“The Journey” by Mary Oliver is a poem that shows the path that everyone takes in life in order to become an individual. Oliver shows that life is a continuous journey that everyone must face, even when there are obstacles in the way. The poem is about learning how to listen to your inner voice instead of listening to what others are trying to tell you to do. It’s evident that Oliver is saying that the reader must pay attention to their own journey and strive to reach their own goals. The poet is saying that the reader must set their own goals for themselves and learn how to only focus on what is best for them. Through Oliver’s use of rhythm, imagery, and repetition, we can see the struggles that individuals are faced with when trying to find his or her true self.

OOow lifethe  emjambent  to " to tremblees six through 8, "T WRITTEN YET BECAUSE I HAVE NO CLUE WHAT TO WRITE YET BUT I WILL ONE liver is very ironic with her use of rhythm throughout the poem. Oliver doesn’t include stanza breaks throughout the entire poem. This is a comparison to life how even though everyone is faced with obstacles and hardships, life doesn’t have “breaks.” Life is always moving and that is exactly what this poem is doing. The fast paced rhythm of this poem pulls us through by using enjambment. For example, “though the whole house / began to tremble / and you felt the old tug” (6-8). Oliver uses enjambment to show how life is faster than one expects it to be and there isn’t breaks or pauses. Oliver also uses structure and rhythm to show the rollercoaster ride that life really is. Life has ups and downs and one must go through these drastic changes in order to discover them self. Like life has its up and downs, so does this poem. Oliver alternates between short and long lines to give readers the full “rollercoaster” effect. The “ups” or the long lines, serve as a time when everything is going good and one is doing successful in life. The “downs” or the short lines, represent when gloomy side of life, when everything isn’t going the right way. The second line of the poem is one of the long lines or the “ups”. It states, “what you had to do and began,” (2) this is a positive statement. The next example is a perfect illustration of how the long lines represent the “ups,” as it states, “You knew what you had to do,” (13) this is the point in life where the individual realizes what needs to be done to reach happiness. Line 24 is the point in life’s journey where one finally understands that you can get away from people that are holding you back. When Oliver says, “As you left their voices behind,” (24) she is showing the time in one’s life where they just cut out all of the negative people in their life and moved on. The last example of the “ups” in life is line 31, “As you strode deeper and deeper.” Now to the “down” lines. Most of the lines in the poem are actually down lines. Lines four and five are perfect examples, “Keep shouting / their bad advice” (4-5). These lines are short and represent negative concepts. Another example is on line seven when Oliver says, “Began to tremble.” (7) This is an obvious negative line. Usually when you tremble it’s because you’re sad or scared, which are two very negative things. The last example on lines 17 and 18, “though their melancholy / Was terrible.” (17-18) That really speaks for itself. This shows a time in life where everything is sad and gloomy. The last two lines are short lines and state, “Determined to save / the only life you could save.” (35-26) These lines are considered “ups” in my eyes even though they’re short. They’re considered “ups” because the individual has finally reached the point in their journey where they understand that they have to do what is best for themselves. Instead of letting other people drag them down, they have to save themselves first.  Another thing that adds to the rhythm and relates these four lines is the amount of syllables they contain. The “up” lines contain eight syllables that make them flow. The “down” lines contain just a few syllables. This is done to make the happy lines longer because there is so few of them.

Throughout the poem, Oliver uses imagery to draw a parallel between life’s journey and nature. For example, Oliver says, “Though the wind pried / with its stiff fingers.” (14-15) This is not only creating amazing imagery; it’s also personifying the wind by giving it fingers. This is drawing a parallel between the wind, and negative people who will only bring you down in life. Oliver is once again showing that the reader can’t let other people get in the way of their ultimate goal. Like the wind, people will try to pry their fingers into someone else’s business therefore distracting the person from what they are supposed to do. The next example is, “and the road full of fallen / branches and stones.” (21-22) Here Oliver uses imagery to compare the hardships of life to branches and stones on the road. She creates a beautiful comparison by showing that there are going to be hardships and obstacles that you’ll have to face, but that is just part of life’s journey. In the next few lines Oliver responds to the hardships with this advice:

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. (24-29)

This is saying that once an individual stops listening to the people that are creating the hardships, they will find their inner voice. The poet is trying to make the reader understand that as one grows during their journey as an individual, they find their true self. 

Repetition plays a very vital role in this poem. The first example is how often Oliver repeats the word “do.” The first time she says it is in line two when she says, “What you had to do and began.” (2) She then says it again in line 13, “You knew what you had had to do.” (13) These two lines are very similar and basically have the same meaning. Lastly, she says it twice in lines 33 and 34, “Determined to do / the only thing that you could do.” (33-34) Oliver starts and ends with the idea of “doing.” The first two examples are implanted to get the reader thinking, but the last two are there to really stress the idea that an order for one to find themselves, they must DO something. The last four lines of the poem are the best representation of repetition in the poem. 

Determined to do

The only thing you could do-

Determined to save

The only life you could save. (33-36)

These last four lines are so important, and they pull together the entire poem. The repetition creates a rhyme and rhythm that really emphasizes the importance that one can only really save themselves, and that is the message of the entire poem.

Oliver used rhythm, imagery, and repetition to show the journey one takes to become an individual and find his or her self. Through rhythm readers can see that like life, the stanzas have no breaks. Life goes on whether there are obstacles or not. Readers can also see that both life and the poem have “ups” and “downs.” Oliver uses imagery to create a parallel between life and nature. She relates different aspects of nature to hardships individuals will face. Lastly, repetition has a huge role in showing the journey one takes to become an individual. The last four lines use repetition to make the whole poem come together. Oliver used many devices to create an eye opening poem about the journey everyone has to take in life in order to find their true self. 
