Moby Dick Revisited 2014

Moby-Dick Revisited

English 450 Fall 2014 Mr. Sargent

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Moby-Dick Revisited “All these things are not without their meanings.” – from Chapter VII, The Chapel The beauty of literature (or wisdom, as is the case with Moby-Dick) requires an ongoing engagement. It is an endless unfolding (the ebb and flow of tides does not indicate "two directions" but a constant roiling – a reordering, if you will). It is all water, but indeed not the same water. (Heraclitus said as much: “One cannot step twice in the same river”). We are not the same people we were whence we started reading this novel, mere weeks ago.

So I ask: Why do we return to favorite movies – which we might, as well, compare with a favorite song that we endlessly play? They correspond to the person we were – and we are born to memory, and memory attached to emotion is nostalgia. Likewise, why might we return to Melville’s tome?

Great literature (great art) when returned to is not the same water that visited your shores once upon a time.

So, as we conclude this whale of a novel, it is important to reflect on all that has transpired over the last four weeks – all that has touched us, as readers, as it has undoubtedly moved us in different ways. And most importantly, take some time to celebrate your success of taming such a leviathan of a tale! Congratulations to all of you who shouldered this burden of a book – I assure you, your growth is evident!

Thus, I would like to see each of you return to a particular place of interest: a favorite scene, or chapter, or character, or quote, or philosophical question of your choosing and respond to its importance. What deeper, underlying meaning does this particular topic possess for you? Why does this passage or moment or character resonate more clearly than any other? In essence, what makes this moment of literature personally yours? Please allow yourself the opportunity to wade back into the shallow waters, only to find yourself, once again, thrust into unknown depths.

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Mr. Eric Sargent, October 2014

C PERIOD ∞

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Moby Dick Reflection Mike Babb

Moby Dick is undoubtedly the most significant piece of literature that I’ve ever had the privilege of reading.

Though difficult to read at times -- and often somewhat of a bore -- the amount of symbolism and deeper meaning implemented throughout the story by Melville’s ingenious mind is nearly unfathomable. Every line intentional, Melville was remarkably deliberate in his construction of what has come to be one of the most important pieces of literature ever. Whether it is the most important or the most critical chapter in the book or not is impossible to determine; but I found Chapter 99 “The Doubloon” to be pivotal in my examination of the novel. It made me realize that my interpretation is neither right nor wrong; it is merely an interpretation.

In chapter 99, Ishmael recounts the different reactions of various crewmates regarding the doubloon. Each has his own thoughts and viewpoints about the coinage. Ahab views the doubloon as a representation of the world. Starbuck thinks of it as a symbol of Christianity. Meanwhile Starbuck sees it as an allegory for the life of a man, and Flask sees only its monetary value. Melville doesn’t proceed to inform the reader as to which man is correct in his assessment of the coin. Melville utilizes the chapter to convey the message that there will always be alternate schools of thought. I think Melville even encourages such a situation. Surely he had intended symbols present in his mind when writing, but he also wanted his work to be discussed and debated.

That only leads to deeper and more intelligent interpretation of his writing.

Naturally following such an immense quantity of symbolism is endless controversy as to what exact message Melville was intending to illustrate with any given representation. However, there is not always one definite, correct conclusion. There will always be different viewpoints, different paradigms, different interpretations; and Melville was fully aware of this. He wanted every person who read his work to draw their own conclusions and determine what the book meant to each of them. My approach to analyzing literature, and life for that matter, is forever improved because of my reading Moby Dick.

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The Whiteness of the Whale Emil Banaszak

The color white is a color that encompasses both our fears and our innocence. The color white evokes the fear of the blank unknown and the comfort of an unstained innocence. Mehlville provokes us to think on our perception of the world, and to come to understand that sometimes, there is not just one definition. I think that the most powerful depiction of white is also the most accurate, the color that is nothing. White is a color that has no substance, it can be seen as good because it is devoid of bad, but the opposite is also true. White’s lack of good color can make it seem bad. White could be seen as the color of lifelessness, not good, not bad, just nothing. White is a color that really can only be explained through context. On its own, it really doesn’t mean anything, it needs other things to make it right or wrong. It is all relative. White is the best example of how even the most absolute things are still relative to the environment. We live in a world of relativism, where even the most absolute things can be explained away. But that same relativism is important to keep each perspective unique and human, because if everything was absolute, we would all think and act the same.

