Unity in Diversity

One of the principal themes of “On the Pulse of Morning” is the need for unity, both among diverse peoples and between humans and nature. The poem mentions at least 33 different human identities that make up part of the American public, like “The Catholic, the Muslim, the French, the Greek” (45) and “The privileged, the homeless, the Teacher” (48). Angelou highlights that these identities — which encompass different ethnic groups, religions, professions and sexual orientations — all share “a true yearning to respond to / The singing River and the wise Rock” (41-42) and that “They hear. They all hear / The speaking of the Tree” (49-50). When Rock, River, and Tree speak in the poem, they “Speak to humankind” (52) and address a collective “us” (9). They entrust “Women, children, men” (81) with crafting a new dream to meet the new era, and they close the poem with a call for unity...