Mary Oliver The Journey Analysis
Stand Up and Speak Up
After reading “The Journey” written by Mary Oliver, I have noted that the author of the poem was suggesting a few different themes and ideas. One of which is that although there will be countless things dragging you down in life, you must stay strong and carry on. From line four to line seven, the author mentioned that bad advice was shouted at you, and the entire house began to tremble. They represent the people who tell you that you will never succeed and the awful things that are dragging you down. In spite of all the negativities in your life, you have to pick yourself up and move on. Another idea that the author wished to express through “The Journey” is that you must speak up and let your voice be heard. Between …show more content…
line 27 and 32, the author wrote, “and there was a new voice which you slowly recognized as your own, that kept you company as you strode deeper and deeper into the world,” This segment of the poem shows the author is telling the readers that it is difficult to be successful in life if you refuse to speak up and express yourself.
Several different literary devices can be found throughout “The Journey” by Mary Oliver to enhance the poem. One of the most obvious ones that were used in the poem is personification. Between line 25 and 26, the author mentioned that the stars burn through the sheets of clouds. Since burning is an action that only people do, this can be viewed as a personification. While it is an example of personification, it can also be an example of a metaphor. Some readers may agree that the stars represent new hopes that come to you as you leave all the negativities in your life behind, and they burn through the clouds like they burn through the people who doubt you and the unpleasant events and memories that bring you down. The new hopes that you have make you life brighter and more beautiful, just like the stars that you see in the sky every night.
After reading “The Journey” by Mary Oliver and the novel “Speak” by Laurie Halse Anderson, I have found several similarities between their messages.
Numerous writers have written books and poems to encourage readers to speak up and stand up for themselves, including “The Journey” and “Speak”. They both pass along the message that if you don’t let people know how you feel, what you have gone through, and what you stand for, you are not going to reach anywhere in life. In the novel “Speak”, Melinda never told anyone that she was raped at the party, therefore people in her school misunderstood her action. At the end of the story, She decides to tell her friends about the incident. People now understand her and she was accepted by others as a result of her speaking up. People are not mind readers; they never know what’s going through your head unless you tell them and express yourself. Another valuable lesson that we all can learn from “The Journey” and “Speak” is that no matter how much people doubt you or how much your life is going against you, you must to pick yourself up and carry on. In “Speak”, Melinda dealt with several problems in her life at once, including her grades, her social life, and the terrible memories of what happened at the party. In spite of all the things that are dragging her down in her life, she stayed strong and beared through the school year. When Andy Evans tried to attack Melinda, she fought back by stabbing him with a piece of glass. She earned
everybody’s respect in her school just by staying strong. The same message can be found throughout “The Journey”. In the poem, the author mentioned that several awful things will be thrown at you, such as the people who are giving you bad advice and the trembling house. Instead of hiding from the events or ignoring them, the best way to deal with the events is to confront them. “The Journey” by Mary Oliver and the novel “Speak” by Laurie Halse Anderson both bring out very powerful and important messages, and we can all learn from them.
After reading “The Journey” written by Mary Oliver, I have noted that the author of the poem was suggesting a few different themes and ideas. One of which is that although there will be countless things dragging you down in life, you must stay strong and carry on. From line four to line seven, the author mentioned that bad advice was shouted at you, and the entire house began to tremble. They represent the people who tell you that you will never succeed and the awful things that are dragging you down. In spite of all the negativities in your life, you have to pick yourself up and move on. Another idea that the author wished to express through “The Journey” is that you must speak up and let your voice be heard. Between …show more content…
line 27 and 32, the author wrote, “and there was a new voice which you slowly recognized as your own, that kept you company as you strode deeper and deeper into the world,” This segment of the poem shows the author is telling the readers that it is difficult to be successful in life if you refuse to speak up and express yourself.
Several different literary devices can be found throughout “The Journey” by Mary Oliver to enhance the poem. One of the most obvious ones that were used in the poem is personification. Between line 25 and 26, the author mentioned that the stars burn through the sheets of clouds. Since burning is an action that only people do, this can be viewed as a personification. While it is an example of personification, it can also be an example of a metaphor. Some readers may agree that the stars represent new hopes that come to you as you leave all the negativities in your life behind, and they burn through the clouds like they burn through the people who doubt you and the unpleasant events and memories that bring you down. The new hopes that you have make you life brighter and more beautiful, just like the stars that you see in the sky every night.
After reading “The Journey” by Mary Oliver and the novel “Speak” by Laurie Halse Anderson, I have found several similarities between their messages.
Numerous writers have written books and poems to encourage readers to speak up and stand up for themselves, including “The Journey” and “Speak”. They both pass along the message that if you don’t let people know how you feel, what you have gone through, and what you stand for, you are not going to reach anywhere in life. In the novel “Speak”, Melinda never told anyone that she was raped at the party, therefore people in her school misunderstood her action. At the end of the story, She decides to tell her friends about the incident. People now understand her and she was accepted by others as a result of her speaking up. People are not mind readers; they never know what’s going through your head unless you tell them and express yourself. Another valuable lesson that we all can learn from “The Journey” and “Speak” is that no matter how much people doubt you or how much your life is going against you, you must to pick yourself up and carry on. In “Speak”, Melinda dealt with several problems in her life at once, including her grades, her social life, and the terrible memories of what happened at the party. In spite of all the things that are dragging her down in her life, she stayed strong and beared through the school year. When Andy Evans tried to attack Melinda, she fought back by stabbing him with a piece of glass. She earned
everybody’s respect in her school just by staying strong. The same message can be found throughout “The Journey”. In the poem, the author mentioned that several awful things will be thrown at you, such as the people who are giving you bad advice and the trembling house. Instead of hiding from the events or ignoring them, the best way to deal with the events is to confront them. “The Journey” by Mary Oliver and the novel “Speak” by Laurie Halse Anderson both bring out very powerful and important messages, and we can all learn from them.