Topic > Mankind's Contribution to Its Downfall in Hardy's "The Twain Convergence"

In his poem "The Twain Convergence," Thomas Hardy describes the unfortunate, but truly inevitable, sinking of the supposedly invincible Titanic. At the same time, the poem describes humanity's vain struggle against the unshakable forces of nature. The structural organization of the poem, as well as the diction and figurative language convey the speaker's disapproving attitude towards the arrogant human creation of the Titanic. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay The arrangement of the poem into rhyming tercets and the further division into three distinct sections based on a reversed chronology reflect the sheer influence of nature on the inevitability of the crash of the Titanic. Each tercet is composed of two trimeters like “In the solitude of the sea / deep from human vanity” (1-2) and a hexameter like “and the pride of life that designed her, motionless she lies” (3). The addition of the three syllables of the first line and the three syllables of the following line add to the six syllables found in the third line, imitating the convergence of the ship and the iceberg. Additionally, consistent end rhymes such as “pyres” (4), “fires” (5), and “lyres” (6) contribute to the smooth, fluid rhythm of the stanzas, creating a wave-like pattern that reflects the poem's setting. . Furthermore, stanzas one through five depict the aftermath of the Titanic's crash in the media using images of the ship at the bottom of the sea and "deep in human vanity" (2), reinforcing the idea that the ship was doomed from the start. moment of its beginning. Thus, stanzas six through eight, which describe the "formation / of this creature with splitting wings" (16-17), as well as stanzas nine through eleven, which describe the actual crash when the ship and the iceberg “were bent” / by coinciding paths” (28-29), become simply retrospective flashbacks of an ultimately failed enterprise. Together, the poem's structure and special chronology mirror the intended "Twain Convergence," man and nature, reminding readers of God's formidableness and omnipotence. Through diction and somber imagery, the poem emphasizes the critical tone of who speaks against humanity's naive and arrogant belief that it could improve nature by building the seemingly indestructible Titanic. The Titanic was once the largest luxury ship ever built, boasting “mirrors meant to mirror the opulent” (7-8). Now, “the sea worm” (9), a “grotesque, slimy, silent and indifferent” creature (9) crawls on the once sumptuous mirrors, the negative connotations of these words highlight the power of luxury to make human beings ignorant . Furthermore, “the jewels…designed / to ravish the sensual mind” (10-11) currently “lie lightless, all their sparkles dimmed, black and blind” (13), reflecting how arrogant humans allowed their vanity to control them, then finally regretted their pride when the Titanic crashed and their "golden accoutrements" (14) and "vainglory" (15) were left behind to be enjoyed only by "moon-eyed fish" ( 13) who don't know what to do with this equipment. Blinded by pride in this seemingly unsinkable creation, humanity failed to respect the forces of nature, resulting in a tragic loss. The ironic oppositions established between the ship and the iceberg by manipulating connotation and denotation further confirm the complete uselessness of man's arrogant challenge against God. While the Titanic, a luxury cruise ship, “grew / in stature, grace and color ” (22-23), the iceberg grew in the “dark and silent distance””.