The Hill We Climb Rhetorical Strategies

Prompt

Read "The Hill We Climb" by Amanda Gorman. Then identify 5 rhetorical strategies that she uses in her poem (can only use one of authority/credibility, logic, and emotion).

Then write a short paragraph explaining which two you think are the most effective in helping her achieve her purpose. Be sure to evidence from the text to support your claim.

Response

5 rhetorical strategies used: Anaphora, Alliteration, Parallelism, Repetition, and Allusion

In “The Hill We Climb” by Amanda Gorman, the two most effective strategies used would be anaphora and allusion. Anaphora is commonly used throughout the piece mainly to provide emphasis, but it also creates this poetic rhythm. For example, in the second paragraph “We close the divide because we know, to put our future first, we must put our differences aside … We lay down our arms… “, Gorman uses the word “we” to place emphasis on unity. Gorman also uses anaphora, “That even as we grieved, we grew. That even as we hurt, he hoped. That even as we tired, we tried” to emphasize negative emotion. As for allusion, I found the reference “vine and fig tree” very interesting, and after doing some research, it appears to be a reference to George Washington’s favorite verse: Micah 4:4. Gorman probably uses this to to provide a symbolic meaning while also building credibility/authority.