Biel – American Disasters

April 7, 2014December 16, 2020

Commemorating the Titanic

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Steven Biel’s discussion on the ways in which the Titanic disaster was commemorated in the years and decades afterwards illustrates how people will inevitably manipulate disasters to their own agenda. Annelies also built upon this argument in her blogpost. As we saw in the first section of the book, feminists and other groups manipulated the narrative of heroism to support different social and political agendas after the disaster.

In the next section of the book, Biel discusses the ways in which the Titanic was commemorated. Through his discussion, it becomes clear that the Titanic grew to symbolize and fill the roles that people needed it to. Through the thirties some interpreted the disaster as proof that traditional gender roles and the doctrine of separate spheres should be maintained. Another conservative narrative that evolved out of the disaster interpreted the Titanic as a symbol of everything that was wrong with modernity. Biel states:

“The disaster, then, continued to do important, if sporadic, cultural work, from reminding men and women of their proper roles and responsibilities at the onset of the Depression to asserting racial equality and exposing racial injustice…” (Biel 139).

We can see this common theme of the manipulation of narratives after disaster stretch across all of the disasters we have studied. McCullough used the Johnstown flood to illuminate the disparity in wealth and the effects of unequal distribution of economic power. Likewise, with the San Francisco earthquake, we can see that ways in which middleclass businessmen and politicians manipulated the narrative to fill their economic and political agendas.

These disasters and the various ways in which they were commemorated suggest the heavy hand people have in the definition of disaster. In many ways, facts are never facts, as they will always be manipulated, intentionally or not, to fill an individual’s narrative. These unique narratives are what give each disaster meaning within the context of the time and what dictates the vivacity with which each individual disaster is remembered.

April 7, 2014December 16, 2020

The Cultural Impact of the Titanic

Overall, I liked Biel’s approach to the responses to the disaster, although I do not know if I entirely buy his argument.

Biel uses how the Titanic was popularly studied from the 1950s to the 1980s in order to analyze how people used the disaster to parallel it to their own lives. I am not quite sure if he is saying that he agrees with the movements, or if he is just quoting those who believed that the disaster reflected their specific time period, but I feel as though people used the disaster in ways they wanted to do so; the disaster did not necessarily have to do with all nuances that he mentions. Like jewarren I think that it is interesting how he talks about certainty and uncertainty, and how he parallels that to technology and the nuclear age. I definitely agree that before the first World War, Americans had a (false) sense of safety and security, and this disaster can parallel how Americans saw technology before and after the World Wars. I think that Biel’s arguments about masculinity, femininity, and the disaster are interesting, although I do not know if I entirely agree with him. His arguments seem a bit speculative, and I think that people used the disaster to describe the role of men and women in the Cold War period. I also do not know if I agree with his argument about the story needing to “have a happy ending” (219). As he talks about Carter and how his femininity showed, he also parallels that to Reagan and how the great feeling produced from the time period had to parallel the disaster and give proper roles of masculinity and femininity to it. People are still fascinated with the Titanic even though he says that it has had an ending. He does a great progression of cultural significance and how people responded to the disaster over time, but the arguments that he makes from his analysis seem a bit speculative to me.

P.S. Research Update: I have found four primary sources and one great secondary source for studying how classes perceived and were affected by the Sea Islands Hurricane. I feel much more confident about my body of resources, and I will now be able to move forward analyzing classes from this disaster specifically without using to much speculation or other disasters as examples and applying it to this one.

April 7, 2014December 16, 2020

Sunken Ammunition

As we discussed in class, this novel by Stephen Biel, a professor of writing at Harvard, deals not with how the Titanic went down and the details of its backstory but rather with the disaster as a cultural icon and how it has been used to address and promote all different kinds of ideological positions and issues. After getting through the first half of the narrative which illustrates the immediate reactions to the actual sinking of the ship; for example, the feminist and anti-feminist fight over the meaning of the protocol “women and children first” and whether or not it reflected chivalry or some other sort of stab at women. The second half of the book tags along with the first half and continues to speak of how different groups of people used the Titanic’s wreck as ammunition to prove several of their own theories, as well as, shine light and examine how the Titanic has been preserved over the years in several unique fashions.