The beauty of relativism is it is what makes you. The Whiteness of the whale shows how it is how you see it that defines the whale. You must decide whether it is at fault, or just an animal defending itself against the harsh world.

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Deep Thought for Deep Divers Chad Barton

“In my desk, then here I prospectively ascribe all the honour and the glory to whaling; for a whale-ship was my Yale College and my Harvard.”

For me, the importance of schooling, or the lack there of stems from life experiences. When I think about the life lessons that have had a lasting impression upon my life and the origins of those life lessons, never once has school crossed my mind. School is a prison for the adolescent mind in its destructive nature and its failing abilities to nurture the young brain. For example, when a student enters a science course at school, the student will be presented with countless “facts” about that science. Many times science has been known to change its theories. Children are a clean slate with brilliant ideas. The childrens minds are molded into a person society wants: a person who doesn’t question what they are told. Every one of us has been influenced on how to think from the day we were born, but many have not come to understand what schooling really does to the mind. To truly discover yourself is the road to happiness and bliss. Melville purposely wrote this book to try and explain the ways of the world to humanity and get us to think deeply about our actions. He writes on how his schooling came from real life adventures he had on the whaling-ship, which sets up the readers to look into every detail of the book looking for these hidden lessons and ideals. He has our minds unconsciously searching for these deep thoughts. The book, in its entirety, indulges or sense of adventure while secretly giving us food for thought, motivating us to discover ourselves and discover what we truly believe.

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The Life-Buoy Jeff Becker

Although chapter 126 is not particularly the most exciting chapter, I feel that it encompasses all of the best qualities to be found in Herman Melville's Moby-Dick.

The chapter begins with the sailors on the Pequod hearing cries of what they perceive to be drowned men at sea. This is not only a foreshadowing of the devastation to come, but it is also a way in which Melville shows us that the sailors are somewhat aware of their eventual doom. Shortly after they hear the cries, Ahab tells the men that the cries are coming from an island of seals nearby. Melville then goes on to describe the seal as being remarkably similar to the human, particularly in their facial structure. This, like most chapters in Moby-Dick, forces the reader to think. Melville is making the reader think in depth about something even as meaningless as a seal.

The chapter continues by describing the first death to take place on the Pequod in which a drowsy sailor falls off the mast into the sea and drowns. The life-buoy was thrown overboard in an attempt to save the man, but “no hand reaches up to grab it,” so it eventually sinks. The carpenter is then asked to caulk the seams of Queequeg’s coffin to make it into a new life-buoy. This is extraordinarily ironic, as something built initially for death is now being used to save lives, and will eventually be used to save Ishmael’s life.

Subsequent to the carpenter being asked to turn Queequeg’s coffin into a life-buoy, the chapter breaks off into the carpenter’s soliloquy. In this soliloquy, the carpenter expresses his anger about his new task, as he feels that his time and effort in constructing Queequeg’s coffin has gone to waste. The carpenter then reassures himself that men don’t ask why or for what they work, rather, they work for the pay. After reminding himself of this, the carpenter gladly continues his work. This soliloquy is Melville directly criticizing the American workplace by conveying to the reader that workers and businesses in the United States only care for profit, which is the primary message that I believe Melville is trying to deliver through Moby-Dick.

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What It Means to Me Matthew Benedick

Chapter fifty two, the Albatross in Moby Dick, is a chapter that speaks messages to me and will always have meaning in my life. Though the chapter itself is not lengthy or may not have the most profound message in Moby Dick, I think it contains an important message that we all see or go through in life. In chapter fiftytwo, the Pequod and the Goney are at a gam and the first message that I found was in this line when Ahab asks about the whereabouts of the White Whale. “But as the strange captain, leaning over the pallid bulwarks, was in the act of putting his trumpet to his mouth, it somehow fell from his hand into the sea; and the wind now rising amain, he in vain strove to make himself heard without it.” I like this line because it shows that in life sometimes we have to go it alone without the help of others. Ahab desperately wants as much intel on the white whale as he can grasp, but it would seem that fate or God is not with him. Also while at the gam, the shoals of fish following the Pequod left the ship’s side and began following the Goney which I took as a representation of the Pequod being alone and having to finish the quest without guidance.

My favorite line from the chapter is, “ But in pursuit of those far mysteries we dream of, or in tormented chase of the demon phantom that, some time or other, swims before all human hearts; while chasing such over this round globe, they either lead us on in barren mazes or midway leave us whelmed.”

