# Amanda Gorman poem at the inauguration
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amanda-gorman-poem-at-the-inauguration/931104
**Category:** Cafe Society
**Created:** [January 21, 2021, 3:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amanda-gorman-poem-at-the-inauguration/931104 "2021-01-21T15:35:58Z")
**Posts on this page:** 20
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@Chad\_Sudan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chad_Sudan)
#### Post date: [January 21, 2021, 3:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amanda-gorman-poem-at-the-inauguration/931104/1 "2021-01-21T15:35:58Z")
Amanda Gorman’s poem at the US Capitol yesterday, “The Hill We Climb,” was arguably the highlight of the inaugural festivities.
Besides capturing the zeitgeist, it had a meter I don’t think I’ve ever heard in a poem before.
Have you ever heard anything similar? And what did **you** think of the poem?
> **[Amanda Gorman Captures the Moment, in Verse (Published 2021)](https://www.nytimes.com/2021/01/19/books/amanda-gorman-inauguration-hill-we-climb.html)**
>
> The youngest inaugural poet in U.S. history read “The Hill We Climb,” which she finished after the riot at the Capitol. “I’m not going to in any way gloss over what we’ve seen,” she says.
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### Author:  [@Grrr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grrr)
#### Post date: [January 21, 2021, 3:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amanda-gorman-poem-at-the-inauguration/931104/2 "2021-01-21T15:40:22Z")
I loved it.
The over all message of the poem. The phrasing. And her body language (grace?) was just icing on the cake.
That being said, I’m not a poem enthusiast so I don’t have a lot to compare it to.
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### Author:  [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)
#### Post date: [January 21, 2021, 3:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amanda-gorman-poem-at-the-inauguration/931104/3 "2021-01-21T15:44:31Z")
> [@Chad\_Sudan](#):
>
> Besides capturing the zeitgeist, it had a meter I don’t think I’ve ever heard in a poem before.
So far as I can tell, it’s free verse.
There are a lot of poetic devices used within: alliteration, rhyme, assonance, consonance, repetition, etc., but the meter itself is free.
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### Author:  [@Deeg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Deeg)
#### Post date: [January 21, 2021, 5:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amanda-gorman-poem-at-the-inauguration/931104/4 "2021-01-21T17:11:17Z")
I thought it was excellent. My only criticism is that it could have been edited to be a bit shorter and tighter. I loved her look, too; bold but stately. Since I missed Biden’s swearing-in Gorman’s reading was the highlight of the inauguration for me.
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### Author:  [@mtnmatt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mtnmatt)
#### Post date: [January 21, 2021, 5:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amanda-gorman-poem-at-the-inauguration/931104/5 "2021-01-21T17:54:43Z")
One critique I had was that it was hard to tell where it actually started - she said some kind of intro words and it took me a verse to realize the poem was underway.
I watched with tears welling.
Then, afterwards, learning that she has overcome a speech impediment, and is about the age of one of my kids, made the whole thing more impressive.
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### Author:  [@ThelmaLou](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThelmaLou)
#### Post date: [January 21, 2021, 6:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amanda-gorman-poem-at-the-inauguration/931104/6 "2021-01-21T18:08:15Z")
The meter-- at least in parts-- made me think of rap. The rhythm, the internal rhymes, etc.
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### Author:  [@Procrustus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Procrustus)
#### Post date: [January 21, 2021, 6:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amanda-gorman-poem-at-the-inauguration/931104/7 "2021-01-21T18:20:32Z")
She said on CNN last night that she was influenced by _Hamilton_. She also outlined the “deep dive” she did, reading other inauguration poems, and a lot of history, to prepare this. She obviously relies on hard work and preparation in addition to her raw talent.
I was impressed with her appearance at the inauguration, but the CNN interview was also very impressive, in terms of intelligence, wit, and composure–especially for a 22 year-old.
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### Author:  [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)
#### Post date: [January 21, 2021, 6:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amanda-gorman-poem-at-the-inauguration/931104/8 "2021-01-21T18:26:33Z")
Sure, and it had a preacher’s cadence at parts with its repetitions, as well. But the entire time she is playing as much with the sounds and pacing of words as their meaning. It’s entirely musical.
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### Author:  [@elbows](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elbows)
#### Post date: [January 21, 2021, 6:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amanda-gorman-poem-at-the-inauguration/931104/9 "2021-01-21T18:28:30Z")
This beautiful woman is amazing!
She does a poem about abortion rights, but I don’t know how to link it, it’s definitely worth seeking out though. You will not be disappointed.
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### Author:  [@Scougs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scougs)
#### Post date: [January 21, 2021, 6:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amanda-gorman-poem-at-the-inauguration/931104/10 "2021-01-21T18:32:19Z")
I bet “Amanda Gorman” was one of the most Googled phrases yesterday.
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### Author:  [@ThelmaLou](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThelmaLou)
#### Post date: [January 21, 2021, 6:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amanda-gorman-poem-at-the-inauguration/931104/11 "2021-01-21T18:32:45Z")
I will not disagree.
