As you go through the beginning lines of the poem, what do you notice, what grabs your attention? 

/in /by
The Journey by Mary Oliver
 

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 voice 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 that you could save.

 

Questions:

 

  1. As you go through the beginning lines of the poem, what do you notice, what grabs your attention?
  2. Explain the meaning of the poem after you have read it twice.
  3. Explain her major metaphors and what they mean to you as you look at your life.
  4. Explain how this poem connects to Dao’s essay “Sincerity”.
  5. How is this poem connected to Oliver’s quote that began this class? Explain.
 
"Order a similar paper and get 100% plagiarism free, professional written paper now!"