"Diving into the Wreck" was written by the American poet Adrienne Rich and first published in a collection of the same name in 1973. The poem opens as the speaker prepares for a deep-sea dive and then follows the speaker's exploration of a shipwreck. Rich was a leading feminist poet, and many critical interpretations view the poem as an extended metaphor relating to the struggle for women's rights and liberation. That said, the poem is rich with symbolism related to a variety of subjects, and its reading doesn't need to be limited by Rich's biography. For example, it can also be taken as a more general exploration of personal identity and people's relationship to the past—both their own, and that of society in general. To that end, before diving the speaker has "read the book of myths"—which perhaps represents the established ideas, norms, and stories about the wreck (and, metaphorically speaking, about the speaker and/or society at large)—and insists on instead gaining direct experience of the wreck by making the dive. The poem thus also becomes a kind of call for venturing into the perilous unknown in order to find the truth.

• Read the full text of “Diving into the Wreck”

• “Diving into the Wreck” Summary

• “Diving into the Wreck” Themes

  • 

    Women's Oppression and Erasure

    Where this theme appears in the poem:

    • Lines 1-21
    • Lines 29-33
    • Lines 37-43
    • Lines 52-70
    • Lines 71-94
  • 

    Exploration, Vulnerability, and Discovery

    Where this theme appears in the poem:

    • Lines 4-7
    • Lines 8-12
    • Lines 13-21
    • Lines 22-33
    • Lines 44-51
    • Lines 52-60
    • Lines 61-70
    • Lines 71-77
    • Lines 87-94
  • 

    Storytelling and Truths

    Where this theme appears in the poem:

    • Lines 1-3
    • Lines 37-43
    • Lines 52-70
    • Lines 72-73
    • Lines 78-82
    • Lines 87-94

• Line-by-Line Explanation & Analysis of “Diving into the Wreck”

  • Lines 1-7

    First having read ...
    ... and awkward mask.

    

    

    

    

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  • Lines 8-12

    I am having ...
    ... but here alone.

    

    

    

    

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  • Lines 13-21

    There is a ...
    ... some sundry equipment.

    

    

    

    

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  • Lines 22-28

    I go down. ...
    ... I go down.

    

    

    

    

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  • Lines 29-33

    My flippers cripple ...
    ... will begin.

    

    

    

    

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  • Lines 34-43

    First the air ...
    ... the deep element.

    

    

    

    

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  • Lines 44-51

    And now: it ...
    ... differently down here.

    

    

    

    

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  • Lines 52-60

    I came to ...
    ... fish or weed

    

    

    

    

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  • Lines 61-63

    the thing I ...
    ... not the myth

    

    

    

    

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  • Lines 64-70

    the drowned face ...
    ... the tentative haunters.

    

    

    

    

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  • Lines 71-76

    This is the ...
    ... into the hold.

    

    

    

    

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  • Lines 77-82

    I am she: ...
    ... left to rot

    

    

    

    

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  • Lines 83-86

    we are the ...
    ... the fouled compass

    

    

    

    

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  • Lines 87-94

    We are, I ...
    ... do not appear.

    

    

    

    

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• “Diving into the Wreck” Symbols

  • 

    The Wreck

    Where this symbol appears in the poem:

    • Line 52: “I came to explore the wreck.”
    • Lines 55-56: “I came to see the damage that was done / and the treasures that prevail.”
    • Lines 57-60: “I stroke the beam of my lamp / slowly along the flank / of something more permanent / than fish or weed”
    • Lines 62-63: “the wreck and not the story of the wreck / the thing itself and not the myth”
    • Lines 74-76: “We circle silently / about the wreck / we dive into the hold.”
    • Lines 79-86: “whose breasts still bear the stress / whose silver, copper, vermeil cargo lies / obscurely inside barrels / half-wedged and left to rot / we are the half-destroyed instruments / that once held to a course / the water-eaten log / the fouled compass”
    • Line 90: “back to this scene”
  • 

    The Drowned Face

    Where this symbol appears in the poem:

    • Lines 64-65: “the drowned face always staring / toward the sun”
    • Line 78: “whose drowned face sleeps with open eyes”
  • 

    The Book of Myths

    Where this symbol appears in the poem:

    • Line 1: “First having read the book of myths”
    • Lines 53-54: “The words are purposes. / The words are maps.”
    • Lines 61-63: “the thing I came for: / the wreck and not the story of the wreck / the thing itself and not the myth”
    • Lines 92-94: “a book of myths / in which / our names do not appear.”

