Object Lessons from History - Rock of Ages

Most people will know about the RMS Titanic, and almost all of us will have watched a certain movie starring Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet. Titanic indeed was the most fatal maritime disaster in history during peacetime and has gained a status of a modern folklore. Yet, very few people will have even heard the name of her tragic predecessor, the SS Atlantic.

On April 1, 1873, SS Atlantic, then the greatest ship of her time, crashed against a rocky coast near Lower Prospect, Nova Scotia, killing some 550 passengers and crew out of approximately 975 in total. The sinking of the SS Atlantic was the largest maritime disaster of its time, preceding the Titanic disaster by nearly 40 years. 

The SS Atlantic was on her 19th crossing from Liverpool, England to New York when she was met with tragedy. She was plowing through a stormy weather throughout the voyage and was facing a delay. Concerned that the ship was running low on coal, Captain James Williams diverted the ship to Halifax, Nova Scotia to resupply.

Captain James Agnew Williams

However, the crew was woefully unfamiliar with the dangerously rocky coast of Nova Scotia. As a precaution, Captain Williams planned to stop the ship for the night once light from the Sambro Island Lighthouse would be spotted to the ship's port (left) side, which he calculated should be visible by 3:00AM. At 12:20AM, the captain retired from the bridge to take a short nap. He gave orders to Second Officer Henry Metcalf, the officer at the watch, to wake him up if the Sambro Lighthouse was spotted or if the time was 3AM. He also gave a separate order to his steward to wake him up at 2:40AM.
At 2:45AM, the steward was on his way to wake the captain, but was stopped by Officer Metcalf. For reasons unknown, Metcalf refused to wake the captain, stubbornly insisting that they were safe as long as the lighthouse was not seen. Not even the warnings of the helmsman who had been to Halifax could sway Metcalf. And so, 3AM came and went, but the captain was still asleep, the lighthouse was not spotted, and the ship was speeding through gale winds at full speed.

Unbeknownst to the crew, strong currents had pushed the ship 20 km, or 12.5 miles, to the west. Sambro Island Lighthouse was actually to the ship's starboard, or right, side. The crew kept checking the port side and so missed the light that should have been visible.

At 3:15AM, the lookout yelled, “Breakers ahead!” Realizing that land was far too close, Metcalf desperately ordered to turn the ship around. But the ship was traveling too fast to make any difference. The bow crashed head-on with the Golden Rule Rock off the shores of Mars Island. The stern then swung around to the shore and slammed against another rock, tearing off the keel and the propeller blades. The ship was now completely stuck on the rocky coast. 

The shock of the collision threw everyone awake, including the captain. Once back on bridge, the captain ordered for all passengers to be evacuated immediately and for the distress rockets to be fired to call for rescue. 

Panic-stricken and unable to collect their thoughts, passengers were scurrying around in total darkness, gathering belongings and looking for loved ones. Those who managed to get out of their cabins were crowded at the narrow staircases, unable to escape the fast-sinking ship. On top of the boat deck, lifeboats were either washed off or dashed against the ship's hull by the crashing waves, killing all onboard. Among the dead was Second Officer Metcalf. The distress rocket exploded onboard the ship, and the crewmen firing them dropped all remaining rockets into the sea. All avenues of escape had failed.

Suddenly, the ship rolled to its side, catching everyone off guard and drowning all women and children still crowded in the stern section. A survivor later described this cataclysm, "I then heard a dismal wail which was fearful to listen to. It proceeded from the steerage passengers below, who were then smothering. It did not last more than two minutes, when all was still as death." 

Passengers and crew were hanging onto the railings or were climbing onto the bow and the very nearly horizontal masts for higher ground. Many were swept away by the pounding waves. The ship was shredding in half and was now lying on its side. Waters were bursting out of the portholes. Everyone was struggling futilely against the inevitable. Then Quartermaster John Speakman and the others saw Golden Rule Rock and formed a new escape plan.

Speakman secured ropes to the rock from the bow of the ship, and ordered the surviving men to hang onto the ropes and move toward the rock, hoping the rock would provide a safer footing. After much struggle and more loss of life along the way, as many as 100 or 200 survivors were now standing on Golden Rule Rock. The same rock that blew a deathblow to SS Atlantic became salvation to her survivors!

Miraculously, Quartermaster Robert Thomas had been washed ashore and managed to alert the residents of Mars Island, who then banded together to rescue the stricken survivors.

