Experience and Acceptance in "Diving into the Wreck" Anonymous College

"Living is a process of developing oneself. Without experiencing pain from disconcerting periods of our lives, we would be a different person, perhaps a lesser person."
― Kilroy J. Oldster, Dead Toad Scrolls

Visually driven imagery, subtle in symbolism, Adrienne Rich encourages readers to immerse themselves into the wondrous aquatic world of her design. Carefully chosen diction mixed with characteristic odd meters through free verse, neither rhyming nor containing distinct rhythm, complete the approach of the modernist poet. Nevertheless, small pockets of the structure are displayed through parallelism and aphorism. It teems with subtle moments of polarity and contrast, composing a song of duality between loneliness and company, deterioration and beauty, male and female. Through the masterful use of vivid visual imagery, ambiguous and polarizing diction, Rich tells the tale of a diver's exploration of a wreck. It stands as an allegory for exploration, acceptance, and learning from the past and its mistakes.

The poem begins with ambiguous and mysterious language, telling readers of the "book of myths" as if preparing us for a classic adventure down into the depths of the ocean. Rich describes her bodysuit as body armor right...