Blog Post #4 Prompt#2:

“Diving into the Wreck” is an explicit description of exploring a wrecked ship. I think the poem is an extended metaphor for going out and doing things yourself. With the expedition representing the push and the struggle, while the ship is serving as the goal you may have. Definitely, the author's language plays a huge role in conveying this message. The author seems to be determined to achieve his goal when he says “... the thing I came for: the wreck and not the story of the wreck the thing itself and not the myth…”.  Many times people just talk about their ambitions or their dreams and never really do anything about them because the thought of it is satisfying enough or they're too scared or don't want to put in the work. However the narrator wants the real thing, and I think he is trying to set an example to motivate us to never settle for the imitation of what you want.  When the narrator says  “I am having to do this not like Cousteau with his assiduous team aboard the sun-flooded schooner but here alone”.  It tells me that the narrator wants to be different and attempt this with no help. He wants to do it alone because he doesn't want to cheat himself. If he is going to complete his goal he wants to say that he did it, not because of any one person, but because he was capable enough to do it himself. However, there are consequences to going solo. The narrator states“...there is no one to tell me when the ocean will begin.” It is tough because he has no guidance, no one to fall back on but yourself. Nonetheless, the extra challenge makes it that much more fulfilling when you beat the odds.  Once you attain your goal it is easy for things to change as the narrator asserts  “And now: it is easy to forget what I came for among so many who have always lived here swaying their crenelated fans between the reefs and besides you breathe differently down here.” Which implies that once people attain their objective it is easy to be influenced by your success. It almost sounds like a warning to be cautious and to remember where you came from.  Throughout the entire poem, the author is referring to a goal he is trying to accomplish by using the exploration of the wrecked ship as a metaphor. And how the narrator keeps saying that “...I have to learn alone …”, which indicates that what he is doing is personal to him, which is relatable because a lot of goals or aspirations people have are very personal. This poem can be applied to many life situations whether it be obtaining simple goals or ambitious objectives, but the point is getting out there and actually doing it.