This is the quote with the most meaning from the chapter because what we want most in our life may come at a price that we are not willing to pay. Our goal that we are striving to achieve may never be achieved and it can leave us behind or stranded. I hope to achieve something remarkable in my life and I know it will take effort and time and it may not pan out, but we need to take that risk and go for it if it will make us truly happy.

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Non Omnis Moriar Dominic Biffignani

“It is not down on any map; true places never are.”

We are blessed with this wondrous quote from Melville in the beginning of The Biographical. Forget for a moment the literal aspect of the world. Close your eyes, and place yourself in the interstices of your mind. Ponder for a brief moment where your fondest memories lie and where you, became, you. Dream of that beautiful, crisp flowing water from your lake, or the beautiful green eyes you looked into as you fell in love. Feel the passion and the memories come flowing back, bit by bit, like pieces of wonderful nostalgia.

Now, open your eyes. These memories, although forged in actual places, are not bound to a map. They are tried and true, and they lie in the innermost passages of your mind. They are not found on a map, on a polaroid, on a twitter post. They, my friend, lie within you. So, embrace those memories, embrace yourself, and embrace those who helped make those memories with you. For they helped you temper the mighty places that lie true inside you, they aided in creating the everlasting. So, next time you think of a fond place or memory, remember- “It is not down on any map; true places never are”. For these true places can never be stolen from your grasp, or be taken by the greedy. This life is saturated with those who will swindle, pillage, and hurt you. There will be times when people you thought were your best friends will stab you with the rusty and jagged dagger we call life. But, don’t be afraid, embrace it. For although you may be knocked down and pitch poled like the mighty leviathan, you can swim away and swim forward and forge new places and memories. You are not a fast fish or a loose fish, but a free fish! So get out into the deep blue frontier and forge those true places; you will thank yourself in the end. For your last thoughts of warmness will not be down on any map, true places, never, are.

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The Bond of the Monkey Rope Joshua Brocksmith

The Monkey Rope is the greatest moment of literature present in Moby-Dick. The Monkey Rope shows the amount of brotherly love and level of trust Ishmael and Queequeg must share. Queequeg had earlier “married” Ishmael back in the Spouter Inn and him trusting Ishmael with his life proves he lives out what he says. Queequeg does the dirty work for the crew of going down on the whale and risking his life so they can get what they need from the whale, “So down there, some ten feet below the level of the deck, the poor harpooner flounders about, half on the whale and half in the water, as the vast mass revolves like a treadmill beneath him.” (336). Queequeg knows someone has to do the work and doesn’t complain about it, nor questions how safe he will be while on the whale, he just does what needs to be done because that is the kind of person he is.

Ishmael then describes the way in which Queequeg was being “attached”to the boat in the means of what he compares to “Italian organ-boys holding a dancing-ape by a long cord.” also known as a “monkey rope” (336). Ishmael makes the compares that Queequeg is his “inseparable twin brother” and he stated “an elongated Siamese ligature united us.” (337). This passage of Queequeg, Ishmael, and the monkey rope is the pinnacle of brotherly love in Moby-Dick. To be true, loving brothers the men must have the utmost trust in one another and Ishmael and Queequeg model this, “Just so, from the ship’s steep side, did I hold Queequeg down there in the sea” (361). Ishmael then describes how perilous the job is for them both and each depends on the other for survival: It was a humorously perilous business for the both of us. For, before we proceed further, it must be said that the monkey-rope was fast at both ends; fast to Queequeg’s broad canvas belt, and fast to my narrow leather one. So that for better or for worse, we two, for the time, were wedded; and should poor Queequeg sink to rise no more, then both usage and honor demanded that instead of cutting the cord, it should drag me down in it’s wake . . . nor could I any way get rid of the dangerous liabilities which hempen bond entailed. (336).

Both Ishmael and Queequeg rely on each other to not make a “mistake or misfortune” which might cause the two to plummet into the depths of the ocean. (337). In all this Ishmael seemed to be sincerely afraid as to what might happen to Queequeg, Even though it is in his best interest to try to keep Queequeg above the water, Ishmael did not give any hint of helping Queequeg to be for his own well-being, but for that of his best friend at the time, Queequeg.

