My dad just popped down for a visit. As ever it was good to see him, and we discussed this and that. He mentioned my blog entry yesterday, and the comment Will left on Facebook that ” Its about the shattering of Victorian/Edwardian confidence in man’s ability to triumph over any adversity through industry and technology. Even more poignant now viewed in the context of the greater falls which followed…” Will is certainly right, but what dad said then struck me as both profound and fascinating, although he stressed the point had been made before elsewhere: in a way the titanic tragedy effected the Edwardians in the same way as 9/11 effected contemporary America. That is to say there was the same sense of shock and horror in response to the sinking of the titanic as here was in response to September 11; there was the same shattering of confidence, the same horrifying realisation that one is not invincible. I guess that is why the titanic is remembered, and why I have no doubt that 9/11 will be remembered for years. Both events have the same cultural impact. My grandma told the story of how her class was interrupted just as I remember where I was when I first heard about 9/11. Both events caused the same type of cultural trauma. The difference is that whereas one was caused by human error, the other was a deliberate act of barbarity.

I understand now why the sinking of the titanic still upsets people. It was the moment of our first great fall, the moment when we realised how powerless we really are, and which is indeed ” Even more poignant now viewed in the context of the greater falls which followed.”