Monday, July 11, 2011

Magpie Tales 73: unthinkable, unsinkable

Benton — The People of Chilmar — 1920
Picture provided by Tess as inspiration for Magpie Tales 73.

The sinking of the RMS Titanic, by Henry Reuterdahl,
based on wireless description. (Wikipedia)

There was very little cooperation between passengers and crew, whether man, woman or child. Panic reigned, because the ship was said to be unsinkable. No one had thought of hitting an iceberg. No "iceberg drills" had been in place before the catastrophe. None had been deemed necessary by the White Star Line, or by its captain.
The water, of course, was unbearably cold, and anyone not in a lifeboat died almost immediately as a result of hypothermia.
The unthinkable had happened, as it continues to do today. Unthinkable, unspeakable, unbelievable, unbearable...all the words we throw around so carelessly until it is too late. Much too late.

Posted for Magpie Tales, hosted each week by Willow.
Thanks, Willow!
To see how the prompt picture inspired other writer-bloggers, please click HERE!
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19 comments:

  1. Maude LynnJuly 11, 2011 at 11:37 AM

    Well done!

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  2. sukipoetJuly 11, 2011 at 12:19 PM

    interesting interpretation. you are the first i've read who acknowledges the boat and the sea.

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  3. Laurie KolpJuly 11, 2011 at 1:04 PM

    Great take on the prompt... sad situation...

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  4. FilipBlogJuly 11, 2011 at 1:58 PM

    Very special painting from Benton, I like it. Very modern for his time.

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  5. Brian MillerJuly 11, 2011 at 2:39 PM

    thanks for popping in today...and yes it does...but what will we do about it...

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  6. KayJuly 11, 2011 at 3:29 PM

    Great idea for this prompt, Kay.

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  7. ReflectionsJuly 11, 2011 at 6:37 PM

    Great take... love the provocative depth to this one.

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  8. Lynette KillamJuly 11, 2011 at 7:39 PM

    An excellent take on the prompt, Kay! When visiting my birth city four years ago, it was interesting to note that while there are over fifty museums/exhibits around the world featuring the Titanic, there was nothing in Belfast but an empty lot at the Harland and Wolff Shipyards from which she was launched....

    This is my first time joining in with Magpie Tales. I can definitely be a little slow on the uptake...LOL!

    Lynette

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  9. kaykualaJuly 11, 2011 at 7:59 PM

    Yes, who could believe it. Touted as unsinkable the Titanic went down following a wrong turning? Whew!

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  10. Liz Rice-SosneJuly 11, 2011 at 9:33 PM

    Very interesting take on the painting. I enjoyed it!

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  11. Rinkly RimesJuly 11, 2011 at 10:10 PM

    It could certainly be a shipwreck; it has a definite feeling of disaster.

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  12. SquirrelQueenJuly 12, 2011 at 2:19 AM

    Such a terrible tragedy. Great take on the prompt Kay.

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  13. Words A DayJuly 12, 2011 at 9:02 AM

    very true.
    (I really like the image of the titanic).

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  14. Tess KincaidJuly 12, 2011 at 10:52 AM

    Unique take on the prompt. Well done!

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  15. IsabelJuly 12, 2011 at 11:14 AM

    love our take... great write

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  16. hyperCRYPTICalJuly 13, 2011 at 6:43 AM

    Terrible tragedy - great write.

    Anna :o]

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  17. chiccorealJuly 13, 2011 at 3:49 PM

    Kay: The "unbearable" words are always said after-the-fact. A disaster which never should have happened! Great read; a real chiller!

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  18. Sue JJuly 14, 2011 at 6:57 PM

    Great Magpie. My godmother had relatives who went down with the Titanic.

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  19. AnonymousJuly 14, 2011 at 9:51 PM

    Nicely written. Kind of makes me think of the Titanic. :o)

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