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Amanda Gorman's “The Hill We Climb” (Full Text)

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Re: Amanda Gorman's “The Hill We Climb” (Full Text)

#21

Post by TeaDrunk »

war1025 wrote: post #16
TeaDrunk wrote: post #10

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Politely, who the heck would write, much less put in the practice of reciting, a several minutes-long poem for a thinly veiled swipe at a political figure? Amanda could've just spat out a hot take on twitter if she wanted that, same as everyone else who wants to make swipes.

> When day comes, we ask ourselves, where can we find light in this never-ending shade? > The loss we carry. A sea we must wade. > We braved the belly of the beast. > We’ve learned that quiet isn’t always peace, and the norms and notions of what “just” is isn’t always justice. ... > We’ve seen a force that would shatter our nation, rather than share it. > Would destroy our country if it meant delaying democracy. > An…

And I think presuming it's nothing more than a swipe makes no sense, occam's razor style. There's no reason why she would put that much effort (a several minutes long poem, plus the practice of recital).

Re: Amanda Gorman's “The Hill We Climb” (Full Text)

#22

Post by war1025 »

TeaDrunk wrote: post #21
war1025 wrote: post #16

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> When day comes, we ask ourselves, where can we find light in this never-ending shade? > The loss we carry. A sea we must wade. > We braved the belly of the beast. > We’ve learned that quiet isn’t always peace, and the norms and notions of what “just” is isn’t always justice. ... > We’ve seen a force that would shatter our nation, rather than share it. > Would destroy our country if it meant delaying democracy. > An…

And I think presuming it's nothing more than a swipe makes no sense, occam's razor style. There's no reason why she would put that much effort (a several minutes long poem, plus the practice of recital).

> And I think presuming it's nothing more than a swipe makes no sense,

Obviously it's not only that. It's a big moment for her and a great honor.

But also I think there was that flavor to it, and I'd guess her target audience thought it was great of her to put that touch in there.

Re: Amanda Gorman's “The Hill We Climb” (Full Text)

#23

Post by war1025 »

jefurii wrote: post #14
war1025 wrote: post #8

Seems like a pretty thinly veiled swipe at Trump to be honest. Really looking forward to the next four years of "Isn't it great how we're all united in the common cause of hating half the country"

I think a lot of people are more interesting in helping the half of the country that supported Trump and QAnon walk itself back from the crazy positions they've talked themselves into so we can sit back down at the table and get through dinner.

> I think a lot of people are more interesting in helping the half of the country that supported Trump and QAnon walk itself back from the crazy positions they've talked themselves into

It's not just the right that has walked itself into crazy positions. The country is in need of some serious regression to the mean on both sides.

Re: Amanda Gorman's “The Hill We Climb” (Full Text)

#24

Post by alexilliamson »

war1025 wrote: post #8

Seems like a pretty thinly veiled swipe at Trump to be honest. Really looking forward to the next four years of "Isn't it great how we're all united in the common cause of hating half the country"

As opposed to the last 4 years of... what exactly?

Re: Amanda Gorman's “The Hill We Climb” (Full Text)

#25

Post by polka_haunts_us »

jefurii wrote: post #14
war1025 wrote: post #8

Seems like a pretty thinly veiled swipe at Trump to be honest. Really looking forward to the next four years of "Isn't it great how we're all united in the common cause of hating half the country"

I think a lot of people are more interesting in helping the half of the country that supported Trump and QAnon walk itself back from the crazy positions they've talked themselves into so we can sit back down at the table and get through dinner.

With all due respect, I'm not a Trump supporter but I am the most conservative person in my family, and I'm not the one who was talking about guillotining people I don't like at the dinner table last year.

I would prefer the left wing people in my family not be enabled to shift the blame for all their shitty behavior the last 4 years onto Trump thanks.

Re: Amanda Gorman's “The Hill We Climb” (Full Text)

#27

Post by war1025 »

alexilliamson wrote: post #24
war1025 wrote: post #8

Seems like a pretty thinly veiled swipe at Trump to be honest. Really looking forward to the next four years of "Isn't it great how we're all united in the common cause of hating half the country"

As opposed to the last 4 years of... what exactly?

Yea fair enough. My main point is that the media will now cover it as everything Biden says being "unifying" rather than every word Trump ever uttered, which was "divisive". Even when they say the same thing.

Re: Amanda Gorman's “The Hill We Climb” (Full Text)

#28

Post by twmiller »

war1025 wrote: post #23
jefurii wrote: post #14

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I think a lot of people are more interesting in helping the half of the country that supported Trump and QAnon walk itself back from the crazy positions they've talked themselves into so we can sit back down at the table and get through dinner.

> I think a lot of people are more interesting in helping the half of the country that supported Trump and QAnon walk itself back from the crazy positions they've talked themselves into It's not just the right that has walked itself into crazy positions. The country is in need of some serious regression to the mean on both sides.

"Both sides" nonsense. Show me anything from the left that begins to approach believing that there's a secret cabal of baby-eating satan worshippers running a pedophile ring from the basement of a pizza joint.

Re: Amanda Gorman's “The Hill We Climb” (Full Text)

#29

Post by dash2 »

Look, no offence, but this is a terrible poem.

It's verbose:

> We, the successors of a country and a time where 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.

It doesn't make sense. (You can't be the successor of a country, you even more can't be the successor of the present instant happening right now.)

It's content-free, like a bad political speech. "We are striving to forge our union with purpose." As opposed to striving to forge it accidentally?

It's clichéd: "We close the divide because we know to put our future first, we must first put our differences aside.... while we have our eyes on the future, history has its eyes on us." Honestly, this reads like something GPT-3 might come up with.

It uses rhyme for cheap effect: "We seek harm to none and harmony for all."

I expected something as bad as Maya Angelou (brutally reviewed by Paul Beatty at https://www.nytimes.com/2006/01/22/books/review/black-humor....). This is worse. It is a shame, when there are black poets like Derek Walcott out there. People get exposed to this kind of "uplifting" stuff and will think that's all there is.

Re: Amanda Gorman's “The Hill We Climb” (Full Text)

#30

Post by avmich »

jakeva wrote: post #13
x3n0ph3n3 wrote: post #11

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Why are you confused? "We're not perfect, but we're not trying to be perfect."

That's how I understood it

"We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defence,[note 1] promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America."
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