Titanic
The devastating loss of life on the night of April 14, 1912 caused the "unsinkable" Titanic to become both a captivating and historic event, which continues to be depicted through books, movies, and plays developed from descriptions of the survivors. The Titanic disaster, especially these past few years, ceases to remain silent. It has become an influential topic of interest for society, and the media has captured our fascination with this tragedy making it symbol of "the good old days" (Biel 1). The Titanic was "a lost golden age of order, authority, stable social roles, and codes of behavior" (Biel 1). Jim Beckerman reported that there have been seventeen movies, nineteen documentaries, and over a hundred books and songs made about the Titanic. He also quoted a historical consultant who said, "The Titanic is the key part of our popular culture" (1). On April 12, 1912 the luxurious Titanic was ready to provide accommodations for the rich and new beginnings for the poor in America (McMillan and Lehrer 22). Excitement spread all over England about this "unsinkable ship" through posters and newspaper articles. Her voyage embarked from South Hampton, England to New York (McMillan and Lehrer 6).
Reporter Adam Geller wrote about two men from New Jersey, Michael Findlay and Robert Bracken whom were able to compile a list of survivors of the Titanic (1). They were determined to find survivors and hear their story (2). They were captivated by this tragedy as Bracken quoted, "If we could only be there to see who got into those lifeboats" (3). Bracken and Findlay traveled to more than two dozen villages in Ireland and they also went to the Manhattan archives. They were able to track down twenty-three survivors one of, which included a woman named Margaret Devaney (2-3). vivid prose and photos of the ship. It also gave insight into what the passengers were feeling at that time (1). Another famous book was Walter Lord's A Night to Remember, written in 1955. It displayed how a historical past collided with a tragic moment and all of a sudden disappeared. Lord quotes the following, "The unending sequence of disillusionment that has followed can't be blamed on the Titanic, but she was the first jar" (Biel 1). of the ship called White Star Line that had been pried off the lifeboat (3). The emblem served as a symbol of Devaney's courage and experience on the Titanic (3). Carey L. Draeger also reported about Michigan survivors who lived in Detroit (1). Many passengers aboard the Titanic were headed for Michigan. Some of the Detroit survivors such as Fredrich Quick lived to tell his family's ordeal (1). Quick's wife and two daughters were supposed to meet him in Detroit coming from England. The family hadn't seen each other in three years, so when Quick found out about his family he went to the telegraph office in Detroit to hear the first news about the fatalities. He was one of the fortunate people to hear that his wife and children had survived (1). Many stories about the Titanic became an inspiration for the media to begin recounting the legend. As well as movies, books also capture the Titanic event. The Story of the Titanic as Told by Its Survivors, written by Lawrence Beesley, captured the experience onboard the ship through
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Approximate Word count = 1558
Approximate Pages = 6 (250 words per page double spaced)
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