Area of Study: Diving Into the Wreck and Away

Feature of the concept

Diving into the Wreck (Adrienne Rich)

Away (Michael Gow)

This Area of Study requires students to explore the ways in which the concept of Discovery is represented in and through texts.

Through poetry; The wreck and the procedure of the dive is a metaphor for the journey of discovery.

Through drama/play; The course of a vacation and the exposure to different circumstances evoking selfdiscovery and rediscovery.

Discovery can encompass the experience of discovering something for the first time or rediscovering something that has been lost, forgotten or concealed.

Rich almost touches both concepts of discovery and rediscovery. The wreck could be compared to both. “There is a ladder. (It’s)... always there.” “We know what it is used for, we who have used it.”

“I know. They want me to think I’m going to be right as rain.” Tom has the right to know that he has a cancer of the blood. When he eventually finds out, he pities his parents, “the poor bastards”.

Discoveries can be sudden and unexpected or they can emerge from a process of deliberate and careful planning evoked by curiosity, necessity or wonder.

Discovery, in this case, is a well thought out process with lots of preparation. “I put on the body armour… the absurd flippers...grave and awkward mask.” It is evoked by curiosity and wonder, probably by the book of myths. “I came to explore the wreck… the wreck… not the story of the wreck… not the myth.”

The attitude towards holidaying is different in the three families. In Tom’s family, the attitude is laidback and relaxed making space for new experiences. This could have been evoked by necessity as they are not very privileged. “Oh...we’re going to drive for a bit. See what we find.”

Discoveries can be fresh and intensely meaningful in ways that may be emotional, creative, intellectual, physical and spiritual.

The process of descending into the ocean “rung by rung” . As the speaker hits the ocean, there’s a gradual loss of the “blue light… the clear atoms of our human air” until the blue air is “bluer and then green and then black… I am blacking out”. This

During the play that Tom and Coral create, Coral says, “I’m walking, I’m walking.” This can symbolise Coral finally accepting her situation regarding her son’s death. She is finally moving on and taking her first ‘baby steps.’ “What do you think of me? You must hate me? Why

speaks of the panic caused by the loss of tangibility of familiarity and safety. “Yet my mask is powerful.. it pumps my blood with power”. In a way, this could speak of the power of the earlier preparation that forces life and power into the speaker; the journey’s not ended.

do you still bother?” After Gwen is faced with the stark reality of Tom’s dim future during their “quick paddle”, Gwen takes on a change of heart. In many interpretations this point in the play is compared to baptism that results in her rising with a new, compassionate mindset.

They can also be confronting and provocative. They can lead us to new worlds and values, stimulate new ideas, and enable us to speculate about future possibilities.

“the drowned face always staring toward the sun... face sleeps with open eyes whose breasts still bear the stress” The drowned face staring almost longingly towards the sun or the “blue light”

“I mightn’t like it there.” In Away, this idea of confronting discoveries leading to new worlds can be taken quite literally in Coral’s case. She has found solace in an imaginary, conjured place where she can “just stare and smile and say nothing.” The stimulus here is the grim death of her son at during his service at the military.

Discoveries and discovering can offer new understandings and renewed perceptions of ourselves and others.

“I came to see the damage that was done and the treasures that prevail.” Although Rich is in awe and wonder in the beginning of the poem to view and salvage the mysterious treasures of the deep, the wonder seeps away and the descriptions of these long awaited treasures become dry and unenthusiastic. “whose silver, copper, vermeil cargo lies obscurely inside barrels… left to rot.”

“There is a time for being grief stricken, there’s a time for weeping and wailing… but it comes to an end.” In this case, the revelation of the death of Roy’s son and Coral’s absurd behaviour towards others has provoked him to say these profound words. This creates an opportunity for the reader to see a side of Roy that’s otherwise overshadowed by his colloquial manner, “Mrs Papa… Papalapa… Papalax…”

An individual’s discoveries and their process of discovering can vary according to personal, cultural, historical and social contexts and values. The impact of these

“I am having to do this not like Cousteau with his assiduous team but here alone.” This poem was written in a time period with intense feminist issues. Here, Rich is drawing attention to the partiality in the availability of opportunities to men and women. “a book of myths in which our names do

“Some people may be happy living like pigs but I’m not. I will not have you hanging around with that kind of life… A sad dirty life.” Gwen has a strong contempt towards those in the lower class. This might be due to her personal experience, “As God is my witness, I will never be hungry again.”; “Sacrificed! Gone without.” Her social values towards complacency is reflected,

discoveries can be far reaching and transformative for the individual and for broader society.

not appear.” However, this discovery evokes this final line which in some interpretations is that the speaker is provoking others to come to attempt to let their names to be sounded.

“I’m sick to death of people… who don’t try for a better life… fight their way out with their bare hands.”

Discoveries may be questioned and challenged when viewed from different perspectives and their worth may be reassessed over time. The ramifications of particular discoveries may differ for individuals and their worlds.

