Blog Post #9: AP Poetry Essay

I have read and understand the sections in the Student Handbook regarding Mason High School's Honesty/Cheating Policy. By affixing this statement to the title page of my paper, I am certifying that I have not cheated or plagiarized in the process of completing this assignment. If it is found that cheating and/or plagiarism did take place in the writing of this paper, I understand the possible consequences of the act, which could include a "0" on the paper, as well as an "F" as a final grade in the course.

Rickey Terrell

AP English and Literature

Ms. Wilson

20 September 2013

Diving into the Wreck Analysis

In literature, the rise from a body of water, or baptism, represents the rebirth or awakening of a character. In Diving into the Wreck, Adrienne Rich alludes to The Little Mermaid to contrast this archetype using vivid imagery and metaphors, thus proving that there is value in learning from the past.

Rich uses imagery and symbolism to illustrate the speaker’s descent into the ocean which immediately establishes the paradox she uses throughout the rest of the piece. As she makes her way down the ladder “[her] flippers cripple [her]” (Rich l. 29). The symbol of the flippers directly parallels the feet given to the mermaid in the fairy tale and both the mermaid and the speaker have difficulty adjusting to the new experience.

The difference, however, is that the mermaid emerges from the ocean while the speaker in Rich’s poem journeys into the ocean. The experience is not just venturing somewhere new; it is the acceptance of a new way of thinking.

The speaker describes the overwhelming ecosystem of the ocean and how “it easy to forget what [she] came for” because of all of the creatures “swaying their crenellated fans between the reefs” (Rich ll. 44, 45). The mermaid in the fairy tale, on the other hand, had a similar experience encountering with the surface world even though she had a goal (finding the prince) as well. This inversion of the water archetype shows that the acquisition of knowledge can occur anywhere and doesn’t necessarily have to follow the same course. The knowledge in both the fairy tale and the poem, however, is valuable.

Using metaphors, Rich connects the present to the past emphasizing the importance of this knowledge. Instead of seeing history or the past as just words on a page, the speaker sees that “the words are purposes” and “the words are maps”. These metaphors show the beginning of the realization that the past isn’t just a “book of myths” but something tangible and useful.

This realization comes full circle when the speaker enters the shipwreck and is able to observe their surroundings. The understanding that they “are the half destroyed instruments” and the “fouled compass” illustrates that the speaker is finally appreciating what history has to offer. That it is something to learn from. Even though “our names do not appear” we can still understand the patterns and similarities between events from history and ones that are occurring in the present.

The allusion to the Little Mermaid enforces this theme; even though it is a myth, there are lessons that can be learned from the story and Rich uses these lessons to support her own argument: history offers valuable lessons that can be applied to the world of the present.