Biel lays out for us many of the groups that used the Titanic as a means to address issues of the day. For instance, socialists, he claims used the sinking to attack the excesses of capitalism or the suffrage movement used it as a rally cry for support for the passing of the 19th Amendment as suffragists linked the sinking of the ship to God’s wrath. Biel continues to document how the Titanic was preserved and used as a platform by different groups to advocate and oppose things such as women’s suffrage, immigration, technology and safety protocol, disaster prevention, mainstream religion movements, civil rights activism and other issues of the day. He discerns that everyone found some sort of ammunition from the failure of the Titanic from poets, preachers and writers to reformers, racists and suffragists. One example in particular I found bold was, “I suggest, henceforth, when a woman talks women’s rights, she be answered with the word Titanic, nothing more—just Titanic,” wrote a St. Louis man to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch (Biel, Down with the Old Canoe).

Continuing with the other part of the second half of the work, Biel discusses how the story has been preserved through other means in which he examines films (Nazi propaganda movie), novels (ex. Danielle Steel), interestingly music (Bob Dylan, African toasts and calls, working-class ballads against the rich) and also spends a good time on Walter Lord’s A Night to Remember, as a combination of the book, TV show and film. I cant comment per say on the sources he utilizes because I have no familiarity with them and I believe that may be answered in our discussion in class, however, I do think that the strength of this well-researched book is precisely the presence and analysis of these poetry, songs, books, films, and cartoons illustrating the different aspects of American life that were affected by the Titanic or felt the need to use the Titanic as a means to some end. As we talked about in class, Biel doesn’t really give you a detailed lead up or background of the Titanic but I think he makes up for that with his writing skills and the usage of these attachments as a powerful claim that maybe even more important than the wreck itself, was the ways it was put to use by certain advocacy groups trying to promote the Titanic as a link or ammunition to their cause. I think amcarter is right when she says that the Titanic’s second wave is addressing the anxiety and culture shifting that is taking course. People are scrambling to use this as a device to get ahead.

April 2, 2014December 16, 2020

Constructing Disaster Narratives

I think both Wells and Dan rightly argue that disasters present people with a “blank canvas” on which they are able to project their own meanings or interpretations. We can see this to be true in Biel’s chapter, “The Rule of the Sea and Land” where he writes, “A conventional narrative of the Titanic disaster began to take shape before any survivor had been interviewed” (23). The narrative of the chivalric male dominated the press accounts of the disaster before any eyewitness accounts had been documented. Further, in the foreword, Biel cites Henry Adams who used the disaster to promote his own anti-Republican agenda.

I want to pause and acknowledge Molly’s assertion that we must not undermine the significant human loss of disasters’ such as the Titanic. I do think that in the study history there is a tendency to try to understand the broader social and historical implications of a disaster, and then as a result gloss over the numbers of dead. However, I think it is precisely this that constitutes a disaster in the first place – loss of human life and capital. Not to put words in their mouths, but I believe that where Wells and Dan argue that a disaster becomes a blank canvas is after the event becomes viewed as a disaster.

In considering this idea that the Titanic presented an opportunity for people to promote their own agenda or to assert their own disaster narrative, we can see a similar scenario play out in other disasters we have studied. In my own research into the San Francisco Earthquake, this idea plays out in numerous ways. For one, the Progressives certainly saw the disaster as an opportunity to rebuild the city to reflect Progressive ideals. Another example is the intense seismic denial following the Earthquake, as well as the aggressive attempt to ascribe the damage to the fires for fear that the city would not be rebuilt.

As we discussed early on in the course, disasters have the unique ability to bring social issues to the surface. Perhaps the way in which these societal tensions surface is through people using disaster as an opportunity to express sentiments that might be disregarded otherwise.

April 2, 2014December 16, 2020

Differing Interpretations of the Titanic

Part One of Steven Biel’s Down With the Old Canoe: A Cultural History of the Titanic offers several different interpretations of the events surrounding the sinking of the Titanic. These interpretations come from all segments of society; the rich, the poor, and every other segment of society developed their own unique interpretation of the Titanic disaster. These differing opinions is what Biel draws on to construct his argument Biel argues that the way disaster is interpreted is subject to our own beliefs. This argument is strengthened throughout the first part of the book.

