“life as a book”, “life as a rollercoaster”, “life as a box of chocolates” these are a few examples of the many metaphors that have been used to describe life. Metaphors are often used in writing because they cause the reader to think thoroughly and gain a clearer understanding of a deeper meaning. “The Journey,” written by Mary Oliver, as a whole, is a metaphor Oliver has put her own twist to, in order to make the reader think sincerely about life and our own personal “journeys.” The opening line of this poem is the foundation for the whole poem, it introduces to the audience what the poem is about, “One day you finally knew what you had to do, and began, through the voices around you kept shouting their bad advice… but you didn’t stop” (Oliver.) This poem is about leaving behind the voices around us, controlling our lives and instead, listening to the only voice that matters, our own. In addition to the poem's controlling metaphor, Oliver uses different syntactic patterns to represent the difficulties and obstacles one may face, as well as striking images, symbols, and figures of speech to connect to her reader and convey her point.

We live in a world where we are taught we are not “normal” unless we look and act like the rest of society. Oliver touches on this idea in a major light throughout her poem, as the controlling metaphor. The controlling metaphor in this poem is the connection between the voices in the poem to the voices of society. “Through the voices around you kept shouting their bad advice though the whole house began to tremble and you felt the old tug at your ankles,” is a quote recounting the condescending influences around us trying to lead us astray or pull us down. Relevant to today, society has convinced us to believe we have to look a certain way in order to be considered “beautiful.” The world has taught us that we must look like the girls in magazines or on TV, size 0, and perfect skin and hair. Oliver is trying to teach us that this is not true, our beauty is determine by our own beliefs. Discovering who we are as individuals in a world that desperately wants us to be just like everyone else can be a difficult expedition. A quote by Nicholas Gupta, summarizes this in a perfect way, “As we learn to step away from a world where society controls our every move, it is only then that we are able to make the leap into the new world. The world led by our own voice” (Gupta.) Oliver is challenging us, as the reader, to disregard the voices around us and listen to the only voice that matters, which is our own.

       The syntax pattern in this poem plays a key role in the meaning and plot of the story. One example of syntax contributing to the plot is the use of breaks in the text. “the only thing you could do – – –  determined to save the only life you could save” (Oliver.) The breaks put emphasis on the idea that we should be determined to save our lives by making decisions on our own, not based on what society believes is best. Another example of syntax in the poem is, the lack of punctuation throughout portions of the text, resulting in long, unending sentences. The absence of punctuation throughout the poem, represents the fact that life itself, is constant or rushed without pauses. The sensation of being “rushed” throughout the poem can be linked to the quickness of life. Sometimes our lives pass us by without us even realizing it. One day you're playing dolls with your mom at your childhood home and then the next thing you know; you’re living on your own at college. Oliver is rapidly pulling the reader through the poem because that is the way life is, our “journey” is rapidly happening.

       The style of writing Oliver demonstrates is elaborate, not only does the author use words to tell her story but she also uses structure of sentences. The rhythm of the sentences alternates between long and flowing and short and choppy. Oliver does this to represent life’s ups and downs.  The long and flowing sentences represent the ups in life or the times when everything just seems to be going our way, where the short sentences represent the negatives we face. The transformation from listening to the opinions around us to listening to our own can be difficult because of the “road full of branches and stones” (Oliver.) These branches and stones are Oliver’s way of illustrating the countless adversities and complications that we will face along the way. Oliver also explains that overcoming these obstacles will make us stronger. 

Oliver employs an abundance of imagery to strengthen the innate meaning of the text. The author describes in detail the conditions of the evening in lines 19-21 when she states, “It was already late enough, and a wild night, and the road full of fallen branches and stones” (Oliver.) This image is drawn from nature, exemplifying unfavorable conditions in order to give the audience a sense of unpleasant feelings, representing the times in life when we endure unpleasant circumstances. “You knew what you had to do, through the wind pried with its stiff fingers” (Oliver.) This shows the intensity of someone or something holding you back, with “stiff fingers,” instead of letting you be free to make your own decisions in life. In line 12, Oliver states, “But you didn’t stop.” This quote is immensely important to the plot, because it communicates to the reader that even though we will uncover numerous adversities in life, we must move on and continue our individual “journey” of self discovery.

The climax is the most intense, exciting, or important point of a writing. Personally, I believe the climax of this poem is lines 22-28, which pronounces, “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” (Oliver.)  This quote is full of symbolic references that make the reader think deeper about our own personal journeys. The “stars” mentioned, is a symbol that embodies a light bulb going off in your mind or an abrupt realization. The “clouds” represent the previously unsure contemplations we may have had about ignoring the voices of society. This is powerful imagery illustrating that there is light in the midst of darkness, that sometimes making the hardest decisions have the greatest reward.  In these lines we begin to identify with in our own voices, our conscious. This is where we learn the only voice that can save us, is our own.

Mary Oliver’s “The Journey,” is a poem that utilizes syntactic patterns, prominent images, symbols, and metaphors to teach the readers a powerful lesson about life. Oliver’s poem is a profound and compelling story about the individual paths each of us have to carve out in life in order to discover who we truly are as an individual. Oliver teaches us that we must learn to live a life led by our own voice instead of the voices around us. Only then will it be a life worth living.