The Monkey Rope shows the strengthening of the bond between Ishmael and Queequeg originally founded back at the Spouter Inn. The two essentially become one as they are bound together by the monkey rope. They must rely on one another for survival, for if one makes a mistake it could easily cost them both their lives. This reliance upon one another only tightens the bond of brotherly love the two share. Ishmael shows how much he truly cares for Queequeg’s safety and how almost guilty he feels having Queequeg down in the water dealing with all the perils while he is in the safety of the boat [sic].

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Symbolic Monkey Rope Dakota Burke

The Monkey Rope is the chapter that has the greatest influence on me because it shows love and trust between Ishmael and Queequeg. In the Spouter Inn, earlier in the novel, Queequeg and Ishmael “married”. This “marriage” was not exactly a marriage, but it was more of a figurative symbol to show the brotherly love between the two. Queequeg constantly risks his life doing duties for the ship. His job, as a harpooneer, “In very many cases, circumstances require that the harpooneer shall remain on the whale till the whole tensing or stripping operation is concluded” (336). Queequeg understands that the ship is figuratively his home, and since it provides him with shelter and all of his needs, he feels as though he should repay the favor by risking his life to do, to the whale, what needs to be done in order to provide for his shipmates.

Ishmael is in charge of making sure Queequeg is tethered to the ship with a long cord called a “monkey rope” (336). This cord has more symbolism to the novel than simply being the object that keeps Queequeg tethered to the boat. It’s not ironic that Ishmael is the person on the other side of the cord keeping Ishmael tethered to the boat. This was done purposefully. The two being tethered together, Ishmael says, “So that for better or for worse, we two, for the time, were wedded…” (336). Alluding to their “marriage” Ishmael is saying that the “Monkey Rope” holds the bond between them because “Should Queequeg sink to rise no more… that instead of cutting the cord, it should drag me (Ishmael) down in his wake” (336). He continues to say that they both must rely on each other, because even though he is more worried about Queequeg’s safety over his own, any “mistake or misfortune” between them could result in them both descending into the deep, dangerously shark-infested, ocean (337).

This moment in the novel is immensely symbolic towards the relationship between Ishmael and Queequeg.

The relationship that began back in the Spouter Inn officially shows to have strengthened in this chapter in the novel because of the “Monkey Rope”. It makes the situation between the two even more ironic because“The monkey-rope is found in all Whalers; but it was only in the Peqoud that the monkey and his holder were ever tied together” (337). The two become one, as two do in marriage, as they rely on each other to maintain their lives as they are both bound to each end of the cord. It truly exemplifies the love and trust they have for each other that they gained during their alleged “marriage”.

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Wheelbarrow John Cullen

Queequeg’s character presents itself in the Wheelbarrow chapter. In this chapter, Ishmael and Queequeg use a wheelbarrow to carry all of their things around, and Queequeg recounts the story of the first time he used a wheelbarrow. Being new to America and having never seeing a wheelbarrow before, he did not know how to use it properly, so he used it in a way that most people would consider odd. Queequeg, already being susceptible to ridicule due to being foreign, he is taunted even more for his inability to figure out how to use a wheelbarrow. People passing by are also surprised that a white man is being so friendly to a “savage” Queequeg is also taunted on the ship for being different, and Queequeg throws the man who is taunting him onto the ground, and he is then yelled at by the captain. However, Queequeg gains the respect of the ship after recovering the man who was taunting him after the man went overboard. Queequeg takes no reward, and asks for nothing more than fresh water.

This chapter shows the character of Queequeg by showing his humility. He accepts his ridicule, and even save the life of a man who harassed him, and does not ask for any sort of reward. Being from a “savage” land, he is still the most admirable human in this novel. Queequeg simply does not care what kind of person someone is, he only cares about the fact that they are human, and that is all that matters to him. Queequeg is the kind of person most people should strive to be, while being the most different.

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Ahab and Starbuck in the Cabin Reflection Ben Greunke

In this particular chapter, Herman Melville depicts two characters with a difference of opinion. One, Starbuck believes Ahab should order the Pequod to be halted and the oil casks under the ship be fixed.

However, Ahab presses the Pequod forward thus presenting this great quote from Starbuck, “ Thou has outraged not insulted me, Sir; but for that I ask thee not to beware of Starbuck; thou wouldst but laugh; but let Ahab beware of Ahab; beware of thyself, old man.” This quote stems the ideas of the holding dear to help, pleasing others, and the precursor of death to come for Ahab.

