
The Irish, the Rabbi, the Priest, the Sheikh,
The Gay, the Straight, the Preacher,
The privileged, the homeless, the Teacher.
They all hear
The speaking of the Tree.
They hear the the first and last of every Tree
Speak to humankind today. Come to me, here beside the River.
Plant yourself beside the River.
Each of you, descendant of some passed
On traveller, has been paid for.
You, who gave me my first name, you
Pawnee, Apache, Seneca, you
Cherokee Nation, who rested with me, then
Forced on bloody feet, left me to the employment of
Other seekers–desperate for gain,
Starving for gold.
You, the Turk, the Swede, the German, the Eskimo, the Scot …
You the Ashanti, the Yoruba, the Kru, bought
Sold, stolen, arriving on a nightmare
Praying for a dream.
Here, root yourselves beside me.
I am that Tree planted by the River,
Which will not be moved.
I, the Rock, I the River, I the Tree
I am yours–your Passages have been paid.
Lift up your faces, you have a piercing need
For this bright morning dawning for you.
History, despite its wrenching pain,
Cannot be unlived, but if faced
With courage, need not be lived again.
Lift up your eyes upon
This day breaking for you.
Give birth again
To the dream.
Women, children, men,
Take it into the palms of your hands.
Mold it into the shape of your most
Private need. Sculpt it into
The image of your most public self.
Lift up your hearts
Each new hour holds new chances
For new beginnings.
Do not be wedded forever
To fear, yoked eternally
To brutishness.
The horizon leans forward,
Offering you space to place new steps of change.
Here, on the pulse of this fine day
You may have the courage
To look up and out and upon me, the
Rock, the River, the Tree, your country.
No less to Midas than the mendicant.
No less to you now than the mastodon then.
Here on the pulse of this new day
You may have the grace to look up and out
And into your sister’s eyes, and into
Your brother’s face, your country
And say simply
Very simply
With hope
Good morning
Previous essay- Maya Angelou’s poem “On the Pulse of Morning” was first recited during the 1993 presidential inauguration of Bill Clinton. The poem speaks to the human experience of oppression and the hope for a new beginning. Through an examination of the poem, we can identify two literary terms metaphor and personification. By analyzing how Angelou uses these literary devices in the poem, we can gain a deeper understanding of its themes and meaning.
The first literary term used in the poem is metaphor. Angelou utilizes metaphor to convey deeper meaning in her words. The poem begins with a metaphorical description of a rock, a river, and a tree that once hosted long-departed species, marking the mastodon and the dinosaurs, who have long vanished from the planet. The rock represents stability and the strength of our planet, while the river symbolizes the fluidity of life and the change that comes with it. The tree represents growth and the connection between humans and nature. Angelou uses the metaphor of the rock, the river, and the tree to emphasize that everything on this planet is interconnected and that we must be aware of our impact on the environment.
This is evident in the lines, “Your armed struggles for profit / Have left collars of waste upon / My shore, currents of debris upon my breast.”
The second literary term used in the poem is personification.
Angelou personifies the rock, the river, and the tree to give them human-like qualities. In the line “But today, the Rock cries out to US, clearly, forcefully,” the rock is given a voice and a message for humanity. The river is also given human-like qualities, as it “sings a beautiful song,” and “says come rest here by my side.” The tree speaks to humankind in the line. “Thev hear the first and last of every Tree / Speak to humankind today.” By giving nature a voice, Angelou is reminding us that everything on this planet is interconnected and that we must take care of it as we take care of ourselves.
“On the Pulse of Morning” is a poem about the human experience of oppression and the hope for a new beginning. Angelou uses metaphors and personification to emphasize the interconnectedness of all life on Earth and our responsibility to care for it. The rock, river, and tree serve as reminders of our place in the world and our impact on it.
Angelou’s message is one of hope and renewal, urging us to leave behind fear and oppression and embrace new beginnings.
In conclusion Maya Angelou’s “On the Pulse of Morning” is a powerful poem that speaks to the human experience of oppression and hope for a new beginning. Through the use of metaphor and personification, Angelou emphasizes the interconnectedness of all life on Earth and our responsibility to care for it. The poem is a call to action, urging us to leave behind fear and oppression and embrace new beginnings with hope and renewal.
References
Angelou, M. (1993). “On the Pulse of Morning”. Inaugural Poem and Remarks 12
January 2009. . Clinton Presidential Library.