Maya Angelou’s poem On the Pulse of Morning is a portrayal of the necessary change that America as a country needs and that Americans as individuals have to facilitate. Angelou is somewhat optimistic or, perhaps, hopeful about the future. The world was changing, and the opportunities were endless, yet there was a sense of stagnancy that Angelou sensed and referred to in her speech. The author was especially focused on the American sense of nationality (Angelou). Angelou did not see how people who came to this land and encountered injustice on multiple levels still did not have the privilege to call themselves American. This was the author’s reflection upon the identity of “hyphenated Americans” in the 90s, which was especially highlighted compared to liberty and open-mindedness in other developed countries.
Angelou’s poem was, in a way, prophetic since the 44th president became Barak Obama. In his inauguration speech, Obama suggested that the inherent Americanism that persists in the country is the incredible ability to change. (The White House). A short time has passed between the Civil Rights movement and today, yet America has completely changed. Thus, Americanism is illustrated as flexibility and the constant movement of the country towards a direction that people want to pursue. Barak Obama became the first black president, which would have been impossible 60 years before his inauguration. The election has, in a way, given an answer to the question of the definition of an American citizen. Hence, an American citizen is not an ethnicity or skin color but rather someone in hand with the fast path that the country manages to maintain. The 44th president and the active social position of the citizens exemplify the post-9/11 progress in inclusivity America has experienced.
Works Cited
Angelou, Maya. “On the Pulse of Morning by Maya Angelou.”Poetry Foundation, Poetry Foundation, 1990, Web.
“President Barack Obama’s Inaugural Address.”National Archives and Records Administration, National Archives and Records Administration, 2009, Web.