What is the meaning of The Convergence of the Twain?
'The Convergence of the Twain' means the meeting of the two. The words are deliberately old fashioned. And the title leads us to expect some sort of pairing. But Hardy makes us wait until verse VII when 'a sinister mate' is introduced as the other half of 'she', the 'gaily great' Titanic.
What is the tone of the poem The Convergence of the Twain?
Its tone, far from sympathetic or sentimental, shifts from cold sarcasm to reverence, as Hardy turns from imperfect machinery to perfect nature.
What poetic devices are used in The Convergence of the Twain?
Literary Devices Examples in The Convergence of the Twain: Hardy uses both personification and metaphor, a literary device comparing two different things by implying or stating that they are the same thing, in his portrayal of the Titanic and the iceberg.
What is the spinner of the years in The Convergence of the Twain?
But by this stanza, we get the feeling that maybe the speaker is thinking that there is some sort of master plan that's equipped with a Spinner of the Years. Maybe he's referring to a kind of divine providence that unifies all things and therefore "spins" the years as we go.
What is the extended metaphor in The Convergence of the Twain?
The speaker uses the metaphor of the Titanic and the iceberg being 'two hemispheres". It is too late, the iceberg has consumed the ship, and the Titanic begins to slowly sink to the bottom of the sea.
What does late the pyres mean?
We see some steel chambers first that would've presumably been used to heat the ship, but here those "pyres" (stuff to burn) are late, meaning they missed the boat, so to speak.
What is Channel firing about?
'Channel Firing' by Thomas Hardy outlines humanity's endless cycle of war throughout the centuries and how it was about to begin again with WWI. In the first part of the poem, Hardy's speaker, a skeleton, wakes up to the noises of guns firing overhead. He believes, falsely, that these are the sounds of Judgement Day.
During what time of the year does the Darkling Thrush take place?
winter“The Darkling Thrush” is set in a winter landscape, most likely England at the turn of the twentieth century. The poet, Thomas Hardy, spent his life in England and wrote this poem there in the winter of 1900.
Are You Digging on My Grave analysis?
Despite its not-so-subtle humor, Thomas Hardy's “Ah, Are You Digging On My Grave?” paints a bleak picture of human nature. Human feelings, according to the poem, are utterly transient. Death means not only the end of physical existence, but extinction in the hearts of the living as well.
What is the immanent will?
concept of Hardy …of his belief in “Immanent Will,” a blind and indifferent force that determines the fates (and generally blights the lives) of the privileged and the common people alike.
Are you digging my grave?
0:511:44"Are You Digging on My Grave" by Thomas Hardy (read by Tom O ...YouTubeStart of suggested clipEnd of suggested clipThen who is digging on my grave. Say. Since I have not guessed. It is I my mistress dear your littleMoreThen who is digging on my grave. Say. Since I have not guessed. It is I my mistress dear your little dog who still lives there. And much I hope my movements here have not disturbed your rest. I.
What kind of poem is The Convergence of the Twain?
'The Convergence of the Twain' by Thomas Hardy is an eleven-section poem that is divided into sets of three lines, or tercets. These sections are portioned off like stanzas and labeled with roman numerals. The poem does follow a structured rhyme scheme.
What is Channel firing about?
'Channel Firing' by Thomas Hardy outlines humanity's endless cycle of war throughout the centuries and how it was about to begin again with WWI. In the first part of the poem, Hardy's speaker, a skeleton, wakes up to the noises of guns firing overhead. He believes, falsely, that these are the sounds of Judgement Day.
Are you digging my grave?
0:511:44"Are You Digging on My Grave" by Thomas Hardy (read by Tom O ...YouTubeStart of suggested clipEnd of suggested clipThen who is digging on my grave. Say. Since I have not guessed. It is I my mistress dear your littleMoreThen who is digging on my grave. Say. Since I have not guessed. It is I my mistress dear your little dog who still lives there. And much I hope my movements here have not disturbed your rest. I.
Are You Digging on My Grave analysis?
