Quote by Adrienne Rich
The ocean, whose tides respond, like women's menses, to the pull of the moon, the ocean which corresponds to the amniotic fluid in which human life begins, the ocean on whose surface vessels (personified as female) can ride but in whose depth sailors meet their death and monsters conceal themselves... it is unstable and threatening as the earth is not; it spawns new life daily, yet swallows up lives; it is changeable like the moon, unregulated, yet indestructible and eternal.
Summary
This quote highlights the complex and paradoxical nature of the ocean. It draws comparisons between the ocean and various aspects of femininity. Just like a woman's menstrual cycle, the ocean's tides are influenced by the moon. The ocean is also depicted as a symbol of life's beginnings, akin to the amniotic fluid surrounding an embryo. However, this same ocean represents danger and death for sailors who venture into its depths. The quote captures the ocean's dualities - its ever-changing nature like the moon, both giving and taking life, unstable yet eternal.
Topics
Oceans
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