18 pages • 36 minutes read
On the Pulse of Morning
A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
Symbols & Motifs
The Rock
Each natural element in this poem acts as a symbol for a quality that Angelou argues is important for the future of America. While all the elements have some crossover, including representing, to a degree, where humanity comes from, they also have their own distinct symbolic meanings.
The first symbol she utilizes is the rock, which represents the strength and courage necessary to face the future. The rock offers the potential for the listener to stay stagnant, and it acknowledges this, saying people “have crouched too long in / The bruising darkness / Have lain too long / Face down in ignorance” (Lines 15-18). But to linger in this state is to suffer the same fate as those creatures that once dominated the earth and are now extinct. If the reader accepts this stagnation, they risk the rock becoming host to the body and memories.
Instead, the rock implores the reader to “stand upon me, / But do not hide your face” (Lines 21-22). The rock offers solid ground to stand upon–ground that one must take advantage of and use to face the future. To do this, one must be courageous and step out of the darkness and into the light.
The River
The river offers an ideal future. It represents the peace and tranquility sought by generations, and its water is described as a beautiful song that sings on and on. The river sings a song that existed “Before cynicism was a bloody sear across [our] / Brow[s]” (Lines 37-38).
Angelou describes the river’s song as something for which all people long. Despite this, the river offers admonishment for the things people do that bring harm to the earth. The river speaks passionately about the harm from “collars of waste upon / My shore, currents of debris upon my breast” (Lines 30-31). By using the language of water (collars, currents), the river uses irony to demonstrate the thoughtless way humans have abandoned the song of unity and hope that the river sings in favor of consumerism, war, waste, and selfishness. The river symbolizes what could be if people were to come together and embrace the ideal.
The Tree
Finally, the tree symbolizes the greater human race, full of roots that extend all the way back to the beginning of life. The tree demonstrates the connection and origins that all people share. The tree also carries memory, and that memory includes all the sacrifice and pain that people have had to endure. But even though the tree encourages the reader to look deep into its roots to understand where they come from, it also urges the reader to look up to its budding leaves. The tree asks this because it knows people “have a piercing need / For this bright morning dawning” (Lines 72-73).
In a way, the tree connects the river and the rock through its roots. It draws upon the water (hope) and plants itself in the rock of the earth (courage). Angelou wants the reader to learn from this union so Americans can plant roots in hope and courage to see the bright light of the coming morning.
Taken together, all three of these symbols work to create a vision for the future that is based on courage, hope, heritage, and unity. Angelou brings this all together near the end of the poem when she combines the images into one line and adds one more phrase to illustrate how these elements must work together in reality. She writes, “You may have the courage / To look up and out and upon me, the / Rock, the River, the Tree, your counter” (Lines 96-98).
Unlock all 18 pages of this Study GuidePlus, gain access to 8,800+ more expert-written Study Guides.
Including features:
Related Titles
By Maya Angelou
