Question

One day you finally knew

what you had to do, and began,
though the voices around you
kept shouting
their bad advice --
though the whole house
began to tremble
and you felt the old tug
at your 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,
though their melancholy
was terrible.
It was already late
enough, and a wild night,
and the road full of fallen
branches and stones.
But little by little,
as you left their voices behind,
the stars began to burn
through the sheets of clouds,
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,
determined to do
the only thing you could do--
determined to save
the only life you could save.

"The Journey"
by Mary Oliver

Write a minimum 150-word response in which you explain the use poet's use of extended metaphor in "The Journey."

Be sure to cite examples from the text in your response.

Answer 1

In "The Journey," Mary Oliver employs an extended metaphor to describe the process of personal transformation. Throughout the poem, the speaker is portrayed as embarking on a physical journey through a treacherous landscape, which serves as a metaphor for the challenges of self-discovery and growth.

The "voices around you" that "kept shouting their bad advice" represent the external pressures and expectations that can distract us from our true path. The "old tug at your ankles" symbolizes the pull of the past and our reluctance to change. However, the speaker persists on their journey, despite the obstacles they encounter along the way.

The "stars" that "began to burn through the sheets of clouds" represent the glimmers of hope and insight that emerge as we move further towards self-discovery. The "new voice" that the speaker hears represents their own inner voice, which becomes clearer and more distinct as they continue on their journey.

Overall, Oliver's extended metaphor effectively conveys the emotional and psychological complexities of personal growth. By using a physical journey to represent an internal process, she allows readers to better understand and connect with the experience of personal transformation.