AMANDA GORMAN 

Amanda Gorman 

Born on March 7, 1998 in Los Angeles, California, Amanda Gorman entered the world, as a future poet, activist, and performer. For the majority of Gorman’s life, she struggled with an auditory processing disorder that affected her speech. However, she didn’t let that stop her from pursuing her dreams and goals. During her early stages of writing, she earned the honor of the Los Angeles Poet Laureate and was appointed as the youth delegate for the United Nations. Later, she graduated from Harvard with a Bachelor of Arts degree and published her first poetry collection. One of her most recent achievements included her reading of  “The Hill We Climb” at the 2021 inauguration of President Joe Biden. Her work has been widely praised for commentary on issues of equality, race, and gender. Recently, her face has graced major media outlets; she and her works are recognizable almost everywhere. 

Furthermore, Amanda Gorman’s involvement in writing has impacted all audiences, especially with her newfound fame. Her pieces, such as “Change Sings” and “The Hill We Climb”, emphasize the continuous issues of oppression, feminism, race, and marginalization.  Since she has a vast array of experiences, it “has made her incredibly good at pathos, a persuasive technique to evoke and elicit certain feelings of the audience.”  Her imagistic verse constructs metaphors that help people feel the world around them and helps them reflect on these emotions. Additionally, she encourages young writers  to “consume everything around them, every nugget of culture or dialogue or beauty that they find in the world.” She wants people to explore conversations and write their story. She continues to write new books and to advocate through her voice on current issues that plagues society.

In fact, “The Hill We Climb” synthesized current problems such as the Covid pandemic, the death of George Floyd, and the capitol insurrection that occurred weeks before President Biden’s inauguration. The young poet was able to shed light on how a divided country has deepened its cracks to let violence and discrimination seep through. However, her voice also provides hope and solutions.  It’s important to hear Amanda Gorman’s story because she serves as a role model, especially to young females, who use their love of language to promote change. Her great success inspires adolescent communities to not let their struggles hinder them from what they want to achieve so that they can shine their own light.  In the future, Amanda Gorman plans to run for president when she becomes eligible… Hopefully serving as one of the first female presidents!

~Latiya '23, Sasha '23, Kamila '23, Milana '23, Cici '23, Sarah '23

Sources:

https://www.rd.com/article/who-is-amanda-gorman/

https://www.britannica.com/biography/Amanda-Gorman

https://writingcooperative.com/what-amanda-gorman-can-teach-you-about-writing-30e59ce44efe