Theme

The theme of Hardy's The Convergence of the Twain  (Lines on the loss of the 'Titanic') is clearly developed throughout the work. Hardy utilizes descriptive details and imagery to convey the idea that human vanity leads to destruction. For instance, Hardy often includes description of lavish material possessions of the passengers in the first two lines of stanza. Then, he uses the third sentence to explain the current state of the goods, which is usually unappealing and/or destroyed.  For example: "Jewels in joy designed/To ravish the sensuous mind" is followed by "Lie lightless, all their sparkles bleared and black and blind" (Hardy, 778). Hardy emphasizes how one day the jewels were attention-getting and impressive, but now they fail to even sparkle. This is representative of the idea that vanity causes destruction, ultimately. With the understanding that the poem is written about the Titanic disaster, one can expand this theme to pertain to the entire tragedy. The ship itself was well-know for its lavishness; however, its prestige and high-class nature was not enough to save it from its tragic fate. In fact, Hardy suggests that because everyone thought the Titanic was so fantastic, they failed to see its flaws, which ultimately lead to its demise.