You cannot discuss “On the Pulse of Morning” by Maya Angelou without providing adequate background regarding the context in which it came into being. The first appearance of the poem occurred in January 1993. Bill Clinton's initial inauguration as president was the beginning of a new era for America, a new president, new goals, a new period of peace, a new hope, creating an even greater sense of harmony for the American people. With this work, Maya Angelou became the first woman – and therefore the first woman of color – to speak at such an event, carving out a special place for her as one of the world's greatest poets. of the last century. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay A number of themes are touched upon as the poem progresses, though there is an underlying bubbling of hope for the future in each stanza. The idea of ​​alliance across our differences is noted when Angelou tells us that people of all beliefs have gathered to hear the Tree share its wisdom and, when she insists that it is up to all humans, men, women and children alike, to take on the challenge of transforming America's crumbling condition into a country they can proudly support. It is also noticeable when the River, Rock and Tree say that they will be there for all people; old, young, rich or poor. The theme of how it is impossible to erase history is seen as it is told how dinosaurs left all sorts of marks on the Earth that cannot be altered, when the dark subjects of slavery and annihilation are mentioned Native Americans by of the settlers, and when Angelou declares the importance of remembering the difficulties of the past to make it in the here and now. Greed and its ability to debilitate humanity is mentioned several times. At one point the river explains how the result of man-made industry has strewn hazardous waste along its entire coast. The exploitation of Native American slave labor in the search for gold is also mentioned. Another theme I found in a couple of commercials was that of division. The River is wise on this topic and talks about how every man acting as a nation with sealed borders leaves no room for the possibility of working together to fight for the better, nor does it give way to peace. The river later refers to a more innocent time when man's best intuition was to recognize that he knows nothing, and that we have now entered an age where man knows – at least – something, and this is why he became proud and cynical. towards concepts such as peace and unity. When considering the time and context in which the poem was written, these themes gave great depth to the poem. America, in the 1990s, was a nation determined to foster positive relationships between the plethora of ethnicities represented here. As far as literary devices go, Angelou mostly makes use of personification; the act of giving a non-living being a set of human traits. Within the poem it is easy to see how the River, the Rock and the Tree are brought together in this concept; each of them has been given a voice with which to share their memories of previous eras, their human emotions put on display as they express a sense of sadness and hope for what humanity has, can and will do. These objects offer to assist humans in their work to return to a more peaceful time, to help us all work together in harmony to advance a simpler agenda. Please note: this is just an example. Get a custom paper from our expert writers now. Get an essay.