The poem Titanic by David R. Slavitt is about one of the most tragic pages in the history of the world shipbuilding. The poet takes the reader on an imaginary ride aboard the legendary ship and creates the atmosphere of money, luxury, power and glamour, which suddenly changes for the horrors of death. Most of those privileged passengers, who afforded the tickets, died in the cold waters of the ocean; however, they left their mark in history and the death of every of them makes them special and distinct from lower classes.
There are thousands of interpretations of the Titanic tragedy in movies, novels, and poems, but David R. Slavitt provides an absolutely different perspective of this notorious cruise. The poet interprets it as a joy, drawing the attention of the readers to the human vanity. They feel that he is ironic and even sarcastic about the selfish needs and ambitions of people, who would probably go on a similar voyage, even if they knew their fate. Nothing can be scary if it can provide the gateway to glory and popularity.
Great sadness is evident in the poem, since the world does not mourn properly over the deaths, which could have been prevented. People were expected to be sad and compassionate and they pretended to be. However, they could even feel jealous of those who enjoyed the privileges of a life of ease. The poet criticizes inequality, selfishness, false pride and love of fame.
All people die; this is inevitable. Some of them are lonely and poor, others are powerful and wealthy. Nevertheless, no money can save you in an emergency, everybody is equal. All flossing and posing is meaningless, though going down looks more glamorous if you can afford that. The world will remember those who stayed in history, but the question is whether it was worth that reward.