Abstract: This is the second essay I wrote for this class. This essay aims to practice interpreting and summarizing poetry and citing poetry in MLA format. For this essay, I had to choose an essay that resonated with us and describe the memory the poem evokes for me. I chose to focus on the Poem Wild Geese by Mary Oliver. First, I summarized the poem then I went on to describe the memory that I felt while reading the poem and lastly, I explained why this poem made me remember that particular memory.

Draft:

The pressure of being perfect

Wild Geese by Mary Oliver shows us that we often find ourselves overwhelmed with societal expectations and trying to be perfect that we forget the beauty of life, so we should try to stop worrying too much and appreciate the small things in life. In the poem, the speaker employs a comforting tone and a vivid description of nature to tell her audience that nature can be a healing power during challenging times and that we should not try so hard to be perfect.

Nature is shown to serve as a healing power during challenging times through the vivid description of nature. As the speaker says the world continues to move, the sun and the rain are “moving across the landscapes, over the prairies and the deep trees, the mountains and the rivers” (Oliver, lines 9-11). The imagery of the rain running down the land illustrates the idea that we can imagine the soothing sight of the rain running across the land distracting us from our worries and letting our minds wander to the peaceful and serene sight of the rain going down its course freeing them from our troubled minds. Moreover, Oliver also uses an empathetic tone to tell us that we should not try so hard to be perfect. when she says, “You only have to let the soft animal of your body love what it loves.” (4-5). This suggests that the speaker is trying to reassure us that we are perfect the way we are and that we should be kinder to ourselves. This makes us feel that there is someone out there in the world who loves us the way they are.

After reading this poem I remember a time when I was fourteen years old my mom enrolled me in my first piano contest I was jumping up and down in excitement yet the thought of performing in front of a large audience filled me with anxiety. Eager to make my mother proud, every day after school I would spend four hours and another two hours at night sitting on a chair practicing the same song over and over to the point my fingers became sore. On the day of my performance, a girl sitting on my left was wiping her hands on his pants. Another girl to my right kept tapping her foot on the ground in a rhythmic way, and I saw myself doing the same thing as we all waited for our names to be called. When it was my turn, I took a deep breath, and my fingers were moving smoothly until it landed on the wrong note, and it made me mess up the ending. I got up bowed and walked back with a defeated look on my face. After the contest, I walked away disappointed in myself because I couldn’t even reach 3rd place, I saw my mom i ran to her and she hugged me and said with a half-smile that I had played so well and that shouldn’t let this bring me down because next time I would surely win. However, that was my first and last piano contest.

The poem evoked this memory in me. When the speaker said, “You do not have to be good. You do not have to walk on your knees” (1-2), it resonated deeply with me because it made me reflect on the immense pressure, I put on myself to achieve the perfect results. The quote made me realize that despite my best efforts, I often feel inferior compared to others. And the words speak to me as if my mother were comforting me in a sweet tone assuring me that she loves me just the way I am flaws and all.

Oliver, Mary. “Wild Geese.” Best Poems, 14 Aug. 2017,

www.best-poems.net/mary_oliver/wild_geese.html. Accessed 29 September 2024.

Revised Version:

Perfection does not exist

Wild Geese by Mary Oliver shows us that we often find ourselves overwhelmed with societal expectations and trying to be perfect that we forget the beauty of life, so we should try to

stop worrying too much and appreciate the small things in life. Through the speaker’s vivid imagery and comforting tone, she tells her audience that nature can be a healing power during challenging times and that we should not try so hard to be perfect.

Nature is shown to serve as a healing power during challenging times through the vivid description of nature. As the speaker says the world continues to move, the sun and the rain are

“moving across the landscapes, over the prairies and the deep trees, the mountains and the rivers” (Oliver, lines 9-11). The imagery of the rain running down the land illustrates the idea that we can imagine the soothing sight of the rain running across the land distracting us from our worries and letting our minds wander to the peaceful and serene sight of the rain going down its course freeing them from our troubled minds. Moreover, Oliver also uses an empathetic tone to tell us that we should not try so hard to be perfect. when she says, “You only have to let the soft animal of your body love what it loves.” (4-5). This suggests that the speaker is trying to reassure us that we are perfect the way we are and that we should be kinder to ourselves. This makes us feel that there is someone out there in the world who loves us the way they are.

While reading this poem it reminded me of a time when I was fourteen, my mother enrolled me in my first piano contest I was jumping up and down in excitement yet the thought of performing in front of a large audience filled me with anxiety. Eager to make my mother proud, every day after school I would spend four hours and another two hours at night sitting on a chair practicing the same song over and over to the point my fingers became sore. On the day of my

performance, a girl sitting on my left was wiping her hands on his pants. Another girl to my right kept tapping her foot on the ground in a rhythmic way, and I saw myself doing the same thing as we all waited for our names to be called. When it was my turn, I took a deep breath, and my fingers were moving smoothly until it landed on the wrong note, and it made me mess up the ending. I got up bowed and walked back with a defeated look on my face. After the contest, I walked away disappointed in myself because I could not even reach 3rd place, I saw my mom i ran to her and she hugged me. And that was my first and last piano contest

This poem evoked this specific memory in me because when the speaker said, “You do not have to be good. You do not have to walk on your knees” (1-2). it resonated deeply with me because it made me reflect on the immense pressure, I put on myself to achieve the perfect results. The quote made me realize that despite my best efforts, I often feel inferior compared to others.

In summary, Oliver uses tone and imagery to tell the audience that we should not hide our imperfections and that we can always turn to nature whenever we are feeling down.

Oliver, Mary. “Wild Geese.” Best Poems, 14 Aug. 2017,

www.best-poems.net/mary_oliver/wild_geese.html. Accessed 29 September 2024.