What is the meaning of the poem Convergence of the Twain?
“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. 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 does this Vaingloriousness down here meaning?
The fish ask ‘What does this vaingloriousness down here’ and the word ‘vaingloriousness’ (empty/pointless glory and sumptuousness) echoes the ‘human vanity’ and ‘Pride of Life’ of the first verse, the pride that thought to build the unsinkable Titanic. So, in Verse VI, Hardy begins the explanation.
How does Thomas Hardy feel about the sinking of the Titanic?
In “The Convergence of the Twain,” Thomas Hardy memorably responds to the sinking of the Titanic by suggesting that it was the inevitable result of our human pride and vanity.
What type of poem is 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 does late the pyres mean?
stuff to burn
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 does Vaingloriousness mean?
an often unjustified feeling of being pleased with oneself or with one’s situation or achievements. a tiresome vaingloriousness that manifested itself in the old general’s incessant boasting about his battlefield victories.
What seems to be the major point of the convergence of the twain?
The poem argues that it was predestined, or planned, that the ship and the iceberg collide. The poem also suggests that this convergence, though predestined, could not be predicted or prepared for by human beings. The ship and the iceberg seemed to human observers to be “[a]lien,” or unconnected.
What is the spinner of the years?
Hardy suggests that the Titanic converging with the iceberg was not a coincidence, but rather an event planned by an “Immanent Will” (18) and “The Spinner of the Years” (31); inferring the ship had been destined for destruction since its inception.
What does Thomas Hardy mean by the intimate welding of their later history?
By Thomas Hardy The intimate welding of their later history, One thing is just as alien to the other, and yet they’re doomed to meet each other in such a tragic welding of history. They may be “alien” but they’re destined for an intimate connection in the not so distant future.