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The poem written by Adrienne Rich, titled, “Diving into The Wreck” depicts an unknown speaker’s desire to confirm the accuracy of knowledge contained in a book by venturing into the depths of the ocean. On their mission to finding the “wreck, the poem vividly captures a description of everything they perceive, sense, and experience. As a result, some scholars have conceptualized Rich’s poem as being dream-like and often argue that it is a metaphor for plunging into one’s unconscious.
Although on the surface it can be read as dreamlike, I argue against this psycho-analytical approach and instead offer how the descriptively imaginative characteristics of the setting of the wreck are a clear reference to the westernized Romantic literary canon. Rich under a Foucauldian lens understands the influence of discourse as it relates to power and knowledge, and similarly shapes our notions of identity. So she uses this lens as a way to criticize the current biased and exclusive nature of Romanticism.
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“ Ok, let me say I’m extremely satisfy with the result while it was a last minute thing. I really enjoy the effort put in. ”
Through Rich’s interchangeable use of gender pronouns and ability to instantly adopt new gender roles throughout the poem, gender identity is displayed as being a performative false construct of discourse. It is through this destabilizing lens, that it is made clear how the poem’s disruption of gender identity must be read as a metaphor for the disruption of a predominantly male-centered literary canon. Thus, Rich’s poem foregrounds the instability of current literary discourse to reveal how the speaker is not diving into their unconscious but rather is diving and experiencing the predominantly male Romantic literary canon, that is the “wreck.” Understanding the Foucauldian notion of gender identity as a false construct of discourse, allows Rich’s poem to embrace, not a full-blow notion of gender performance, but rather one that urges other female writers to step outside of their predetermined discursive identities and similarly experience the Romantic literary discourse for themselves.
The opening lines of Rich’s poem immediately undermine the legitimacy of information contained in the westernized male-influenced discourse.
However, it isn’t until the very end of the poem that Rich reveals the rationale behind the inherit hesitance. Skeptical of the current legitimacy of the westernized male governed literary discourse, the speaker states, “First having read the book of myths/and loaded the camera/and checked the edge of the knife- blade…” (Rich 1-3). With the phrase “book of myths” Rich immediately implies there is a need to verify the accuracy of the information contained in books (1). By dismissing the knowledge in the book as simply being “mythical” Rich begins the process of deconstructing the validity of this particular literary discourse itself. Thus, by the first stanza, Rich exerts her understanding of Foucault’s concept of discourse, as a body of writing which defines a specialized area written by those with knowledge and power (Huehls, lecture). Distrusting the perspective of the knowledge held in this book, the character of the poem embarks on a solitary journey that explores the westernized romantic literary canon by diving into the metaphorical ocean of text.
It’s important to note that this poem is located within the second-wave feminist movement, a time in a discussion where gender and power took precedent. Contextualizing this poem within this particular wave of feminism allows the reader to better grasp the feminist issues of the unequal representation of gender, voice, and perspective within the westernized literary discourse. As a feminist, and female writer, in the poem, Rich dismisses this “book” two times as being “mythical” asserting its bias at the beginning and end of the poem, she implies it is flawed and written from the perspective of men in power. The last lines unfold the prominent feminist issue of inclusivity and representation, as it relates to power, knowledge, and discourse. The speaker states,
We are, I am, you are
… the one who finds our way
back to this scene
carrying a knife, a camera
a book of myths
in which
our names do not appear. (Rich 87-94)
In these lines, there is a unifying, direct, and combative tone present. The words, “We…I… and you” establish a sense of inclusivity and urgency and also reveal how the audience is affected by what is about to be said (Rich, 89). The use of the phrase, “back to this scene” draws theon aboutspeaker'sthe findfamiliar political struggle women have faced in relation to gender when entering the predominantly masculine romantic discourse (Rich 90). Here the speakers need for a “knife” and “camera” is similarly echoed from the beginning of the poem which suggests they are figurative tools needed by women to both fight and document the daily political struggle they face. The last line affirms Rich is subtly drawing on this political struggle between power and a female gender representation through phrase “our names do not appear” (Rich 94). By the end of the poem, it is clear then that Rich revealed the instability of knowledge contained within the Romantic literary discourse to expose and criticize the lack of female authorship currently present.
