Blog Post 4, Topic 2

“No change can come if those who are impacted the most by discrimination are not willing to stand up for themselves” (Zainab Salbi). In the 1960s to the end of 1970s this message was at the heart of the era. People were finally standing up for the discriminations that had plagued the US, regardless of the consequences that could have occurred. Not only was the civil rights movement a dominant part of this time, but the feminist movement, anti-Vietnam War movement, and the gay rights movement were also key events that influenced the life of that time. A piece of work that acknowledges and captures the struggles of this time is the poem “Diving into the Wreck,” by Adrienne Rich.  Although on the surface, the poem just talks about a diver suiting up and going into the ocean’s deep to discover a shipwreck, there is a conceit in this piece that allows for the poem to have a deeper meaning within it. Depending on what aspect of Rich’s life is being analyzed, many different connotations could be developed and argued about what the conceit is. Although the conceit could represent many other meanings, the best explanation is that the dive symbolizes Rich’s dive into activism and the fight for those movements in a society that tried to suppress them.

The main movements that Rich was involved in, was the civil rights, anti-Vietnam War, and gay rights movement. The Civil Rights movement was a well-known battle between the bigoted people of society, who refused to treat African Americans fairly and equally, and the African Americans, who simply wanted liberty and freedom. This movement officially started in the middle of the 1950’s and lasted until 1968. In the 1960’s, that is when the movement became heavily underway with many assaults, attacks, boycotts, and riots breaking out due to the African Americans standing up and fighting for their rights. The anti-Vietnam War movement was also prominent during the 1960’s and consisted of Americans protesting and fighting against America’s involvement in the Vietnam War. People were angry that their young men had to be drafted into the army and killed senselessly over a war that did not even affect them. This crowd consisted mostly of young educated adults and hippies that believed that peace was the answer anyway. The Gay Rights movement was another huge protest in the 1960’s due to the LGBT community not wanting to hide from society anymore and be openly able to express themselves even when it was frowned upon. Like the Civil Rights movement, this movement also fought for freedom and equal rights, but was also heavily attacked and unwanted due to society’s views of gay people. Despite the immense trouble that a person could get into by participating and defending any of these movements, Adrienne Rich still dove right into the middle of them and spoke up for the people that did not have a voice.

Rich’s poem symbolizes the journey into the controversial movements of that time through its use of language. Like when the poem talks about the ladder and how “the ladder is always there/ hanging innocently” (Rich). The ladder is symbolism of the path taken when finally deciding to step out of the norms of the world to fight for what is right. The ladder separates the world as everyone knows it from the deep underwater world that no one has yet to explore and understand, just as the movements did in society. Rich further explains how “We know what it is used for, / we who have used it” (Rich), because only the people who consciously make the decision to fight back know the transition between living like the rest of the world and going against what everyone else believes. As Rich moves down the ladder to become politically awaken to the prejudices of America, she comes across the wreck. Once she finds it, she describes herself by saying, “And I am here, the mermaid whose dark hair/ streams back, the merman in his armored body” (Rich). Rich describes herself as not just a singular person, but collectively as multiple people, showing how she does not stand alone during the middle of this wreckage and tribulating time. The fact that the mermen have armored bodies also help identify that the men are suited up during battle and armed against their defenses. The tense of the poem also changes from first person to second person when she says, “We circle silently/ about the wreck/ we dive into the hold” (Rich). The “we” in this statement displays how she is with other people that stand together against the people that want to condemn them, and they dive into the challenge as one and with a common purpose to prevail through the wreck no matter the cost. This poem also captures the essence of the movements through its use of unity. Multiple times throughout the poem, Rich explains how, “I am she: I am he,” which embodies the character of the movements of that time. These movements thrived off the unification of people in order to combat the long-lasting views of the world. Through this poem, Rich subtly enlightened the world of the importance of these movements and how she stood with them throughout the duration of their time.