Adrienne Richs' "Diving Into the Wreck" illustrates the feeling of sensitiveness towards a tragedy, assuming it is a ship wreck, and how that tragedy has the capability to scar an individual. In doing so, Rich provides symbolic elements such as the water gear, the "sundry" ladder, the different colors and the use of vivid visuals. The usage of these specific elements seem to construct the mysterious atmosphere of the wreck that the narrator is surrounded with and the emotions the narrator feels given by the wreck. In the introduction, the narrator starts off by naming just some of the types of gear that are necessary when going into the water. By putting on the "body-armor of black rubber, absurd slippers, the grave and the awkward mask," the narrator is giving an inkling onto what they are about to take a journey on. These certain objects serve as the commencement into "diving into the wreck," the type of commencement that seems to have made a large impact on the narrator for they are dragged back into recounting that experience all over again in a unstable manner. As the narrator moves along, they introduce the ladder. The ladder is the main key to the two different worlds that the narrator exists in. When they describe going down the ladder "rung and rung", the idea is clear that the narrator is not very fond of it and a feeling of discomfort is presented due to the way the narrator portrays his mixed emotions. Rich accomplishes in portraying the sensitivity a human being can hold when going back to a past struggle. .
The vivid visuals described throughout the poem give a better insight into the narrators' emotions. As the narrator goes down the ladder they see colors like blue, green, and black. In a way, the colors named represent the mixed emotions the narrator holds and by about this part of the poem it is certain that the tragedy that the narrator experienced has the same effect now than when it did when it occurred.
