Unnamed Speaker

“On the Pulse of Morning” has four main characters: the Rock, the River, the Tree, and the unnamed speaker. The unnamed speaker has the smallest presence in the poem and speaks in the first-person plural, making the speaker an embodiment of Americans or humans more generally. The speaker cites diverse peoples making up the American citizenry and thus the audience for the Rock, River, and Tree’s respective speeches: “So say the Asian, the Hispanic, the Jew” (43). Though the speaker opens the poem, it is ultimately the Rock, River, and Tree that communicate its central messages.

The Rock

The Rock speaks first and comes across as the most concerned for the future, as it “cries out to us, clearly, forcefully” (9). The Rock is selfless, offering its back for us to stand upon and face our “distant destiny” (11). Though it wishes to partner with us in facing the...