Despite its not-so-subtle humor, Thomas Hardy's “Ah, Are You Digging On My Grave?” paints a bleak picture of human nature. Human feelings, according to the poem, are utterly transient. Death means not only the end of physical existence, but extinction in the hearts of the living as well.
Who wrote "The Convergence of the Twain"?
"The Convergence of the Twain" was written by Thomas Hardy.
What event is the "The Convergence of the Twain" about?
The sinking of the Titanic
Why was "The Convergence of the Twain" originally written?
Hardy was asked to write a poem as part of a charity even to raise funds after the sinking of the Titanic
What is interesting about how "The Convergence of the Twain" responds to tragedy?
Although it is about the sinking of the Titanic , the poem does not mention the loss of human life at all.
How does "The Convergence of the Twain" reflect Hardy's life?
Hardy grew up in a poor family and was treated differently because of his social class, even when he became famous. "The Convergence of the Twain"...
What are the two symbols in "The Convergence of the Twain"?
The iceberg as a symbol of nature's power and the Titanic as a symbol of human vanity.
What does the speaker call fate?
The Immanent Will
What are the major themes in the poem?
The power of nature vs. the vanity of humankind The unknowable state of nature
What is the convergence of the Twain?
Summary. ‘ The Convergence of the Twain’ by Thomas Hardy describes the power of Immanent Will in the convergence of the Titanic and the iceberg. The poem begins with the speaker stating that a sea is a place of solitude. When one goes there, all human pride and vanity disappear. There is no use for it in the sea.
Why is the Convergence of the Twain an epigraph?
Hardy gave ‘ The Convergence of the Twain’ an epigraph in order to ensure the reader knew what the poem was based around. It reads, “ (Lines on the loss of the “Titanic”).”.
What is the second half of The Convergence of the Twain about?
The second half of ‘The Convergence of the Twain’ discusses a force the speaker calls “Immanent Will.”. It has the ability to decide on future convergences. It controls the will of all coming events.
How many lines are in the convergence of the Twain?
The Convergence of the Twain by Thomas Hardy. ‘The Convergence of the Twain’ by Thomas Hardy is an eleven-section poem that is divided into sets of three lines, or tercets. These sections are portioned off like stanzas and labeled with roman numerals. The poem does follow a structured rhyme scheme.
What is the Titanic referred to as?
The last line of this section references a “she” which is couched or held, by the sea. This is the ship. The Titanic is referred to as a woman throughout the text, something that was very commonplace, and still is today. Hardy is already drawing a contrast between humankind’s pride and vanity and the superior power of the sea.
What is the theme of the sea?
The sea is directly connected to one of the important themes of the text, vanity . When one is consumed in the solitude of the sea there is no use for vanity. The speaker makes it clear, through a line of dialogue, that the fish are confused by even the idea of vanity, they query: ‘“What does this vaingloriousness down here?”’
Where does the convergence of the Twain take place?
In the first tercet of ‘The Convergence of the Twain’ the speaker begins by referencing “human vanity.” The story is taking place in the “solitude of the sea,” far from the reaches of vanity. Without the epigraph, a reader would have no idea at this point that the text is going to discuss the Titanic.
Who wrote the poem "The Convergence of the Twain"?
The Convergence of the Twain. This article is about the Thomas Hardy poem. For the Bates Motel episode, see The Convergence of the Twain (Bates Motel). " The Convergence of the Twain (Lines on the loss of the Titanic) " is a poem by Thomas Hardy, published in 1912. The poem describes the sinking and wreckage of the ocean liner Titanic.
How many lines are in the poem "Convergence"?
The poem describes the sinking and wreckage of the ocean liner Titanic. "Convergence" consists of eleven stanzas ( I to XI) of three lines each, following the AAA rhyme pattern. Hardy was asked to compose a poem to be read at a charity concert to raise funds in aid of the tragedy disaster fund.
What is the poem "The Titanic" about?
