Poetry and Cultural Diversity

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Cultural Diversity and Poetry
In this essay, we shall use “On the Pulse of Morning” by Maya Angelou, and “One Today.” By Richard Blanco. What connects these poems is that both poets read them in front of presidents. These events are a mark of the cultural importance these poems have. In this essay, we shall comment on the cultural diversity from the 20th century, to our days, using those poems as a reference.
“The singing river and the wise rock. /So say the Asian, the Hispanic, the Jew, /The African and Native American, the Sioux, /The Catholic, the Muslim, the French, the Greek, /The Irish, the Rabbi, the Priest, the Sheikh, / The Gay, the Straight, the Preacher, / The privileged, the homeless, the teacher. /They hear. They all hear / The speaking of the tree.” (Angelou 1) In this stanza, Angelou cleverly comments on the cultural differences in America. She mentions many of the ethnicities that came to it, and mixed, creating the melting pot that the United States is. In the same way, the image of the tree holds great importance, as it is a device used to show that we are all together despite our differences. We stem from the tree because we are all Americans.
During 20th and the beginning of the 21st century, our country has experienced many changes, changes in how people see those who they consider “different”. “One ground. Our ground, rooting us to every stalk / of corn, every he…