I disagree with the notion that the sinking of the Titanic has no intrinsic meaning, as \u00a0Dan<\/a>\u00a0suggests that Wells<\/a>\u00a0has\u00a0argued, and I\u2019m worried that as our society is exposed to more disasters, we become increasingly numb to the significance of individual human lives and stories.\u00a0 Although I agree with Wells\u2019 point that Biel believes and argues that the sinking of the Titanic was only culturally <\/i>meaningful \u201cin that it reflected the social and ideological complexities of a particular historical moment,\u201d I think that from the individual triumphs depicted we can divine some small, personal hints of significance inherent in the disaster itself.<\/p>\n As Biel points out, activists for all issues skewed perceptions of the accounts to suit their agendas.\u00a0 This manipulation of facts for the purposes of activists is the subject of Biel\u2019s chapter entitled, \u201cThe Rule of the Sea and Land.\u201d \u00a0My favorite example of this lies in Biel\u2019s depiction of female activists claiming heroism \u201cat the expense of men whose class and ethnic origins were suspect\u201d (55).\u00a0 The women claimed they had to demonstrate physical strength to row their own lifeboats. \u00a0Here 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.\u00a0 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.<\/p>\n By discussing and condemning the manipulation of heroic deeds before actually discussing the deeds themselves, I think Biel minimizes these deeds\u2019 significance.\u00a0 Although racist and elitist, Andrews seemed proud that she had played a part in her own survival.\u00a0 For her, the sinking of the Titanic was significant.\u00a0 Yet Biel focuses less on Andrews\u2019 perception of the disaster, and more on the public\u2019s perception of it.\u00a0 As his title, Down with the Old Canoe: A Cultural History of the Titanic Disaster<\/i>, suggests, Biel focuses more on reactions to, rather than personal victories within the disaster.\u00a0 This is where the conflation between cultural and individual significance comes in.\u00a0 It is easy to forget an event\u2019s significance to individuals who participated, especially when compared with it historical and cultural significance.\u00a0 It may even seem too easy an argument to make\u2014of course this event was meaningful for those who experienced it.\u00a0 But I don\u2019t think that suggests that the event had no intrinsic meaning whatsoever.\u00a0 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.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" I disagree with the notion that the sinking of the Titanic has no intrinsic meaning, as \u00a0Dan\u00a0suggests that Wells\u00a0has\u00a0argued, and I\u2019m worried that as our society is exposed to more disasters, we become increasingly numb to the significance of individual human lives and stories.\u00a0 Although I agree with Wells\u2019 point that Biel believes and argues … <\/p>\n