Preview

Convergence Of the Twain Essay hardy

Good Essays
Open Document
Open Document
437 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Convergence Of the Twain Essay hardy
The destined tragedy of the glorious, unsinkable Titanic has struck wonder and emotion in the hearts and minds of people far and wide. "The Convergence of the Twain" by Thomas Hardy, captures this emotion through the use of poetic devices. The speaker conveys his attitude toward the sinking of the ship using a unique illustrative technique in his writing.

As opposed to simply conveying his attitude through description in a straightforward manner it is depicted to the reader using diction, imagery, irony, and comparisons. For example, "In a solitude of the sea deep from human vanity" makes use of diction in order to convey a somber tone. The illustrative diction creates imagery in order for the reader to be able to visualize and feel the emotion and attitude, as opposed to only reading and acknowledging it. Furthermore, "Prepared a sinister mate for her-so gaily great- a shape of ice, for the time far and dissociate" creates a separate image from the Titanic of the malicious iceberg. The quotation also illustrates the speaker's emotion, allowing the reader can picture this calm serene scene and feel the speaker's empathy for the ship's inevitable downfall, and the attitude of acceptance and amazement of the tragedy. The speaker's attitude is also illustrated to the reader through irony and comparisons. For example, "Jewels in joy designed to ravish the sensuous mind lie lightless, all their sparkles bleared and black and blind" used in stanza IV, creates a picture of beautiful possessions that are then depicted as "bleared and black" which is a combination of two opposites or a juxtaposition. This irony portrays an attitude of amazement because the speaker is astonished that something so grand and beautiful could become dark and tragic. Furthermore, "And as the smart ship grew in stature, grace, and hue, in shadowy silent distance grew the iceberg too" This quote illustrates the amazing ship in all its grandeur and beauty that is growing even more flamboyant, yet

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Better Essays

    References: Barczewski, S. (2006). Titanic: a night remembered. New York, NY: Continuum International Publishing Group.…

    • 2144 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    In Mark Twain’s novel, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, Twain makes use of various rhetorical strategies to convey a humorous atmosphere for his readers. Literary techniques such as Allusion, Irony, and use of the unexpected are all expressed within the book, particularly Chapter 14, in an abundance of ways.…

    • 377 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    One of the quotes shows how Jack felt because it was a beautiful night and he was enjoying it. “ It was the kind of night, that made one glad to feel alive.” This shows that everything was fine and calm before the Titanic got hit.…

    • 368 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Throughout history theme has always been the crucial element to writing a successful novel. Today it seems if an author fails to portray his or her theme adequately the point of which the author is trying to convey will be ignored. During their careers, William Golding and Fredrick Douglass have used writing as a tool to communicate penetrating messages and ominous warnings about our society. Golding's novel Lord of the Flies and Douglass' novel The Narrative of the Life of Fredrick Douglass both represent the loss of innocence a person may endure while undergoing a horrific situation. On the surface, these two novels are dramatically different; a huge factor being one is fiction while the other is non-fiction. However, a closer assessment…

    • 927 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    Satire and irony have a long and storied history in European literature. This year, we briefly analyzed Voltaire, a French writer and poet who used these literary devices to criticize the unjust society in which he lived. The American heir to this European tradition is Mark Twain, who was one of the first American writers to be known and read all around the world. Twain uses the powerful tools of satire, situational irony, dramatic irony, and verbal irony to make incisive commentary on a variety of topics. We see this clearly in his masterpiece, Huckleberry Finn.…

    • 1084 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    The first descriptions in the poem are of savagery, ‘the thing, rough and crudely done, cut in coarse stone,' these are to signify how imperfect the object is, made by an imperfect being thus indicating the objects inferiority. But, conversely these images could also indicate a certain sense of simplicity within the object; it is not needlessly ornate. The next are of disdain for the object, ‘spitefully placed aside, as merest lumber,' the attitude of the collector lends to the idea that they prefer grandioso works of art, and the attitude that beauty is more defining in a pieces value than either historical value or the meaning of a piece. These feelings of discontent…

    • 860 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Twain’s use of long, descriptive sentences and sensory imagery reflect the natural beauty of human morality and nature. First, Twain characterizes the river as the inner beauty and morality of man. As Huck floats along the peaceful…

