Mary Oliver was once an artist who used her words to paint and illustrate images of the natural world, her poetry centered on the calm of natural events. motionless pond hummingbirds and others. It also refers to the fact that Oliver stands particularly effectively on the margins of things, on the border between earth and sky, the thin membrane that separates the human from what we loosely call the animal. For her, she could not be a poet without the “natural world”. The main reason she writes all about nature is her difficult home life. Mary was already a victim of sexual abuse and neglect as a child, so she turned to nature as a refuge from her battered domestic lifestyle. Mary Oliver's poetry deals with natural themes that have messages for human society, caused by her turbulent childhood, her choice to remain isolated from society, and her relationship with her family. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get the original essay Oliver's writing techniques that show the different nature of women In the world, people often create emotional connections with many inanimate or animate objects. This can be seen in the poem "The Black Walnut" where two women, a mother and a daughter, are debating whether or not they should sell their walnut tree. In the poem, Mary Oliver reveals the delicate relationship the women have with the tree using poetic devices such as analogies, symbolism, and a strong final paradox. With an analogy, Mary Oliver attempts to make readers understand that there is an underlying connection that women have with the tree. They worry about their inability to pay their monthly mortgage, but there is "something brighter" running "in [their] blood" that prevents them from solving this problem. This “border” resembles a “trowel that wants [them] to dig and sow,” urging them to keep the tree. This analogy shows that the tree represents much more than money to them. It's difficult to pin down exactly what this means, but its roots run deep in their history. Along with an analogy, Oliver uses symbolism to give the tree a more powerful connection to women. In the poem, the girl thinks of her "Bohemian fathers", or ancestors, and how if they sold the tree they would "crawl in shame" because they would create a "void" in their "and [ the garden of their ancestors. This tree represents their connection to their past and getting rid of it would be like opening a hole that cannot be filled. Then again, this tree also represents a constant struggle. Mary Oliver does a great job of hinting at the connection between the tree and the women, but she also uses dramatic paradox to show the other side of their relationship. After they decide to do nothing, Oliver describes the tree "going through another year of sunshine and harsh winds", much like a windy summer day. The tree brings "bouncy leaves and fruit" that show how much they benefit from its beauty, but the mother said the fruit becomes "harder to pick" and the leaves are heavier. Then the real effect the tree has on them, “month after month, the whiplash of the mortgage,” shows the price they must pay for their connection. Keep in mind: this is just a sample. Get a custom paper now from our expert writers.Get a custom essayThrough poetic devices such as analogies, symbolism and the use of a paradox, Mary Oliver..