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The significance of journeys in literature
The significance of journeys in literature
The significance of journeys in literature
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“The Journey” by Mary Oliver is a poem about the journey one takes through life in order to become an individual. From the very beginning of the poem the speaker introduces us to the sudden realization that we can listen to our own self-conscious and still excel through out life challenges. Oliver’s approach is comparing oneself to nature. In doing so Mary Oliver’s purpose in writing this poem is to illustrate the struggle of finding your own voice. “The voices around us” the voices of society, do nothing for us but “shout their bad advice.” We as individuals live in a world where in order to be considered “normal” we must conform to society. Oliver speaks to the birth of a new, authentic self, one not conditioned by the past. In stepping out, we don’t walk away from the world, but into it. The speaker leaves the reader with the daunting task to find our own voices, in a world where society seems to speak for everyone whether we want to or not. …show more content…
We begin our expedition of the piece with a feeling of being lost in an environment so large, but as soon as we understand that our heart, the natural road map that we are instilled with, is the key to our success, that feeling inside of being lost quickly transitions to the feeling of transcendental bliss.
As we depart on our journey that the author Mary Oliver invites us to take, it is not to long into it when we hear those voices. However these voices are not the ones that we want to hear. “ Mend my life! each voice cried.” As with any society, there are always people asking for help. There are always people in need of care, but this journey requires us to continue despite “their melancholy” calls for
help. As we learn to step away from a world where society controls our every move, it is only then that we are able to make the leap into the new world. The world led by our own voice. This poem ultimately is trying to convey to the audience to listen to yourself, the inner voice, your conscious, because it can only lead you down the right path. Nevertheless that jump is not easy because along the way we will be walking along a “road full of branches and stones.” These branches and stones are Oliver’s way of representing the many hardships and problems that we will encounter along the way. “Little by little” one step at a time it will become easier to leave the past behind and continue down the path. The next five lines are what I believe to be the changing point or climax of the poem. “ The stars began to burn through the sheets of clouds, and there was a new voice which slowly recognized as your own.” The sudden realization or light bulbs which are represented by the stars started to emerge in our brain and burn through the sheets of clouds that represent previously uncertain thoughts we may have had about breaking from society. It is at this point that we recognize our own voice, a voice that has actually kept us company and guided us throughout our journey. This is our conscious, the voice of our hearts. This was the voice that saved us.
Susannah Cahalan never considered her life to be anything other than pleasantly ordinary. She was a young, ambitious journalist working for the New York Post, and seemed to have her life in order. With a promising position at her job and a steady relationship, Cahalan seemed to be at the start of a life of fulfillment and success. She seemed to be completely in control of her life. Unfortunately, things were not at all as they
Therefore, Oliver’s incorporation of imagery, setting, and mood to control the perspective of her own poem, as well as to further build the contrast she establishes through the speaker, serves a critical role in creating the lesson of the work. Oliver’s poem essentially gives the poet an ultimatum; either he can go to the “cave behind all that / jubilation” (10-11) produced by a waterfall to “drip with despair” (14) without disturbing the world with his misery, or, instead, he can mimic the thrush who sings its poetry from a “green branch” (15) on which the “passing foil of the water” (16) gently brushes its feathers. The contrast between these two images is quite pronounced, and the intention of such description is to persuade the audience by setting their mood towards the two poets to match that of the speaker. The most apparent difference between these two depictions is the gracelessness of the first versus the gracefulness of the second. Within the poem’s content, the setting has been skillfully intertwined with both imagery and mood to create an understanding of the two poets, whose surroundings characterize them. The poet stands alone in a cave “to cry aloud for [his] / mistakes” while the thrush shares its beautiful and lovely music with the world (1-2). As such, the overall function of these three elements within the poem is to portray the
A human being is a complicated entity of a contradictory nature where creative and destructive, virtuous and vicious are interwoven. Each of us has gone through various kinds of struggle at least once in a lifetime ranging from everyday discrepancies to worldwide catastrophes. There are always different causes and reasons that trigger these struggles, however, there is common ground for them as well: people are different, even though it is a truism no one seems to able to realize this statement from beyond the bounds of one’s self and reach out to approach the Other.
Throughout all texts discussed, there is a pervasive and unmistakable sense of journey in its unmeasurable and intangible form. The journeys undertaken, are not physically transformative ones but are journeys which usher in an emotional and spiritual alteration. They are all life changing anomaly’s that alter the course and outlook each individual has on their life. Indeed, through the exploitation of knowledge in both a positive and negative context, the canvassed texts accommodate the notion that journeys bear the greatest magnitude when they change your life in some fashion.
Riley, Jeannette E. "Mary Oliver." Twentieth-Century American Nature Poets. Ed. J. Scott Bryson and Roger Thompson. Detroit: Gale, 2008. Dictionary of Literary Biography Vol. 342. Literature Resource Center. Web. 1 Nov. 2011.
