Title: A Reflection on Mary Oliver’s “Wild Geese”

In Wild Geese, Mary Oliver speaks to us about acceptance and belonging, reminding us that we don’t have to constantly seek perfection or meet others’ expectations. From “You do not have to be good”(Oliver 1), Oliver mentions to us that we need to accept ourselves as we are. Using nature as a time that continues without judgment, we too can find peace and belonging in the world. The poem shifts between our inner struggles and how the world keeps moving on no matter what, “let the soft animal of your body love what it loves” (Oliver 4). It creates a way of permission to just be yourself without overthinking. As the setting of her poem reveals the sun and the rain over landscapes, makes this whole situation feel personal peace. Oliver also brings out nature as a source to calm us down. Words such as “Meanwhile” that are repetitive create a reminder to us that while we’re caught up in whatever is going inside nature doesn’t stop. Such as, “Meanwhile the sun and the clear pebbles of the rain are moving across the landscapes”(Oliver 8). Reading this line created an image of how the world keeps turning no matter what we’re going through. Her language is simple but full of feeling, “You do not have to be good,” it’s a very straightforward sentence but it’s emotionally powerful because it breaks down this idea that we constantly have to prove ourselves or seek forgiveness for just who we are. A small sentence but a strong feeling giving a mix of emotions such as guilt or self judgmentone feels as we grow older and wiser. There’s a part where she says, “Tell me about despair, yours, and I will tell you mine. Meanwhile the world goes on” (Oliver 6), and it really puts things into perspective. Letting us know that yes we struggle and will face our ups and downs but the world keeps moving and we

Danny Quito Tenezaca09/30/24Dr. L CarpenterFQWIS 10108 (Writing Section)Title: A Reflection on Mary Oliver’s “Wild Geese”can find comfort in knowing we’re not alone. That someone out there will sit by our side and listen which creates a comfort in me. The last part where she says the world “calls to you like thewild geese” and announces “your place in the family of things” (Oliver 16). Bringing back again the thought of feeling disconnected or lost but we belong in any where we go and that was good. Oliver’s message that “you do not have to be good” (Oliver 1), reminds me of the time when I felt like I had to constantly meet others’ expectations or aim for perfection, whether in my studiesor in relationships. I remember feeling a similar kind of peace, as when I went camping and just being around the environment telling me I was okay to just exist to not be constantly wanting to be better. Connecting back to the wild geese when I notice a folk of birds flying away from the river bringing a thought of freedom as they fly freely in the sky.Connecting back to, “You do not have to be good” (Oliver 1), speaks to us about our past experiences of self-doubt. Using the words such as good is simple but powerful because it mentions the social expectations people expect from us to be constantly improving ourselves. The meaning from “Wild Geese” is one of acceptance and belonging. Oliver creates such well descriptions of nature and having humanity feel connected to themself.

This entry is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International license.