In 2014, Gorman was named the Youth Poet Laureate of Los Angeles at the age of 16 and then the first National Youth Poet Laureate three years later. The hill we climb If only we dare It’s because being American is more than a pride we inherit, it’s the past we step into and how we repair it We’ve seen a force that would shatter.

'I would be in the bathroom scribbling five minutes before trying to figure out if I could say 'Earth' or if I can say 'girl' or if I can say 'poetry.' And you know, doing the best with the poem I could.'īut that did little to stunt what has been a meteoric rise. The meaning of the poem The Hill We Climb is that the full potential of America can only be realized if Americans of all colors, creeds, and political. She remembers when she first started performing in public and worrying about which words she'd even be able to say out loud correctly. Gorman says she never expected to become a 'public occasion poet,' but at just 22-years-old the Los Angeles native has already performed everywhere from the Library of Congress to the observation deck at the Empire State Building. For there is always light, if only we’re brave enough to see it. When day comes, we step out of the shade of flame and unafraid. 'I'd want to say 'girls can change the world,' but I cannot say so many letters in that statement, so I'd say things like 'young women can shape the globe.'' Weve learned that quiet isnt always peace. She had difficulty saying certain letters of the alphabet - the letter R was especially tough - which caused her to have to constantly 'self-edit and self-police.' Like Biden, who has spoken openly about having stuttered as a child, Gorman has had to overcome a childhood speech impediment of her own. Gorman is no stranger to having to change her work midstream.

Would destroy our country if it meant delaying democracy.īut while democracy can be periodically delayed,įor while we have our eyes on the future, It may refer to Capitol Hill, the location of this poems performance at the inauguration of President Joe Biden. We've seen a force that would shatter our nation rather than share it, The Hill We Climb Symbols, Allegory and Motifs The Hill (Symbol) The image of the hill in the poems title can have two meanings.

The hill we climb meaning