Titanic – More to the Myth

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In this week’s reading, Biel introduces yet another important angle on a Disaster that had a lasting effect in US history. Biel explains the Titanic disaster and how memory of the event shaped its forming into a national myth. While many Americans know the titanic according to the conventional, often retold narrative; Biel describes a side of the event that is not as simple. The article shows that the disaster had a profound response from both feminists and the Afican American population.

The popular narrative of the disaster is characterized by accounts of heroism and sacrifice. On the surface, these are noble tales, but feminists and other groups interpreted these accounts much differently. The disaster caused many to reference chivalry and the duty of men. Because of the growth of the suffragette movement in 1912, feminists had gained broader support. Thus, the feminist reaction to the Titanic was an important element to the public reaction; often being drowned out by other written sources such as the press. Feminists criticized notions of chivalry in the aftermath of the sinking because it “reinforced conservative views of gender and class relations in which both women and workers were best served by accepting the authority and protection of paternalistic elites” (Biel, 307). This rejection of paternal domininace by feminists after the disaster was critical to publicizing their cause.

Another group that is not often represented in the narrative of the disaster is the African American population. An account of an African American being refused passage and thus being saved from the sinking was used to bring racial discrimination to the public eye. Biel’s article reveals conflict in society compared to the ideal myth of the Titanic. An example of the reiteration of this myth is James Cameron’s movie. I agree with terry_christi that the flaws of the movie are bothersome to those who understand the entire scope of the disaster.