Meaning Of Wild Geese By Mary Oliver

Famous American poet Mary Oliver penned the poem Wild Geese and it was added to the collection of poems that she wrote that gained her fame through the nineteenth century. Mary Oliver has received the Pulitzer Prize for her writings and is an incredibly talented writer. In her award-winning poem, Wild Geese, Oliver compares human life to that of a migrating goose. In the piece, she states that as the geese know their place in the sky and have found comfort where they belong so should humans. She then relates this to the human experience by writing, “Whoever you are, no matter how lonely, the world offers itself to your imagination.” (Lines 14-15) This poem affected most of the people who read it by urging them to find comfort in his/her own

skin and what he/she may desire from life.
Mary Oliver is able to achieve this via her use of nature throughout her poem.

Nature is a universal concept that nearly everyone on the planet can relate to, as well as the struggle of not knowing one’s place in the world, both of which are central themes in Mary Oliver’s poem. For example, in the opening lines of her piece Mary Oliver urges her readers not to feel guilt or shame for how he/she may be feeling via metaphors from nature, “You only have to let the soft animal of your body love what it loves.” (Lines 4-5) She also utilizes nature to create beautiful imagery for her readers. These images not only add to the splendor of the poem but are part of her purpose as well. An example of this is Lines 8 through 11, in these lines Oliver writes out, “Meanwhile the sun and the clear pebbles of the rain are moving across the landscapes, over the prairies and the deep trees, the mountains and the rivers…” By using these examples and symbols from nature Oliver helps to communicate her message, which is that every person on the planet has the right to be comfortable in his/her own skin. When the author uses these techniques she is able to harness the pathos technique to convince her reader that she is correct in her statement within the

poem.
In summary, in Mary Oliver’s poem Wild Geese she uses many different aspects of the natural world to create metaphors relating to the human experience of finding where one belongs in the world. Oliver’s use of nature is important because it is quite easy for the reader to connect with the words on the page. It is quite easy for the readers to connect with nature because it is a universal theme. The author ultimately uses different details and multiple metaphors to communicate how the wild geese and the people of Earth are strikingly similar in their path to find belonging within their own kind.
Rhetorical Analysis: I Have a Dream
On a historic day in 1963, Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr. gave a, now famous, speech to thousands who had gathered at the “March on Washington”. His speech was given at the height of the civil rights movement in the United States of America. Rev. Martin Luther King, who became an important leader in the Civil Rights Movement, utilizes the English language to persuade his audience to believe in his message. In his speech, King uses moving language to motivate others to fight for justice and their civil rights. The most famous line from the speech says, “I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up, live out the true meaning of its creed: “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal.” (4)
This quote has lived on in history since that day because of how influential Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr. became in the United States of America. In his speech, the specific language that King used helps to create the perfect avenue to communicate his message. For example, “Let us not seek to satisfy our thirst for freedom by drinking from the cup of bitterness and hatred.” (3) In this example, King uses language on a slightly higher scale than the average man but in doing so he creates an aura that mystified an entire people. King’s speech helped to create a peaceful vibe in the wake of remarkable violence. Another important example is, “We must forever conduct our struggle on the high plane of dignity and discipline.” (3) In this King appeals to his followers to stand firm within their morals and refrain from stooping to a lower level to achieve the goal of civil rights.
In these appeals Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr. begins to show his hope for unity among all people in the United States during the Civil Rights Movement. He shows his ambition for unity as well as by appealing to his audience’s emotions, particularly regarding the children living in their nation. As shown in this passage, “…one day right there in Alabama little black boys and black girls will be able to join hands with little white boys and white girls as sisters and brothers.” (5) He does this to gain support for his cause, the Civil Rights Movement, but he also does this to create an air of love and peace. This the core of King’s entire speech.
In summary, when the Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr. gave this speech in front of the thousands of people at the “March on Washington” he inspired them to believe in his message. He inspired them to fight for their civil rights but to do so in a non-violent way. He urged his audience using carefully chosen sets of words to help these people to cling to their morals in their fight for their rights. The language that he used is what set Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s speech apart from so many others and what has made the speech incredibly famous.