Upon the aftermath of the disaster, approximately 550 had died out of the 952 or 975 onboard. Particularly devastating was that no women and only one child had survived. The sinking of the SS Atlantic was the deadliest maritime disaster in North Atlantic until the sinking of the SS La Bourgogne in 1898. It was also the worst disaster for her parent company, the White Star Line, until the sinking of the Titanic in 1912. This senseless tragedy could have been prevented had Office Metcalf humbly obeyed a simple order from his superior.

SS Atlantic during body and cargo recovery

Had Officer Metcalf obeyed the captain’s direct order to wake him up at 3AM, had he listened to Quartermaster Thomas’ warnings, or had he allowed the captain's steward do his duty, Captain Williams would have been awake before 3AM, and the ship would have stopped for the night. Then in the morning, everyone would have realized in horror how close the ship was to the shore. And most importantly, no lives would have been lost so needlessly. How much difference a simple act of disobedience makes!

Officer Metcalf's disobedience was a defiance to the captain’s authority and showed that he did not trust his superior, only himself. And when the ship was sinking, a fight broke out between Metcalf and the captain in another astonishing display of insubordination. The captain deemed the lifeboats to be too dangerous to launch because of the stormy seas, but Metcalf insisted for the lifeboat to be lowered along with the other mob of men. Suddenly, the lifeboat crashed into the sea, and Metcalf and everyone onboard lost their lives. Thinking he knew better than his superior, Metcalf knew nothing of what he was doing.

How often are we prone to do the same with God! When God instructed Adam and Even not to eat of the fruit of the knowledge of good and evil, they decided instead to trust in the words of a serpent and ate the fruit. And that simple act of disobedience led to the entrance of sin into the world. Every wicked deed, thought, and every tragedy and suffering (including the SS Atlantic disaster) all stem back to that one moment of mistrust, pride, and disobedience. 

When God promised Abraham that he would have his son and descendants through the aging Sarah, Abraham instead married Hagar to fulfill that promise himself. For after all, how could an elderly couple possibly even hope to have a child? However, this lack of faith led to a tension that tore the family apart and eventually, to the seemingly never-ending conflict between the descendants of Ishmael and of Isaac. 

And finally, when Jesus told His disciples that He was to be crucified and resurrected, Judas Iscariot instead did what he deemed a better idea: betray Jesus to the priests and the rabbis so that He would reveal His divinity and become the kingly Messiah he and many other Jews hoped for. However, Jesus was instead captured, beaten, and crucified by His own people. Devastated, Judas took his own life.

We may look at these examples and say we would not have done the same in their position, but are we really any better? How often do we continually make plans and take actions of our own will and not ask for God's will? How often do we turn down God's calling and simply take our own path, thinking that obeying would lead us to something uncomfortable? How often do we think that God is giving us a stone or a serpent instead of bread or a fish, just because His will does not line up with ours?

Because of our sinful nature, we are inclined for pride and mistrust, two traits that lead to disobedience. Many times, our own paths feel so much better than God's even though He has "thoughts of peace, and not of evil" (Jeremiah 29:11). The many tragic stories in the Bible tell us that disobedience, prompted by lack of faith, only leads to unnecessary sadness, heartache, and regret. Worst of all, it robs us of the blessing God wanted to give us.

As the master entrusted the talents to his three servants, Jesus has entrusted the world to His followers. As stewards of the world, we have a responsibility to be its light and salt. If we persist in our own mistrust and pride by not investing our gifts to do God's work and not obeying His commandments, we not only risk the fate of the servant who did not use his one talent, we also lead others down to our path of destruction. Just as Metcalf's disobedience, mistrust, and pride led SS Atlantic and all onboard to crash against Golden Rule Rock, we, along with the others we have caused to stumble, will be rebelling against the Almighty God and be destroyed.

The Bible refers to God many times as the rock of salvation and strength. Jesus once said, "…the stone which the builders rejected, the same is become the head of the corner...whosoever shall fall on this stone shall be broken; but on whomsoever it shall fall, it will grind him to powder" (Matthew 21:42,44). Daniel chapter 2 has a vision in which a metallic statue representing kingdoms of the world is destroyed by a stone "cut out of the mountain without hands" (Daniel 2:45).

 The same Rock will destroy all those who choose to be in rebellion against Him; yet, the same Rock is there not to condemn, but to save. Just as the same rock that destroyed SS Atlantic became salvation to her survivors, the same God is there to be salvation and strength to all those who will cling to Him by faith and obedience. 

