Amanda Gorman

Video of Ms. Gorman reading her poem, "The Hill We Climb," at President Biden's inauguration last week is here.

As I mentioned in class, this is a very brilliant, very effective, piece of rhetoric. Notice how she orients her discourse to the occasion, and to the larger context of 400 years' worth of American history, what she says about herself to set up her own ethos, and what she's saying about the ethos of 21st Century America as a whole -- keeping in mind that maybe the most important step a rhetor can take is to convince her audience, "You and I are in the same group." And that "ethos" comes from the same root as "ethics."

Of course, the most basic lesson of rhetoric: "Words are deeds" (Emerson). Words have power -- words can change the world, for good or for ill.

Comments

  1. RyanFebruary 3, 2021 at 2:23 PM

    This is a good example of the importance knowing your audience. On the page, the rhyme scheme loses me a bit (this is a personal issue because I don't care much for rhyming poetry). However, hearing the words and seeing her movements create a powerful statement that reaches her intended audience.

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