• “Diving into the Wreck” Poetic Devices & Figurative Language

  • Alliteration

    

    

    

    

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    Where alliteration appears in the poem:

    • Line 5: “body,” “black”
    • Line 11: “sun,” “ schooner”
    • Line 16: “side,” “schooner”
    • Line 17: “We,” “what”
    • Line 18: “we”
    • Line 21: “some sundry”
    • Line 23: “Rung,” “rung”
    • Line 29: “cripple”
    • Line 30: “crawl”
    • Line 34: “blue”
    • Line 35: “bluer”
    • Line 36: “black,” “blacking”
    • Line 37: “my mask,” “powerful”
    • Line 38: “pumps,” “my,” “power”
    • Line 39: “sea,” “story”
    • Line 40: “sea,” “power”
    • Line 42: “to turn”
    • Line 49: “between”
    • Line 50: “besides”
    • Line 51: “ breathe,” “differently down”
    • Line 55: “damage,” “done”
    • Line 57: “stroke”
    • Line 58: “slowly”
    • Line 59: “something”
    • Line 64: “staring”
    • Line 65: “sun”
    • Line 67: “salt,” “sway”
    • Line 73: “ black,” “body”
    • Line 74: “circle silently”
    • Line 79: “breasts,” “still,” “bear,” “stress”
    • Line 80: “silver,” “copper,” “cargo”
    • Line 84: “course”
    • Line 86: “compass”
    • Line 88: “cowardice,” “courage”
    • Line 91: “carrying,” “camera”

  • Allusion

    

    

    

    

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    Where allusion appears in the poem:

    • Lines 9-11: “not like Cousteau with his / assiduous team / aboard the sun-flooded schooner”
    • Lines 13-18: “There is a ladder. / The ladder is always there / hanging innocently / close to the side of the schooner. / We know what it is for, / we who have used it.”

  • Assonance

    

    

    

    

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    Where assonance appears in the poem:

    • Line 3: “checked,” “edge”
    • Line 4: “on”
    • Line 5: “body,” “armor,” “rubber”
    • Line 6: “absurd flippers”
    • Line 7: “awkward”
    • Line 9: “his”
    • Line 10: “assiduous”
    • Line 11: “sun-flooded”
    • Line 21: “some sundry”
    • Line 29: “flippers cripple”
    • Line 34: “blue”
    • Line 35: “bluer”
    • Line 36: “black,” “blacking”
    • Line 37: “mask,” “powerful”
    • Line 38: “pumps,” “blood,” “power”
    • Line 39: “the sea,” “story”
    • Line 40: “the sea,” “power”
    • Line 49: “between,” “reefs”
    • Line 50: “besides”
    • Line 51: “breathe,” “differently”
    • Line 52: “explore”
    • Line 53: “words”
    • Line 54: “words”
    • Line 57: “stroke”
    • Line 58: “slowly”
    • Line 69: “curving,” “assertion”
    • Line 71: “This is”
    • Line 73: “armored body”
    • Line 74: “We,” “circle,” “silently”
    • Line 77: “she,” “he”
    • Line 78: “sleeps,” “eyes”
    • Line 79: “breasts,” “stress”
    • Line 80: “silver, copper, vermeil,” “lies”
    • Line 81: “inside”
    • Line 82: “wedged,” “left”
    • Line 85: “water,” “log”

  • Caesura

    

    

    

    

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    Where caesura appears in the poem:

    • Line 44: “now: it”
    • Line 72: “here, the”
    • Line 73: “black, the”
    • Line 77: “she: I”
    • Line 87: “are, I am, you”
    • Line 91: “knife, a”

  • Consonance

    

    

    

    

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    Where consonance appears in the poem:

