Many different authors, poets, and other writers use the repetition of certain words or phrases to get across a strong message. Sometimes, the writers use the same word or phrase multiple times, but instead of having the same meaning, they have hidden messages that develop within them. Therefore, Mary Oliver uses the repetition of the words “voice” and “voices” to develop and change the tone of the poem “The Journey.”  By giving “voice and “voices” hidden messages, the character in “The Journey” is able to escape her nightmare of society and define who they truly are. 

In line three, Mary Oliver states ¨though the voices around you kept shouting their bad advice...¨ (92) The main character is trying to move forward in life and get past the negativity coming from other outside voices. This line is telling the readers that the voices are trying to slow the main character down from defining herself. Line three also mentions bad advice and tells the readers that if you listen too much to what other outside voices are saying, you won't accomplish your goals. The shouting of bad advice is a symbol for corruption in our society. The hidden message in this line is that society might hold you back with its corruption, but you cannot stop. This is the first time voices is used in the poem, and because of that, it leaves a strong impact. This line is important for readers to understand; it identifies that the main character is becoming stronger and does not stop and fall into the cries. The character continues to break through the negativity and moves on in finding herself.

The word “voice” in line eleven, is a symbol for help needed by others so they can find their own voices and break away from the norms of society. Readers know that whoever these voices are, are crying out for help because they are trying to drag the main character back to help them. These voices are also a representation of society, however they are crying out to the main character who is escaping the conformities of society. These voices are calling to her to help them find their voice as well. This is what all humans naturally do, when someone needs help he or she tend to go towards the person who is succeeding.  The main character is ignoring everyone else's cries for help because they want to move forward. In this section of the poem the reader learns that the main character is trying to avoid falling into these bad influences and into the norms of society. Readers can identify the struggle and gloominess from the author's tone when Oliver states “though their melancholy was terrible-” (92) The reason behind this tone is to show readers that things must get tougher before they get better. Despite being harassed and tempted from the cries of others, the main character chose to continue on her journey to find themselves. The person’s journey will not be interrupted by the constant cries of society to conform to the values but the person is trying to find her own voice and in order to do that it they have to leave the other ones behind.

Mary Oliver states in line eleven ¨as you left their voices behind..¨ (92) The voices again are meant to represent those who had conformed to society. The main character in this poem is no longer listening to “their melancholy” and has started listening to her own voice. “Little by little” (Oliver, 92) the main character is learning to follow her own voice and go down her own path. The path she travels is difficult, as society can trap people into make it feel as if he or she accepted, and hold them back from finding themselves. These “voices” left behind are trapped in the customary views of society and will have to find their own voice.

“Voice” is used one final time in the poem at line twenty-seven. The author says “...and

there was a new voice-” (92). This line shows that the main character has completely overcome

the bad influences that society is throwing out. Many details in this section of the poem were

added to give the ending an uplifting tone. In the beginning of the poem she was struggling against the voices that were holding her back. She kept pushing through and ignoring their cries and melancholy and she was finally able to find true liberation in discovering her own voice. The word voice represents the climax of the poem and where this ultimately get better for the reader. The use of the words “the stars began to burn/through the sheets of clouds,” added to the great triumphant overcome of society's views. (Oliver 92) This is when she finds her own voice and discovers her true self, an accomplishment which took a lot of struggle and bravery. Mary Oliver added strength in the character to make the climax stronger to get readers hooked until the ending. The details added such as the stars and clouds show that things are clearing up for the reader and becoming more bright and joyful. Imagine seeing a stormy day where the dark clouds are covering the sky above, and then the light from the overwhelmingly beautiful stars, the sun, once hidden by the dark clouds is now clearly visible. These stars light up the world and they bring more brightness into everyday light. Like in the eye of the hurricane, the character in “The Journey” stands out among society because she is the peaceful eye, and the rest of society is the terrible storm surrounding her. The main idea in the use of the word “voice” in this paragraph is to express the new discovery of the character’s true, authentic self. Its meaning is to follow our own voices and be our own individual person instead of a follower of society.

In conclusion, Oliver uses the word “voice” or “voices” to mean many different things. These different meanings help to give the poem different tones throughout the poem. The first time the word “voices” was used it gave off a negative tone and was surrounded by negative ideas, and in the very end the word voice was used to represent the discovery of one's true nature, or the discovery of oneself. This discovery brightens the mood and brings the poem together to end on a happy note. Oliver did a terrific job implementing different ideas into a single word to help define her poetry, and used hidden meanings for the word “voice” to describe the corruption from society and to also describe the voice of one's heart, guiding them to discover of oneself.