Analysis Of The Poem Rich s Diving Into The Wreck

RICH: 1. If you were asked to paraphrase what happens in the poem, what would you say? What does it mean to dive into the wreck? Taking Adrienne Rich’s â€Å"Diving into the Wreck† at face value, one may literally summarize the poem by stating that an individual, hearing stories about a wrecked ship, decided to dive down to the fabled ship alone to see it for themselves and found it. However, reading between the lines, one may also feel that the poem is more than just an adventure for the narrator, but rather a personal journey as well. At the beginning of the poem, the narrator describes hearing about the wreck and preparing to visit it alone, descending the ladder and entering the water below. However, the narrator seems to feel apprehensive and a bit fearful, referring to their scuba-suit as â€Å"body-armor† (Rich 5) and describing the growing foreboding feeling as the water gets darker. But these feelings soon vanish, for the narrator comes upon the wreck, captiva ted by the ship’s figurehead who is forever trapped at the bottom of the ocean. However, at this point in time, the narrator seems to have a sort of epiphany while engrossed by the image of the ship that is a bit difficult to describe. The narrator states, â€Å"I am she: I am he† (Rich 77) in reference to the figureheads after traveling into the ship’s hold, eventually emerging from their adventure as a different person who now identifies with the forgotten, damaged, and lost articles of the ship (which may also relateShow MoreRelatedAnalysis of Diving Into the Wreck813 Words   |  4 PagesAnalysis of Diving Into the Wreck There are many poems in today’s literature that are detailed and paint a picture for the reader. A poem that really stands out is Diving Into the Wreck by Adrienne Rich. Rich is a well known poet born 1929 in Baltimore, Maryland (Milne). She is a very influential poet in the subjects of feminism and the rights of women. Rich’s literary work was released in the early 1970’s which was a trivial and controversial time in the rights of women. Her poem, Diving Into