A poetic technique mentioned by Culler in Chapter 5 of Literary Theory: A Very Short Introduction that I was able to identify in “Diving into the Wreck” by Adrienne Rich was the use of metaphors. Culler states, “because a metaphor can carry an elaborate proposition, even a theory, it is the rhetorical figure most easily justified (72).” I believe Rich uses metaphor in comparing her exploration of the wreck to self-discovery. Rich states, “I came to explore the wreck. The words are purposes. The words are maps. I came to see the damage that was done and the treasures that prevail (52).” Rich displays metaphor in her use of the texts wreck, damage and treasures. Rich signifies throughout the poem that although she endured abuse from the patriarchal society, she was able to gain a sense of identity and self-discovery through diving into the events that led her to herself. I believe the authors use of metaphor was important because this set the theme for the reader. Readers are able to identify that by diving into the wreck, the author was able to reflect how patriarchy has built her identity. This helps shape the meaning of the poem because the reader is able to grasp through the metaphors that although the author experienced wreckage and despair in her life, it served as a significant experience for the authors journey to self-discovery.

This entry is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International license.