Divers Descent Into A River example essay topic

"The Diver" Robert Currie's "The Diver", on the surface, recounts a diver's descent and ascent into a river as onlookers eagerly anticipate his fate. Beneath the surface, this poem is actually very spiritual. The diver's descent into the water, and his arising from the water, can be compared to the crucifixion of Jesus. Through the masterful use of imagery and Biblical comparisons, Currie depicts the message that rebirth and hope can captivate and revitalize our spirits.

An essential key to the theme of "The Diver" is through the subtle yet prevailing use of Biblical references. From the very beginning of Currie's poem, a simile is used when describing the "bridge like a Roman fort". This helps to set the tone that something important is about to happen and also provides a Biblical base to the structure of the poem. Lines four to six describe the man's journey up towards the bridge. This journey can be compared to Jesus's trug gle towards the top of the hill where he was crucified.

Perhaps this man was also carrying a "load on his shoulders", so to speak. The poem becomes even more Biblical as "others bet upon his chance", much like Jesus' own fate. As the diver prepares for the inevitable, his situation has Biblical meaning. "At the summit of the span he rose / his arms outstretched / flung a cross against the sun" ', are perhaps three of the most powerful lines in the poem. These lines are followed by much anticipation from the crowd below.

The dive symbolizes the end of something, which is also supported when "The river circling away / grew silent as held breath / still as death". These lines make is seem as though everything, and everyone, even the river, are "holding their breath" in anticipation of the outcome of the dive. Then, starting at line twenty-one, the rebirth begins, as, "from unknown depths / his head broke the water / shook out a crown of sunlit spray. There is a strong Biblical presence in the comparisons used in this poem, which help to support the theme of hope and rebirth, while providing powerful imagery.

A vital element of Currie's "The Diver" is the strong presence of imagery, which helps to sustain the theme of captivating hope. The image of "the solitary figure" provokes a strong sense of despair, followed by his painful struggle "up the arch". The images give the impression that the events are unfolding in a captivating slow-motion means. It is like the dive is the one and only focus of the crowd; that it is all that matters for an instant in time. The image of the man with "his arms outstretched / flung a cross against the sun / and the whole world hung beneath him" is conceivably the most powerful of all the images in the poem. It provides a snapshot of frozen time and the held breath of the reader and the crowd.

At the end of the poem, we experience a sense of revitalization as "his head broke the water / shook a crown of sunlit spray/... new life / thrilling in our chests". The imagery in the poem is a fundamental component to the overall theme of hope springing eternal and spiritual renewal. The message of hope and rejuvenation is portrayed vividly in Robert Currie's "The Diver". An event that happened over two thousand years ago is compared with a divers descent into a river. We learn that a seemingly insignificant event can enrapture our lives, if only for an instant in the course of our lives, and give us a sense of spiritual rejuvenation.