Lin Manuel Miranda combined spoken word and rap in his passionate address to the graduating students.
Award-winning composer and lyricist Lin Manuel Miranda addressed college graduates on Sunday as the keynote speaker at Wesleyan University's commencement.
Miranda combined spoken word and rap in his passionate message to the graduating students. He talked about two distinct clocks running in most young people’s minds as they begin to leave college and enter the world.
“One is super fast -- worry. That’s the sound of your four years at Wesleyan with one day to go. All the packing you still have to do. All the people with whom you’re still trying to find a moment to say the right goodbye,” said Miranda. “The other clock is in the distance, but it’s slower and it’s booming. That’s the sound of the rest of your life and what you’re going to do with it in the time you have on this earth.”
Miranda’s hip hop-inspired musical "Hamilton," set to debut on Broadway this summer, pointedly features young actors of color as America’s white founding fathers.
In his commencement address, Miranda performed scenes from the show, linking the ticking clock to its two main characters. First, a young Alexander Hamilton who grew up in poverty.
Don’t be shocked when your history book mentions me. I will lay down my life if it sets us free. Eventually, you’ll see my ascendancy.
Miranda rapped the words in the persona of Hamilton.
I am not throwing away my shot. I am not throwing away my shot. Hey, yo -- just like a country. I am young, scrappy, and hungry and I am not throwing away my shot. Contrast this with Aaron Burr.
Burr was a child of wealth and privilege, said Miranda. And he reacted to the ticking clock by waiting patiently for a perfect moment to present itself, and acting decisively in that moment.
In character as Burr, Miranda rapped,
And if there’s a reason I’m still alive when everyone who loves me has died, I’m willing to wait for it. I’m willing to wait for it.
Miranda, a Wesleyan graduate himself, told the crowd that ultimately, life is about learning to do both -- rushing and waiting -- at the same time.
