Contrasting Imagery in “Owls”

Mary Oliver uses contrasting imagery in “Owls” to convey her perception of the complexity of nature. She is a person who observes every nuance. She is alternately awed and intimidated by what she sees and hears. She describes the great horned owl as having razor-tipped toes, being swift and merciless upon the backs of rabbits, mice, and other small animals. She tells of finding headless bodies of blue jays and rabbits, knowing that it was the great horned owl that did them in. The horned owl’s scream is the sheer rollicking glory of a death-bringer, and he has an insatiable taste for brains. The author does find pleasure and wonder in nature, even with other species of owls. She can imagine a screech owl on her wrist, and learning something about the Arctic from the feathers of a great snowy owl. She writes of fields of poppies and lupines, and of roses growing in the dunes. In the end, she finds the sheer abundance of beautiful roses as overwhelming and intimidating as the presence of the predatory owl.