Those who know me may know of my somewhat obsessive interest in the Titanic and all things related to her. I could seriously write a book on the topic, but so many have been done already I see no need to add another. Looking across my living room to one of my bookshelves I see 3 full shelves dedicated to Titanic.I really don’t know why this ship and her passengers struck my heart in such a way. Seems odd. But, odd or not I have spent hour upon hour reading everything about this ill-fated voyage. The grand happiness and hope of a new dawning age and then the crashing reality of man’s folly and arrogance. This ship was a testament to mans’ power over nature and then, ironically, the opposite as well — man’s helplessness against nature.

Bruce Ismay: “This ship can’t sink!”Thomas Andrews: “She is made of iron, sir.I assure you she can and she will.”  

The Titanic was an Olympic class ship commissioned by the White Star Line to help their sagging business against the Cunard line. There were three ships of this type constructed, the Olympic, the Titanic and later the Gigantic ( renamed to Britannic ). The Titanic was special in that White Star’s director, Bruce Ismay had extra fittings appointed to the Titanic in order to make it more luxurious.Of the original 2,200 people aboard almost 1,550 died. There is no way to relate the magnitude of this loss in the modern day. In Southampton, the home port of the Titanic, there was not a block where someone did not die. Imagine, in your city or town, to one day awaken and note that on every block at least one person died. Rumors where that not one person living in Southampton did not know at least one who died.Several famous people died as well, including the owner of the Macy’s department store chain and his wife, Isidor and Ida Strauss, but the real tragedy is that so many died at all. The feeling of helplessness and the stories told of selflessness help to continue the mystique. James Cameron’s movie also did quite a bit to make modern audiences aware of this tragedy in a way few storytellers could. His movie did what many have tried to do in the past–it brought us to Titanic. It allowed us, in our contemporary time, to visit another time and place. We shared in the event and even though we knew the ending we still watched on. Cameron chose to use a fictional couple, Jack and Rose, to tell the story. He was quoted as saying he had to for if he used one couple’s real story, it would make their story more important and he did not want to do that.If you have never seen this film, I highly recommend it. It is truly a modern masterpiece. You will probably never get to be so close to reality in a film of another time ( from a documentary and place / setting POV ) unless someone, somewhere invents a time machine.

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