Blog #2

    The poem “The Convergence of the Twain,” written by Thomas Hardy is about the tragic voyage of the Titanic. The most interesting aspect of Hardy’s poem is his use of figurative language to bring inanimate objects to life. A great example Hardy uses is the way he talks about the ship “The sea-worm crawls -- grotesque, slimed, dumb, indifferent.” I like how Hardy references the ship to a hideous looking “sea worm” which is dumb considering the captain should have been on the look out for dangers that could possibly harm the ship. Hardy also contradicts his previous statement here “And as the smart ship grew in stature, grace, and hue in shadowy silent distance grew the iceberg too,” now calling the ship “smart,” even though it will be crashing into an iceberg soon killing all the passengers and crew. Upon hitting the iceberg, Hardy’s description of what happens to the ship is well laid out “Alien they seemed to be: No mortal eye could see, the intimate welding of their later history.” Hardy explains that no one could see the iceberg until the ship hit it and the significance of this event was the devastating to all aboard the ship.     

The “Titanic,” written by David Slavitt is a poem about the humorous outlook on the sinking of the Titanic. Slavitt’s satirical irony use in this poem makes for an enjoyable read. Slavitt begins his poem by asking the reader “who does not love the Titanic? If they sold passage tomorrow for that same crossing, who would not buy?” knowing that the reader knows what happened to the passengers and crew on the ship. Slavitt’s humorous irony he recites in the face of death the passengers face is best quoted here “to go down....We all go down, mostly alone. But with crowds of people, friends, servants, well fed, with music, with lights! Ah!.” Slavitt expresses that even though the passengers are all dying, “at least they are well fed” and that there is “music” and wonderful “lights” all around. The last line in the poem I found quite humorous as well “we all go: only a few, first class.” Slavitt states that everyone dies, but still some die in style because they are in first class.