Her inaugural poem, “The Hill We Climb,” delivered a sense of aspiration back into our country, especially after the Capitol riots in January. Amanda Gorman transformed the passion radiating through our country into a beautiful poem depicting the fight for certain liberations and the time line of our country’s ability to prosper. An important message behind this powerful poem is that our country is not flawless, for we are still evolving and improving, but in an environment “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,” which means that we, as a nation, are in the process changing for the better. 

In an age when our country is enduring an exponential divide regarding politics, the words of Amanda Gorman illuminated the possibility of a brighter future. A future where “cultures, colors, characters and conditions of man” may strive for harmony. The Harvard graduate uses the ideas of discrimination and oppression to influence to insightful poetry and continues to use the issues of feminism and the diminishing of freedom of speech in her upcoming poetry books. 

The 22-year-old poet produced three books, “The Hill We Climb,” “The Hill We Climb and Other Poems” and “Change Sings,” which have all been published within this year. In fact, there is such a high demand for her works since she spoke at the inauguration that, according to “Amanda Gorman’s three books will get one million first prints due to overwhelming demand,” an article issued by CNN, her publisher, Penguin Books, has declared that they will be printing one million copies of each title. 

Gorman is an admirer of the art of literature. In the feature article “Meet Amanda Gorman, America’s First Youth Poet Laureate,” published by The New York Times, the literary artisan is depicted throughout her secondary school and university life. Gorman is a life-long devotee to feminism, and was particularly influenced by the acclaimed Pakastani activist Malala Yousafzai, the youngest Nobel laureate. The irony of this being Gorman’s role model is that Gorman is the first to hold the title of National Youth Poet Laureate and will continue to spread awareness and moral just as Malala does. 

Gorman’s voice touched the hearts of so many throughout our country and world. Her words are now inspirational quotes of the day and hashtags trending on social media as messages of hope: “her poetry exist[s] in that tradition of truth-telling”. When one person can ignite emotions of aspiration and determination throughout an entire country, one can assume that influencer is certain to lead a powerful life. “For there is always light, if only we’re brave enough to see it. If only we’re brave enough to be it”.