Thus, this quote resonates as important because in this situation one can view Starbuck as God. For example, God always steered humanity in the right path. In this situation, Ahab is reminded he has a crew to consider in making decisions. Hence, Ahab is guided to make the right choice in having the oil casks fixed; instead of continuing to hunt for Moby Dick. Also in this situation, Ahab can be seen as rational still. For example, he makes the choice of fixing the oil casks to stay with the better judgement of his crew; because if he were to decide otherwise, he realized not even he could kill the Great White Whale alone. Therefore, Ahab concludes the life lesson that it is better have happy campers than unpleasant ones.

In essence, this quote stemmed the importance for the precursor of the intimate death of Ahab. Starbuck says, “let Ahab beware of Ahab”;thus, this one line sets the standards that Starbuck and the other sailors can only worry about themselves and leave Ahab to worry about himself. This chapter and quote are important to me because they acknowledged the fact that as a human one can only account for their own actions and not the actions of others. With this one chapter, I believe Melville was trying to tell an important life lesson in the form of Ahab and his lust for the White Whale.

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Captain Ahab Andrew Hessi

In the days leading up to this I have struggled greatly with diving deeper into each book we have read. None, however, compare to the challenging Moby-Dick. With so many possible meanings, I found myself unable to relate to much of what was intended in each chapter. At times, I even found myself becoming overwhelmed by the details. Perhaps this whale of a book comes easier to some than to others, but I still felt lost in retrospect to the intended meanings Melville laid out for us, the readers, to interpret.

But please, bare with me while I attempt to explain to you why I felt an odd connection to Captain Ahab throughout the book. Ahab, a powerful and manipulative man, represents a thousand possible meanings to a thousand different people. To me, however, he represents but a few things. Primarily, Ahab represents human nature, not madness. He has drive and determination to achieve his goal and is willing to risk everything. To me, that doesn’t seem “mad”. Ahab may be in the wrong, but that does not mean he is downright crazy. Secondly, Ahab is a leader which means he is in control. His shipmates signed up to hunt whales and that is exactly what is happening. Unfortunately, Ahab abuses his power, and represents the corrupt leaders in our world who only use their influences for their own gain. He represents all people in power during Melville’s life. Lastly, to me, Ahab represents all people in despair over a loss caused by someone or something else. By this, I mean Ahab could be a symbol for those who believe in the use of the death penalty.

Ahab, being human, wants closure just as families of lost loved ones do. I would think his behavior for wanting to kill Moby Dick at all costs is justifiable. These three reasons are why I felt a connection to Ahab and understand his true motives.

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Melville’s Requiem for the Dead Michael Jacezko

Since Moby Dick is purposefully not much of an action filled story filled with tales of derring-do, but more of a philosophical exploration of the different faculties and questions of life, the most interesting parts of the novel were those that contained thought provoking questions and ideas. A topic that I found to be most interesting (me being very cynical) was Melvilles melancholy view of death and a bleak hope to an afterlife. Obviously, due to the constant references to death throughout Moby Dick (e.g. the Pequod and Queequeg's Coffin) death is obviously a predominant topic throughout Moby Dick. Despite the many references to death, one chapter rose above the rest in its punctilious dissection of the meaning of life and death, The Chapel.

Although the events in the Chapel may seem brief and inconsequential, Melville actually brings up many interesting ideas. The chapter starts with Ishmael deciding to pay a visit to a whaleman’s chapel that many sailors apparently go to before they venture out to sea. When Ishmael enters the Chapel he sees many families and widows mourning over lost loved ones whose dead bodies were never recovered from the sea.

Since their are no graves for the dead sailors due to the lack of a body, the people of the chapel mourn to headstones. Although the scene initially appears to be a sad requiem for lost loved ones, Melville means for the lack of bodies of the sailors to be much more then appears. Is there a point to having gravestones for the dead at all, especially if there are no bodies? Honestly, there is not a point to having graves at all in the first place. One may say that it offers a symbol of reverence and remembrance for family members. We do not need a body or a grave to remember someone that we love. If there truly are souls in bodies, then after we die the souls move on. Thus, our dead bodies would be no different than visiting any inanimate object. In the short term, having a grave provides a nice way for someone to visit lost loved ones, but in the long run the average person will not have his grave visited by a family member after being dead for around one hundred years. All graves will eventually crumble and be forgotten, just like every human being.

