
Mary Oliver’s poem “The Journey” illustrates the difficulty of growing up and finding your own way in the world. The poem takes us through each stage of life and the challenges faced along the way. The poem begins by calling the reader out and referring to them as ‘you.’ Mary Oliver immediately refers to the reader and writes the poem almost as instructions on how the reader should live their life. Her use of the word ‘you’ breaks the barrier between writer and reader and gives the reader the idea that they are a part of the poem. It is no longer a poem it is the reader’s own journey for finding themselves. Oliver begins when the subject first realizes they have a voice and ends with the moment they find their own. Throughout the poem the reader sees the internal struggle that the subject has of leaving the negative voices behind and following their own voice. Oliver shows us the challenges of finding your own voice through her unique use of repetition, imagery, and tone. 

Mary Oliver’s repetition of the word ‘voices’ immediately stands out. It is not clear who the voices are coming from or what they are saying, instead it is up to the reader to decide for themselves who they are. In the first two clauses of the poem the ‘voices’ Oliver refers to are spoken about in a negative way, for as they “kept shouting / their bad advice…their melancholy / was terrible” (Oliver 3-4, lines 17-18). This description gives the reader the idea that the voices are those of people who are trying to tell the reader what to do and what is expected of them. In the beginning of the poem the voices embody those that the reader is trying to escape from, but in the final clause the reader has finally “left their voices behind” and now introduces the “new voice” (24,27). The new voice we are introduced to is “your own” and the voice that the subject has been searching for throughout the poem (29). Mary Oliver chose to repeat this word through the course of the poem to catch the reader’s attention and show its significance. 

Mary Oliver’s use of imagery allows the reader to have a better understanding of exactly what she trying to portray. The first example of imagery appears in the first clause of the poem when Oliver is describing the power the negative voices have over the subject, “the whole house / began to tremble / and you felt the old tug / at your ankles” (6-9). The imagery Oliver uses here gives the reader a more detailed explanation of the voice’s impact on the subject and appeals to the reader’s senses. The reader can visualize what this passage is depicting rather than just simply reading the words. And through this use of personification, the reader is able to feel the house shaking and the tug because of Oliver’s choice of diction. Oliver’s next use of imagery appears in the middle of the poem where she describes the road of life, “It was already late / enough, and a wild night, / and the road full of fallen / branches and stones” (18-21). In this passage Oliver compares the conflicts encountered in life to branches and stones blocking the way of the road. The road acting as our life and the stones and branches that are blocking the way, acting as the negativity of others. Oliver shows the reader through her use of imagery that life will have conflicts and setbacks but it is important to always continue to find yourself.  Oliver’s use of imagery in this passage allows the reader to visualize exactly what she is saying. 

The last use of imagery is seen at the beginning of the last clause when the subject has finally found their own voice and escaped the voices of others, “as you left their voices behind, / the stars began to burn / through the sheets of clouds, / and there was a new voice” (24-27). The imagery in this passage emphasizes the victory of the subject finding their own voice. The subject is finally free of the voices that were holding them back and clouding up the sky. When the subject finds their own voice the sky is no longer cloudy but is full of stars. The negativity of the other voices represents the clouds that were hiding the stars which symbolize the subject’s individuality. Mary Oliver’s use of imagery in this passage changes the tone of the poem as well as highlights the importance of finding yourself. 

The tone of the poem changes dramatically from the beginning to the end. Through the poem we see a change in the meaning of the word ‘voices’ that brings about a shift in tone. In the beginning of the poem the tone was very dark and negative but towards the end there is a sense of security and comfort in finding the voice. Mary Oliver used the words ‘terrible’, ‘melancholy’ and ‘tremble’ which evoke an uneasy feeling but in the end she uses the term ‘strode’ which gives the reader a calm and comforting image. The subject is confused and scared in the beginning but in the end relieved. We can see this change in the subject through the change in tone. Mary Oliver’s selective choice of words gives us a better idea of the tone and emphasizes the feelings behind it. 

In conclusion, Mary Oliver’s use of repetition, imagery and tone gives the reader a greater understanding of the poem and what it is trying to tell. Oliver’s repetition of the word voices tells the reader what is important about the passage and how the voices continue to change throughout the poem. Mary Oliver gives life to the voices through personification and imagery making them one of the most important characters in the poem. Oliver’s imagery is supported by her use of diction and her appeal to the reader’s senses. Oliver not only writes what is happening but allows the reader to visualize for themselves. The tone of the poem is important to the story line because in the moment the subject finds their voice, the tone shift from negative to positive. 