Friends, this world has been in rebellion against an Almighty and Righteous God, and it is headed towards judgment and destruction. If we persist in our pride, mistrust, and disobedience, we will be partaking in that destruction. Yet, God "so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life" (John 3:16). Friends, let us not forsake this love. Let us forsake our sins, go forward to the throne of grace, and entrust our lives to the One who willingly took our punishment. Let us be as the wise man who built his house upon the rock and build our lives upon Jesus Christ, our Rock of salvation. 

Will you hide yourself in the Rock of Ages, cleft for you and me?

Afterword:
I had the privilege of watching videos about SS Atlantic from the team behind an upcoming game Titanic: Honor and Glory. Learning about this forgotten disaster was upsetting and inspired me to write this devotion. For further research, you can look up more about SS Atlantic through these videos, through the SS Atlantic Heritage Society, and through the book SS Atlantic: the White Star Line's First Disaster at Sea by Greg Cochkanoff and Bob Chaulk. 

This blog post is dedicated to the passengers and crew, perished and survived, in the sinking of SS Atlantic in April 1, 1873.

Links:

Amazon page for SS Atlantic by Greg Cochkanoff and Bob Chaulk

The Wreck of the SS Atlantic Documentary

SS Atlantic Real Time Sinking Documentary

SS Atlantic Heritage Park Society - Official Website

Animated Scene Analysis - Bambi (Part 1)

Bambi, along with Dumbo, was among the first Disney movies that my mother bought for me when I was very young. She herself had never really seen (or at least paid attention to) Disney movies when she was young, but she bought the VHS tapes for these two films anyway because so many of her neighbors and church friends were saying they were good for children. When she first saw the first few minutes of Bambi, with the beautiful multiplane shot of the forest, the enchanting tunes of "Love is a Song", and the "aww"-inducing voices of the baby animals, she fell in love with it and decided from then on to buy Disney movies for my brother and me.
As for myself, I remember while I did like Bambi as a character, I was too irritated by the childish antics of Bambi's friends to truly enjoy the film (ironic, considering I was a kid!) I did love Bambi's mother, as she was always so loving and protective. But then, of course, there was that famous moment that traumatized a child to no end, and the following scenes were more enjoyable, though some of them were either boring or scary. Suffice to say, Bambi was not my favorite Disney movie partly because the annoying little baby animals left too much of an impression on me.
It wasn't until I reached my high school and college, when I researched more into Disney history and re-watched the film, that I came to have respect for the film and fell in love with it. Now, Bambi is one of my favorite Disney films for the sublime artistry of its animation and music and the depth of its story and themes.
As the fifth Disney animated feature, Bambi is considered by many animation professionals and experts to be the last (or at least one of the last) film of the golden age of Disney animation. Bambi was not successful upon its initial release in 1941 because of public disinterest due to World War II and criticisms for the film's dark scenes. However, the film found its audience over time with its rereleases and is now one of the most iconic Disney films. The death of Bambi's mother is particularly remembered as one of the most traumatizing memories for many children, and Man is listed as one of the greatest movie villains by AFI.
The scene which I will analyze is the second half of the meadow scene, where we are introduced to the Great Prince of the Forest and the main antagonist, Man. This is a very pivotal moment as the scene and the film as a whole start to take on a more serious tone.
                                                                                                       

At the beginning of this shot, Bambi is playing with his new friend Faline, whom we are introduced to at the first half of the meadow sequence. Their attention turns toward the right of the screen, which is heralded by an abrupt change in music. The orchestration shifts from the fragmented scherzo of Bambi and Faline's playtime to that of a majestic, bombastic brass fanfare referred to behind the scenes as "Gallop of the Stags".

The shift in music is a transition point and a beginning of a new sequence where Bambi and the audience first meet the male deer of the forest as they come galloping toward the meadow.
The placement of this shot right after the shot of Bambi and Faline looking off-screen allows the audience to infer that the two fawns are looking at the stags. This basic cinematic technique is called eyeline match.
We also get a sense of where the stags are as they move in from the right, the direction which Bambi and Faline were gazing at, to the left of the screen.

This is an establishing shot showing a whole herd of stags.

The shot also functions as a panning shot which stands still as the camera closes in on one the bucks who is becoming more visually identifiable from the distant, faceless mass.

As the camera focuses on the two bucks, the herd is disappearing behind them, effectively transitioning to a full shot of the two.

Even though the shot had been focusing on these two deer for few seconds, they are just nameless extras who will not appear in the film again. Their importance, however, is in what influence they hold over the main character.

In an another demonstration of eyeline match, Bambi and Faline have shifted their gaze from right to left. This implies that within the previous shot, the stags have moved past the rocky knoll the fawns were standing on and are now to their left.

