Classic and Contemporary Poetry: Explained

Eleanor Wilner's poem "Wreck' and 'Rise' Above" deftly explores the human penchant for transcendence and the consequences of our persistent efforts to escape the tangible world. This duality of striving to rise above while being perpetually confronted with the wreckage of such attempts forms the thematic core of the poem, highlighting the intrinsic tension between aspiration and reality.

The poem opens with the motif of fear, specifically the fear of wreck, which is portrayed as a foundational lesson imparted to us. This fear is both taught and innate, a preoccupation with potential disaster that shapes our actions. Wilner underscores the inevitability of wreck, emphasizing the role of velocity and mass in ensuring destruction. This sets the stage for the exploration of our compulsive need to "rise above" this wreckage.

Wilner presents various manifestations of this rise, starting with religious transcendence symbolized by church steeples. These structures direct the eye heavenward, but the imagery of the cross snagging and tearing the sky suggests an inherent flaw in this pursuit of higher virtue. The crossbeam, where "sense leaked out," hints at the limitations and contradictions of spiritual ascension, where the quest for purity often encounters the messy reality of human existence.

The poem then shifts to the space program, a literal attempt to escape the Earth's gravity. The mention of rockets and space debris illustrates the futility and expense of such endeavors. Despite these grand gestures, the wrecks accumulate below, emphasizing the inescapable nature of earthly concerns and the physical remnants of our attempts to transcend them.

Wilner's depiction of the old library door, inscribed with aspirations of rising above, further highlights the cultural embedding of this ideal. Generations pass through this door, laden with hopes of intellectual and moral elevation, yet these aspirations often remain just that—hopes suspended in a moment of disbelief, much like the magician's levitating woman. This image of levitation, a common trope of magical realism, symbolizes the allure and illusion of weightlessness and freedom from earthly bounds.

The magician's act, complete with doves and scarves, captivates the audience, sustaining their disbelief. This suspension of disbelief is crucial to the poem's critique of our escapist tendencies. The woman's hovering body, momentarily free from gravity, represents the artifice of transcendence, a beautiful yet deceptive spectacle that distracts from the accumulating wreckage below.

In the concluding lines, Wilner draws attention to the accumulation of wrecks, the tangible remnants of our failed attempts to rise above. The imagery of scrap yards and broken concrete slabs serves as a stark reminder of the physical and metaphorical weight we cannot escape. The bodies "not exempt from gravity" underscore the inevitable fall that follows every ascent, a return to the very materiality we sought to evade.

The poem ends with a powerful metaphor: "like froth on a wave / that will be water falling by the ton, / soon, when the tide turns." This image encapsulates the cyclical nature of our aspirations and failures. The froth, momentarily buoyant and detached, will inevitably succumb to gravity, merging back into the sea's depths. This cycle reflects the ongoing human struggle between the desire to transcend and the reality of our physical existence.

In "Wreck' and 'Rise' Above," Eleanor Wilner masterfully intertwines the motifs of transcendence and wreckage, revealing the paradoxical nature of human aspirations. Through rich imagery and poignant metaphors, she critiques our persistent yet futile attempts to escape the material world, reminding us of the inescapable gravity that binds us to our earthly existence.

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