One of the most confusing and constantly asked questions is, “what is the meaning of life?” Every person, at some point in life asks what is life all about; what is is his or her purpose and what is a person supposed to do with his or her life. This question has challenged many people and philosophers, great thinkers and even the most ordinary person has tried to find find an answer. It should come as no surprise that writers have also given a perspective as to what life is and its meaning. Mary Oliver, a modern day poet, is one such person who writes about the journey that each person experiences in life. In her poem, “Journey” she writes about how the experiences in life help us become individuals. Every event has a purpose and based on the choices that each person makes will ultimately shape a person into a certain individual. Oliver argues in her poem using imagery and metaphors that the journey in life is to ultimately find out who you are and to not allow anyone to make you be someone you are not, but to choose and be who you have always wanted. 

In Oliver’s poem life is being seen as a journey is not a new concept, but for Oliver, life seems to always be focused on people telling you to be something, anything, then yourself. This is seen in the beginning of the poem where Oliver writes about the shouts of people telling another how they should be. According to Oliver, “Shouting their bad advice” (Lines 4-5) indicates the problem that all people face; being told to be something else other than what they are at the moment. This seems to be a reoccurring theme for many people in life where they feel it is necessary to try and attain status because that is what people want. People often in the beginning of their life starts with trying to be what other people want; becoming something to please others, when the real goal should be to become what you want to be. Oliver wants each person to find themselves and find their own voice during their journey. This journey that people take in life is based on events that happen one after the other and this is how the poem is structured, with advice and suggestions coming one after another. The structure of the poem is similar to a life journey since there is development in the poem and development in life in general.

As a person moves on in the journey he or she starts to find a voice, and better understanding of the world and learn a set of rules by which can be used to live and make decisions. Being scared in the beginning is normal, as Oliver writes, “The whole house began to tremble” (6-7) which shows that all people start out nervous because there are so many questions and so many things that are unknown. This is okay, according to Oliver who shows that when a person moves against the “old tugs” (8) they start to find their own sense of who they are and move along in their journey with a better sense of who they are, although the person may not be quite sure. The structure of the poem gives a sense to the reader of what may be coming ahead, but are not quite sure. This is the same in life where people can anticipate what may happen, but they are just not too sure, like when a person reads this poem.  

A person gradually starts out trying to find themselves in such a way when they start to find out more about themselves. One of the first parts of knowing yourself comes with discovering your identity. A person is not just given on identity, but an identity is not totally made up either. Instead on Identity is created over time after experiencing different events. Like Oliver states in her poem, “The road full of fallen branches and stones” (20-21) she is pointing out that life and the identity that is created is built upon many different roads, some which are rocky and some that are smooth. Every person chooses their own path; some are easy to find and others are not, but every person has to pick different paths to go down on his or her journey. This is the point of what Oliver is making to the reader, that the path that a person travels down impacts the identity that the person eventually builds. Some of the roads are difficult and others are safe, but no matter the road, the journey is what creates the person and choosing a path is the first step to forming an identity that is just for that person.

Oliver shows that the process of making an identity and becoming a fully aware person takes time, as she says, “little by little” to show that the steps in this journey are small and gradual. These small steps are what allow a person to find their own sense of who they are without the voices of others. When Oliver writes, “As you left their voices behind” (24) she is showing that at all points in a journey a person eventually starts to ignore those voices that tell you to be a certain way or to be what others want and as a result a person finds his or her own voice. This is where Oliver writes, “Through the sheets of clouds there was a new voice” (25-26), a new voice of what that person that was created by that person because of the experiences that the person had during the journey. There is no easy road to travel, but the journey worth it to find the one true voice that matters. 

Every person goes through a journey and that journey is filled with many challenges and experiences. Like the poem by Oliver, “Journey” explores the process by which people go through, first by ignoring the ideas and perspectives of others, and going through challenges that can be lonely, only to ultimately find a voice in their world that can be claimed as one’s own. The development of a life is similar to the structure of the poem where one experience or event after another impacts a life in general. The structure of the poem is like a structure in life where people go through experiences one after another and try and figure out who they are and what it all means.  This poem is representative of the many experiences and emotions that people feel on this journey called life and Oliver captures these emotions perfectly in her poem. 
