The Hill We Climb Literary Elements

The speaker here uses the "we" pronoun to express a feeling of unity between Americans. Occasionally, the poem will use the "I" pronoun, but the majority of the poem does not distinguish, and uses "we" and "our" to rally the audience into a feeling of collectiveness.

Spoken-word poetry, free verse

"bronze-pounded chest" (metaphor): The speaker here refers to some sort of armor, implying a warrior-like identity for the speaker of the poem. Bronze was a material that was used in ancient Greece, a civilization that has many ties to American society. Athens was the birthplace of modern democracy, and from architecture to philosophy, the impact of ancient Greek thought on American ways of life is enormous. Bronze was a difficult material to work with, and typically had to be poured into a mold to create any sort of shape. When the speaker refers to their bronze-pounded chest, the implication is that the chest has undergone difficult situations before, and "every breath" from it is labored. Despite this, the material lends these efforts a noble and historic air, so the bronze-pounded chest becomes a symbol of resilience even after turmoil.

"A sea we must wade" (metaphor): The speaker compares the sea to a series of challenges that "we" must get through, the word "wade" referring to the action of moving through a body of water but remaining generally upright.

"The belly of the beast" (metaphor): The speaker describes the past four years, and the other challenges in American history, as going through the "belly of the beast," meaning that the worst pain is past us, but that we are still inside the beast, and that there still comes the challenge of trying to escape.

"The hill we climb" (metaphor): The title of the poem, this phrase is used by the speaker to describe the work that must be done to change American society. It is not an impossible climb—it is not a mountain or cliff—but it is still a sizable distance to scale, and one that we must climb.

Alliteration:
"braved the belly of the beast": "b" sounds
"weathered and witnessed": "w" sounds
"compose a country committed to all cultures, colors, characters and conditions of man": "c" sounds
"harm to none and harmony to all": "harm" is repeated
"interrupted by intimidation": "int" sounds
"our inaction and inertia will be the inheritance": "in" sounds
"blunders become their burdens": "b" sounds
"wounded world into a wondrous one" "wo" sounds

Assonance:
"beast" and "peace": assonance of "ea" sound
"blade," "made," and "glade": assonance of "ade" sound
"inherit" and "repair it": assonance of short "i" sound
"hour" and "power": assonance of "o" sound
"might with right": assonance of "i" sound

Slam poetry, spoken-word poetry, occasional poetry

Inauguration of President Joe Biden

Assertive, formal, inspirational

The American people ("we") function as both protagonist and antagonist

The greatest tension in this poem is between the "we" character and the obstacles that "we" face. These challenges seem insurmountable, but "we" should have faith that they can be conquered.

The climax of the poem lies with the lines "if we merge mercy with might, and might with right, then love becomes our legacy, and change our children's birthright." These lines powerfully sum up the entire message of the poem, urging change for the future.

The line "a skinny Black girl descended from slaves and raised by a single mother can dream of becoming president only to find herself reciting for one" refers to the context in which this poem was first performed, with Amanda Gorman reciting for President Joe Biden at his inauguration.
The line "a union that is perfect" refers to the Preamble of the United States Constitution.
The line "in this faith we trust" refers to the motto that frequently appears on United States currency.
The line “everyone shall sit under their own vine and fig tree” alludes to a verse in the Hebrew scriptures, specifically Micah 4:4, and one that was also used by George Washington many times in his life. The line usually refers to the story of a farmer who is free from the tyranny of government or the state.

The reference to the "globe" refers to the other countries of the world.

"a country that is bruised but whole": The description of the country as "bruised" imbues it with the human quality of skin, a surface that can be bruised.