Comparison Thomas Hardy's poem "The Convergence of the Twain: (Lines on the Loss of the Titanic)"
COURSE # and TITLE: ENGL 216: English Literature II
SEMESTER OF ENROLLMENT: Spring 2013 ENGL 216-B01 LUO___
NAME: _________ ID #__
WRITING STYLE USED: APA______________
When you think of an event do you think of the before or after, or do you compare them? In Thomas Hardy 's poem "The Convergence of the Twain: (Lines on the Loss of the Titanic)" he compares the intent of the original areas within the ship purpose to the current location at the bottom of the ocean; in addition to the fate of the ship and the iceberg. The Titanic was known to be the largest and most luxurious ship of its day. It was considered by its builders to be unsinkable however in April 1912 she struck an iceberg and sank to the bottom of the ocean taking hundreds of lives with her. By coincidence this was also the same year that Hardy losses first wife, Emma Lavinia Gifford, due to sudden death (BBC). An analysis of the "The Convergence of the Twain: (Lines on the Loss of the Titanic)" reveals that vanity in addition to poor construction , and the perfect construction of the iceberg led to the fate of the Titanic; as seen through the eyes of a mourning man.
Hardy begins his poem by comparing the loss of the ship with his own experience of losing his wife, both suddenly. Most of us would agree losing someone or something suddenly is far more traumatic, then simply losing someone or something in there due time. Both his wife and the Titanic had a great life planned for them; however, "The Immanent Will” had other plans. Throughout his poem one can deduce the comparison between the loss of the ship and the loss of his wife.
While it was no secret of the construction of the Titanic and her to sister ships, the Olympic and the Britannic; it was also no secret of the vanity put into these ships. Hardy illustrates from the very beginning that the vanity that was put in to the Titanic was going to seal its fate. The Bible speaks of the pride before destruction in Proverbs 16:18 "pride
SEMESTER OF ENROLLMENT: Spring 2013 ENGL 216-B01 LUO___
NAME: _________ ID #__
WRITING STYLE USED: APA______________
When you think of an event do you think of the before or after, or do you compare them? In Thomas Hardy 's poem "The Convergence of the Twain: (Lines on the Loss of the Titanic)" he compares the intent of the original areas within the ship purpose to the current location at the bottom of the ocean; in addition to the fate of the ship and the iceberg. The Titanic was known to be the largest and most luxurious ship of its day. It was considered by its builders to be unsinkable however in April 1912 she struck an iceberg and sank to the bottom of the ocean taking hundreds of lives with her. By coincidence this was also the same year that Hardy losses first wife, Emma Lavinia Gifford, due to sudden death (BBC). An analysis of the "The Convergence of the Twain: (Lines on the Loss of the Titanic)" reveals that vanity in addition to poor construction , and the perfect construction of the iceberg led to the fate of the Titanic; as seen through the eyes of a mourning man.
Hardy begins his poem by comparing the loss of the ship with his own experience of losing his wife, both suddenly. Most of us would agree losing someone or something suddenly is far more traumatic, then simply losing someone or something in there due time. Both his wife and the Titanic had a great life planned for them; however, "The Immanent Will” had other plans. Throughout his poem one can deduce the comparison between the loss of the ship and the loss of his wife.
While it was no secret of the construction of the Titanic and her to sister ships, the Olympic and the Britannic; it was also no secret of the vanity put into these ships. Hardy illustrates from the very beginning that the vanity that was put in to the Titanic was going to seal its fate. The Bible speaks of the pride before destruction in Proverbs 16:18 "pride
Bibliography: Greenblatt, S. ed. The Norton Anthology of English Literature: The Major Authors. New York: Norton, 2006. 2317, 2323(Footnotes). Print. Hardy, T. “The Convergence of the Twain: (Lines on the Loss of the Titanic).” The Norton Anthology of English Literature: The Major Authors. New York: Norton, 2006. 2323-2324 Print. BBC. (2013) Thomas Hardy at Stourhead. Retrieved from http://www.bbc.co.uk/wiltshire/entertainment/days_out/thomas_hardy_stourhead.shtml Titanic. (2013). In Encyclopedia Britannica. Retrieved from http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/597128/Titanic International Ice Patrol. (2013). United States Coast Guard. Retrieved from http://www.uscg.mil/history/articles/IIP_History.asp Titanic II. (2013). The Guarding. Retrieved from http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2013/feb/26/titanic-2-launch-new-york-replica