What Was the Senior English Address at Harvard Commencement 2022 About?

TL;DR

The Senior English Address at Harvard Commencement 2022 argues that freedom requires graduates to hear and uplift people who remain confined. Using experiences with childhood shyness, enslavement, the pandemic, Harvard, and incarceration, the speaker presents the caged bird's song as an expression of hope, resilience, equality, and freedom. Read on for the speech's examples and call to action.

Transcript

"I KNOW WHY THE CAGED BIRD SINGS," WROTE MAYA ANGELOU. GROWING UP, I ALWAYS WONDERED, WHY WOULD A CAGED BIRD SING? WHAT DOES IT REALLY MEAN TO BE CAGED? SIMPLY, BEING CAGED IS ABOUT CONFINEMENT, WHETHER LITERALLY OR FIGURATIVELY. WHEN I WAS LITTLE, I WAS REALLY SHY. I WAS NOT COMFORTABLE SPEAKING TO PEOPLE AT ALL. WHEN THE TIME CAME TO SPEAK, I WOU... Read More

Key Insights

• 👪 Overcoming shyness requires support and empowerment from family and mentors.
• ✊ The power of communication and hidden messages can be witnessed in historical examples like spirituals during slavery.
• 🥺 Believing in one's worth and pursuing dreams can lead to unexpected achievements, as seen in the speaker's Harvard journey.
• 📶 The COVID-19 pandemic highlighted the collective strength and adaptability of individuals.
• 😀 Graduates have a responsibility to support and uplift individuals who are still confined or facing systemic barriers, using their talents and proximity to make a difference.
• 🥰 Singing while being caged symbolizes resilience, hope, and the desire to be heard by those who are free.
• 💦 Freedom should not be taken for granted, and graduates must actively work towards creating a more equitable society.

Questions & Answers

Q: What was the Senior English Address at Harvard Commencement 2022 about?

The address explores literal and figurative confinement through the image of the caged bird. It argues that the bird sings of hope, resilience, equality, and freedom, and asks Harvard graduates to use their talents to help people who remain caged.

Q: What does being caged mean in the Harvard Commencement address?

Being caged means experiencing confinement, either literally or figuratively. The speaker applies the idea to shyness, enslavement, pandemic restrictions, and incarceration.

Q: How did the speaker's parents help him find his voice?

His parents required him to speak at school events and act in church plays. His father also had him repeat every sentence he heard on the news while they were in the car.

Q: Why does the caged bird sing according to the address?

The caged bird sings of hope, resilience, equality, and freedom. The speaker says people who are caged sing so those who fly freely will hear their stories.

Q: How did enslaved people use Wade in the Water to communicate?

The speaker says his enslaved ancestors sang spirituals such as "Wade in the Water" while working in the fields. The song communicated that water offered a more discreet escape route for people fleeing north.

Q: How did the speaker become Harvard College's first Black male student body president?

The speaker initially believed Harvard was not possible for him and considered not submitting an application. His mother, who had been a guidance counselor for over 25 years, convinced him he was enough, and he later became the first Black man elected student body president in Harvard College's 386-year history.

Q: How does the address describe resilience during the COVID-19 pandemic?

The speaker says quarantine, masking, vaccines, and contact tracing defined the last two years of the graduates' lives. Students followed COVID-19 protocols and completed a year of virtual learning while classmates were scattered across the globe.

Q: What responsibility does the speaker give Harvard graduates?

The speaker asks graduates to see themselves in people who remain caged and use their talents to help them. He also urges them to become close enough to hear those people's stories, including the story of a Black incarcerated man held for 15 months without bail before being charged with a nonviolent drug offense.

Summary & Key Takeaways

• Definition: Being caged means confinement, whether literal or figurative.

• Who: Maya Angelou wrote, "I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings."

• Step 1: The speaker's parents pushed him to speak at school events, act in church plays, and repeat news sentences.

• Tool: "Wade in the Water" communicated that water was a more discreet escape route for enslaved people fleeing north.

• Number: The speaker's mother had been a guidance counselor for over 25 years.

• Number: He became the first Black man elected student body president in Harvard College's 386-year history.

• Number: Quarantine, masking, vaccines, and contact tracing defined the last two years of the graduates' lives.

• Number: Students completed a year of virtual learning with classmates scattered across the globe.

• Number: A Black incarcerated man was jailed for 15 months without bail before being charged with a nonviolent drug offense.

• Step 2: Graduates must use their talents, uplift people who remain caged, and become close enough to hear their stories.