Allan Wolf's verse novel The Watch that Ends the Night is a heart-wrenching portrayal of the experiences of lost and surviving passengers and crew of the RMS Titanic. The novel is suitable for middle to high school-aged readers; it weighs in at 430 pages of verse!At the end of the novel is a "Notes" section, which includes the following: an author's note, a character note, a section on Morse code messages, and a section titled "RMS Titanic Miscellany". Wolf also includes a lengthy bibliography and a note to guide readers to additional resources on all things surrounding Titanic's history and tragedy.
Reading through the "Miscellany" section, one is in awe of the loss of life when it seems so many could have been saved. In all, Wolf's verse represents twenty-five voices, twenty-three of which were actual passengers and crew on the Titanic. Two of these voices are the Iceberg and the Ship Rat.
Perhaps the most intriguing verses come from the Iceberg itself. It is hauntingly beautiful because we, as readers, know the ill-fate of the Titanic. The passengers and crew come from different countries, speak differently languages, and Wolf brings each of them (victim and survivor) to vivid life through his consistent verse style. Each character has their own style, dialect and accent represented in their verse.
When I shared this book with a group of seventh graders, they were particularly enthralled with the voice of the Iceberg. Since the readers know the historical events that occurred, it is almost eerie to read the Iceberg's thoughts. A great verse example is toward the end of the book, after the collision with Titanic has already occurred:
The knew. They knew what damage ice can do.
And yet they kept advancing, all the same.
Titanic's wound proved mortal. Now she's gone.
But metal, coal, and engines weren't my aim.
My prize was left there floating on the sea.
The humans left alive upon their boats;
some selfishly looked only to themselves.
But mostly they assisted those in need.
Surprisingly few were fueled by greed.
Surprisingly most were fueled by hope,
a hopefulness that, even through despair,
illuminates the dark and morbid night.
An officer sends up his final flare.
The rescue ship comes steaming into sight.
Then sunlight reinstates some normalcy.
Each little boat approaches with what's left.
A bosun's chair lifts females to the deck.
The infants ride in canvas postal sacks.
The baker makes his way up on his own.
His feet in pain from frostbite's knife-sharp sting,
he climbs a Jacob's ladder on his knees.
The wireless man is forced to do the same.
The lookout, immigrant, and tailor's sons,
the gambler, refugee, and socialite,
the boy who hunts for dragons: all ascend.
Ascend to end the watch that ends the night.
And as they do, the ice leaves with the tide,
a dozen souls all clinging to my side.
(Wolf, 403)
The Iceberg's voice is so vividly captured in long verse such as the one above. There are no line or stanza breaks in the Iceberg's voice, which could represent the path the iceberg has taken over thousands of years, finally meeting its match in lady Titanic. One way to introduce this verse novel to middle or high-school aged readers could be to show actual photographs of the Titanic and the Icebergs which were in the Atlantic. Also helpful to provide before reading the above poem, would be to read other entries featuring the Iceberg which occur in earlier chapters of the novel.
The parent, teacher or librarian sharing this verse could also share the "Titanic vs. the Iceberg" information contained in the "RMS Titanic Miscellany" section on pages 453-454 of the book. After sharing the specifics of the weight, speed and age of the ship and the Iceberg, then the above verse could be read. It would also be important to share background information on the RMS Carpathia, the "rescue ship comes steaming into sight" (403). The parent, teacher or librarian sharing this poem with young readers could then lead a discussion on what readers would do if they were aboard the Titanic. Would they think only of themselves or would they "assist those in need"?
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