The Hill We Climb: Themes

The Past Shapes the Present

One of the central themes of “The Hill We Climb” relates to the way the past shapes the present. Key here is the notion of inheritance. The speaker introduces this concept early in the poem, when she refers to herself and her audiences as “the successors of a country” (line 13). As successors, the “we” invoked throughout the poem are inheriting not just the material resources of the country. We are also inheriting the social, political, and economic structures that have made the country what it is. The speaker doesn’t explicitly name any of these structures, nor does she seem invested in critiquing them in this context. Instead, she focuses on the responsibility “we” share when it comes to addressing how those inherited structures have sown divisions that persist into the present. What this means is that, even as “we have our eyes on the future” (line 56), we must recognize that “history has its eyes on us” (lines 56–57). Therefore, we’ll only build a better future if we acknowledge and actively address the past: “Because being American is more than a pride we inherit— / It’s the past we step into and how we repair it” (lines 48–49).

The Nation Is an Unfinished Project

Working toward a better and more equitable future for the country requires a belief in progress. The notion of progress, in turn, requires an acknowledgment that the nation itself is an ongoing and therefore unfinished project. This theme is crucially important in the poem, since it addresses those of “us” who feel attached to the familiarity of the status quo. Whereas it may be tempting to keep things as they are and refuse change, the speaker subtly draws out attention to the ways that, however comfortable for some, the status quo can be traumatic for others. She suggests as much when she makes the pointed claim that peace is not the same thing as equity (lines 6–8):

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

The rhyme between “just” is and justice powerfully emphasizes how easily appearances can deceive. Received wisdom about what is “just” doesn’t ensure meaningful “justice.” If, as the speaker insists, “quiet isn’t always peace,” then the logical consequence of her observation is that some kind of change is necessary. Change can, of course, be scary. But progress by definition requires change. The speaker suggests that we can get more comfortable with the idea of progress if we realize that, however imperfect it may be, the nation “isn’t broken, but simply unfinished” (line 12).

Progress Is a Matter of Purpose, Not Perfection

The speaker insists that change is required for the nation to progress closer to its stated ideals of freedom and equality. Yet in order for meaningful change to take place, all of “us” who have inherited the nation need to participate actively. Here, the speaker seems to intuit how naysayers might respond to her vision. “Why,” they might ask, “should we work hard to improve a nation that might never perfectly realize its ideals? Isn’t it a lost cause?” To this implicit question, the speaker responds very pragmatically. The point, she says, isn’t to achieve perfection. Instead, the goal is to establish enough common ground from which to develop a unity of purpose. The speaker makes this claim explicitly in lines 18–20:

And, yes, we are far from polished, far from pristine,
But that doesn’t mean we are striving to form a union that is perfect.
We are striving to forge our union with purpose.

These lines express the view that the baseline for progress shouldn’t be a demand for perfection. Such a demand is unfulfillable and hence self-defeating. Instead, the baseline for progress is the simple agreement to work together. This explains why, as the speaker continues, she focuses her attention on the need to set aside differences and build bridges (lines 24–30):

And so we lift our gaze not
To what stands between us,
But what stands before us.
We close the divide,
Because we know to put
Our future first, we must first
Put our differences aside.

Only once we’ve decided to come together can we begin to make meaningful change.

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