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Thomas Hardy And David R. Slavitt's The Convergence Of The T

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“The Convergence of the Twain” by Thomas Hardy and “Titanic” by David R. Slavitt. “The Convergence of the Twain” (1915) by Thomas Hardy and “Titanic” (1983) by David R. Slavitt, although written in different time periods, both discuss the tragedy of the Titanic, the luxurious ship that sank after hitting an iceberg in 1912 (“The Sinking of the Titanic, 1912”). The two poems similarly illustrate the opulence of the ship and its passing nature, through the use of irony, diction, and juxtaposition. However, Hardy and Slavitt ultimately contradict their attitudes toward the catastrophe, for Hardy portrays the sinking of the Titanic as a fate-driven calamity with a lamenting, reverent tone, while Slavitt adopts a sarcastic voice for the ship’s demise, criticizing both the materialistic society that made the Titanic and his current society that cherish the …show more content…

Hardy’s poem consists of eleven stanzas each with three lines, along with a strict rhyme scheme of AAA, where the last word of each line rhymes with that of all the other lines in the stanza. This rigid pattern enhances the formal tone of Hardy’s work and suits his purpose well, for the poem is a respectful elegy to those who were on board the ship and even the ship itself. On the other hand, Slavitt’s poem, composed of five stanzas, is free verse, with hardly any fixed structure. The poem almost seems like a written form of everyday speech, with a combination of questions, exclamations, and statements that create a conversational tone for the poem. This style fits “Titanic” in that Slavitt is much more assertive in his message than Hardy, for he aims to show the pitfalls of materialism, the lesson acquire from the sinking of the Titanic. Thus, whether it be an elegy or incisive criticism, each poet manipulates form to hint at the angle from which they view the

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