Imagine you had the chance to go back in time and change one decision you’ve made. Now imagine you return to the present only to find that everything is different. Instead of the once peaceful present that you were in, you are now in a hostile and apocalyptic world. Every decision you make has an effect that determines the outcome of the present. It’s called the butterfly effect, the premise is step on a butterfly in the past and risk nuclear warfare. The decision process is very complex; and your brain goes through various processes before determining an outcome. In Mary Oliver’s poem, “The Journey” she uses the combination of personification and imagery to illustrate the theme of decision making. 

The theme of the poem is decision making, the theme is portrayed by using the word “voices” multiple times. Each time signifying a different meaning in the context of the poem. Oliver uses personification when she mentions each “voice” to give the poem an eerie feeling. Personification is the writing style that gives inanimate objects human like aspects. Oliver keeps the theme eerie by adding in lines personifying the “voices”. These types of lines give the reader a picture of an abandoned house with voices following them shouting at them. Oliver uses imagery to have the reader picture themselves in the house, to immerse the reader and truly become enthralled in the poem.   

Oliver first uses the word “voice” in line 3 to demonstrate the theme by using the “voices” to personify them shouting bad advice at the reader(Oliver,92). Through this use of personification, the reader can hear the voices yelling at them. The next instance that Oliver uses the word voices is in line 8 when she states that the reader feels the voices grab at their ankles (Oliver,92). This type of personification makes the reader feel the voices grab their ankle. This signifies the hesitation when you feel as you try something new. This instance is a prime example of the inner voices of your head talking yourself out of a new experience. For example, if you were scared of going on a rollercoaster your first thought would be there is no way I’m going on that, that is the voice in your head talking you out of a situation. This voice is responsible for us hesitating when attempting something new. 

The next instance that Oliver uses is in line 10 when she says the voices are becoming louder and yelling “Mend my life” but the reader proceeds anyway (Oliver,92). This is what happens when you don’t listen to your inner voices and you begin the experience. In the previous example this would be when you are getting on the ride and don’t listen to the voice in your head. The voice makes a last ditch effort to try and talk you out of it saying “Get off of this thing!”, but you proceed and the coaster starts. 

 Oliver’s final use of the negative voices is in line 22, when the voices begin to fade away burning away into nothing (Oliver,92). This signifies that once you go through with embracing the new experience do those feeling and voices of doubt fade away. This is when you get off the coaster and realize all the feelings and voices were for nothing. That those feelings of worry and fear of trying something that you had never done before were nothing but nonsense. 

The new voices that Oliver uses is emerges in line 26, when the negative voices disappear and you find your own voice (Oliver,92). This signifies the change that takes place when you are done with the experience and you find that those voices and thoughts were silly to have because you emerged stronger and unharmed. This is the part in the example in which you say “That was fun let’s go on another one!”. This proves that the voices were only holding you back from experiencing something new and exciting. 

Imagery is used throughout the poem as well making the reader picture the house that this poem takes place in. The reader is able to put themselves into the experience and feel everything that the voices do. When Oliver personifies each voice the reader can also picture their actions. For example, in line 3 when the voices grab at the reader’s ankles the reader can picture ghostly hands reaching up from the floor grabbing their ankles. Imagery and personification is what makes the poem so immersive and so eerie.

In conclusion the voices in the passage “The Journey” are actually just the reader’s inner voices trying to hold the reader back from new experiences. Oliver’s use of personification and imagery gives the poem its eerie feeling, and gives voices human like aspects to give the poem an eerie feeling.  These negative voices the reader hears are actually just feelings we experience when we are nervous to experience something new. The voice grabbing at your ankle signifies hesitation, the voices yelling and pleading with you is your inner voice’s final attempt to reason with you, and finally the new voice that emerges that symbolizes the new you that emerges from the experience.  