The closing reading of Diving into Wreck - Essay Example

During this time, the women’s movement was increasing in momentum, as it influences American literature and other fields, as well as society in general (Milne 1). Rich showed interest in feminism in the 1970s, and saw it as a “heroic quest,” similar to plunging into the wreck of an old sunken ship (Milne 1). She wanted to oppose and question traditional beliefs and values about gender and sexuality through an inner exploration (Milne 1). Since the publication “Diving into the Wreck, ” Rich showed her search for the truth about gender and the widespread activities of second-wave feminism (Milne 1).

The poem is an example of free verse writing that has no evident rhymes, which is significant in narrating the journey through a firsthand account and helping readers focus more on the subtle structure of the poem and its meaning. The poem follows a conversation style. Rich does want to alienate anyone, so she talks as if she would in real life: “I put on/ the body-armor of black rubber/ the absurd flippers” (4-6). Her words portray the process of what is happening, so that readers will feel like the poem is an ordinary conversation.

In addition, the poem’s free verse enables readers to emphasize the subtle structure of the poem. . Stanzas are also broken to indicate changes in the perspective of the speaker. An example is the shift of perspective from stanza 7 to stanza 8. The speaker ends stanza 7 with: “among the tentative haunters” (70). She is only one of the many who dive into the wreck. Stanza 8, however, merges the speaker and the mermaid: “We circle silently/ about the wreck/ we dive into the hold” (74-76).

The merging of two identities signifies the unity of the writer with her inner self. Furthermore, the free verse writing helps stress enjambment in the poem. The pauses in these lines say something about the actions of the speaker: “Rung after rung and still / the oxygen immerses me” (23-24). The speaker seems to be nervous as she slowly goes down the boat, where the enjambment creates a sense of both preparation for the next stage of exploration and the need to reflect on every stage. Thus, the free verse has significance to emphasizing the meaning of the structure of the poem and its narrative style.

The poem has numerous enjambments that aim for structural purposes of helping readers visualize the poem. The speaker says: “I put on/ the body-armor of black rubber/ the absurd flippers” (4-6). The speaker uses enjambment to put emphasis on her actions. The readers can better understand what is happening if the sentence is broken down to images and action words. In addition, the speaker uses enjambment to introduce changes in experiences and to sharpen their visual images. She says: “Rung after rung and still/ the oxygen immerses me/ the blue light/ the clear atoms/ of our human air” (23-27).

The enjambment is a way of putting the reader into these experiences slowly, as if they are going down the ladder