    • Line 1: “book”
    • Line 2: “and loaded,” “camera”
    • Line 3: “checked,” “blade”
    • Line 5: “body-armor,” “black rubber”
    • Line 6: “absurd flippers”
    • Line 7: “grave,” “and,” “awkward mask”
    • Line 9: “like,” “Cousteau,” “his”
    • Line 10: “assiduous,” “team”
    • Line 11: “aboard,” “sun-flooded schooner”
    • Line 12: “alone”
    • Line 13: “ladder”
    • Line 14: “ladder,” “is always”
    • Line 15: “hanging innocently”
    • Line 16: “close,” “side,” “schooner”
    • Line 20: “piece,” “maritime,” “floss”
    • Line 21: “some sundry”
    • Line 23: “Rung,” “rung”
    • Line 24: “immerses me”
    • Line 25: “blue light”
    • Line 26: “clear,” “atoms”
    • Line 27: “human”
    • Line 29: “flippers cripple”
    • Line 30: “crawl,” “like,” “an insect,” “down,” “ladder”
    • Line 32: “when,” “ocean”
    • Line 33: “will,” “ begin”
    • Line 34: “blue”
    • Line 35: “bluer,” “and then green and then”
    • Line 36: “black,” “blacking”
    • Line 37: “my mask,” “powerful”
    • Line 38: “pumps,” “my,” “power”
    • Line 39: “sea is,” “story”
    • Line 40: “sea is,” “question,” “power”
    • Line 41: “learn alone”
    • Line 42: “to turn”
    • Line 48: “swaying,” “fans”
    • Line 49: “between,” “reefs”
    • Line 50: “besides”
    • Line 51: “breathe,” “differently down”
    • Line 52: “explore,” “wreck”
    • Line 53: “words,” “purposes”
    • Line 54: “words,” “maps”
    • Line 55: “damage,” “done”
    • Line 57: “beam ,” “my lamp”
    • Line 58: “slowly ,” “along,” “flank”
    • Line 59: “something more permanent”
    • Line 61: “the thing”
    • Line 63: “the thing,” “the myth”
    • Line 64: “face always staring”
    • Line 65: “sun”
    • Line 66: “evidence”
    • Line 67: “salt,” “sway,” “this threadbare,” “beauty”
    • Line 68: “ribs,” “disaster”
    • Line 69: “curving,” “assertion”
    • Line 70: “among,” “tentative haunters”
    • Line 72: “mermaid”
    • Line 73: “streams black,” “merman,” “armored body”
    • Line 74: “circle silently”
    • Line 78: “face sleeps,” “open”
    • Line 79: “breasts still bear,” “stress”
    • Line 80: “silver,” “copper,” “vermeil,” “cargo,” “lies”
    • Line 81: “obscurely inside barrels”
    • Line 82: “half,” “left,” “rot”
    • Line 83: “half-destroyed instruments”
    • Line 84: “once,” “held,” “course”
    • Line 85: “water-eaten,” “log”
    • Line 86: “fouled,” “compass”
    • Line 88: “cowardice,” “courage”
    • Line 89: “one,” “find”
    • Line 90: “this scene”
    • Line 91: “carrying,” “camera”
    • Line 92: “book”
    • Line 94: “names,” “not”

  • Enjambment

    

    

    

    

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    Where enjambment appears in the poem:

