The overall theme for this piece centers on the intense emotional impact and haunting nature of a devastating tragedy. I thought the poem ‘After the Titanic’ by Derek Mahon conveyed this theme very effectively. The poem is written through the perspective of Bruce Ismay, who was the managing director of White Star Line, the company that owned the Titanic. The poem conveys not only a profound sense of survivor’s guilt, but also a deep internal conflict, narrated through Ismay’s own recounting of events. My aim was to create an immersive experience that encompasses the lingering senses of loss, guilt, and melancholy. I wanted the listener to feel transported to a space where the echoes of the past are almost tangible, resonating with the poem’s tone.

The first step I took in producing this audio piece was to record someone reading the poem with my phone. I did this in a quiet environment to try and keep any extra noise from filtering into the audio. Next, I edited the background sounds out, as there was still some rustling and general noise going on. Then, I imported it to Audacity along with two other audio files. These two files were sound effects I had downloaded from the internet. The first was an audio of some waves crashing on a beach, the second was an ambient resonance sound effect. I added both effects to further contribute to the feelings and themes of isolation and guilt.

I imported all three of these files to Audacity to edit them together. I had to cut the two sound effects down in size as they were over two minutes in length. Next, I decided to lower the volume of the waves crashing and the haunting reverberation as they were overpowering the speaking portion of the audio. I also added some reverb to the poem portion to evoke a sense of vastness and further emphasize the feeling of isolation. Finally, I added some fading so as not to have the audio ending abruptly.

This layering of sound and spoken word I believe effectively evokes the echoes of a past tragedy that continue to resonate, allowing the listener to connect deeply with the story's emotional core.