Poetry to Film Comparison

I am using this image to relate to the poem “The Swimmer’s Moment”. In this picture, the individual is blissfully ignoring the fact that he is about to be consumed, literally.

“By their refusal they are saved

From the black pit, and also from contesting

The deadly rapids, and emerging in

The mysterious, and more ample, further waters.

And so their bland-blank faces turn and turn

Pale and forever on the rim of suction

They will not recognize.”

-          The Swimmer’s Moment by Margaret Avison, Lines 5-11

 In a symbolic view, the dragon can resemble a form of ignorance to those in the poem who choose not to combat the “deadly rapids” that are brought forth in their lives. By doing so, however, those individuals face a life of isolation, void of true enlightenment regarding the situations surrounding them. Alongside said ignorance, they find themselves longing for something more; without having taken the chance to immerse in the concept of knowing, the end result is a life spent questioning where a different decision could have led.

The very same concept can be related to Aragorn in The Lord of the Rings: Return of the King. From having ignored his lineage and responsibilities for the first two movies of the trilogy, the true king of Gondor finally began to acknowledge the expectations that had been laid out for him and his royal bloodline. Obviously, the power of the Ring and the concern over becoming corrupted like his ancestor is something to be worried over, but Aragorn eventually realized that the line had to be drawn. No longer did he have the opportunity to let “whirlpools” pass him by. Comparing his situation to the image, the dragon can also be used in a literal sense in resembling the enemy forces of Mordor, alongside the symbolic meaning. If Aragorn chose to neglect his obligations for much longer, the entire Middle Earth would have been engulfed and destroyed by the armies of Mordor. Instead, however, Aragorn decided to find his “whirlpool”, and so he dove right in, bracing himself for the “mysterious, and more ample, further waters” ahead.