Analysis of Crossing The Swamp by Mary Oliver (Essay Example)

Oftentimes, poems take a relatively simple concept and reveal a much deeper meaning, due to their many complexities. They enable the reader to deconstruct the words and piece them back together again to arrive upon a unique interpretation. There is a similar relationship which is echoed through images of the natural world, revealing a greater truth about life. Author Mary Oliver strives to unveil one of these truths throughout her poem, Crossing the Swamp. By shifting from a fearful to a hopeful tone, Oliver sheds light on the dubious relationship between the speaker and the swamp, which in turn portrays the real-world struggles she strives to overcome.

Oliver establishes a distinct use of language throughout, in order to illuminate the evolving dynamic between the narrator and the swamp. She begins by speaking in a passionate way, emphasizing the feeling of hostility she has developed towards the swamp. She uses hefty words such as “dense”, “peerless,” and “slack” which have a harsh sound and an equally negative connotation, creating an evident display of tension. By incorporating such words, through a tone of animosity, she is able to persuade both herself and the reader that the swamp is a dreadful place, from which nothing positive can arise. However, there is a sudden shift in word choice, as she begins to use adjectives which emanate positivity and hope. Oliver begins to describe the swamp as  “succulent” and beginning to “sprout.” These words express a newfound appreciation for this raw component of nature, as they sound both pleasant and poetic. These words depict the swamp as being full and sprouting, mimicking how she too is full of life and how she has grown by the end of the poem, overall transitioning to an optimistic tone.  By responding to her raw emotions with a variety of carefully crafted words, Oliver incidentally alters her relationship between herself and the swamp to be one of positivity and pleasure. 

She continues to shed light on how “said” relationship between the speaker and the swamp has a greater meaning, relating it to her life, rather than solely a dirty body of water. She hints that the swamp is representative of something greater, by comparing it to a universe, or “a wet, thick cosmos,” therefore establishing continuity in meaning (Oliver). Oliver’s extended metaphor describes how the challenges faced while travelling through the swamp are characteristic of a real-world struggle that she is working to overcome. Similar to how the peerless, thick mud is pulling her down as she tries to make her way through the swamp, her struggles are restraining her from recognizing the good that may arise as a result. This allows her to apply a physical representation to an intangible idea, accurately reflecting the shift in how she’s progressed both metaphorically, as described in the poem, and realistically, as in the personal growth as a result of a change of heart towards the priorly feared swamp. The structure of the poem contributes to this, as each line spills into the next (enjambment) creating a chaotic arrangement of words which jump from idea to idea, reinforcing Oliver’s inconsistency in beliefs. This mimics her subtle transition from a negative description of the swamp to highlighting its potential beauties, matching the varying message throughout the poem. She turns concepts into reality, by utilizing a metaphor to establish a greater connection, and then  reinforces it with a meaningful structural component. 

Oliver paints a vivid image of a dreary, dirty, and muddy swamp to portray how it symbolizes the struggles one may face in reality. Her word choice elevates the meaning of the poem as the audience takes a miserable hike through the swamp with Oliver, reaching a final destination of hopefulness. Through the ups and downs of the shifting relationship between the two, nature reveals to us a hidden truth that not all good is necessarily handed to us on a silver platter. Rather, what is important is one’s ability to discover the diamond in the rough, even in the face of adversity.