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The Convergence of the Twain By Thomas Hardy

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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


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