The Hill (Symbol)
The image of the hill in the poem's title can have two meanings. It may refer to Capitol Hill, the location of this poem's performance at the inauguration of President Joe Biden. Because of the riots that happened shortly before, this reference also tries to head the damage done by the riot and reimagine the space as one that belongs to "we," the people. In a larger sense, the hill can also represent the struggles from America's past and present that still need to be overcome. With the title, "climb" is in the present tense, indicating an ongoing struggle to overcome the "hill" of challenges.
Light and Shade (Motif)
From the opening lines of the poem, the image of day arriving after a long period of night immediately forces the audience to associate light with hope and shade with fear and loss. Darkness has seemingly become eternal, but these two lines remind us that light will eventually come. The poem continues by saying that "the dawn is ours," implying that the light of the rising sun is our hope, our courage. At the end of the poem, these same images return, with Gorman emphasizing that hope is always present, despite the seemingly never-ending darkness. This recurring image reminds the audience of hope's omnipresence, and encourages us to "see" and "be" the hope in an eternal shade.
Dawn and Shade (Symbols)
The beginning and end of the poem contain references to dawn and light after a period of darkness. Light in these lines represents hope, and darkness represents fear and despair. These paired symbols can be found in the lines "when day comes," "light in this never-ending shade," "the dawn is ours," "we step out of the shade, aflame and unafraid," "new dawn blooms," and "there is always light."