To continue the theme of nihilism, Melville has Ishmael character go on to question the reason of why people fear the thought of dying if they have a hope in an afterlife. “Faith, like a jackal, feeds among the tombs, and even from these dead doubts she gathers her most vital hope.” This quote directly from the Chapel is what best summarizes the views that Melville presents about the idea of an afterlife. The quote starts out with comparing the idea of faith to that of an animal that is traditionally thought of as meanspirited and continues to say that no matter how insane the idea of their being and afterlife, people still cling to this idea in order to feel as if their short irrelevant existence on earth will matter to some high powered being. As scary as the thought of their not being an afterlife, the thoughts that this chapter brought about through my head made the idea of their being an afterlife implausible. Not to mention, no one has any control over when or how they will die, and having no hope in an afterlife makes the idea of dying even scarier. I think that was the idea that Melville was trying to get across to people. Everyone may truly realize that there really is not anything after death or a higher point to our existence. It almost goes back to the theme of blissful ignorance. Maybe we just want to believe that there is an afterlife? Maybe it is better to be ignorant to the idea of their being a point to our existence? To me, these are the questions that truly matter due to their ability to prod the mind and create more questions to think about, the main reason why the The Chapel is the best chapter of Moby Dick.

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Chapter 83: Jonah Historically Regarded Brad Nelson

In chapter 83, the reader sees Ishmael reflect on the story of Jonah and the whale, in which he points out numerous flaws within the story. Ishmael goes on to point out that the “Leviathan” that swallowed Jonah would choke on a roll of pennies, let alone a grown man, and continues with other facts that defy the story of Jonah. This chapter is important to me because I believe that the author, Herman Melville, uses this chapter as a way to communicate directly to reader. Many critics of the story, including some in our class discussions, sometimes struggle to realize that “Moby Dick” should not be taken literally, but rather the reader should try to find the symbolism and underlying meaning throughout the story. Melville uses this chapter about Jonah and the whale to tell the reader not to take the story “Moby Dick” like Ishmael does with the story of Jonah, but instead find the moral and symbolic meaning of the story and relate it to the real world.

I remember this particular chapter because I previously struggled to find certain symbols or meanings within the story, but this chapter was really easy for me to dive deeper into and dissect, which allowed me to gain a better, more comprehensive knowledge of what Melville was trying to communicate. What makes this chapter personal to me is that I was what’s considered the “average reader” in that I tended to focus more on the extraneous details of the story rather than searching for any underlying meaning or symbols. Just as Ishmael gets lost in the story of Jonah, I was lost in the story of “Moby Dick”. But once I read this chapter, I was finally able to break out of that shell and find the true meaning of the chapter. Beforehand, we talked about the symbolism in class and I was able to understand it clearly then, but only after it had been explained to me instead of on my own. When I read this chapter, I was able to find the meaning on my own, and even afterwards I continued to do so. After reading “Moby Dick” in its entirety, I realized that I truly had become a better, more comprehensive reader than I was before, and this chapter was my sort of “break out” moment, making it my personal favorite chapter throughout the story.

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Queequeg

Patrick Nickels In the Novel Moby-Dick Herman Melville uses a savage cannibal to shine a light on the flaws of America in the 1800s by showing the reader a character who is not a Protestant, but lives his life to a higher moral standard than the average one. Queequeg is a character who at first glance is a scary figure whose tattoos and shrunken heads paint him to be an unsavory character, but in reality Queequeg is a high quality person. Queequeg promises to put his life at risk for Ishmael just after meeting him the night before and is willing to dive off of a boat to save a person who was previously mocking Queequeg’s demeanor. Queequeg has a sense of compassion for his fellow human beings. Before becoming a harpooneer, Queequeg, who was prince of the island of Kokovoko, left his old life behind trying to help the people of his island by learning about Christianity and western society. What Queequeg found was not a solution to the problems of his island, but instead a society he felt was concerned more with oneself and one’s own possessions. In an ironic turn of events, this new world seemed savage to him. This discovery leads Queequeg to believe the western world as made him impure. Ishmael pointed out that due to the King of Kokovoko’s age he had likely died leaving the thrown open to Queequeg, but he did not want to go back to the island until he was cleansed of the western world. In the meantime until Queequeg feels he can go back to his abandoned civilization, this savage travels on whaling voyages as a skilled harpooneer. The events that played out that led Queequeg to signing on with the crew of the Pequod was another tale of hypocrisy. The owners of the Pequod, Captain Peleg and Bildad, were both unorthodox Quakers. They were both greedy and unaccepting of Queequeg at first, but Queequeg changed their minds when he demonstrated his accuracy with a harpoon. Queequeg exemplifies the traits of loyalty, modesty, and equality, which are attributes that are never not important. In the end Queequeg was able to keep his promise in saving Ishmael’s life when the Pequod sunk using Queequeg’s coffin to float on.

