Similarly to many of Hardy’s other works ‘The Convergence of the Twain’ is focused on loss at both a personal and national level and features an array of poetical techniques typical to the writer. It’s effectiveness as an introduction, however, is debatable.

The theme of loss is prevalent throughout all the poems that Hardy composed after the demise of his wife and, in ‘The Convergence of the Twain’, this is conveyed primarily through imagery. His oxymoronic contrasts of, for example, ‘jewels in joy designed’…’lie lightless’, build up a positive image and then steal it away again in order to provoke sympathetic emotions to Hardy’s own grief. However, as he describes the poem as being ‘on the loss of the Titanic’, this would suggest that ‘The Convergence of the Twain’ is not an Emma elegy to one who has not read any of his other works, thus rendering the poem less effective as an introduction.

Another element of Hardy’s poetry which is clearly conveyed in this poem is his ability to manipulate the tense of his narration. ‘The Convergence of the Twain’ is clearly written in the present tense despite the fact that it is describing an event in the past. This allows the reader to become submerged in the poet’s ideas and view their validity in the present whilst also suggesting that the poet himself is indeed a time torn man. As Hardy was writing amidst the confusion and ambiguity of the fin de  siècle, such use of tense is expressed throughout all of his poetry making ‘The Convergence of the Twain’ an apt example as an introduction.

‘The Convergence of the Twain’ is also a prime example of Hardy’s ability to use metre and rhythm in order to convey certain ideas and emotions. The poet uses masculine rising lines, such as ‘…grew the Iceberg too’ in order to set a sense of firm inevitability. The particular theme of fate and the lack of power of humans recurs throughout many of Hardy’s other poems, often combined with the influence of nature or a higher power. ‘The Convergence of the Twain’ contains both of these features in the form of ‘the solitude of the sea’ and ‘the Spinners of the Years’.

In conclusion, ‘The Convergence of the Twain’ does consist of the typical style utilised by Hardy and is rich in examples which would suit as an introduction to his poetry perfectly. However, due to the more obscured references to Emma, through the Titanic, it would be more difficult for a new reader to truly grasp his motives as keenly as if they had first read, for instance, ‘Under the Waterfall’.