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### Author:  [@Two\_Many\_Cats2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Two_Many_Cats2)
#### Post date: [January 21, 2021, 6:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amanda-gorman-poem-at-the-inauguration/931104/12 "2021-01-21T18:44:05Z")
I thought it was very well done, an excellent poem.
Yes, it was rap-esque. I don’t like rap as a rule, but I did like this as much as I liked the rap in the movie _Office Space_ which was a lot. If she pursues poetry at all in the future, she’ll be as well known as Maya Angelou.
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### Author:  [@mikecurtis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mikecurtis)
#### Post date: [January 21, 2021, 6:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amanda-gorman-poem-at-the-inauguration/931104/13 "2021-01-21T18:54:31Z")
> [@Two\_Many\_Cats2](#):
>
> If she pursues poetry at all in the future…
You can count on it
> Gorman was chosen as the youth poet laureate of Los Angeles in 2014. She published the poetry book The One for Whom Food Is Not Enough in 2015.
> In 2016, Gorman founded the nonprofit organization One Pen One Page, a youth writing and leadership program. . .
> In 2017, Gorman became the first youth poet to open the literary season for the Library of Congress, and she has read her poetry on MTV. Gorman wrote “In This Place: An American Lyric” for her September 2017 performance at the Library of Congress, which commemorated the inauguration of Tracy K. Smith as Poet Laureate of the United States.The Morgan Library and Museum acquired her poem “In This Place (An American Lyric)” and displayed it in 2018 near works by Elizabeth Bishop.
.[Amanda Gorman - Wikipedia](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amanda_Gorman)
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### Author:  [@Slow\_Moving\_Vehicle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Slow_Moving_Vehicle)
#### Post date: [January 21, 2021, 7:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amanda-gorman-poem-at-the-inauguration/931104/14 "2021-01-21T19:26:30Z")
> [@Procrustus](#):
>
> She said on CNN last night that she was influenced by _Hamilton_. She also outlined the “deep dive” she did, reading other inauguration poems, and a lot of history, to prepare this. She obviously relies on hard work and preparation in addition to her raw talent.
>
> I was impressed with her appearance at the inauguration, but the CNN interview was also very impressive, in terms of intelligence, wit, and composure–especially for a 22 year-old
Oh, yes. I bookmarked it to whip out next time anyone my age complains about whiny, entitled, shallow millenials. She is articulate, clever, and poised - an amazing young woman.
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### Author:  [@Pleonast](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pleonast)
#### Post date: [January 21, 2021, 8:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amanda-gorman-poem-at-the-inauguration/931104/15 "2021-01-21T20:03:58Z")
It’s people like her that give me hope for this country.
I loved her speech. I don’t know if I’d call _The Hill We Climb_ a poem, but it is like the _Gettysburg Address_ and _I Have a Dream_–powerful uses of words to capture the American spirit.
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### Author:  [@Disheavel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Disheavel)
#### Post date: [January 21, 2021, 10:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amanda-gorman-poem-at-the-inauguration/931104/16 "2021-01-21T22:30:39Z")
I just relistened to it. You’ll notice if you listen again that her phrasing extends into the:
Mr. President, Dr. Biden, etc.
and she uses the titles to particularly emphasize the women… So I would bet that the entire time she speaks is the poem.
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### Author:  [@bobot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bobot)
#### Post date: [January 21, 2021, 10:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amanda-gorman-poem-at-the-inauguration/931104/17 "2021-01-21T22:51:08Z")
I thought it was wonderful, optimistic and hopeful. It gave me hope for what the youngsters in this country might bring- she’s 22 years old. She brought a smile to my face, especially when she rhymed “burden” with “certain”. She sounded like Bob Dylan, Eminem and Maya Angelou all wrapped up into one.
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### Author:  [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)
#### Post date: [January 21, 2021, 11:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amanda-gorman-poem-at-the-inauguration/931104/18 "2021-01-21T23:01:34Z")
The text of the poem is here:
> **[READ: Transcript of Amanda Gorman’s inaugural poem](https://thehill.com/homenews/news/535052-read-transcript-of-amanda-gormans-inaugural-poem/)**
>
> Amanda Gorman became the youngest person to deliver a poem at a U.S. presidential inauguration, with the 22-year-old reciting her poem “The Hill We Climb” after Joe Biden and Kamala Har…
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### Author:  [@Periwinkle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Periwinkle)
#### Post date: [January 22, 2021, 1:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amanda-gorman-poem-at-the-inauguration/931104/19 "2021-01-22T01:05:24Z")
I thought she was wonderful, such a lovely young woman. I think the imagery of her words was very powerful, her message and presentation were a great addition to the day.
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### Author:  [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)
#### Post date: [January 23, 2021, 1:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amanda-gorman-poem-at-the-inauguration/931104/20 "2021-01-23T01:04:38Z")
I thought it was beautiful and inspiring and everything it ought to be and more.
But I do chuckle to hear that some folks heard the line “a country that is bruised, but whole” as “a country that’s a bruised butthole”.
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