Each natural element in this poem acts as a symbol for a quality that Angelou argues is important for the future of America. While all the elements have some crossover, including representing, to a degree, where humanity comes from, they also have their own distinct symbolic meanings.

The first symbol she utilizes is the rock, which represents the strength and courage necessary to face the future. The rock offers the potential for the listener to stay stagnant, and it acknowledges this, saying people “have crouched too long in / The bruising darkness / Have lain too long / Face down in ignorance” (Lines 15-18). But to linger in this state is to suffer the same fate as those creatures that once dominated the earth and are now extinct. If the reader accepts this stagnation, they risk the rock becoming host to the body and memories.

Instead, the rock implores the reader to “stand upon me, / But do not hide your face” (Lines 21-22). The rock offers solid ground to stand upon–ground that one must take advantage of and use to face the future. To do this, one must be courageous and step out of the darkness and into the light.