The Past
This poem is focused on an urgent plea for readers to think about the past, including parts of the past that may be sad, unpleasant, or uncomfortable—for instance, slavery and colonialism. Despite this focus on the past, the poem does not speak about history from a place of nostalgia. Instead, the poem argues that a clear look at the flawed past is the only way to move forward into a less flawed future. History, Angelou suggests, can both inspire us and teach us what not to do moving forward. The wrongs of history can't be erased, and what has happened in the past is unalterable. However, those damages can be mitigated and the world repaired if we approach with care and sensitivity.
Oppression and Environmental Destruction
The reason that the past must be faced with courage, according to the poem, is because it contains so many instances of oppression and cruelty. These are important to remember but can be difficult to think about. Angelou references a wide variety of ways in which humans can brutalize one another and the natural world, and she emphasizes the ways in which the oppression of human beings can often lead to the destruction of nature. For instance, the colonization of America caused the subjugation of the Native American peoples who once relied on the river—and that, in turn, has caused the river to become an exploited source of profit. Similarly, war, in which people do violence to each other, leaves rubble littering the natural landscape. On the other hand, maintaining and respecting nature is one way for modern-day people to remember their ancestors and their family histories.
Unity
Although the poem acknowledges the disharmony of the past, it also emphasizes the ultimate unity and oneness of the natural world. The rock, river, and tree each speak separately and have their own history, but they also each represent a full, undivided natural realm. Furthermore, these representatives of nature urge humanity to give up its attachment to isolation and individualism, and to return to a lost relationship of unity and harmony with nature. The speaker's own voice is transient and fluid, serving as a mouthpiece for the rock, the river, and the tree. In fact, the speaker's ability to change identities, morphing into and speaking for various natural bodies, exemplifies this fundamental oneness.
