Narrative Article about “Titanic”–

 
(1) Title: “Titanic”.  
 
(2) Introduction: This film is one of the most moving love stories.  It shows us what the “ideal man” can look like.  Set in the magnificent luxury liner Titanic, the two lovers Jack and Rose discover, then lose each other, as the ship leaves its port, strikes an iceberg, and sinks with heavy loss of life. 
 
(3) Setting (time): The story takes place in the year 1912, over a period of about five days.  There is also a later drama, which happens sometime in the 1990's. 
 
(4) Setting (place): Most of the story takes place in the North Atlantic Ocean, on board the  Titanic.  It also takes place on board the research vessel that was looking for the wreck of the Titanic. 
 
(5) Characters: The characters are as follows: 
       “Young” Rose was a passenger on board the Titanic.  She came from a good family, and was engaged to be married to “Mark” (forgot his real name).  Rose was impulsive in nature.  She was very unhappy to be engaged to “Mark”, so she tried to jump off the ship; this led to her meeting Jack.  Rose was a true lover, who held nothing back once she was committed.  She was also very beautiful. 
       “Old” Rose, a woman in her 80's, was invited onto the research ship that was trying to get the lost diamond on board the sunken Titanic.  She was brave and clever, but she also had a sense of honor, for she was faithful to Jack and herself.  Perhaps she was a little bit deviant to throw the diamond into the sea, but she did it out of her beliefs about life. 
       Jack was a risk-taker of the highest order.  He was brave, a true lover, selfless, fun-loving, resourceful, and willing to take on life’s challenges.  He had little money, but the whole world belonged to him.  He was an artist.  Above all, he had a vision for Rose’s future. 
       “Mark” was engaged to marry Rose.  He was rich, selfish, violent, played life’s game unfairly, and was a coward.  In 1929, he committed suicide, when he lost all his money.  He wanted to marry Rose, on account of money and position. 
       The Titanic’s designer was proud, for he believed the ship was “unsinkable”.  In the end, he died., along with many others. 
       There were many others in this film–the ship’s captain, rich passengers, like Baron Rothschild, and various other passengers.  They made up the variety and interest in the story. 
 
(6) Plot Summary: The plot of the story has three parts: 
       The first part takes place in the 1990's, when a rich “treasure-hunter” is looking for a lost diamond that was on board the Titanic when it sunk.  A small submarine brings up the safe which was supposed to contain the diamond, but inside there is a picture of a woman.  Later on, “Old” Rose appears, and says she was that woman, many years ago.  She tells her story to the “treasure-hunter”. 
       The second part is the main part of the story, which takes place in the year 1912. 
       At the beginning, the Titanic leaves port, and the major characters are introduced. 
       Rose and Jack meet each other, when Rose tries to jump off the Titanic, as she wanted to escape the unhappy marriage she was about to have with “Mark”.  Jack is almost punished, as the crew thought he was attacking Rose. 
       Over the next day or so, Rose and Jack get to know each other better, and then fall in love.  This meets with opposition from “Mark”. 
       The Titanic hits an iceberg, and after some hours, begins to sink. 
       “Mark” is extremely jealous of Jack’s involvement with Rose, so he fights with him, even as the ship is sinking. 
       The Titanic finally sinks, killing many people.  Jack dies in the cold water, but forces Rose to promise him that she will live an interesting, productive life. 
       The third part of the story returns to the 1990's, on board the research ship of the “treasure-hunter”.  It is night.  “Old” Rose quietly goes on deck, and secretly drops the diamond into the ocean.  She has kept her promise to Jack. 
 
(7) Conflict: There are a number of conflicts in this story, and they keep a feeling of suspense: 
       Will Rose and Jack stay together? 
       There is a strong rivalry between Jack and “Mark”, over who will be the victorious lover of Rose.  This conflict rises and falls throughout the action of the story. 
       Another long conflict is the question: will the “treasure-hunter” find the lost diamond? 
       After the Titanic hits the iceberg, the question is: will the people be saved? 
 
(8) Resolution of Conflict: These conflicts are resolved as follows: 
       Rose and Jack are separated, as Jack dies in the cold water. 
       “Mark” loses Rose.  Not only does he lose her to Jack, he also loses her back in New York harbor (after the disaster), as Rose avoids him, and escapes into her own life. 
       The “treasure-hunter” loses the diamond, as Rose drops it into the sea.  She had it with her all those years, but she never sold it, to become rich. 
       Many people died in the cold water. 
 
(9) Conclusion: “Titanic” is a wonderful love story, and a model for “true love”.  It is sad, and will make you cry.  From this film, you can learn a lot about human nature–both the good, and the bad.  In my opinion, I think that “Old” Rose should have given the diamond back to society.   However, she acted according to her own conscience.  She did not sell it in the year 1912, and become a rich, but “soft” and possibly tormented person.  Instead, she lived the “risk-taking” and adventurous life that Jack had recommended to her, as he was about to die.  In a sense, the life she lived after the disaster was the unspoken and ultimate token of her love for Jack.