What Is The Irony In The Convergence Of The Twain

In “ The Convergence of the Twain” Thomas Hardy talks about the sinking of the Titanic. What once was a gigantic glamorous ship is now nothing but a indifferent piece of grimy wreckage at the bottom of the ocean. There is lots of irony to be found in the sinking of the believed to be unsinkable ship. This irony is shown through the use of contrast, imagery, and symbolism that Hardy deliberately chooses to put into his poem.
Hardy makes a point to show the difference between the Titanic and the iceberg within the ocean. He shows this contrast when he states, “Steel chambers, late the pyres/ Of her salamandrine fires,/ Cold currents third, and turn to rhythmic tidal lyres,” (4-5). The harsh contrast between fire and cold are used to show chaos and panic of the ship as it was sinking as opposed to the bitter yet tranquil coldness of the ocean. Furthermore, contrast is used by Hardy when he says, “And as the smart ship grew/ In stature, grace, and hue,/ In shadowy silent distance grew the iceberg too” (22-24). These line portray the rise to fame and glory of the ever-amazing and

wonderful Titanic, foreshadowing how pride would become its hamartia, and in contrast shows the iceberg as a eerie and almost as if it we a unshakeable dark fate slowly creeping up. The contrast of these two is done to show how opposites, in some cases, can literally attract.
Another poetic device that Hardy uses is symbolism. This is show when it states in the very last line, “And consummation comes, and jars two hemispheres,” (22). “Consummation” is used to show the inescapability of the crashing of the ship and the iceberg, almost as if it had been the predetermined fate of the Titanic’s from day one. That word is also used to almost make the meeting between these two things seem peaceful and finalized, as if this was a process that had been steady, decisive build up which finally resulted in the two crashing. “Hemispheres” is also another word deliberately chosen to show epic proportion of this tragedy, massive ship meets gigantic iceberg, and also how unexpected it was for them to meet since the were on two completely different hemispheres. Through the symbolism in this poem we are able to recognize the how the action to the ship crashing into the iceberg was in some ways predestined through human arrogance.
Imagery is used constantly throughout this poem as well in attempts to visually portray the constant irony of historical Titanic.

One example of this imagery is, “The sea-worm crawls – grotesque, slimed, dumb, indifferent,” (9). The sea worm is meant to be an overall description for how disgusting and unwelcoming the ocean floor is, which is where Titanic is now since it has sunken. Another example of imagery is where it says, “Jewels in joys designed/ To ravish the sensuous mind/ Lie Lightless, all there sparkles bleared and black and blind” (10-12). Jewels, which are typically though of as elegant and powerful and expensive, are now being depicted and meaningless and black because wealth and power mean nothing if it has all been lost in the current of the sea. Hardy uses visual imagery to further showcase the bitter, depressing, and even gross feeling that bottom of ocean seems to

have.
Hardy brings out the irony to be found in the sinking of a luxurious ship purely through human vanity with the uses of several poetic devices. While the ship is portrayed as enchanting and strong, once it has sunken it loses that appeal and become insignificant to mass expanse of water where it lays to rest. The ocean in return is portrayed as stoic and inhospitable, the final resting place of the unsinkable ship. Maybe if we as human were not so boastful and prideful to the point of detrimental arrogance, this awful tragedy would have never even happened.