Another indicator that the poem draws on feminist issues of gender and representation is seen in Rich’s performativity of gender identity. Drawing on Butler’s theoretical concepts of the deconstruction of gender and identity, Rich highlights identity as a form of false construct. It’s important to note however that Rich, departs from Butler, by choosing not to embrace a full-blown notion of gender performance. Rather Rich advocates for the reality of the day-to-day political implications of feminist politics. In the first few lines the speaker states, “I put on/the body-armor of black rubber/the absurd flippers/the grave and awkward mask. (Rich 4-7) Rich begins performing gender by admitting that the speaker has “put on” a full-bodied “black-rubber” scuba suit, which reflects the idea that gender is constructed and wearable. With this line, Rich playfully shows the fluidity and performativity of gender identity through the speaker’s ability to wear a different gender identity, even if it is neutral. Gender identity becomes neutral since the body is being covered from head to toe serving to obscure the true gender identity of the person underneath the suit. In these lines, it is clear that this “black rubber” suit references gender expression because of the direct emphasis on what is placed on the body, which echoes the way clothes and attire signal a person’s masculinity or femininity. The speaker refers to the “flippers” as being absurd, and the “mask” as being “awkward” which shows the inherent unfamiliarity and discomfort of having to perform and neutralize gender expression. This idea of easily shifting gender is replicated once more toward the end of the poem, as the speaker is at the bottom of the ocean, they state,“…we dive into the hold./ I am she: I am he.” (Rich 76-77) Here is one single powerful line, the speaker identifies their own gender identity with both representations of the gender binary “he, she” (Rich 77). Switching so abruptly and so easily between the binaries of male, of female again serves to solidify the feasibility of the construction of gender identity. Rich by doing this playfully highlights and encourages the ability to break free from all discursively constructed gender identities.
Rich similarly exposes the inequalities and differences between the gender binaries in society as a metaphor that reflects the hardships of female authorship. At the end of stanza one before the speaker emerges into the depths of the oceans they state,
…I am having to do this
not like Cousteau with his
assiduous team
…but here alone (Rich 8-12.)
Here, the name “Cousteau” reflects a famous French oceanographer and researcher, who had support from a whole team as he explored the ocean depths. Here there is an obvious unequal comparison in Cousteau’s resources to the lack of aid available to the diver. His reference juxtaposed to the speaker who has to navigate the sea untrained and “alone” emphasizes the huge difference in support tied to gender (Rich12). It serves as a metaphor for women who are forced to navigate discourse on their own. Here it’s important that Rich is not interested in completely deconstructing the binaries between men and female gender, she merely aims to point out the inequalities and flaws in the implications that they play on gender politics. As the diver descends into the sea on a latter, they face yet again a lack of support, “…there is no one/ to tell me when the ocean/ will begin.” (Rich 31-33) The speakers’ inexperience in this foreign territory, is suggested through their awareness that they have no concrete way of knowing when the “ocean will begin” (Rich 31-33). This repetition of the lack of guidance the speaker has on the journey they have embarked on echoes the political struggle women face when diving into the literary canon. The tone of this text is defeated and fearful further relaying the emotional and mental toll learning “alone” has taken. That is, women during Rich’s time unlike men, had very few well-known female authorship they could learn to navigate the field from. The reference to Cousteau, along with these explicit descriptions of having to teach themselves and “learn alone” draws on the vast difference in tools and guidance available within the gender binaries of the literary canon.
