BookMarks - November 2021

applying the intercultural lens bookmarks poetry review Nov 15, 2021

Amanda Gorman, “The Hill We Climb”
Applying the Intercultural Lens
Reviewed By Kathy Ellis

What a day it was. What an image to remember. Who is this poet? Ah, the power of poetry…

On January 20, 2021, Amanda Gorman, the youngest poet to read at a presidential inauguration, revealed poignant messages in “The Hill We Climb”. Ms. Gorman became a force of light and leadership for our nation that day, captivating listeners by her grace and dignity. She is also an “intercultural” activist for racial justice, environmental awareness, and gender equality. Ms. Gorman took my breath away.

Let’s apply the intercultural lens to the 110-line poem. I have kept the format of Ms. Gorman’s lines.

We’ve learned that quiet isn’t always peace,

And the norms and notions of what “just is”

Isn’t always justice.

Silence speaks many languages. We learn someone… We learn the meaning of their silence… However, in the case of injustice, silence condones the action. As interculturalists, our mission is to educate. We speak out. We act.

Because we know to put

Our future first, we must first

Put our differences aside.

How can we build bridges while valuing differences? We know that collaboration, unity, and togetherness are keys of working towards common goals, of knowing the questions to ask and what we need to do. As Dr. Nehrwr Abdul-Wahid emphasized and said simply, to see the Other, we need to get past the stereotypes and fears to see the humanity.

Because we know our inaction and inertia

Will be the inheritance for the next

Generation.

I interpret these lines as reckoning with our nation’s past, recognizing our inherent biases. We all have them. The poet tells us to do the internal work. Sometimes, I am in complete awe of the kaleidoscope of diversity that we have in the United States and around the world.

We will raise this wounded world into

A wondrous one.

How beautiful is this line? As interculturalists, we heal and advance this wounded world, and Ms. Gorman put her words to our ideals. The nation experienced the magical crossroads of timing and healing on that sunny winter day in January. Amanda Gorman was in the right place and time, declaring the right words in the right way for the right reasons. She wore a cloak of a promising sun topped by a red crown of hope.

The poet applied the tools of alliteration and internal rhyme, combining her Harvard education with the depth of musicality of the black language tradition to represent every American voice. In a sense, we listen to our calling while healing and transforming ourselves and communities. Poetry reflects voices of the heart and soul, less on the mind. The simple nature of “Hill We Climb” marvels the complexities of the human condition.

BookMarks - November 2021

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