Romy H Week 11 “Fury and Faith” by Amanda Gorman

 

Amanda Gorman published a video of her reading her poem “Fury and Faith” in August of 2020 in support of the Black Lives Matter Protestors. She felt that many protestors felt discouraged and hopeless, but her message gives an uplifting and motivational message to the BLM supporters across the country. This poem was extremely timely as BLM protests were going on throughout the summer of 2020. Amanda Gorman is able to achieve a powerful and encouraging tone by using uniting, hopeful diction. 

If we ever feel like we might fail,

If we be fatigued and frail

When our fire can no longer be fueled by fury,

We will be fortified by this faith

Found in the vow, the anthem:

All black lives matter, no matter what!

This stanza shows Amanda Gorman’s use of uniting diction. She groups herself with the audience by using the word “we” repetitively in order to relay the message of “we’re all in this together.” She uses this language to group the reader together with a larger body of people to know that each supporter is not alone; more importantly, they are stronger together. Throughout the poem, she evokes themes of hope, strength, togetherness, and power. Through her word choice, she is able to convey her message by using phrases that empower the reader to keep fighting because “it is our right… to fight in the face of injustice”. 

We must stand up for all of us and our aims,

United through protest and pain,

Amplifying women, the LGBTQ community,

and people with disabilities.

Because none of us are free

Until all of us break our chains.

Amanda Gorman brings people together in her poem to show that anger is the fuel to the fire of fighting for justice. In this stanza, she mentions women, the LGBTQ+ community, and the disabled community, to once again create a sense of unity and community between the different groups. This tactic allows readers and members of different groups to feel empowered and have faith that justice will prevail as long as they fight for and with each other. 

The title “Fury and Faith” plays with alliteration to serve as a catchy phrase that, I believe, represents our generation. I truly believe that anger and rage have united people to fight against hate more than usual recently. The fury that resulted from events related to police brutality and racial injustice in the summer of 2020, brought heightened attention to the subject. This “awakening” that I think many people experienced allowed people to see a light at the end of the tunnel, a sense of faith that justice will prevail. As more people continue to speak up and protest for what they believe in, more attention will be brought to those subjects. Racial injustice and police brutality have been prevalent in American society for too long, and I think this poem serves as motivation for protestors to continue fighting for justice no matter what as well as give insight into the mindset of BLM supporters or anyone fighting against any form of injustice. 

Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n9Tco9MiLVc&ab_channel=BachVirtuosiFestival 

Lyrics: https://lyricstranslate.com/en/amanda-gorman-fury-and-faith-lyrics.html