The metaphor that I see when Rich refers to the wreck and not the myth of the drowned ship is it being compared to the universe or the world. You/Rich did not come looking for the myth, you came looking for the wreck. I interpreted this as you did not come here for people to tell you how the world is. You simply came to experience the world. Now, when Rich speaks about the mermaid and the merman, where "I am she: I am he", I believe that Rich understands that fundamentally, we are all the same. Humans have created classifications for things. Gender, sexual orientation, race, religion, age. As we live in this era, these classifications are incredibly useful, however, many of our world's problems stem from the differences between these demographics. As Rich was an advocate for not only women's rights, but also lesbian's issues, I think she had a very good grasp on how to explain and get others to understand perspectives that aren't theirs. While to some people, this message may be cryptic, the fact of its existence proves that this is a valid interpretation. Before I am a straight, male, Bengali adolescent, I am a human. As we all are, and understanding that allows you to see through all of the classifications we have for ourselves. It allows people to more easily sympathize with those who are different from them. While Rich may not have reached everyone, she has certainly been influential to many.

I believe that Walcott's metaphor that compares the sea to history is an incredibly good comparison. As I am not too familiar with biblical references and stories it was a bit hard to follow at times. As one of my peers has written, the sea is vast, hard to explore and we may never fully explore it in the history of our race. There are many aspects of history long forgotten or never recorded. However, it is all there. I believe that when Walcott asks this question, he is asking not just his brethren, but all people, where is your rebirth. Where does History stop for those before you and start for you. As the child of immigrants, it's an incredibly relatable thought. Who am I, and what does my heritage mean to me? Who do I ask, and how do I decide? Walcott states "strop on these goggles, I'll guide you there myself." I find this idea to be incredibly interesting. Not everyone has a guide to help them find themselves. Some people must explore and find it on their own. I did not expect to like this poem as much as I do.

I believe that Dickinson claims that truth and faith are mutually exclusive. The realization of the truth makes it harder to have faith in something such as religion. To understand "the truth" you cannot commit yourself to only one mindset or discipline. You have to use your knowledge, judgement and evidence. .

The truth of the World is something we can all learn. You can teach a child about the true nature of a world, but in doing so you may effect their development negatively. Many parents say, they wish to protect their children from reality, or the true nature of the world. It is better to learn of it gradually, rather than all at once.

As I personally find the idea of "self growth" as well as "the pursuit of knowledge" as never ending, this prompt is quite intriguing. The explanation of the themes of "Diving into the Wreck" are quite appealing to me as I've spent much of my adolescence wanting to grow up and experience more in life. The idea of being alone and exploring a deep sea shipwreck also appeal to me as I happen to be quite an introvert.

Hughes explains that fundamentally, being colored does not change his interests or his behavior, but not everyone is capable of understanding that. It does however, change his perspective and as a result, because he is him, his writing won't be white. His writing is colored.

Until reading this line I did not understand that Cullen's poem was about the suffering of the African American people. From what I understand though, in the lines right before this Cullen states that God's ideas will never be understood by those who question them without understanding what this suffering has/will bring about.