
In Mary Oliver’s The Journey, the use of the word “you” is a universalistic approach that grabs the attention of the reader and makes them interested. There are a few different ways that the speaker utilizes the word “you”, but they all have one common purpose; To make the readers try and relate. The reader will want to connect with the speaker and reminisce over similar experiences in their life. This idea of changes and making tough decisions appeals to the universal method of the poem because literally everyone has gone through this at one point or another in their life. There are a few different ways that the speaker utilizes the word “you”, but they all have one common purpose. To make the reader sympathize with the speaker. People will want connect with the text and see if they can recall a time where they relate to this poem. 

The most common use of this word is in the phrase “you knew what you had to do”. The first time this is used is in line two. “One day you finally knew/ what you had to do, and began,/ though the voices around you kept shouting their bad advice –” (Oliver, 1-3) This use of the word “you” is speaking in a very specific way. It is telling the exact thoughts going through the speaker’s head at the time of this epiphany. It shows that the action will be followed through and that nothing will get in the way of this goal. In short, this use of “you” represents the dedication of the speaker. Everyone has had feelings of determination at some point in their life. This is something that is easy to relate to. If someone has a goal and they will stop at nothing to reach it, then they have already made a similarity between themselves and the speaker. It is so general it has the potential to apply to anyone. Another important piece in this quote is the way the speaker uses the term “voices” to generalize the influences we encounter in life. By voices the speaker does not explicitly mean speech, but rather the things that influence us. We all experience peer pressure and we all live in a world where media is heavily embedded in society. So, in this sense all people can relate to the scenario at hand. The speaker is trying to reach out to the reader and use the universal approach to make an impact on the reader. Broad terms are being used so the reader interprets the poem as something relatable and connects to it. It works because deep down everyone wants to relate to the story being told. 

The next use of the word “you” is after the speaker leaves behind the voices which are restricting his/her potential. In the poem, the speaker states “and you felt the old tug at the ankles. / ‘mend my life!’ / each voice cried. / But you didn’t stop. / You knew what you had to do, / though the wind pried / with its stiff fingers / at the very foundations,” (Oliver, 8-16) The first use of the word you in this quote is associated with the feeling of people reaching out for help. The author used this to symbolize how hard it is to leave something behind. Specifically, “the old tug” refers to peer pressure. It is saying how it feels wrong to go against what is expected or wanted from you. This is the connection that the speaker intends to establish with the reader. A bond that says it is okay to go against the flow we have all done it. In the quote, there are two lines that are extremely significant; lines eleven and twelve. These lines bring back that idea of determination in the poem. The word “you” is used in correspondence with the clarity that has come from this purge of distractions. The focus of this part is that the speaker is now free from all negativity and they made the right decision even though it was the hard one. The speaker finds their inner voice and can discover their true self. All people will relate to this because of how broad the speaker is with her events, and they will want to because of the triumph that takes place. There are no specific memories going on in the poem, it is just the description of the emotions and inner storm that goes on when a change is being made inside of someone. This inner storm is shown through the personification of the wind and how it is pulling at the foundation. This symbolizes how the speaker had to be strong to get through the transition they were making. This was a tough decision to make and everyone has had to make at least one in their lifetime. Once again, a common and broad experience that has the reader believing that the speaker knows their feelings. This universal approach rears its head once again in this example by how easily readers can see themselves in the speaker.

The last use of the word “you” in this poem is after the inner turmoil is over. “determined to do / the only thing you could do - / determined to save / the only life you could save.” (Oliver, 33-36) At this point in the story, the speaker is reflecting on their decision that they made and rationalizing it. They are telling themselves that they did the right thing and made the best possible decision with the situation they were in. All of humankind does this. People rationalize what they do so that they feel good about themselves and are confident. Even if what was done was wrong, rationalization makes what happened okay. It is a way to relieve oneself of all potential guilt and wipe their hands clean of any blood so to speak. In this case the person left behind all the voices that were crying out for help and did nothing for them. The rationalization was that there was nothing that could be done for them and the only person “you” could save was yourself, meaning the speaker could only truly help their own needs. This common practice of rationalization in human nature is how the author can establish a universal connection with the readers. Oliver used this method to make the reader feel for the speaker and sympathize while understanding the struggle.

In Mary Oliver’s The Journey, the use of the word “you” is a universalistic approach that grabs the attention of the reader and keeps them interested. There are a few different ways that the speaker utilizes the word “you”, but they all have one common purpose; To make the readers try and relate. All people want to relate or see themselves as the hero of the story and overcome a great triumph, so they look at the similarities and reflect on their decisions. The reader will want to relate and reminisce over similar experiences in their life. These ideas of major life changes and making the tough decision appeals to the universal method of the poem because literally everyone has gone through something like it at one point or another in their life.
