Richard Blanco's Inaugural Speech

Poems are used in presidential inaugurations to tell a story to America and ignite hope into the hearts of Americans at a time when the future may seem uncertain. Both Richard Blanco with his inaugural poem titled “One Today”, and Maya Angelou with her inaugural poem “On the Pulse of Morning” written for Bill Clinton, do an amazing job at painting a picture of a hopeful future as well as highlighting what unifies us as a country and as people. Though they both approach their writing in a different way, their messages are very similar and are very important. Richard Blanco’s Poem “ One Today” sheds light on the everyday struggles that each American faces no matter what type of background one comes from, with a very unifying tone. Blanco undoubtedly drew off of his own personal experience as a gay Latino, and a son of immigrants (Poetry Foundation), to highlight how we are all together in our struggles to survive, no matter how different those struggles may be. This was an important message for Americans only a few years after the housing market collapse and the start of the Great Recession, a time when so many were struggling financially. He

Her use of personification and imagery greatly aids in telling a story of strength, human perseverance, and unity. In this poem Angelou tells the story of the Earth, a rock, river, and tree, calling upon its people to use it to become stronger, she calls for peace between countries, and advocates for us to learn from our history to become better people. The message of peace likely comes from America’s experience with the Persian gulf war, which ended only a few months before Clinton’s inauguration, and her message of equality likely comes from her experience growing up as a black girl during the civil rights