First Class Life Boats

     I chose this photograph of the Titanic during its voyage in order to begin a conversation about social class. If you look at the picture, which is of the top deck, you see people walking around and you see the lifeboats. What is significant about the lifeboats pictured is that they were located on the top deck which only first class people had access to. There were also lifeboats located in the second class area. My point in bringing this up is that on the night the Titanic sank, something as simple as the placement of the lifeboats on the ship affected who survived and who did not. The third class passengers were located further down into the ship and some survivors described getting to the top as a maize and only with trial and error could they find a passage to the top decks where the lifeboats were being loaded.
    The ship contained a strict social structure with each class having a specific identity and purpose for travel. Most first and second class passengers were on vacation whereas a lot of third class passengers were immigrating to the US and many of them did not speak English. One survivor, Lawrence Beesley, wrote in his book that it took a long time for people to realize they were in danger. After they realized the ship was sinking and no one was going to rescue them, there was a rush for the lifeboats. The crew members made sure that only first class people got on the first class lifeboats, and second class people got on the lifeboats designated for them. As the night progressed into the early hours of April 15, 1912 and people pushed the class limitations that were set up for them. This photograph illustrates the focus of my paper which is an examination of who survived the sinking of the Titanic and what factors were involved including social class, gender, ethnicity, and age.