Once undersea it’s vividly clear the speaker dove not into their unconscious but the heavily male-centered westernized romantic canon. It is apparent they dove into the Romantic westernized literary canon because their surroundings are described with the same characteristics that are featured in Romantic literature. Romantic literature has traditionally valued the beauty of nature, and individualism above rationale, and as the diver descends there is a sudden change in scenery that focuses on this exaltation of nature. The speaker states, “the oxygen immerses me/ the blue light/the clear atoms/…”(Rich 24-27). Here the word “me” allows the speaker to relay their own experience of submerging into the sea (Rich 24). This ability to draw on the subjectivity of one’s own experience of the sea is a key staple of Romanticism. In this text, Rich also draws on the imaginative characteristics of the romantic canon by suggesting they can both feel the “oxygen” saturating them and see the “clear” color of “atoms” which is very unrealistic (Rich 24-27). Another instance where the speaker reproduces imaginative romantic characteristics that highlight the beauty of nature occurs in the passage where the water of the ocean is described as “air”(Rich, 34). They state, “First the air is blue and then/it is bluer and then green and then/ black I am blacking out…”( Rich 34-36 ). The clear focus on natural elements here and the way they shift colors for the speaker evokes a beautiful and personal appreciation of nature. Much like authors and poets do in Romanticism Rich here creates a very unique description that reflects the value of their artistic interpretation of the ocean waves around them. Of course, we know the impossibility of there actually being “air” underwater but it shows Rich’s ability to create and exalt the imagination above rationale. In these examples, the focus is on the subjective experience of nature a modern staple of Romantic features. It’s significant to note that these Romantic characteristics were generally previously tied to male authorship, like William Wordsworth, or Keats and Shelly, and thus only exalted the intimate male perspective of the relationship between man and nature. By replicating the most common Romantic features of literary discourse, Rich deconstructs and playfully attacks the biases already located in the westernized male governed canon, to show how these abilities are not tied to any one gender.
Rich vividly reveals to the audience the representation of women in the current state of the “wreck” in an urgent appeal for the inclusivity of all authorship.
In the last stanza, Rich highlights the importance of female contribution in their representation by shedding light on the current representations of women in the wreck. The speaker states, “…half-wedged and left to rot/we are the half-destroyed instruments…/the water-eaten log…” (Rich 82-85) Here the words, “rot and destroyed” create a dark and depressing tone. Similarly, the word “half” is referenced twice, both times in unappealing light. The words “half- wedged” and “half-destroyed” metaphorically represent the position of female representation in this Romantic literary canon (Rich 83). Moreover, Rich paints this devasting and raw image of females to express the urgency to contribute to and ultimately change the female representation in this literary discourse. By referring to the representation of females, as being inaccurate and unfilled, Rich implies the rotting and deteriorating characterization of the female voice can be changed (Rich 82). It is clear through the use of the word, “we” that Rich calls for all authorship. and urges other women to follow her lead and abandon their previously conceived roles of gender identity. By the end of this stanza Rich demonstrates the dark need to invite other women to embark on the difficult task of changing female representation from within the Romantic literary canon.
In conclusion, Rich’s poem criticizes the stability of the accuracy of the information contained within the Romantic literary canon, to reveal the diver's need to validify and leap into the wreck. By understanding Foucault’s concept of identity about discourse and power, Rich expresses the need to inspire other female authors to reject their pre-determined discursive identities and follow her into the canon. In the poem Rich, immediately exposes the biases in perspective within this literary discourse by dismissing it and referring to it as being mythical. Drawing on Butler’s notion of the fluidity of gender identity as constructive, Rich too playfully engages with the performative concept of gender, through the speaker who shifts between gender identity. Similarly, by exposing identity as a construct in the poem, Rich invites the audience to actively reject their own predetermined gendered identity roles within the canon. However, Rich notably takes a more daily political approach and does not embrace a total notion of gender performativity like Butler, but rather focuses on exposing bias and urging other women to go beyond their pre-discursively constructed gender identities. By effectively replicating the same fantastic Romantic characteristics of this male-influenced canon, Rich highlights the possible capabilities of female authors and inspires others to take after her lead. Lastly, Rich highlights the terrible current representation of women to evoke the urgent need for more inclusive authorship and calls for other female authors to actively contribute to the discussion of Romantic discourse.
The Romantic Literary “Wreck”. (2022, Aug 22). Retrieved from https://studymoose.com/the-romantic-literary-wreck-essay
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