Wild Geese Mary Oliver Analysis

The poem memorization process is unlike any other kind of memorization. As a musician, I am used to frequently having to memorize artistic pieces (in the form of musical works), and I have in the past had to memorize speeches or lines in a play, but memorizing a poem is something entirely different. I have only had to memorize a poem once before, as part of my fifth grade poetry project. This was quite reminiscent of that experience, particularly in the aspects of poem memorization that make it so unique. Among the most notable of those is the way that merely knowing the words of a poem is not enough—unlike a speech, one cannot simply commit the words to memory and recite them back; rather, one must process the meaning behind those words, how …show more content…
I made some basic notes on the poem denoting where I would break or which words I would emphasize. I then went back through the poem and examined it more closely, looking for things like relative emphases within a given line or phrase, or which words were most important and how to convey their importance through speech—by slowing down, by being more forceful in delivery, and so forth. Having previously performed one of Mary Oliver’s poems (“Wild Geese”), this poem felt somewhat familiar to me—especially the structure and rhythm of the very last line. However, while I inevitably drew upon my experience with “Wild Geese,” I did my best to treat this poem as its own, unique entity, giving it the individual attention it deserves. Invariably, poem memorization is a long and involved process, one that involves grappling with abstract and complex concepts and putting yourself in others’ shoes. Because of that, though, it is also a thoroughly enriching and enlightening experience that provides one not only with new ways of looking at a poem, but also, as is the power of poetry, new ways of looking at life and the world at