Poetry+essays

Identify what you consider to be the author’s main purpose in producing each of the texts you have studied AND analyse, in depth, one or two main techniques used to achieve this purpose. Thomas Hardy uses the poems ‘The Convergence of the Twain’ and ‘Ah, Are You Digging on my Grave?’ to portray his views on human qualities and humanity. Through these poems he shows the reader some of the flaws we possess as human beings and their impact on our lives. He does this through the use of techniques such as listing, personification, assonance and symbolism. ‘The Convergence of the Twain’ focuses on human pride, arrogance and stupidity. Thomas Hardy attempts to warn the reader that we will always fail in a battle against Mother Nature and that we are stupid to think that we are invincible and that we can build something that will stand up against Mother Nature. Hardy states, “And the Pride of Life that planned her”, through this he is referring to how the Titanic was built up to be the pride of humanity but was defeated by Mother Nature on it’s maiden journey. It also shows that the Titanic had a lot of expectations to be the best ship ever built, that would never be destroyed, but it turned out to be nothing compared to Mother Nature. Thomas Hardy used techniques such as listing and personification to portray his views on human nature. The sea worm is, “grotesque, slimed, dumb, indifferent”, yet it is criticizing how a ship like this ended up so useless at the bottom of the ocean. Hardy is judging how ridiculous human pride is, as the sea worm has an almost clinical approach to crawling over mirrors in which people preened themselves. The even number, four, of the list plays on logic and emphasize how un-logical it was for this ship to end up like this. Through the personification, “stilly couches she”, Thomas Hardy gives the ship the qualities of vanity and boastfulness. The idea that women make themselves up for beauty just as the ship was. This is a façade much like the Titanic is an illusion; it looked beautiful but was no match for Mother Nature. What was once loved by men lies still at the bottom of the ocean, portrays man’s impotence. ‘Ah, Are You Digging on My Grave?’ was written so that Hardy could make the reader aware of how selfish we are and how easily we can forget about someone when they die. Also how our actions towards others during our life can affect how we are remembered after life. The women’s little dog informs her that her family thinks, “What good will planting flowers produce?” This shows the reader that the women’s family does not care about her anymore and will not visit her grave to place flowers there. The reader gets the sense that the dead women was not a very pleasant women during her life so people don’t look fondly upon her after her death and do not wish to visit her grave. Through the use of symbolism and assonance, Hardy was able to emphasize human selfishness. The symbolism of “rue” was used to show the bitter side of life. Rue is the bitter, strong scented leaves of a plant and this portrays the women’s bitterness during her life. Rue foreshadows the bitterness that comes through in the poem. The assonance used can also be a cliché, “nearest dearest kin”, gives the reader the impression that the woman has a family that cares but in fact it is quite the opposite. The poem takes on a sarcastic, cynical tone because the family does not care; almost a sneering tone is given. Both poems concentrate on human flaws and our natural instincts that make our lives worse. Thomas Hardy looks at the stupidity and selfishness of people and how these qualities can affect our lives before and after death, “I am sorry, but I quite forgot It was your resting-place”. Even the dead women’s dog has forgotten about her and they are supposed to be ‘man’s best friend’. Hardy uses his poems to warn us about life and death, that we should live life the best we can and take nothing for granted. Thomas Hardy uses techniques such as listing, personification, symbolism and cliché to portray the main message in each of his poems, ‘The Convergence of the Twain’ and ‘Ah, Are You Digging on My Grave’. He uses these techniques to give the reader a view of human flaws that a lot of us possess, and warns us that these flaws may have a bigger effect than we realize on our life after death. __ Miss Tinning’s comment: __ A very good essay here. Only a little more depth for a higher grade. __Very__ close to Excellence though. __Mark:__ Merit
 * Ambrose Vickers **