Bambi rather clumsily tries to charge at Faline like the bucks did...

This is another panning shot following the stags as they are charging and leaping off a rocky ledge. The quick camera movement makes you feel the momentum of the charge and the power of these stags.

The rocky ledge is also drawn elongated and pointing horizontally - the background art is staged specifically for that panning effect.

The stags leap off the ledge on cue with a series of cymbals. This is an example of Mickey Mousing, a technique of synching the rhythm of the music with that of the action onscreen.

Unlike the stags' majestic, almost uniform, leap off the ledge, Bambi can only follow along and watch from the top of the ledge.

On top of that (pardon the pun), with this beautifully composed long shot, we see that the ledge is far too high up for Bambi to even attempt the jump. He is still only a fawn.

As Bambi contemplates the spectacle and perhaps the idea of being an adult, he may be wondering: can I only see them from far off?

From the hopping stags, we immediately cut back to Bambi still on the ledge. 

Bambi's reaction makes it clear that the previous shot was from his perspective. 

He may not be able to leap off this tall ledge, but he can at least hop like them.  

The action now follows Bambi hopping like the stags in the background and trying to get a closer view or meet up with them.

Bambi suddenly is distant from the audience as the camera stops following him. This filmmakers are making sure the audience is anticipating a moment Bambi is naively not aware of.

The shot here is staged so that the bucks are charging toward the camera, making them suddenly appear much larger than they did before. Appropriately, the fanfare also swells up dramatically. This visual and audial assault give the audience a sense of how powerful and overwhelming they really are. It also helps us relate to how tiny and feeble Bambi must be feeling as he gets a close-up of the adult male of his species.

By making the deer come so close to the camera, the filmmakers and animators are attempting to give these series of drawings an illusion of depth.

Until now, the princes have been seen from a distance, from Bambi's perspective.  This is why Bambi was able to look upon them with curiosity and admiration. Now, after this close encounter, he knows that he has to approach them with caution. The deer also do not need to be seen from far off any longer.

The top half of the shot is where the sky and the stags are. The bottom half of the shot shows the ground and Bambi watching from a safe spot. He has been forced to hide under a log as he is overwhelmed by everyone around him.  Bambi, still being a fawn, is literally below the adult deer and do not really belong with them.

Still imitating the princes' hops.

But then, the stags all come to a halt, as if for a gathering.

 I always thought that the way they all suddenly stop and then become motionless felt rather stiff and unnatural.

With this long shot, we get our proper introduction to the Great Prince of the Forest, a mysterious and enigmatic character who will later on play a larger role in Bambi's life. As majestic and powerful as the other deer were, there is someone greater than they.

We cut from the wide shot of Bambi surrounded by other bucks to this close-up of him. This signals that the following moments with the Great Prince will involve him personally.

This is a low-angle shot of the Prince. Look at how huge that blade of grass looks to the camera.

I don't know if it's just me, but the two trees that he is between almost look like a gate of some palace.

Here, the Great Prince seems much larger than the other stags standing in front of him. This is less about showing the actual size difference than it is about emphasizing the difference in hierarchy. As mighty as the other deer are, the Prince exceeds them, as indicated by his darker color and larger antlers, and he commands their respect.
Now, let's look at the ordering of the next two shots.

Shot #1: The stags pay their respect by turning their heads.

Shot #2: Bambi backs away from the Great Prince. 

The ordering of the shots goes from the Prince to the other deer and then to Bambi.  The sequence denotes hierarchy within the deer society in Bambi. 
The difference in hierarchy is also conveyed by the camera angles for each character.  The Prince is the leader of the herd, and so he is shown at a low-angle.  The other princes are below the Prince but are still stronger than Bambi.  So, they are shown at an eye-level angle.  Bambi is the youngest deer in this scene, and so his vulnerability is communicated by a high-angle.

The other deer know the Prince and respect him.  Thus, they all uniformly salute him with brief gestures of respect and only need to be seen for few seconds.  Bambi, on the other hand, has never seen the Prince and is intimated by him.  So he backs away, not knowing how to respond to the mighty stag. Appropriately, Bambi's reaction is very animated while the other stags remain nearly static.

In this panning shot, the Prince and the Bambi are shown together in the same frame. The Prince dwarfs Bambi in size, and the low-angle of the shot adds to his overwhelming presence.

As the Prince slows down, the camera stops moving.  The audience are led to anticipate that the Prince will stop and take notice of Bambi.

(To be continued in Part 2)