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The Differences Within the Human Mind Dylan Robb

The Doubloon is a chapter that displays the incongruity of the human mind when comprehending the meaning behind animated objects. In the Doubloon, Herman Melville, formulates a message that humans naturally develop different ideas. This does not mean that one single person is wrong because his or her belief differs from that of another but that he or she is correct within her own reality. Here the ship mates discover a golden doubloon but their ideas on what this piece of gold stands for differs substantially.

Ahab is the first aboard the Pequod to notice the gold doubloon on the ship. As he evaluates it he imagines the picture on the coin to be focused around him, “The firm tower, that is Ahab; the volcano, that is Ahab; all are Ahab.” The captain of the ship is shown as having an egotistical point of view about the human world.

He believes that this coin perpetuates humanity’s ruling over the Earth as a dominant being that restricts the remaining species of animals to heed to their needs.

The Second shipmate to consciously think about the doubloon is Starbuck. His natural way of thinking leads him to believe the coin has a religious value that centers around Christianity, “ A dark valley between three mighty, heaven abiding- peaks, that almost seem the Trinity, in some faint earthly symbol.” Instead of an egotistical view as interpreted by Ahab, Starbuck observes the three peaks as the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. This idea represents a more modest view with the Trinity at it’s forefront.

The third shipmate to question the meaning of the doubloon is Stubb. As he examines the doubloon he questions to find a meaning behind what the coin represents so he turns to zodiac signs. He interprets the various zodiac signs through a book and their meaning as he comes to the conclusion that, “the fact is, you books must know your places. You'll do to give us the bare words and facts, but we come in to supply the thoughts.” While attempting to find a deeper meaning behind what he believed was just a piece of gold, Stubb uncovers the truth around the meaning of words for humans.

Flask, the man who kills whales out of sheer entertainment, simply takes the gold doubloon as a gold doubloon, "I see nothing here, but a round thing made of gold.” He does not care to uncover a deeper meaning behind the money because it’s monetary value is enough for him to want it. Lastly, Pip claims the doubloon to be “the ship's navel”. This would mean that money is the main objective keeping the crew together. Without the awareness of payment at the end of the three year long voyage, the crew would feel inclined to mutiny and return back to dry land.

In Moby Dick, the chapter “The Doubloon” depicts the various beliefs and ideas of the crewmates aboard the Pequod towards a gold doubloon. Each shipmate has a different meaning behind what the gold doubloon truly stands for but each one’s answer is not right nor wrong. Someone can not dictate a correct answer from an object that may appear differently amongst every human being. An idea that may be true from one person’s perspective may be wrong in another’s which means that “people live their lives bound by what they accept as correct and true. That’s how they define “reality”. But what does it mean to be “correct” or “true”?

Merely vague concepts… their “reality” may all be an illusion. Can we consider them to simply be living in their own world, shaped by their beliefs?” The gold doubloon has not one correct or incorrect answer but a variety of answers that is spread amongst the minds of the shipmates.

18

Queequeg: Below the Surface Alec Roussin

There is more to the man than meets the eye. At first glance, Queequeg is intimidating and very much looks the part of a savage. Ishmael was frightened of him at first impression and jumped to a hasty conclusion that he was a cannibal. He would soon stand corrected and learn that Queequeg was a civil and respectful person through and through. Queequeg was a model for society in the sense that he truly did not care what others thought about him; letting no one’s opinion influence his actions. He did what was best for himself while also being respectful to others. He was a prime example of an independent man; doing things in his best interest while also doing what was right.

Throughout the poem, Queequeg demonstrated great patience and strong character by accepting his new surroundings with open arms. Living in his community of savages did not satisfy him and he wished to explore the christian lifestyle and see if it might suit him better. I very much admire this transition and the ambition it took for Queequeg so willingly jump out of his comfort zone. I think Mehlville created a great relationship with Ishmael and supported the claim that opposites attract. Ishmael, timid and emotional, was very frightened of the tattooed and uneducated brute until he discovered the savage to be noble, respectful, and courteous. Not “judging a book by its cover” is a simple message and moral lesson but it perfectly coincides with this book. Just as we need to look past the surface of Queequeg and truly explore his personality, Mehlville wants us to dive deeper into every aspect of the book. In order to get the most out of this book, we can not take the words for face value but rather explore the themes in the text as most of them parallel those of our own world. Moby dick requires its readers to dive deeper and think harder.

