Wild Geese by Mary Oliver You do not have to be good.

You do not have to walk on your knees for a hundred miles through the desert repenting. You only have to let the soft animal of your body love what it loves. Tell me about despair, yours, and I will tell you mine. Meanwhile the world goes on. 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. 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 excitingover and over announcing your place

1. Wild Geese of Mary Oliver relate the attitude of the wild geese to

us human. We dont have to be good all the time, We should move forward from the things that happens in the past. It is okay to beg for forgiveness, for the wrong move that youve done.We, people are responsible in the things that we want, we should value what we love and do it for the purpose of happiness. Like a wild geese in the poem, Humans also do what they want to do, they can be outrageous as they are. Oliver also describes the calling of the wild geese compared to the calling of humans. 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

(Oliver 1). Oliver suggests that the calling of the world to humans is like the calling of the wild geese in a sense that theyre both harsh and exciting. What makes Wild Geese a phenomenal short poem is the mood Mary Oliver writes in. She writes in a soft , yet strong voice which makes the poem quite tasteful. In this poem, Mary Oliver talks about begging for forgiveness and not always being good which puts the reader in a sad mood. You do not have to walk on your knees for a hundred miles through the desert repenting (Oliver 1). In this line, she explains that we dont have to suffer. She also describes the world passing by in a slow pace, making the sadness prolong. 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 (Oliver 1). She explains the world is passing by and you should enjoy it. Mary Oliver also uses figurative language throughout the poem. She uses similes such as, the world offers itself to your imagination, calls to you like the wild geese (Oliver 1). Oliver not only uses similes, but also repetition. She repeats you at the beginning of several sentences. For example, you do not have to be good and you do not have to walk on your knees (Oliver 1). Oliver also uses descriptive language and excellent imagery such as, meanwhile the wild geese, high in the clean blue air (Oliver 1). Oliver not only uses figurative language, but also has exquisite word choice. She uses harsh which emphasizes the sh and adds sound to the poem. She also uses words like despair to add to the mood of the poem. Mary Oliver, in the poem, Wild Geese, suggests that people are like wild geese. Oliver says people can suffer and be in despair if they want to, but if they take one look, they can see that the wild geese are heading home and they each know their place in this world. This relates to humans because like wild geese, people matter and people belong. She gets this message across by throwing in pieces of information throughout this poem. Oliver accomplishes this by weaving these bits of information

throughout her poem throu gh figurative language, imagery, and repetition. Mary Oliver also encourages the reader to engage with the poem through the mood and tone of her writing.