I found it very interesting how everyone at the time of the Titanic was able to use this disaster to further strengthen his or her own beliefs. Every segment of the population read into the sinking of the Titanic an explanation for the disaster that reaffirmed their own values. The rich were painted as heroes, while the poorer, more ethnic passengers were described as villains. Additionally, arguments were made for and against women’s suffrage and religious doctrine was employed as an explanation for the catastrophe. To me, this seems like a form of exploitation. Spectators are using the deaths of the Titanic passengers to further their own agenda. I think this shows something about human character that is slightly morbid.

I like the argument that Dan and Wells brought up that the Titanic does not have an intrinsic meaning. I agree; while the Titanic had meanings to a lot of different people at the time, it seems difficult to assign an intrinsic meaning to this disaster. Also, I disagree with Molly’s assertion that we have become indifferent to loss of life because of this class. The loss of human life and capitol was horrible, but as historians, we examine the way events like the sinking of the Titanic affected the course of history. Through this historical lens, we have to realize that not everything has to have meaning, but we must analyze its historical significance.

April 2, 2014December 16, 2020

Gendering Human Responsibility

The portion of the Steven Biel reading that was particularly interesting to me was his description of the ways in which different narratives developed regarding “male chivalry” after the Titanic’s sinking. This discussion relates directly to my research on the various portrayals of male heroism as a result of the Titanic for my final paper. My research has led me to read various newspaper articles from the days and weeks after the Titanic sinking, most of which exuberantly praise the men who died on the ship as a result of the “women and children first” philosophy.

Biel’s discussion makes is obvious that the narrative of “male chivalry” was by no means uncontested. The ways in which the same narrative regarding male heroism were manipulated after the disaster of the Titanic is what makes the study of gender relations during this time period so interesting. The perspective from the Progressive Women’s magazine is particularly interesting as it makes no attempt to negate the male’s “chivalrous” end, but instead points out the absence of male chivalry in life (Biel 104-105). This narrative calls out the concept of human responsibility in disaster, which we have discussed repetitively in class. However, this narrative takes the additional step of gendering the term, and instead of blaming human error, it specifically targets male error as the cause of the disaster. These women’s interpretation of the male sex’s guilt in the Titanic is related to Molly’s previous post about the ways in which the people in charge are primarily responsible for the disaster.

April 2, 2014December 16, 2020

Distinction between Cultural and Individual Significance

I disagree with the notion that the sinking of the Titanic has no intrinsic meaning, as Dan suggests that Wells has argued, and I’m worried that as our society is exposed to more disasters, we become increasingly numb to the significance of individual human lives and stories. Although I agree with Wells’ point that Biel believes and argues that the sinking of the Titanic was only culturally meaningful “in that it reflected the social and ideological complexities of a particular historical moment,” I think that from the individual triumphs depicted we can divine some small, personal hints of significance inherent in the disaster itself.

As Biel points out, activists for all issues skewed perceptions of the accounts to suit their agendas. This manipulation of facts for the purposes of activists is the subject of Biel’s chapter entitled, “The Rule of the Sea and Land.” My favorite example of this lies in Biel’s depiction of female activists claiming heroism “at the expense of men whose class and ethnic origins were suspect” (55). The women claimed they had to demonstrate physical strength to row their own lifeboats. Here Biel invokes thoughts of Social Darwinism by insinuating that women felt they had to put down other marginalized groups in order to gain any credence in mainstream society. This Social Darwinism may or may not have been noticed by those present on the boat, but Biel certainly makes the case that activists and journalists imposed it on those who were present.

By discussing and condemning the manipulation of heroic deeds before actually discussing the deeds themselves, I think Biel minimizes these deeds’ significance. Although racist and elitist, Andrews seemed proud that she had played a part in her own survival. For her, the sinking of the Titanic was significant. Yet Biel focuses less on Andrews’ perception of the disaster, and more on the public’s perception of it. As his title, Down with the Old Canoe: A Cultural History of the Titanic Disaster, suggests, Biel focuses more on reactions to, rather than personal victories within the disaster. This is where the conflation between cultural and individual significance comes in. It is easy to forget an event’s significance to individuals who participated, especially when compared with it historical and cultural significance. It may even seem too easy an argument to make—of course this event was meaningful for those who experienced it. But I don’t think that suggests that the event had no intrinsic meaning whatsoever. The meaning was more personal than it was cultural, and it makes sense that Biel did not find that meaning, since his intent was to provide an account of only the cultural history of the sinking of the Titanic.