    • Lines 4-5: “on / the”
    • Lines 5-6: “rubber / the”
    • Lines 6-7: “flippers / the”
    • Lines 8-9: “this / not”
    • Lines 9-10: “his / assiduous”
    • Lines 10-11: “team / aboard”
    • Lines 11-12: “schooner / but”
    • Lines 14-15: “there / hanging”
    • Lines 15-16: “innocently / close”
    • Lines 19-20: “Otherwise / it”
    • Lines 20-21: “floss / some”
    • Lines 23-24: “still / the”
    • Lines 24-25: “me / the”
    • Lines 25-26: “ light / the”
    • Lines 26-27: “atoms / of”
    • Lines 30-31: “ladder / and”
    • Lines 31-32: “ one / to”
    • Lines 32-33: “ocean / will”
    • Lines 34-35: “then / it”
    • Lines 35-36: “then / black”
    • Lines 36-37: “yet / my”
    • Lines 37-38: “powerful / it”
    • Lines 38-39: “power / the”
    • Lines 39-40: “story / the”
    • Lines 40-41: “power / I”
    • Lines 41-42: “alone / to”
    • Lines 42-43: “force / in”
    • Lines 44-45: “forget / what”
    • Lines 45-46: “for / among”
    • Lines 46-47: “always / lived”
    • Lines 47-48: “here / swaying”
    • Lines 48-49: “fans / between”
    • Lines 49-50: “reefs / and”
    • Lines 50-51: “besides / you”
    • Lines 55-56: “done / and”
    • Lines 57-58: “lamp / slowly”
    • Lines 58-59: “flank / of”
    • Lines 59-60: “permanent / than”
    • Lines 60-61: “weed / the”
    • Lines 62-63: “wreck / the”
    • Lines 63-64: “myth / the”
    • Lines 64-65: “staring / toward”
    • Lines 65-66: “sun / the”
    • Lines 66-67: “damage / worn”
    • Lines 67-68: “beauty / the”
    • Lines 68-69: “disaster / curving”
    • Lines 69-70: “assertion / among”
    • Lines 72-73: “hair / streams”
    • Lines 74-75: “silently / about”
    • Lines 75-76: “wreck / we”
    • Lines 77-78: “he / whose”
    • Lines 78-79: “eyes / whose”
    • Lines 79-80: “stress / whose”
    • Lines 80-81: “lies / obscurely”
    • Lines 81-82: “ barrels / half-wedged”
    • Lines 82-83: “rot / we”
    • Lines 83-84: “instruments / that”
    • Lines 84-85: “course / the”
    • Lines 85-86: “log / the”
    • Lines 87-88: “are / by”
    • Lines 88-89: “courage / the”
    • Lines 89-90: “way / back”
    • Lines 90-91: “scene / carrying”
    • Lines 91-92: “camera / a”
    • Lines 92-93: “myths / in”
    • Lines 93-94: “which / our”

  • Extended Metaphor

    

    

    

    

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    Where extended metaphor appears in the poem:

    • Lines 1-94

  • Repetition

    

    

    

    

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    Where repetition appears in the poem:

    • Lines 1-3: “First having read the book of myths, / and loaded the camera, / and checked the edge of the knife-blade,”
    • Line 5: “the”
    • Line 6: “the”
    • Line 7: “the”
    • Line 11: “schooner”
    • Line 13: “ladder”
    • Line 14: “ladder”
    • Line 16: “schooner”
    • Line 23: “Rung,” “rung”
    • Line 24: “the”
    • Line 25: “the”
    • Line 26: “the”
    • Line 30: “ladder”
    • Line 34: “blue,” “and then”
    • Line 35: “bluer and then green and then”
    • Line 36: “black,” “blacking”
    • Line 38: “power”
    • Line 39: “the sea is”
    • Line 40: “the sea is,” “power”
    • Line 53: “The words are”
    • Line 54: “The words are”
    • Line 61: “the thing”
    • Line 62: “the wreck,” “the wreck”
    • Line 63: “the thing”
    • Line 77: “I am she: I am he”
    • Line 78: “whose”
    • Line 79: “whose”
    • Line 80: “whose”
    • Line 82: “half-wedged”
    • Line 83: “half-destroyed”
    • Line 85: “the”
    • Line 86: “the”
    • Line 87: “We are, I am, you are”
    • Lines 91-92: “carrying a knife, a camera / a book of myths”

  • Simile

    

    

    

    

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    Where simile appears in the poem:

    • Line 30: “I crawl like an insect down the ladder”

• “Diving into the Wreck” Vocabulary

  Select any word below to get its definition in the context of the poem. The words are listed in the order in which they appear in the poem.

  • Cousteau
  • Assiduous
  • Schooner
  • Maritime floss
  • Sundry
  • Crenellated
  • Prevail
  • Flank
  • Salt and sway
  • Assertion
  • Tentative
  • Haunters
  • Mermaid/Merman
  • Vermeil
  • (Location in poem: Line 9: “Cousteau”)

• Form, Meter, & Rhyme Scheme of “Diving into the Wreck”

  • Form

  • Meter