




When will we die?  The word “we” can have a lot of different meanings based on the context, but in this particular instance when I say “we” I’m talking about everything.  Every living thing on Earth.  When will everything die?  When will planet Earth itself cease to exist?  In Mary Oliver’s “The Journey”, the questions “what happens after we die?” and “why?” are given an answer if looked at from a certain perspective.  By looking at the constant use of metaphors, we can see the impact of the strong imagery used to assist the reader in getting an interpretation, which most people do not see; and this is important because imagery in combination with metaphors is the main artifact in the text that molds the reader’s interpretation.

Within the first five lines of the poem, Oliver uses striking imagery which automatically lets the reader’s mind go wild and wonder.  “One day you finally knew / what you had to do, and began, / though the voices around you / kept shouting / their bad advice—” (92).  The speaker is speaking towards God himself, telling him that at some point he finally came to the conclusion that it was time to do something and time for a change even though humans kept asking him to change things which went against what he had intended.  God was so persistent and set on doing what he knew he needed to do that he went through with his plan even with the people “shouting / their bad advice” (92).  “‘Mend my life!’ / each voice cried” (92).  This quote signifies that all of the humans on Earth tried to reach out to God, tried to pray to him and ask him to save them or spare them.  “But you didn’t stop. / You knew what you had to do” (92).  The speaker is telling God that although he hears all the prayers and cries of the petty humans, he knew exactly what he had to do whether the humans liked it or not.  Even only being less than half way through the poem, it’s very noticeable how often Oliver uses metaphors to tell the story.  Without these metaphors the poem wouldn’t be what it is.  It adds a sense of mystery and forces the reader to really think rather than everything just being thrown out into the open and spoon-fed to the reader.  These metaphors in combination with the detailed imagery is what completes the poem.

From start to finish, “The Journey” is cram packed with imagery.  Oliver’s continuous use of it helps keep the reader interested and wanting to learn more about the story she is telling.  It paints a mental picture that the reader can envision in their own mind and connect with in some way, shape, or form.  In addition to keeping them invested in the story, the use of imagery aids the reader in interpreting the text.  “Though the whole house / began to tremble” (92).  When looking at this quote head on the reader might visualize a literal house falling apart, but that wouldn’t make sense considering what the previous lines were saying.  The house is the Earth and the trembling is all of the wars and tragedies that occur daily due to humans meddling with the natural order of things.  The reader initially might’ve visualized a house falling apart but when given a different perspective they can read the same bit of text and now see something completely different in their head and have an entirely new interpretation of their own.

Imagery, especially when combined with metaphors, is a powerful tool in poetry.  It can positively affect how interesting or engaging a poem is with just a few details.  “As you left their voices behind, / the stars began to burn / through the sheets of clouds” (92).  The combination of the visualization of stars burning through clouds and the metaphorical conclusion that stars are actually meteors, the sheets of clouds are the sky itself, and the voices God leaves behind is him letting go of the human race is the perfect example of how combining rich imagery with metaphors can affect how someone interprets or perceives a text.  Imagine if the author had written “As you stopped caring for the humans, the meteors began to tear through the sky.”  It’s too straightforward and doesn’t leave anything up to the imagination of the reader.  It leaves little room for interpretation.

Is the use of imagery and metaphors important?  When writing poetry, it undoubtedly is.  Without it the reader has few ways of interpreting a text other than what the author intended.  Even the use of only one or the other can leave little to the imagination but when used in conjunction, such as Oliver does, it enables the reader much more room for interpretation.  In this particular poem, Oliver tells the story of God destroying his own creation, but this is only revealed through her clever combination of imagery and metaphors to help shape the reader’s interpretation of the text.