Hanks transitions from his superhero framework — the extended metaphor of Superman and the Justice League that runs through the entire speech — to the real-world work of citizenship. He quotes a 'kooky uncle' who told him to stay in school as long as possible because 'the moment we graduate, we have to work every day for the rest of our lives.' That uncle was bitter, Hanks says, but not wrong. The work of democracy requires rigorous attention, unfading wherewithal, and all hands. It is the keeping of the promises of the promised land: the practice of decency, the protection of freedom, the promotion of liberty for all with no exceptions. By framing the more perfect union as a perpetual construction project, Hanks strips away any illusion that civic duty is something you complete and move on from.