In today’s world, we live in a society where we are subjected to follow rules, which are placed upon us by the society. Many people are faced with the dilemma of whether or not to follow the ideals of other people, or pursue their ideals and go against the prevailing conventions. In “Selections from Into the Wild” by Jon Krakauer, the author talks about a man named McCandless who went into the Alaskan wilderness in order to find his true self. His journey was also to escape from the societal norms of society. A person who goes into the wilderness believes that they can live their life with brute simplicity. This gives them little to no time with the complicated problems of modern society. Likewise, in “Waiting for a Jew” by Jonathan Boyarin, the author talks about one’s aspiration to find their identity and purpose in the community. He conveys that religious places, like shul, allow an individual to develop a cross- cultural self. The desires and expectations placed upon us by the society shape our strategies of personal identity; therefore, instilling fears that cause us to identify in opposition to our prevailing conventions.
Hayden, Robert. "Mary Oliver : The Poetry Foundation : Find Poems and Poets. Discover Poetry." The Poetry Foundation: Find Poems and Poets. Discover Poetry. Web. 27 Sept. 2010. .
“He who loses individuality, loses all” (Good Reads, 2012). This quote said by Mahatma Gandhi, one of the most recognized leaders of the 19th century, can easily be used to acknowledge the importance of a society possessing unique individualistic traits and characteristics as individuality is the fuel needed to run a society. In a world, where even a mere speck of individuality is not present, that society is likely to shatter into utter destruction. Moreover, individuals should possess the ability to embrace their own uniqueness through which they will have the ability to understand distinctive phrases such as that said by William Channing, “no one should part with their individuality and become that of another”. The concept of individuality being vital to society is explored within Caitlin Tom’s essay Individuality vs. Fitting in, the American novel Little Women by Louisa Alcott, and the romantic yet empowering dramatic film Jane Eyre. The concept presented in these three works portrays how it the essence of individuality is a fundamental component for society as it aids with the recognition of societal barriers, allows the ability to empower change, and permits appreciation of the invoked change.
The Day the Voices Stopped is a “Memoir of Madness and Hope,” written by Ken Steele (Steele & Berman, 2001, p. 1). As a reader, my experience of this book was like a rollercoaster and I found myself very emotionally invested. When terrible things happened to Ken, I truly felt sick to my stomach while reading them; but when good things happened, I also felt like there was still hope left. Ken Steele’s memoir described how stigma is extremely prevalent in mental illness and individuals are forced to overcome massive obstacles in their lives.
These final words sum up her feeling of helplessness and emptiness. Her identity is destroyed in a way due to having children. We assume change is always positive and for the greater good but Harwood’s poem challenges that embedding change is negative as the woman has gained something but lost so much in return.
What is a Journey? If a person off the street was randomly asked this question, he or she would say it would involve taking a trip to a distant location, perhaps as a vacation. For instance, going to Hawaii or the mountains to hike or ski. In “Gestalt’s Paradoxical Theory of Change” by Reg Harris, the idea of a journey referring to a long distance vacation is not the intent of Harris. To him, a journey begins with a person having an open mind, who is willing to take a closer look at themselves after critical analysis undergoes transformation. I agree that the journey is a way to find yourself, but I personally think a journey is more than just looking into yourself. A journey is a collection of events on which the exposure leaves impressions
There comes a point in everyone’s life when they are pressurized by society’s demands. One is given the option to either conform or challenge these social norms in order to suit one’s life.
Few situations exist that can strip a person of their ability to influence their world as much as social desolation. In the words of Rudyard Kipling, “The individual has always had to struggle to keep from being overwhelmed by the tribe. To be your own man is a hard business. If you try it, you'll be lonely often, and sometimes frightened. But no price is too h...
“Community. Identity. Stability.” These three words constitute the planetary motto of the characters of Aldous Huxley’s dystopian fiction Brave New World. (7) Theirs is a carefully structured post-modern society which managed to overcome political and social unrest through genetic engineering, strict social conventions, exhaustive conditioning, hypnosis and dependency on a drug called soma. In order for the stability of this world to be achieved, inhabitants are stripped of independent thoughts and emotions. This work is an exploration of the disturbing effects of homogeneity, control of technology and loss of personal autonomy on the members of the Brave New World.
Most individuals have experienced the everlasting joy and love that comes with caring family and friends, but the realization is that agony and despair will always win the war of light and dark, and family and friends are simply just impeding the end result. When a child is born, agony is already set in place, for screaming and crying will commence as soon as the child feels hands clasped on to him. However, this agony is soon met with joy as the child is met with his mother’s soothing heartbeat. Moreover, sometimes this heartbeat never comes, and thus, agony and despair stay within this child’s heart forever. Jimmy Baca, a lost young man who has only witnessed pain in his life, is this child. Furthermore, there comes a time in every individual’s