I Am Not Throwing Away My Shot Analysis

The musical Hamilton, by Lin-Manuel Miranda tells of Alexander Hamilton’s impressive journey from an all but irrelevant street child, to one of the most important men in American politics. It is based off of a true story of growth, heroism, and determination. In writing this musical, Miranda takes a dry, historic story, and turns it into a captivating performance. His project to take the story of Alexander Hamilton and make it relatable to the average American is extraordinarily successful, mostly because the methods by which he does this are unprecedented. His unique methods and practices have resulted in Hamilton being so popular that it was awarded a record breaking sixteen Tony nominations (Paulson). The musical tells how Hamilton doesn’t

This attitude was shared by numerous early immigrants, especially my great-grandparents. The chorus of the song repeats the lines “I am not throwing away my shot! I am not throwing away my shot! Hey Yo, I’m just like my country I’m young, scrappy and hungry. And I’m not throwing away my shot” (Miranda). These lines are repeated several times throughout the play, and represent one of the main methods used by Miranda to depict Hamilton’s actions and attitude. The song shows how determined Hamilton is to take advantage of every opportunity and not “throw away (his) shot”. It also draws a comparison to the early United States when he raps “I’m just like me country I’m young, scrappy and hungry”. At this point in our nations ‘ancestry’, it absolutely fit this description. The United States was a young nation, the first of its kind. As a whole, our nation had a drive to become successful, to set precedent, and quite literally change the world. This drive and spirit was embodied by generation after generation, and is what drove America to become the superpower that it is today. I know that my ancestors were motivated to succeed, and because of that I am here over a century later. The fact that my ancestors worked hard and passed down these traits to their children puts me in a uniquely advantageous position

Miranda’s unorthodox style and skilled composition are able to successfully explore and describe the life story of Hamilton to a lay audience. In the same way that Hamilton struggled to make a name for himself, the Onofrio and O’Reilly families worked long and hard to become successful. It is one of the greatest aspects of American society that somebody can decide their own future. And rightfully so it is one of the aspects that Miranda focuses on the most. The musical Hamilton does not just tell the story of Alexander Hamilton, it tells the story of the United States as a whole, and of millions of its