Why do author’s repeat words or phrases multiple times in their writing? What are they trying to convey by doing this? Also, how are symbols used in writing to bring out a bigger meaning?  In Mary Oliver’s, “The Journey”, the word “voices” is repeated on multiple occasions. She uses them in both a positive and negative manner. Why does she do this? It has to do with the theme of the poem. She uses the word “journey” to describe the transition from the negative voice to the positive voice. The poem says that the “journey” is an individual finding themselves and their “voice” while not listening to the bad advice of the outside “voices.” The whole point of this poem is to tell people to find themselves and be who they are instead of conforming to society and their views. Then she uses symbols. They are used to put a different thought in the reader’s mind as they are reading the poem. Mary Oliver uses these to show how the voices hold people back, and gives a visual for the reader when they are reading. These images, such as the road full of fallen branches, show a deeper meaning than what they come across as. They bring to life the meaning of the poem, and when used well can show the true meaning of the piece of writing without having to say flat out what it is.

“The voices around you kept shouting their bad advice.” This is how Mary Oliver introduces the voices in her writing. Her first example of the voices shows them in a negative way. These voices around the reader bring the conflict to the poem. They shout out their bad advice, which makes the voices look as if they bring more trouble to the individual than help. Mary Oliver presents the voices with a problem and solution aspect to it. She says that the outside voices are the problem, and that the inside voice that she discusses later in the poem is the solution to that problem. She wants the reader to leave behind these negative outside voices. Why are these outside voices seen as detrimental instead of helpful? They are detrimental because of their influence on the individual. Everyone has bias in their opinions, which means that when an outside voice influences someone, they influence with their bias in mind. This leaves the influenced individual with an opinion that they didn’t form themselves, but instead came from someone else. A comedian, Bo Burnham, bring this to light in one of his jokes. He makes a joke about politics and stops halfway. He then goes on to say, “I don’t want to get political because I only know my own ideas of other people’s ideas.” This shows how the outside voices bias people, and then how an individual’s opinion is now based off someone else’s opinion. Oliver wants the reader to accept this and shut out these outside voices, that way they can come up with their own way of thinking with all the aspects of life. These outside voices become an obstacle for the reader. Oliver even says that the voices are crying at the reader to “Mend their life” (Oliver 92). They are trying to get the listener to help them out, losing themselves in the process. Why does Oliver see this as a negative thing though? Well, because if the listeners in the process of helping the voices mend their life loses themselves, the that is hurtful to the listeners. Once they get to the point where they are too wrapped up in helping others that they don’t think for themselves, they lose their individuality. Mary Oliver doesn’t want this. She doesn’t want the reader to conform to society and their beliefs. She instead wants the reader to go through life with their own beliefs and ideas.

The other instance of this is the positive voice. The voice she refers to as “your voice.” She references this voice after the reader has left the other voices behind. Oliver says that little by little, this voice will appear, and that soon the readers will start to recognize it as their own. This voice, according to Oliver, is the voice that will stick with the readers as they continue on this journey to save themselves. This voice, obviously, is the voice the “journey” is supposed to lead you to. Oliver is wanting the reader to strive to be an individual, and to think on their own. She says that once this voice is picked up, the only thing left to do is to move on with this new voice, and save the only life that they can, which is themselves. Why does she include that last part? She is connecting it with the lines near the beginning of the poem. This last line is used as a counter to the outside voices saying to “Mend my life” (Oliver 92). Oliver wants the reader to realize that at the end of the day the reader can’t mend the voices life, they can only save themselves.

The contrast of these two voices creates the conflict of the poem. Oliver is showing internal conflict of an individual’s struggle to find who they are. She even uses words like “shouting” to express how the outside voices are trying to force the individual towards them. 

The next device seen in this poem is Mary Oliver’s use of metaphors and symbols. Metaphors are used to compare two unlikely objects to each other, while symbols use objects to project a bigger meaning in the writing. One example of these metaphors is the road full of fallen branches and stone. This metaphor uses the branches and stones as small obstacles, which attempt to hinder the individual on their path. These obstacles don’t completely stop the progress; they just make it a little more difficult. This is how life is. Trying to attain an end goal will not be perfect. There will, for the most part, always be difficulties along the way. One case of symbolism is when she uses the stars. Oliver states “The stars began to burn through the sheets of clouds.” This is not only a symbol, but also a metaphor. When stars have been used in the past, they have normally been to symbolize a beacon of hope, such as the north star during the time of slavery. The stars cut through the sheets of clouds. The clouds are a metaphor for the outside voices, which have been clouding the reader’s beliefs. The stars, which represent the reader’s own voice, are cutting through those old thoughts and beliefs. These symbols and metaphors both revolve around the theme of the poem, which is the journey of the reader to find their own voice and form their own ideas.

Oliver incorporates all of this into such a short poem to provide a deeper understanding of what this poem is trying to convey. Even Oliver herself says that poems are meant to be heard and read. These symbols such as the sticks and rocks, or the wind prying with stiff fingers bring the poem to life, and in turn, bringing the meaning to life. Even the journey itself is symbolic. There isn’t a set in stone journey. The journey is what the individual makes it. There are many different paths the individual can take on the journey, they just have the same end goal. The end goal is to find who they really are as that individual, and learn how to be self-sufficient. Oliver wants the reader to be able to express themselves and live their own life, not the life someone else wants for them. 