Maya Angelou On The Pulse Of Morning Essay

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The Powerful “On the Pulse of Morning,” By Maya Angelou Maya Angelou (1928-2014) wrote multiple free verse poems during times of crucial struggle and racial oppression amongst African American people in the United States of America. During the mid 1990’s , African American citizens were starting to be recognized, appreciated, acknowledged and accounted for their rights and freedoms as not only people of colour, but as legitimate citizens of the United States of America. During the 1993 Presidential Inauguration of Bill Clinton, “Angelou read her poem, “ On the Pulse of Morning,” and in which she honored the occasion and encapsulated the entirety of America’s history - from the time of the dinosaurs to the struggles of Native Americans and African-Americans” (Brian Resnick). Ms. Angelou captures the significance of coming together as…show more content…
Ms. Angelou chooses these three objects not only for their size and significance to our earth but the characteristics that each one of these objects possesses. A rock, both strong and bold, cannot be moved easily. It is a foundation that can be built upon. A river symbolizes commerce, farming, transportation and water – with water being the essential stimulant to life on earth. A tree symbolizes strength, the environment, beauty, wisdom and most importantly eternal life on earth. Metaphorically, all of these attributes conveyed through these objects are what humans strive to obtain. “Take it into the palm of your hands. Mold it into the shape of your most/private need. Sculpt it into/ the image of your most public self” (81-84). “This metaphor is not literal but it means that one must make the world what one’s self wants it to be” (Maya Angelou). Ms. Angelou expresses to the reader that matters should be taken into accountability. Actions reflect choices in life both mistakes and accomplishments. One can only learn so much in a life time – it starts with trust and the help of a kind
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