April 2, 2014December 16, 2020

Mining for Meaning in the Depths of the Ocean

Steven Biel’s Down With the Old Canoe: A Cultural History of the Titanic Disaster, asserts that the historical value lies in the ways in which we understand and use the disaster. Biel points out that the Titanic in and of itself, the sinking of a single steamship in the middle of the ocean which in reality did not yield any great policy changes regarding ocean safety, was not actually significant. What was significant, according to Biel, are the ways in which Americans used the Titanic to understand their current anxieties about the world in which they lived. Biel stresses that the Titanic did not flip the switch from enchantment with technology to disillusionment with progress. He emphasizes that it did not signal the end of a happier simpler period. Biel describes the current state of unrest within American society which existed prior to the sinking. It is the way that each of these groups used the Titanic to extract lessons and advance causes that were already near to them which made the Titanic an irreplaceable part of American Culture. It was the way the Titanic served as a powerful metaphor for groups all across American society, groups like women’s suffragists, African Americans, the wealthy, and even traditionalists.

This view of the Titanic allows us to interrogate why we feel that the Titanic signified a simpler time. It allows us to understand more fully the state of American Affairs. It allows us to see the multiplicity of meaning that was invested in the sinking. And it allows us to think critically about this event. Like Wells mentions in his post, there is no true, universal, and singular meaning that arose from the deep waters into which the Titanic sank. The meanings manufactured were as diverse as the tensions experienced at the time. This makes the Titanic more than just a powerful metaphor, but a literal archaeological site for some of the greatest issues of the early 20^th century.

January 15, 2014December 16, 2020

Disaster in History: Social Injustice

History is something that is vital to human evolution however is not concrete. Disasters in history have created must contention between various views. Main topics of debate are how to study the history of American disasters. When defining “disaster” one must consider the platform in which they are arguing. Is a disaster created supernaturally? Or is it caused by man? Maybe both?

Jonathan Bergman points out how “disaster offers a unique lens with which to examine history” (935). Early beliefs of disaster may see it as a force beyond the power of man or nature but created through a higher being (God). As that is an early thought to the approach of how to define disaster one can see how the models have evolved to incorporate other factors. Worster formed a strong opinion that disasters are “work of man not nature” (937). His example was the Dust Bowl that occurred during the same time period as the Great Depression (1930s). The Dust Bowl can be argued that the land was overused and thus drying out the nutrients in the soil. However, there were also a multitude of natural events that multiplied the effects of man.

While those are only surface examples of how a disaster can be defined, the argument that I found the most accurate is his approach to studying disasters in American history. How Bergman points out how a disaster is caused and the effects that the disaster has both socially and economically in society. Bergman cites Karen Sawislak’s novel and ideas about the Great Fire in Chicago of 1871. In her argument she finds how “‘social difference’ shaped the ‘destinies’ of those affected by the fire” (938). This was shown in the efforts of rebuilding and how social disorder ensued. This aspect of social hierarchy is also shown in Kenneth Hewitt’s article when he addresses the Titanic. After the disaster of the Titanic, while there were more poor people on the ship more of the wealthy were able to survive due to their status they were able to get preferential life boats which ultimately saved their lives. How society reacts after a disaster ensues, whether it is a plague, a hurricane or a human error, is a way to analyze the faults in the system. The argument that I found to be the most convincing was Stephen Biel’s explanation of a disaster. According to Biel the meaning of disaster “can be found not only in cultural and political ideology, but in the evolution of relief regimes, engineering principles, and the news media” (939). This point felt the most persuasive because looking at the response or preparation of a disaster can help to advance society. I agree with the notion that disasters can be both “destructive and constructive” by regulating society naturally and manually.

Each “disaster” must be viewed an analyze on a case by case basis. There is no true way of distinguishing an exact formula of what a disaster is or how it can be prevented.