
In Mary Oliver’s poem “The Journey” she describes a journey someone encounters, as well as the obstacles of the journey. The protagonist in the poem encounters many influences and persuasions as he makes his journey. Oliver uses repetition, alliteration, as well as diction and syntax to show the struggles and the difficult decisions being made along the journey, as well as the perseverance and self-determination that were accomplished.

Oliver conveys self-determination in her poem “The Journey” by repeating the words “you” and “your” frequently in the poem. “You” and “your” places emphasis on the reader, and puts them in the poem’s situation. Oliver writes, “One day you finally knew/ what you had to do, and began,” (Oliver 1-2). Oliver helps the reader understand that in order to be determined in life, the reader must put himself as his main priority. Self-determination is a significant decision the protagonist has to make, in order for his journey to continue. Oliver also repeats the words “voice” and “voices” often in the poem. The voices the protagonist faces conflict with his journey and creates a major obstacle and decision he has to make. Oliver writes, “though the voices around you/ kept shouting/ their bad advice” (Oliver 3-5). This explains how the “voices” are very persuasive to the reader because of how Oliver describes the voices’ words as “bad advice” to the protagonist. Oliver uses the “voices” to portray the protagonist’s perseverance to ignore temptation, which is a significant achievement for him. Oliver also uses repetition towards the end of the poem to signify the accomplishments of the protagonist, along with the obstacles and decisions he had to make. Oliver writes,

determined to do

the only thing you could do-

determined to save

the only life you could save. (Oliver 34-37)

Oliver uses the repetition of “the only” to show there was only one choice the protagonist had to make, and that was to be self-determined and reject outside temptation. The only thing he could do is to focus on himself and his journey, and that is a major accomplishment. Oliver’s use of repetition signifies the obstacles and difficult decision the protagonist had to make to achieve his accomplishments of perseverance and self-determination.

Oliver also uses diction and syntax to emphasize the arduousness of the struggles the protagonist has to face, but also his triumphs along his journey. Oliver writes, “though the whole house/ began to tremble/ and you felt the old tug” (Oliver 6-8). Oliver’s diction helps explain how he begins his journey even though the house began to “tremble,” signifying that his arduous journey is just beginning. Oliver saying the house is trembling could portray that the protagonist may fall, which could mean his only option is to get back up and continue on his journey. The word “tug” also conveys how there are obstacles that are pulling him back, which makes his journey more difficult but more triumphant at the end. Also the “old tug” suggests that there is a difficulty that has been tugging at him for a long time, and he is embarking on this journey to let go of that “old tug.” Oliver’s syntax also shows the protagonist’s triumphs while he embarks on his journey. She writes, “‘Mend my life! / each voice cried. / But you didn’t stop.” (Oliver 10-12). Line 12 is the only simple sentence in the entire poem, but it may have the most significance. Oliver says the protagonist didn’t stop when the voices cried for help; also, Oliver stopped with her sentence making it a simple sentence. Oliver portrays his perseverance and self-determination by emphasizing that he “didn’t stop” for the crying voices. This also shows the difficult decision he had to make by leaving those crying voices behind. Oliver’s use of diction and syntax conveys the protagonist’s arduous journey, and his triumphs along his journey.

Oliver also uses alliteration to emphasize the difficulty of the protagonist’s journey and his victory and the end of his journey. Oliver writes, “and the road was full of fallen/ branches and stones.” (Oliver 20-21). Alliteration is used to stress the difficult path of his journey when Oliver says the road is “full of fallen” debris. This signifies that there is a storm, which is another difficult obstacle the protagonist must encounter. There are “fallen” branches and stones, but also the protagonist has fallen down, and he has chosen to get back up. Also, Oliver writes, “the stars began to burn/ through the sheets of clouds,” (Oliver 24-25). This signifies that the storm is over, and he has reached the end of his journey. When Oliver writes, “began to burn,” alliteration is used to illustrate that all of the difficult obstacles the protagonist had to endure are burning away. The stars “began to burn” through the clouds to make the night bright again. He has completed his journey and accomplished his goals of self-determination and perseverance. Also, Oliver may have chosen this journey to be at night to signify that there may be another journey that lies ahead, and the bright sun has not come over the horizon just yet. The protagonist has completed this task of perseverance and self-determination, but there are many more obstacles that lie ahead for him. 

Mary Oliver uses rhetorical devices to show the struggles the protagonist had to endure during his journey. These devices not only describe what the protagonist had to face along his journey, but emphasize what people have to encounter every day. People have to make difficult decisions every day, and sometimes people have to focus on themselves first in order to do what is best for them. Self-determination and perseverance are major aspects in life, and Mary Oliver emphasizes that in “The Journey.” 