In the poem “The Journey” by Mary Oliver.  “The Journey” appeared in the Dream Work (1986).  Oliver doesn’t thought she is a poet, she “consider herself kind of a reporter-one who uses words that are more like music and that have a choreography.  “She never think of herself as poet; she just gets up and writes.” (Carolina reader 92).  This line reflect her poem style, she doesn’t think about others advices or voices; Mary writes whatever she wants to write which means she don’t follow the tide, fawn her readers and judges.  In the poem “The Journey” She uses a lot of repeating nouns to grab the moment when people are trying to escape those voices from others, the middle way of looking the own voice and finally can hear the own voices.  The voices or advices from others will block own voices, live for others.

“Though the voices around you, kept shouting their bad advice –” (Oliver 92).  The voice in this line was the first time Olive used this word in “The Journey”.  It means the voices from readers, judge and others.  That is the moment that she wants to start looking her own voices.  However, others “kept shouting their bad advice”, it “felt the old tug at the ankles (Oliver 92).  

Readers and judge are forcing author write something they like to read.  Readers’ voice will definitely affect author’s writing style.  “The old tug” represent this problem in the poem.  Most author just accepted the voice from others, but they forget what the true meaning of writing is. 

Mary used the natural symbols and personification in the middle of the poem, it represent how tuff for looking the own voice is.  “Through the wind pried with is stiff fingers at the very foundations, though their melancholy was terrible” (Oliver 92).  It is the personification to present the moment she realizes she can’t let others have her voices, she wants to take it back.  She started to walk on the “road full of fallen branches and stones” (Oliver 92).  The branches and stones are represent how hard of the road.  Writing the own lecture would cause the problem of live.  If readers don’t like the own style lecture, they won’t spent their money on it.  Even authors write the lecture because they want to, but they still need to face the true.  Deciding the choices between “listen the own voices” and “follow the voices from others” is a hard for author.  

Finally, she wants to listen her own voices, “little by little” she was hearing voice, and realize who she is.  

In the end of the poem, “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” (Oliver 92).  That was the moment which she finally heard her own voice.  She is a new star that is burning on the space names literary circles.  The time on the tuff road and blame from people are worth it.  Readers accepted again, accepted her own writing. She realize that hearing the own voice is the only one thing she needs to do, “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” (Oliver 92).  The own voice will follow you to everywhere, deeper and deeper to hear he own voice, that is a whole new world is right there.  

Marry Oliver used “voice” and natural symbol to move her argument.  Also, she used personification to form the image and make her poem be more interesting.  In the beginning, other “voices” will have different sounds compare with authors’.  She needs to go on her way, even she needs to face problems.  The road of hearing the own voice is hard.  It will be a lot of upper hill to slow down her step, or a huge whole need to jump.  In the end, she knows what her voices sounds is like.  It is an improvement of grow up and become wisely.  The journey will be long and hard, a lot of unknown challenges are waiting for people who wants to hear their own voice.  However, people need to “save the only life you could save” (Oliver92).  This poem catch every moment which the author faced before.  Even she got the stock, she still own the Pulitzer Prize in 1984.  She is using her own experience to encourage others her their own voices.  Write what does she wants, don’t let other people voices to affect her.  Just like the poem said “determined to do he only thing you could do- determined to save the only life you could save” (Oliver 92).  Everyone has their own voice, keep the chance to show out others own voice.  Be a burning star to light up the world.  The life is only once, do what do you want to do.  
