The Summer Day Mary Oliver Analysis

Life has many wonders that are beyond the human understanding. Many people have been asking about life’s meaning and purpose while others seem to be certain about why on Earth they exist. Mary Oliver, in her poem “The Summer Day” expresses her own questions about life. Clearly, she intends to write to those who have not yet believed of established a connection with a higher being. Through her words and expression about the nature, using appeal to pathos, she tries to convince her readers to reflect on their own lives and the purpose that they serve. In the first three lines of the poem, Mary starts to evoke the emotions of the readers by asking them several questions. First, Mary asks “Who made the world?” (1). By using the word “Who,” she …show more content…
These descriptions allow the readers to reflect on how carefully created a grasshopper is, having its own specific features, behaviors, and survival abilities. By guiding the readers to think about these things, which are often neglected, their hidden emotions of wonder are tapped and revived. Afterwards, Mary reflects directly on her own life and the uncertainties that she carry. As she relates her lack of knowledge about prayer, she is also inviting the readers to feel their own shortcomings (9). When she says that “I do not know how to fall down into the grass, how to kneel down in the grass, how to be idle and blessed, how to stroll through the fields, which is what I have been doing all day,” it means that she doesn’t know how to worship the Lord, which she had been thinking about as she strolls. These words are meant to convince the readers to take the first step to connect with God even if they do not know how. Towards the end of the poem, she asks another question, “Doesn’t everything die at last, and too soon?” This question is a very powerful one as the topic of death evokes