Shmoop comment on the songs of praise for the day: Obama Inauguration poem by Elizabeth Alexander

Professor Elizabeth Alexander had the difficult task of writing a poem for the inauguration of President Barack Obama. She read this poem, "song of praise for the day" in a loud voice to millions of people January 20, 2009. Shoes Alexander, an African-American poet, full of literary giants like Robert Frost, Miller Williams, and Maya Angelou, who read the original poems in recent presidential inaugurations.

Alexander has chosen to write his poem as a song of praise. "A song of praise is a traditional form of African poetry, usually an individual holding a god, a people, or an aspect of nature. This choice of form, seems particularly appropriate in view of inheritance Obama's African.

When we look at this poem, a good place to start is to ask who or what is a poem in praise of Alexander?

* "The Day "- As you can imagine, Alexander is praising" the day "- January 20, 2009, the day of the inauguration of President Barack Obama. But day is more than one presidential candidate. Alexander celebrates the day when a black man can be president of the United States.

* "The deaths we brought here, / who laid railroad tracks, built bridges, picked cotton and lettuce, frame / brick by brick buildings sparkling / A then clean and working within "- Alexander praised the people who brought us to this memorable day. Each of the jobs listed above may correspond to a group of Americans. Here are some possibilities: "that laid the tracks" can refer to many Chinese immigrants who worked to build the Central Pacific Railroad. "Who chose cotton [...]" probably refers to black slaves, while those who" took [...] lettuce may be a reference to Mexican migrant workers, particularly in California. This poem honors praised the many people who have built and developed our nation.

* "The Struggle" – This fight seems to be related to the previously mentioned Alejandro population – immigrants, slaves, and other Americans dedicated – Who fought for equality, racial justice and a better future.

* "All the signs of letters" – to be held today many people who participated in the Obama campaign, that "[a sign of labor scholars s]." In this way, Alexander is to recognize that Americans are many ways have offered ways large and small, to develop this special day.

As the poet praises the progress that the United States and Americans have Indeed, the structure of the poem also reflects the movement and progress in the use of metaphor walking.

The poem begins: "Every day we conduct our business, / beyond the other, the capture of the other / eyes or not. "This line reminds us how we can get busy with our tasks, text messages, or our own worlds. "Past" also indicates that people are moving in various directions as we move into the business of daily life.

The poem focuses on the tasks performed by ordinary Americans of all backgrounds – tasks such as repairing clothes Wheel fixing punctures, making music, waiting for the bus, the test or control of the clouds in the sky. This shows that the job title = "Poetry" Poetry> the average American is about about – teachers, farmers, mothers, workers.

Alejandro have multiple voices of people walking and non-traditional routes – some for safety, some new frontiers, and a bit of a better life. All are moving toward an unknown future.

Shmoop interpretation is only one many possible, but perhaps the poet suggests that each person is propelled by a sense of stewardship of the mind, body, or the earth, but ultimately they are driven by love. On the other hand, may be that if we recognize this common thread of the citizens of the world, "a shot of the enlargement of the pool of light."

In the end the poem, Alexander used a similar image of the march, but instead of "walk of each other," she describes "the way forward in that light." We spend walking past "walk" before ", from past to future. The idea of walking "Before" indicates the people walking in the same direction, synchronized and united. This march has brought the country to "edge, the edge [...] [...] The point" of some something completely new, a href = time "http://www.shmoop.com/history" <a history"> title = "American in the history of America / a> that" something could be done, any penalty to begin. "

Alexander closed his song of praise in celebration of the new direction America.

About the poet Elizabeth Alexander is Professor of the Afro-American Studies Yale University. Barack Obama's selection has called his "perfect" by the Poetry Foundation president John Barr. In terms of Barr, "Alexander is one of the seminal voices in contemporary American poetry. Like Whitman before, Alexander had always sought in his poems to celebrate outstanding spirit U.S. Joint Edur recognizing our differences and triumphs "(source).

About the Author

Shmoop is an online study guide for English Literature, Poems and American history. It’s a perfect aid for students and teachers seeking guidance with advance study, essays and writing papers. Its content is written by Ph.D. and Masters students from top universities, like Stanford, Berkeley, Harvard, and Yale who have also taught at the high school and college levels. It promises to make learning and writing more fun and relevant. Teachers and students should feel confident to cite Shmoop as a source in essays and papers.

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