A Night to Remember

Consider three to five reasons that the Titanic disaster was such a significant event in world history (e.g., significant loss of life, mistakes made, presumptions of safety, beliefs about technology). Explain the depth of those individual impacts and give examples that demonstrate how the social values of the time enforced those factors.

Choose two pairs of historical figures featured in A Night to Remember and compare them to each other (e.g., Thomas Andrews versus Bruce Ismay; Officer Lightoller versus Officer Murdoch; Margaret “Molly” Brown versus Lady Lucille Duff Gordon; Captain Rostron versus Captain Smith). For each pair, discuss the characteristics that the two had in common and how their actions were similar and different. Which person in each pair aligned more closely with the social expectations of them? Which values impacted all four, and which were specific to certain individuals?

Examine the changes in nautical regulations that followed the sinking of the Titanic (e.g., the formation of the International Ice Patrol, the mandate that all wireless machines operate 24 hours a day, and the requirement for enough lifeboats to accommodate all people on a ship). Link these changes with specific events during the Titanic’s voyage, discussing how they played a part in regulation updates.