The poem fails to fulfil such expectations, instead focusing on the ship and the iceberg and how the two came to converge. Seen as the epitome of Britain’s wealth and power, the Titanic was extravagantly appointed for the British and American rich, and exhibited the new technology and fashions of the day.
What grew in shadowy silent distance?
In shadowy silent distance grew the Iceberg too.
What is the pairing of the two?
The pairing of the two or the idea of a pair is constructed before the poem even starts. In the title, ‘Twain’, the archaic word for ‘two’ is used, generating the idea of a pairing, with the most obvious pair being the ship and the iceberg.
What is the name of the poem that Simon Armitage wrote?
Simon Armitage also wrote a poem called "The Convergence of the Twain", mimicking Hardy's style, but describing the events of 9/11 .
What is the irony of the convergence of the Twain?
The omniscient speaker in “The Convergence of the Twain,” as in many of Hardy’s poems, uses irony as the dominant approach to understanding life. On the verbal level, this irony appears in the contrasts between the Titanic before the sinking and after the sinking in stanzas 1-5: “Solitude of the sea” is as different from “human vanity” in stanza 1 as the “fires” from the “cold currents” in stanza 2 or the “grotesque” worm from the “opulent” mirror-gazers in stanza 3. In stanzas 6 through 11, verbal irony contrasts the “smart ship,” with its “cleaving wing,” planned and built by humans, with the iceberg, a “sinister mate” growing without human knowledge in “shadowy silent distance.” All these ironic contrasts heighten the sense that what actually happened to the ship was the opposite of what was expected to happen.
Why did Thomas Hardy write the convergence of the Twain?
After the “unsinkable” steamship Titanic hit an iceberg and sank on its maiden voyage from London to New York in 1912, Thomas Hardy wrote “The Convergence of the Twain” to be printed in the program of a charity performance given at the Royal Opera House to aid the victims. Exactly how comforting the bereaved found this ironic eleven-section work has not been recorded. For Hardy, the disaster was an occasion for reflecting on the relationships among humans, nature, and an impersonal supernatural force controlling or at least foreseeing events.
What does the speaker of the poem see in the sunken ship?
The omniscient speaker of the poem first sees the sunken ship and the changes in its situation. The first stanza emphasizes how the shipwreck is now wholly separated from the “human vanity” and “Pride of Life” that led to its building. Thus, from the very beginning, the speaker disparages the possibility of creating an unsinkable craft. The speaker then turns his attention to the ironic changes in some of the more striking parts of the ship. The enormous fire-boxes, intended to burn coal to create power for the engines, almost magical with their “salamandrine fires,” are now cold. The costly mirrors and jewelry, meant for the wealthy passengers and “in joy designed,” are now lying in the dark with only sea worms and fish to see them. These creatures ask, at the end of stanza 5, what the “vaingloriousness” of the ship is doing in their submarine world.
What was the significance of the disaster in the book of Hardy?
For Hardy, the disaster was an occasion for reflecting on the relationships among humans, nature, and an impersonal supernatural force controlling or at least foreseeing events.
The Convergence of the Twain
About The Convergence of the Twain Poem Text The Convergence of the Twain Summary Character List Glossary Themes Quotes and Analysis Stanzas 1-2 Stanzas 3-4 Stanzas 5-7 Stanzas 8-9 Stanzas 10-11 Symbols, Allegory and Motifs Thomas Hardy and Religion Literary Elements Essay Questions Test Yourself! - Quiz Citations
Human Vanity
Hardy contrasts the omnipotence of fate with the vanity of humans. In the first stanza, he personifies this vanity by referring to the “ Pride of Life .” This literary device allows the speaker to paint the poem’s conflict as one not between man and nature, but rather between man’s pride and natural fate.
Cynical View of Marriage and Love
Throughout the “The Convergence of the Twain,” Hardy employs an extended metaphor in which the Titanic is portrayed as a bride, and the ship as its groom. On one hand, this metaphor suggests that the collision was less tragic than an inevitable, even right and lawful, “consummation” between two beings destined for one another.