Essay about Wild Geese by Oliver - 1304 Words

â€Å"Wild Geese† is very different from many poems written. Oliver’s personal life, the free form of the poem along with the first line, â€Å"You do not have to be good,† and the imagery of nature contributes to Oliver’s intent to convince the audience that to be part of the world, a person does not need to aspire to civilization’s standards. Oliver would write this poem because she did not conform to societies wishes. According to the Poetry Foundation, Oliver has never actually received a degree despite attending The Ohio State University and Vassar College. By not completing college, she had stepped out of the normal procedure of American life of growing up, going to college, then working. She also â€Å"met her long-time partner, Molly Malone†¦show more content†¦Immediately following the first statement, Oliver prompts that â€Å"You do not have to walk on your knees for a hundred miles through the desert, repenting.† The sen seless wandering in a desert in harsh conditions is similar to the biblical story of Moses leading the Isrealites through the desert before reaching the Promised Land. By writing that the reader does not have to wander as a punishment leads into line four and five, where the speaker asserts that instead of being good, â€Å"You only have to let the soft animal of your body love what it loves.† Instead of following what other’s want, the speaker proclaims that the only real necessity is to follow what your natural instincts, you animal, want. The speaker also declares inn lines six and seven that while you are talking about your despair, â€Å"the world goes on,† which proves that human traits of complaining and listening to others do not bring you closer to nature. In fact, the world continues as if you had not done anything at all. The poem then contrasts inert objects such as â€Å"the sun,† â€Å"the prairies,† and â€Å"the mountains† wi th objects that appear to be alive and move such as â€Å"the clear pebbles of the rain,† â€Å"the deep trees,† and â€Å"the rivers.† This compares the unmoving appearance of what society wants in the solid features of nature compared to the living and movement that is only sometimes perceived in the rain, trees, and rivers. The comparison can also beShow MoreRelatedWild Geese By Mary Oliver1581 Words   |  7 PagesWild Geese† by Mary Oliver, is a poem that speaks deeply to many types of people with different personalities. This poem encourages the reader to let go of their shame of guilt and rather they should follow their heart, find the beauty, and become one with nature. Each and every one of us has a place on this earth, and although we all go through times of despair, the sun keeps shining and the earth keeps turning. When reading â€Å"Wild Geese† by Mary Oliver, I imagine the speaker being someone who hasRead MoreWild Geese By Mary Oliver2607 Words   |  11 PagesPortfolio Assignment 1 Wild Geese† by Mary Oliver, is a poem that speaks deeply to many types of people with different personalities. This poem encourages the reader to let go of their shame of guilt and rather they should follow their heart, find the beauty, and become one with nature. Each and every one of us has a place on this earth, and although we all go through times of despair, the sun keeps shining and the earth keeps turning. When reading â€Å"Wild Geese† by Mary Oliver, I imagine the speakerRead MoreAnalyzing Mary Olivers Poem Wild Geese633 Words   |  3 Pagesconnections that are not always apparent, as well as discoveries about ourselves, our emotions, and out connections with the world. Mary Olivers poem, Wild Geese, for instance, speaks directly to the reader with encouragement, wonder, and hope. It does not rhyme in the conventional sense, and is more prose oriented. But, using the allusion of wild geese, soaring high above the basic cares of the world, we can completely understand Olivers view that all things are possible. Too, the poem is quite musicalRead MoreMary Olive Spring Analysis Essay751 Words   |  4 Pagesreflects a deep communion with the natural world, offering a fresh viewpoint of the commonplace or ordinary things in our world by subverting our expected and accepted views of that object which in turn presents a view that operates from new assumptions. Oliver depicts the n atural world as a celebration of wonder and awe, the almost insignificant wonders capturing the true beauty nature beholds. Spring is a poem that visibly illustrates this, representing the natural world to be full of wonder throughRead MoreMary Oliver As My Poet771 Words   |  4 Pagesusing Mary Oliver as my poet. Mary Oliver was born in 1935. I chose this poet, because her poems are primarily based on nature. I read a bibliography about Oliver, and found that the main themes in her poems are between humans and the natural world. I particularly like the way she conveys her poems. Before this assignment, I have not heard of Mary Oliver, but when I came across her poems they just stuck with me. The poems I chose are â€Å"The Journey,† â€Å"Song of the Builders,† and â€Å"Wild Geese.† I choseRead MoreFreedom, A Birth-Given Entitlement Or A Manmade Privilege?1717 Words   |  7 Pagestime that Charlotte Perkins Gilman fabricated, â€Å"The Yellow Wall-Paper†, any thought of Women s Rights was unorthodox; whereas when Mary Oliver indited, â€Å"Wild Geese,† wome n’s rights were legalized, but the past planted a notion that females should not have equal rights and these thoughts lingered in the mental and physical actions towards women. Although Mary Oliver s poem released almost a century after Charlotte Perkins Gilman s short story became publicized, the symbolism of the conventional genderRead MoreHuman Dominion and Separation from Nature1049 Words   |  4 Pageschapters of the Bible because the common theme and justification of â€Å"human dominion over nature† stems from the primary story of the Bible in Genesis. This theme is often a subject of great sadness or annoyance for nature writers like Wordsworth and Mary Oliver; while authors like John Muir and Bill McKibben, whom do profess to the Christian faith, still see nature as something spiritual because â€Å"dominion† means not just given authority, but also given the responsibility for its protection. The first chapterRead MoreSummary Of Wild Geese By Wendy Perkins916 Words   |  4 Pages Imagination is a person’s escape from the reality around them. Life is hard, there is no way to dispute that, people struggle every day. In Mary Oliver’s poem, â€Å"Wild Geese,† Mary writes about the torture of everyday life that people have to go through, but that those people also get an escape through their imagination. Mary explains that with imagination a person feels free on a whole different level, a more spiritual level. Life is full of letdowns and disappointments, but people have to pushRead MoreProcess of Discovering the Beauty of Individuality Essay1121 Words   |  5 Pages Being part of the â€Å"cool crowd† is every girl and boy’s secret desire. As we grow we come to realize that doing what everyone else does, does not make you more liked, but rather simply followers of the imaginary term â€Å"cool.† In â€Å"Corsage† and â€Å"Wild Geese† the main characters, like myself, began to understand the value of individuality and how being yourself is a person’s prize possession. The first day of high school was one of the most terrifying experiences I have ever had. The large buildingsRead More Ecopsychology Essay3891 Words   |  16 Pageslandscapes, over the prairies and the deep trees, the mountains and the rivers. Meanwhile the wild geese, high in the clean blue air, are heading home again. Whoever you are, no matter how lonely, the world offers itself to your imagination, calls to you like the wild geese, harsh and exciting- over and over announcing your place in the family of things. Wild Geese by Mary Oliver Mary Olivers (Clinebell, 1996, p.188) poem has a lot to say about the relatively new approach to