Adrienne Rich uses a style of writing which seems direct, but packs a much more significant punch when looked at deeply. In her work “Diving into the Wreck”, she uses the theme of exploration to discuss the act of diving to a ship wreck. Several hints can be seen in the poem that suggests that it is about more than just diving to look at a ship which has sunk. Rich says, “The words are purposes. The words are maps” implying that her writing may be a map to something more significant than a shipwreck, as well as packing a purpose behind each line which is more than just a story. Most divers dive to see a shipwreck in order to analyze the myths associated with it, as well as to see why it may have happened. Instead, Rich says “The wreck and not the story of the wreck, the thing itself and not the myth” which is unusual for a diver to say since most people dive for the story itself. To me as a reader, this was significant because it seemed to imply yet again that this “exploration of a shipwreck” so to say, is actually more than that, and may actually be an exploration of human contact with nature. The reason I came up with that is because the thing itself, or the act of diving itself, may be more important here than the shipwreck. The shipwreck seems like a backdrop to a main scene in a play.
As Rich discusses details like “The oxygen immerses me” and “I go down. My flippers cripple me”, one comes to realize that humans are at the control of nature. The detailed description of the power that nature has over humans can be seen as she dives under water and is very limited with her abilities. She also says that “the (power of) the sea is another story” implying that it is so immense; it requires a separate story to tell it.
As readers of this “deep poem” we are immersed into nature, and everything to us seems different than we are used to. Nature takes over this poem like a coral reef takes over a shipwreck and we are literally surrounded by it. The contact humans have with nature during a dive is the most intense that is possible. Rich explains the details that are visible during this dive and the significance of the literal explanation is overpowering. One feels powerless to the effects and powers of nature, which in this case is the sea. Overall, her work is amazing and makes the reader excited to read more.
I like your interpretation on the poem and it help me have a different view in some aspects. However, I understood something different regarding her sentences “The words are purposes. The words are maps”. I believe that she was talking about the book of myths. The words on the book are her guidance (map) to explore the wreck and make her own interpretation. She wants to compare what has been said to what she sees and can register in her “camera”. For this reason she says she is diving to explore the wreck.
I agree with your analysis of the poem.Her diving to go see the wreck of the ship had an another significance for her. She wasn’t satisfied enough with the description the myths provided, she wanted to see everything herself. She wasn’t interested in the myths, the stories but she was fascinated by the wreck, by was it represented and how nature was able to overpower human.
Great analysis! It was interesting how you mentioned that humans are at the control of nature as I had a similar interpretation in mind. As the narrator looks down into the sea, she is tinged with a bit of angst as she describes it as being a massive mysterious place that is capable of disabling her of her abilities. I agree that she insists that she is powerless to nature as the description of her first hand feelings amplify the intensity of the situation. In further developing this idea, I’d like to point out that she makes various references in the first few stanzas to being lonely [“I am having to do this not like Cousteau with his assiduous team” (P 162), “There is no one to tell me when the ocean will begin” (P 163), “I have to learn alone to turn my body without force in the deep element” (P 163)]. These references clearly reflect her feelings of vulnerability as she prepares to take on this journey into the deep sea alone and it reinforces how she views nature as a threatening entity.