Romy Week 1 Protect Our Planet: act, hope, don’t just cope.
Amanda Gorman’s poem “Earthrise” discusses climate change, “the single greatest challenge of our time,” and offers a glimpse of hope for the future of our planet. When reading this poem and listening to her recite it, a few lines and stanzas stood out.
“Protection of a future so universal Should be anything but controversial.”
This line provides the opportunity to get an outside perspective of what is actually happening today. In the polarized world we live in, somehow, the will to save our planet has become an opinion. It should be a shared belief to protect the world we live in so that it is safe and, at the very least, exists for generations to come. Politicians have started questioning science and spreading misinformation that climate change isn’t real; it is very real. Environmentalism should not be controversial, so why is it? This brings me to another stanza that explains the reality of our world.
“We’ve known
That we’re caught in the throes
Of climactic changes some say
Will just go away,
While some simply pray
To survive another day;
For it is the obscure, the oppressed, the poor,
Who when the disaster
Is declared done,
Still suffer more than anyone.”
This stanza shows the ramifications that climate change has on marginalized groups specifically. We are seeing this today; extreme weather is flooding cities, damaging homes and businesses, and leaving citizens with nothing. Just this week, hurricane Ida swept through New Orleans, leaving millions without power or a place to stay. I know many people that were fortunate enough to afford to evacuate before the storm hit as well as after, but that is not the case for many individuals. People who are less fortunate have been left to fend for themselves after their homes and all their belongings were stripped from them. This realization should be something that pushes us as well as politicians to work harder to protect our planet and the people who are being most negatively affected by these disasters.
“You don’t need to be a politician
To make it your mission to conserve, to protect,
To preserve that one and only home
That is ours,
To use your unique power
To give next generations the planet they deserve.”
This stanza embodies the passion so many individuals have, and it emulates Amanda Gorman’s hopeful tone about the future of our planet as long as we, ordinary individuals, make an effort to make a difference. These few lines allow people to recognize their worth in changing the path of our future. We have the power to make a change, and we must do so both socially and politically before it is too late.
Amanda Gorman never fails to talk about current events with passion and hope. She makes a devastating topic into something that gives people purpose. Through this poem, she exemplifies the passion and vigor that we must go forth with in order to fix the climate crisis and save the world for future generations. Educate yourself and others on the truth about climate change and start saving the world.
Watch this video of her reciting the poem: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xwOvBv8RLmo&ab_channel=ClimateReality
Or you can read it:
https://naaee.org/eepro/blog/earthrise-poem-amanda-gorman
Here is a link to learn more about climate change indicators:
https://www.epa.gov/climate-indicators/weather-climate
Hi Romy, I find this poem very informative and inspiring to read. I like the stanzas you chose to highlight because Gorman is clearly educating readers and also spreading awareness about how climate change impacts marginalized communities (which is so important!). I agree with you, and I think it's unfortunate that environmentalism has become such a divisive issue. Unity would definitely make trying to improve the environmental conditions easier; I hope this topic will become less divided someday.
ReplyDeleteHey Romy, I thought that this poem was very powerful. These lines in particular were very moving and truly showed how dire climate change is. Taking action and the recognition of the problem are very important steps. I really enjoyed the poem and your interpretation of it.
ReplyDeleteHi Romy. I loveeee this poem and Amanda Gorman I think is such an amazing poet and woman in general. I also believe that climate change is an important issue that needs to be dealt with immediately. I also really like that first quote you chose and it's ridiculous that saving the world and the planet has become controversial. I agree as well with the second stanza you chose that marginalized groups are affected more. This past week with hurricane Ida is a perfect example that even though technically everyone's affected equally, specific groups will feel the lasting effects more than others. I think this poem is so moving and inspirational and your analysis of it makes some very good points.
ReplyDeleteHey Romy, I thought this was an extremely powerful poem, and your analysis of it made it even better. I agree with both you and Amanda in that climate change is one of the most urgent and important issues in our world, and I like to think that I do my part in trying to improve the condition of our earth. I really like the stanzas that you emphasized about how marginalized communities are affected by climate change even more than other ordinary communities, which is especially evident in the recent natural disasters that we've experienced in South Florida that have especially affected poorer communities more than others. I think this poem is very inspirational and is the right step towards working to a solution to climate change.
ReplyDelete