"The Convergence of the Twain"

“The Convergence of the Twain” by Thomas Hardy

Imagery

Thomas Hardy employs imagery to convey the meaning of “The Convergence of the Twain”, which is the consequences of human pride. The imagery describes the Titanic while the Titanic can be a symbol of human pride. “In a solitude of the sea deep from human vanity, and the pride of life that planned her, stilly coaches she,” (Hardy, 778). The first stanza reveals that Titanic was created through the pride of the people who built her. That pride lies “stilly” at the bottom of the ocean. This establishes a meaning in the poem that human pride is a negative and can be destructive. “The sea-worm crawls—grotesque, slimed, dumb, indifferent,” (Hardy, 778). This line in stanza III add to the negative tone of human pride. “Jewels in joy designed to ravish the sensuous mind lie lightless, all their sparkles bleared and black and blind,” (Hardy, 778). The imagery of the jewels represent the pride in the Titanic and its beauty. The dark and gloomy imagery, “lightless,” “bleared,” “black,” and “blind” contribute to the meaning of our human pride leading to the destruction of beautiful and bright things that we create.