The Convergence of the Twain by Thomas Hardy describes the loss of the Titanic (luckily, we had a handy little footnote to help us with that one). To help me come up with a topic for this blog, I've used Question 10 from the blogging guidelines.
Discuss the imagery of the poem. What types of imagery are used? What is the cumulative effect of this imagery in terms of tone and theme?
Most of the imagery in this poem is the sight of fancy things deteriorating under the sea. "Over the mirrors meant To glass the opulent The sea-worm crawls - grotesque, slimed, dumb, indifferent. Jewels in joy designed To ravish the sensuous mind Lie lightless, all their sparkles bleared and black and blind." These lines contain major contrast between extravagance and filth. Mostly we see the opulence transforming in to its antithesis - dirt. The imagery contributes to the tone of hopelessness and loss of the Titanic. It also reaffirms the theme: death doesn't care if you are rich or poor - eventually, it claims us all. Materialism will never prevail, and our material items will deteriorate. The sinking of this seemingly indestructible ship humbles us.
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