When Amanda Gorman stepped up to the podium during the televised inauguration of President Joe Biden on January 20, 2021, just two weeks had passed since supporters of the outgoing president had stormed the Capitol Building in an effort to overturn the election results. Addressing a country still in shock, Gorman read “The Hill We Climb,” which marked the moment of political transition with a critical but ultimately hopeful view of the future. The poem’s speaker, who in this case is best understood as Gorman herself, opens with a question that expresses skepticism about finding light in the present darkness. If it seems hard to imagine a better future, the speaker suggests it’s because of the deep divisions that keep Americans separated from one another. These divisions are the products of America’s troubled history, the lingering wounds from which must be healed before any meaningful progress may be made. The work involved will no doubt be difficult, which the speaker acknowledges through the symbol of a “hill” we must climb together. But though progress will be an uphill battle, it will ultimately allow the country to rise to higher ground, where we will witness a beautiful new dawn.

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