** Analyse how the texts you have studied created a strong impression of issues AND why these impressions were important to the text as a whole ** Thomas hardy’s poems ‘Ah, Are You Digging on My Grave?’ and ‘The Convergence of the Twain’ each create a strong impression of separate issues. We are guided by the poet to the impression he wanted to create. These impressions are important to understanding the overall message of the poem. Hardy’s poem ‘The Convergence of the Twain’ raises the issue of the loss of the Titanic. In the way Hardy describes the whole event, we are led to believe that it was an inevitability “Well: while was fashioning This creature of cleaving wing, The Immanent Will that stirs and urges everything Prepared a sinister mate For her -- so gaily great -- A Shape of Ice, for the time fat and dissociate.” We see here that Hardy felt that God had ordained this event to take place. He is discreet and uses the non-discriminate deity ‘The Immanent Will’. The way in which he continues this line of the stanza shows that the power he refers to has a higher control and that the event cannot be avoided. Also in the following stanza he illustrates that the power he is referring to is almost a dark force that was hell-bent on destroying the Titanic. Hardy creates the impression that this issue, the horrific accident, was inescapable. This impression he creates here is most important to understand the way he approaches the rest of the poem. Hardy continues with the idea that an almost ominous power is bringing the iceberg and the Titanic together. He carries on this feeling later in the poem “And as the smart ship grew In stature, grace and hue In shadowy silent distance grew the Iceberg too.” This gives the impression that the force was creating an equal opposite to the splendour expressed in the Titanic. More than this, he implies that the entity has an intention against the Titanic. It appears that this force uses its intelligence and control in our world to destroy the ship “Till the Spinner of the Years Said “Now!” And each one hears, And consummation comes, and jars two hemispheres.” This reinforces the impression that these two were fated to each other. By his use of language “consummation comes” Hardy furthers this idea and brings a marital allusion into the partnership of the two. This is also reiterated in the title with referring to them as ‘twain’. This idea of the Titanic being two parts of a whole is finalised in the last line of the poem “...and jars two hemispheres.” Because of the way Hardy uses these ideas through the poem, he is able to pass onto us his impression of the event. The impression he gives us is his own, and is therefore vital to comprehending the poem in its entirety. In contrast to this massive event that the affected the whole of western civilisation, Hardy’s poem ‘Ah, Are You Digging On my Grave?’ offers a far more personalised incident. The main issue of the poem is a dead woman who has been forgotten by all who have survived her. Throughout the narrative poem we see a conversation between the woman and another voice. Her hopes of a mourning lover, family and enemy are dashed as it is revealed that no one left behind really cares for her. She enquires if her loved one is digging upon her grave to plant rue and is informed “ “No, yesterday he went to wed One of the brightest wealth has bred. ‘It cannot hurt her now’ he said, ‘That I should not be true.’” ” The woman in the story has been bluntly forgotten by one she was so obviously close to. This inspires an impression of sympathy onto her from the reader. Hardy uses the woman as a very general representative of those who die and are easily forgotten. It could be that this poem was satirical, and in fact a criticism on the way society fails to respect its dead. More likely his intention was to offer the perspective of the dead woman, to make us reflect on how we would feel in the same situation that we will find ourselves in one day. Our impression of the issue of the poem, the dead woman, is one of pity and sympathy for her situation. This is important for the rest of the poem as it is the recurring theme that he plays on in us. The woman continues to enquire as to who is digging on her grave and is repeatedly disappointed that those she loved do not mourn her. Even her enemy see’s no point in defacing her grave. She finally uncovers that the culprit is actually her little dog. This brings her great joy. However, her hopes for loyalty and fidelity are dashed when her dog reveals “Mistress, I dug upon your grave To bury a bone, in case I should be hungry near this spot When passing on my daily trot. I am sorry, but I quite forgot It was your resting-place.” Even her dog, who she believed would maintain fealty, has forgotten his mistress. This either speaks on the type of person she was, or reflects upon the society of the time not remembering those past. The impression we build here of the woman, is that she obviously did not have an exceptionally memorable personality, or was perhaps an unpleasant character. Regardless of these speculations, the reader builds a certain amount of sympathy for the woman; the impression of her being worthy of this commiseration is important for the rest of the poem. If the intent of the author is indeed to warn us to remember the dead more fervently, then this sympathising with the woman is what will ensure this intent. In both of the poems, Hardy manages to create an impression of the issue, or subject, of the poem for the reader. This impression is important for understanding the poem as a whole. In ‘The Convergence of the Twain’ we are given Hardy’s impression that the Titanic’s accident and sinking were charged by fate and thus inevitable. This idea is important for understanding the way he describes the august event throughout the rest of the poem. If we did not glean from this impression what Hardy’s beliefs were around the incident, then comprehending the entire work would be difficult. In ‘Ah, Are You Digging on My Grave?’ Hardy gives us a much more localised happening. We build an impression of a pitiful character in the dead woman. This generates a sympathising with her situation, and is necessary for understanding his ideas about the way we remember our dead. In both of the poems we are given strong impressions of the issues within them and these issues are a necessity in understanding the work as a whole. ** __**Mrs Tinning's notes**__: Some fantastic points made throughout this essay. At times you are a little vague in answering all parts. It also appears to be a little too reliant on quotations... do some editing.
 * Fredi Jones

**Please note that the 'lol' is not me, I don't mark in text...just FYI. Mrs T-S No, that was my little thing. She doesn't mark in text - but she should. lol. Fredi **
 * __Mark__**: Merit (high lol)