Diving Into the Wreck

“Diving Into the Wreck” By Adrienne Rich As the title poem of Rich’s seventh book of poems, “Diving Into the Wreck” brings together some major themes of her works, the social roles and stigmas associated with men and women and self-exploration and discovery. A strong believer in sexual equality and liberal ideas about women’s role in society, Rich approaches this work as a poetic account of an aquatic explorer searching for the truth …

…where her words expose the diver as an androgyne. And I am here, the mermaid whose dark hair streams black, the merman in his armored body . . . I am she: I am he Rich uses this allegorical poem to expose others to different ideas about self-exploration and discovery and the strong social divisions between men and women. It inspires the reader to think about what they truly believe about themselves and the world they live in.