1. The Convergence of the Twain By Thomas Hardy

2. Stanza 1 Personification of Titanic’s wreckage
Contrast between ‘human vanity’ and its left overs on the seabed
Emphasis on the ‘aloneness’
N.B. enjambed lines
Rhyme: a, a, a.

3. Stanza 2 Description engine rooms & their transformation
Allusion to altars for sacrifice (pyres)  What sacrifice? Human? Technological? Financial?
Water – fire image through salamander description
Extended metaphor: compartments of engine with tidal currents TO a lyre being played

4. Stanza 3
More contrastive language; beauty of mirrors contrasted with utterly appalling sea creature

5. Stanza 4
Alliteration! jewels & joy; bleared & black & blind; lie & lightless
Magnificence vs. uselessness of jewelry
Emphasis on obscurity of sea bottom

6. Stanza 5 Alliteration hard ‘g’ sound Personification fish
Whose question is this? Shouldn’t it be ours?
Question of necessity  Why was this ship ever built? VANITY? PRIDE? SELF-ABSORPTION? FUTILITY?
Fishes’ question becomes rhetorical

7. Stanza 1-5 Lines 1-15: Description of wreckage on sea floor
Civilized world contrasted with marine / natural world
Human craftsmanship contrasted with naturalness of deep sea world

8. Stanza 6-7 Beginning of answer to fishes’ question
Importance connector ‘while’
Enjambment of two stanzas; symbolizes continuity of nature’s force
Hardy as atheist
What stirs everything? FATE?
If there is a God  A very vengeful one?

9. Stanza 8 Suspense created by double ‘growing’ imagery
Sort of competition? Who is smarter / more beautiful?

10. Stanza 9-11
Enjambed stanzas; no stopping possible now – nature’s forces as opposed to man’s
Final ‘consummation’ ; sexual connotation; state of perfection BUT for who?
Battle between man’s machinery & nature
Idea of predestination
Reminder of human beings’ fallibility
Strong sense of condemnation / disdain by author