Potpourri blog #1

The Convergence of Twain by Thomas Hardy

This descriptive poem depicts the destroyed beauty the Titanic endured when it sunk into the Atlantic Ocean. Through the use of imagery, Hardy creates the vivid picture of the jewel that once was the Titanic and how it has transformed into a dull and lifeless memory. Hardy states, "Lie lightless, all their sparkles bleared and black and blind,"( Hardy, 778). This use of imagery helps readers to visualize the decay of the Titanic's beauty and extravagance. The poem shifts in section VI, where readers are introduced to the role fate played in this horrific act. Hardy begins talking about the Titanic's "sinister mate," the iceberg. It is as if the author is blaming the society of the time for being so obsessed with pleasure and bliss. He states, "The Immanent Will that stirs and urges everything,"(Hardy, 778). I took this as Hardy criticizing society for constantly pushing everything and always trying to be the greatest. It appears as if Hardy believes the sinking of the Titanic was this societies punishment for their endless greed. Hardy describes the ship and the iceberg as "twin halves" that fate converged into one, revealing that this event had to occur.