Poetry Analysis

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The Journey

Original Poetry

Translation

One day you finally knew

what you had to do, and began,

though the voices around you

kept shouting

their bad advice—

though the whole house

began to tremble

and you felt the old tug

at your ankles.

"Mend my life!"

each voice cried.

But you didn't stop.

You knew what you had to do,

though the wind pried

with its stiff fingers

at the very foundations,

though their melancholy

was terrible.

It was already late

enough, and a wild night,

and the road full of fallen

branches and stones.

But little by little,

as you left their voices behind,

the stars began to burn

through the sheets of clouds,

and there was a new voice

which you slowly

recognized as your own,

that kept you company

as you strode deeper and deeper

into the world,

determined to do

the only thing you could do—

determined to save

the only life you could save.

Explanation

Mary Oliver's poem 'The Journey' is a powerful exploration of personal transformation and self-discovery. The poem begins with the realization of what one must do, despite the discouragement and negative advice from others. The imagery of a house trembling and the wind prying at foundations symbolizes the internal and external challenges faced when embarking on a new path. Despite these obstacles, the speaker persists, driven by an inner voice that grows stronger as they move away from the influence of others. The poem uses the metaphor of a journey to illustrate the process of finding one's own voice and purpose. The stars breaking through clouds represent clarity and guidance, while the new voice symbolizes self-awareness and determination. Ultimately, the poem emphasizes the importance of self-reliance and the courage to pursue one's own path, even when it means leaving behind familiar but unhelpful influences.

Word Dictionary10

Word	In English	Plain (English)	Pron.
tremble	shake	to shake slightly due to fear or cold	trem-bul
melancholy	sadness	a deep, persistent sadness or gloom	mel-an-kol-ee
pried	forced open	to force open or apart with difficulty	prahyd
foundations	bases	the underlying base or support of something	foun-day-shunz
determined	decided	having made a firm decision and being resolved not to change it	di-tur-mind
stride	walk confidently	to walk with long, decisive steps in a specified direction	strahyd
ankles	joints above feet	the joint connecting the foot with the leg	ang-kuhlz
stiff	rigid	not easily bent or changed in shape; rigid	stif
sheets	layers	large, thin, flat pieces of material	sheets
recognized	identified	to identify someone or something from having encountered them before	rek-uhg-nahyzd

Poet & Context

PoetMary Oliver

Era20th century

Mary Jane Oliver (1935–2019) was an American poet known for her work inspired by nature. She won the Pulitzer Prize in 1984 and the National Book Award in 1992. Her poetry often reflects a deep connection to the natural world and is characterized by vivid imagery and straightforward language.

View on Wikipedia

WhenPublished in 1992

WhyMary Oliver's poetry often explores themes of self-discovery and the natural world. 'The Journey' reflects the personal struggle of finding one's own path amidst external pressures and expectations, a common theme in her work.

FormFree verse

Themes & More

Themes

self-discoverypersonal transformationindependencecourage

Literary devices

metaphor: The journey as a metaphor for personal growth and self-discovery.imagery: Vivid descriptions of the house trembling and the wild night.personification: The wind prying with its stiff fingers.symbolism: Stars representing guidance and clarity.