“Having read the book of myths, loaded the camera and checked the edge of the knife blade…” Whatever the speaker has read (or discovered) in the book has prompted her to anticipate threat or danger. However as she finds solace with the “many who have always lived here”, she discards these feelings. In fact, she feels like it “easy to forget what (she) came for”

“In a funny kind of way we’re happy. Even while we’re very, very sad. We have no regrets… no hopes.” Harry and Vic’s collective discovery of Tom’s cancer of the blood has left them with a dominantly positive attitude. Although, stereotypically this would bring about depression, they have chosen to value the time left to them to spend with Tom.

By exploring the concept of Discovery, students can understand how texts have the potential to affirm or challenge individuals' or more widely-held assumptions and beliefs about aspects of human experience and the world.

“The words are purposes, the words are maps.” The book of myths might have been a guide or instigator for the speaker’s curiosity to swim to the wreck. However, it is not until, she gets to “thing (she) came for” that she is able to strip away her preconceptions and assumptions as she becomes one with the ocean, “the mermaid” and “the merman” and the “drowned face that sleeps with open eyes”

For most of the play, Gwen possesses a sort of disdain towards Harry and Vic, making sour comments, “They both work… in a factory… They shouldn’t be going on a holiday if they can’t afford one.” “Some people may be happy living like pigs…” She sort of feels like it’s the poor lifestyle is a choice they’ve made and that they are complacent in their wretched circumstances. But it is later revealed, “Remember for a while… This country… all we can think of is the cold, tiny houses… We felt held back.” They have moved on from their life as ‘pigs’ and taken the motive to move to Australia to abandon their former lifestyle.

Through composing and responding to a wide range of texts, students may

Since this poem was birthed during the time of gender inequality and a time of strife for the feminist views, it can be said that Rich’s view and the choice of words to

Repercussions of the discovery of her son’s death: “You’re still alive. You’re still alive and talking and laughing.” Sometimes, discoveries can be very devastating and

make discoveries about people, relationships, societies, places and events and generate new ideas. By synthesising perspectives, students may deepen their understanding of the concept of Discovery.

describe this metaphoric dive has been influenced by the yearning to break free. Once she descends into the ocean and sees the damage, she becomes androgynous discarding the differentiation of male and female. She believes everyone, regardless of their sex, should be given equal opportunities.

jarring that the individual can be in denial or in need of something that will replace that loss. In this case, Coral sees her son in Rick. Although she is not drawn to him in a sensual way, it appears so as she chides him to stay with him and to “come away into the dark”. We can clearly see through her language that that is not her intention.

Students consider the ways composers may invite them to experience discovery through their texts and explore how the process of discovering is represented using a variety of language modes, forms and features.

Rich uses short, concise, matter-of-fact lines to give us a detailed step by step procedure of her descent into the ocean (discovery). She uses personification, “The ladder… hang(s) innocently” “My flippers cripple me, I crawl like an insect.” She uses this simile to show the measures that she had to undertake in order to be ready for the dive are restricting her; outside her comfort zone. “... but here alone”; “I have to learn alone”; “and there is no one to tell me…” Repetition to inform and warn the reader that discovery is a solitary journey that has to be mostly experienced and learnt alone. “We are, I am, you are…” Rich includes the reader to beckon and invite them on her journey or on their own journey.

Gow uses common, colloquial language to allow the reader to participate and join the drama. He uses allusions to Shakespearean drama, ‘Midsummer Night’s Dream’ and ‘King Lear’. He uses symbolism in many cases to effectively communicate the essence of the drama. Since it is a play, he uses the stage directions to emphasise some parts of the drama. “Kids scurry about in garish light.” to “The light becomes bright, summery, morning.”

Other notes: ● Spiritual regeneration for a sense of belonging and harmony with each other and nature. In the first three acts, this is explored realistically within a highly formal theatrical structure including parallel scenes, soliloquy and choric farce

● In the final two acts, the idea of redemption is explored both symbolically and realistically - a storm washes away the debris of materialism and leaves the characters unburdened to deal with nature. Gwen is changed through a symbolic baptism by water that takes place in the sea off stage ● The sea is a dominant symbol for healing in this play ● Coral is taken on a journey in pursuit of her dead son and finally she and Roy are reconciled through the gesture of the collecting sea shells ● Four major elements involved here: Myths and beliefs; rituals; social groupings; status of people ● 'Attachment' plays an important part - Gwen's to materialism, Coral to her dead son, Roy to status and position, and Tom to his idea that sexual union can bring him some kind of fulfilment Parallels with A Midsummer's Night's Dream ● quarrels and complications - in The Dream, Oberon, Titania, the King and the Queens of the fairies are arguing over a boy stolen by Oberon from Titania. Her refusal to make peace angers Oberon who tricks her into falling in love with a rude mechanical - Bottom. When she awakes from the enchantment she is reconciled with her husband ● In Away, Roy estranged from Carol who blames Roy for sending their son away to Vietnam where he was killed. She forms an attachment to Rick, a fitter and turner. She returns from this in the end to reconcile with Roy. ● Tom represents 'Puck' in that his closeness to death triggers off an almost magical transformation in the lives of those who are touched by him ● In The Dream Hermia's father opposes the relationship between the two lovers, Hermia and Lysander. The two decide to run away to Athens and elope. Lysander tries to snuggle up to her in the woods but is refused - like Tom and Meg