    • 581 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    “Titanic” is written in blank verse and uses a more casual diction. This helps identify with more people in today’s society, to whom the speaker is trying to identify with. His ideals are brought into light with the second stanza which mentions the fact that not only is it the fate of everyone to die; many have to do it alone. The idea is frightening for anyone; however, the speaker seems to take comfort by imagining the atmosphere of the ship before its final moments. By mentioning the “crowds of people, friends, servants...” (5-6), the speaker drives in the point that being able to spend your last days on earth in such fanfare is something worth romanticizing for. The exclamatory “Ah!”(6), further brings the speaker’s desire to focus.…

    • 613 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Introduction: In Mark Twain’s essay “Two Views of the River,” the implied thesis is losing innocence and gaining experience. This idea is effectively communicated to his audience through appropriate organization of ideas, opposing tone, and stylistic devices. Twain’s essay uses the block structure for contrast, differing styles, and opposing tones.…

    • 428 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    Bibliography: Faulkner, William. “A Rose for Emily.” Literature: Approaches to Fiction, Poetry, and Drama. 2nd ed. Robert DiYanni. New York: McGraw-Hill, 2008. 1592. Print.…

    • 1146 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    “Two Ways of Viewing the River” is a short excerpt from Mark Twain’s autobiography that compares and contrasts Twain’s point of view as a Mississippi River boat pilot. In my opinion these few paragraphs are pitch perfect as well as technically masterful. The descriptive details in paragraph 1 were especially impressive. However, I’m also struck by how universal this essay is a metaphor for everyday life. It is, in a sense, a comment on the human condition.…

    • 315 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Twain’s philosophical beliefs are most valid because he highlights how animals indeed avoid revenge; they in fact are not even aware it exists. Twain additionally states that humans willingly created evil in the form of cursing, racism, sexism, homophobia, etc. “Indecency, vulgarity, obscenity--these are strictly confined to man; he invented them. Among the higher animals there is no trace of them. They hide nothing; they are not ashamed.” Animals, being subjects of nature, naturalize each and every aptitude and sense they carry. Twain, in the contents of his essay, mentioned how, unlike animals, humans tend to kill for leisure; hunters will strike down twenty buffalos, use one for nutrition, and abandon the other to rot to their cores. Twain’s ideal that humans are the lowest of all animals oppose Gould’s belief that unnoticeable acts of kindness redeem humanity; however, Gould’s notion is flawed once questioned on the value of a human life. For example, how many acts of kindness must be made to…

    • 687 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Compare and Contrast

    • 797 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Twain uses figurative language to effectively describe his sense of rapture and awe of the river when he is beginning his journey on the road to knowledge of steamboating. Twain gives the river human characteristics and even its own ‘language’. Describing the river as having “turned to blood” or a log that was “solitary…black and conspicuous” breathed life into his view of the Mississippi.…

    • 797 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    The poem is highly metaphorical and symbolic. The story, on the surface, really is about swimming in the ocean alone. However, as we readers examine further, it’s quite obvious that there are meanings behind this superficial image. As a matter of fact, the ocean is a metaphor of greatness and mystery. We can also perceive it to be a symbol of life as we all “swim” in this ocean and are truly uncertain about what will happen next. The image of seaweed shadows is apparent in the first stanza, and they can apparently be seen as obstacles that we encounter in the journeys of our lives. In the third paragraph, the poet addressed that in the end, it is only a “drifting body” or a “dolphin”. This seems paradoxical because drifting body is a symbol of death and mortality, whereas, in sharp contrast, dolphins are universally viewed as creatures that are nimble and lively. The use of two completely polar things implies the uncertainty of life and supports the idea that life is fundamentally fearsome.…

    • 606 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    The Modernist period, a period which most literary critics agree began in the late nineteenth century, was characterized by a total break from past forms and a constant search for new ideas. It was through this search that surrealism began to emerge, and many authors began to write about the alienation that mankind faced from both one another and nature, due to the rise of modern technology (Monroe and Moennig). Although many authors captured the essence of Modernist literature, only two particularly seminal texts can be examined in the work below. To this extent, this essay aims to examine and contrast the views of modernity, as presented in Franz Kafka’s The Metamorphosis and Thomas Hardy’s The Convergence of the Twain.…

    • 1154 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Better Essays