“The Journey” is a poem written by Mary Oliver. It talks in symbolism and transforming into a new person and embarking on a new way to live our lives. The poem reflects on growing up, becoming our own person, and not having to worry about other people and what they think. It represents setting our minds to achieve a specific goal and not letting anyone tell us how to live our lives. It also talks of a “wild night” (Oliver line #20) of us trying to find ourselves and our own voices. The poem talks in symbols and a mood that sets the tone, and it is also a good poem to start junior year with.
The mood in this story is someone or something always trying to hold us back, “Mend my life!” (Oliver line #10) . It holds us back from taking the “journey” to become our own individuals.We need to find our selves. It speaks of society, “the voices around you” (Oliver line #3) how it can influence our choices by “shouting their bad advice,” (Oliver line #4-5), and telling what’s right and what’s wrong. When we stop letting the society we live in today influence our decisions, it is then when we can embark on our “journey” as individuals. The journey will not be that easy, there are obstacles to overcome, “..the road full of fallen branches and stones” (Oliver line #21-22). These obstacles are what’s going to make us stronger on the way to fulfill our journeys. The meaning of this poem is to follow our hearts. And to not let anyone or anything influence our decisions in order to grow into the person we’re supposed to be.
This poem is a good way to start junior year because it’s the year were all growing up. When we make the jump into the real world. Our parents are no longer helping us make all the decisions in our lives, it is us rather, making them for ourselves. We’re upperclassmen now, we’re the big dogs picking on all the freshman, we’re driving, we’re not dependant on our parents as much anymore. We are maturing in every way, getting smarter, and...