In the poem The Journey, by Mary Oliver, there is one main theme. She constantly stresses self-growth and self-discovery. Oliver describes the path the subject takes in becoming someone stronger than who she started as. Oliver is successful in portraying this theme to her audience by using different rhetorical strategies. By using unique organization and simple language Oliver lets readers go into the life of the subject and become inspired and enlightened on many different levels.

The organization of this poem is one aspect that makes readers understand the main theme in this poem. Many times authors can take away from the theme of their work by trying to over-complicate their organization. In other poems where there are long complex lines, and choppy organization it is easy to get lost in what the author is trying to say, but with the short lines her point is direct and clear. Oliver uses very concise sentences, which allows readers to understand exactly what is happening in each line. 

There are many examples that illustrate this fact throughout the poem, for example when she states, “you knew what you had to do” (13). This line shows the short nature of the poem, and although short, each line has they have great meaning that really help the audience directly understand the theme. Each line shows a purpose and persuades the audience by using logos. It also shows the start of the subject’s journey for self-discovery. Oliver is credible by showing that although the the lines are short, the poem is still meaningful and portrays a strong message. This increases her reliability because by using more powerful and effective words she is able to relate to her audience successfully.

Oliver is able to show that the subject reaches a place in life where the only words that matter to her are her own words. This again persuades readers using pathos and hooks their emotional side by hitting their insecurities and times of trial. The organization of this poem guides readers to follow the journey she went on from the very beginning all the way to the final results at the end.

Oliver begins to guide readers when the first two lines state, “One day you finally knew what you had to do and began” (1-2). In a direct manner, these two lines state that there is an initial starting point. Although the poem does not tell you the exact issue of the subject, it shows that there was a problem that she knows she has to begin to work on. By not stating the issue in the very beginning, it allows readers to follow the journey of the work and relate to the steps of the journey rather than the issue. Readers instantly see the beginning of a theme as they are hooked into wanting to continue reading and see what is she has to do. 

The poem then continues to show the inner struggle and determination that the subject had to face. For example, when Oliver says, “You knew what you had to do, though the wind pried with its stiff fingers at the very foundations, though their melancholy was terrible” (13-18). This shows that Oliver is using the organization of logical order to explain her struggle. At first we are told there was something that needed to be changed, and here we see the that although she knows she needs to make that change, she struggles. Oliver uses pathos because she knows that readers can relate to the idea of not immediately being able to solve a problem. She uses the simple template for her poem of beginning, middle, and end to allow her readers to understand the simple conflict resolution process. By not having the subject immediately resolve or conquer the issue at hand, readers are able to empathize and understand the logical series of events because many audiences have gone through that same thing. Oliver’s words are placed in a very conscious manner. Each word is used to guide the reader’s emotions in a direction that makes them think of something they could relate to.

The poem concludes, “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 which you slowly recognized as your own” (23-29). Using a formulaic plot, Oliver is able to guide readers into different emotions at different points in the poem. The plot line allows for readers to take the journey with the subject and truly understand the meaning behind what is being felt by the subject. The audience can see how the subject mentally changes and grows as a person.  The beginning shows her initial battle with the change she needs to make. Then in the middle of the poem, it shows her struggle of outside influences pushing her the other way, but she continues to fight on. Then at the end, she is finally able to find peace in the journey she has taken. Oliver builds up the ending for readers by showing that there was an initial problem, a struggle to solve the problem, then a resolution of the problem.  

The word choice and diction that Mary Oliver uses is another strategy that helps her audience fully understand the theme and enjoy the poem she has written. She does not use huge or confusing words to try to seem more educated or more sophisticated. Although many think that credibility comes from using large, very mature, academic language, that is not the case here. Oliver uses casual words, but not too casual to where it takes away the seriousness of the poem. For example, she says “the whole house began to tremble” (6-7) and “though the wind pried with its stiff fingers” (14-15). In both those lines the language is casual, but she includes very descriptive words such as “tremble” and “stiff”. In those cases, she is describing in detail to give her audience a more vivid picture of what is happening. 

Everyone is affected differently by writings. Some people see one theme, whereas some people see a completely different theme or maybe more than one argument. In this poem many different themes can be discovered, but how the subject grows is particularly relevant. Oliver successfully reaches the audience using different rhetorical devices. With simple language and formatted organization readers are able to understand and easily follow the meaning of this poem.