19

The Big White Moby Dick Nick Severino

The poem Moby Dick can have many interpretations to many of the things in the book which Mehlville intended. He left it very open-ended while having a very specific purpose and message while writing it the whole time. But in chapter 42 Ishmael gives his opinion and thoughts on what Moby Dick the whale means to him. This chapter’s exact purpose is unknown like most other symbols and chapters. One would be lead to believe it was Mehlville giving the reader another way of thinking about the whale and bring his odd white color into consideration. He didn’t just make the whale white for no reason, he had a purpose. Ishmael said the most appalling feature of the whale was its whiteness which struck more fear into the people than anything else. But Mehlville doesn’t stop with one explanation for the whiteness, he then continues to say that the color white also represents nobility, sweetness, honor and sublimity. But attached to the traits is a more elusive quality. One that “strikes more of panic to the soul than that redness which affrights in blood.”

Ishmael in the end says that it is appalling because it represents indefinitely which in itself is alarming enough.

But is represents lack of color and a mixture of all the colors at the same time. And ishmael wonders why white i so frightening to people. The fact that it can represent so many ideas and traits makes it horrifying.

But above all he mysteriousness of the color white of anything is the most frightening. “And of all these thing the Albino whale was the symbol. Wonder ye then at the fiery hunt.”

20

When Desire Leads to Destruction Conner Whyte

The final day of the chase serves as the culmination of the plot of the novel, if not the essence of the character development and conflict. Ahab doesn’t veer from his quest against Moby Dick, even though he seems to realize that there cannot be a happy end to this course of action. Chapter 135 symbolizes the peak of Ahab and the Pequod’s eventual destruction. Ahab’s own madness and desire for revenge directly leads to his death. On the first two days Ahab seemed to set forth after Moby Dick with hope of killing him. Now he seems to head out with a sense of his impending doom. Ahab no longer cares at all for the obligations of his command, his family, or even the life he has devoted entirely to killing Moby Dick or even just facing Moby Dick. The idea of facing off with Moby Dick is an action that gives his life meaning and the possibility of death will not stop Ahab from doing so. Starbuck’s advice that he watch out for the sharks seems a final indication of his cautiousness, as he warns Ahab,who is about to have a showdown with Moby Dick,about some mindless sharks. Ahab’s struggle and death can be seen as a metaphor for that all of men: contending with imperfect strength and knowledge, against forces that are too big to comprehend or ever hope to defeat(nature,fate,death).

The final chapter of Moby Dick indicates that no matter how much revenge is built up or time focused on one thing, sometimes there is something too great for man to defeat. Ahab knew he would most likely not win against Moby Dick, yet he still put all of his effort into the journey all for just one chance, one shot at the one that wronged him. Whether Ahab is evil or not, he showed a great sense of courage in going up against a superior beast. Many would have just backed down and taken the easy way out, not Ahab though. Ahab may have been an incredibly twisted and selfish man, but he had heart. He had the desire and hope of long sought-after revenge that he desperately wanted to fulfill.

21

Pip Becomes Broken Mathias Young

The chapter or event that touched me most in Moby Dick was when Pip was cast overboard for the second time and left at sea by Stub, after being past by several boats Pip is faced with the possibility of a lonesome death at sea and Pip, who was once a very positive and cheery person loses this a becomes a shell of himself, one who doesn’t show emotion and doesn’t have anything to live for. This scene touched me more than others because it showed the dangers and cruelty of whaling in a new light, one that portrays it as something that can potentially destroy all of someone’s soul and leave them as a broken shell of themselves. This one singular moment changed Pip for the rest of his life and for me this moment shows the true nature that whaling was.

22

D PERIOD ∞

23

The Chapel Andy Barnes

Oh how powerful the question of life after death resonates within the minds of many yet how hypocritically it can be answered. We Christians proclaim of the eternal salvation with the almighty Father though we proceed to mourn the dead. Do we mourn their departure from this world or envy their passage into the next, in which case we tarnish our chances to follow? He who has entered eternal salvation enters a state of perfect bliss, meanwhile, those whom he has left behind are doomed to mourn their loss. Through the eyes of but a simple pagan, Melville declares the absurdity of the practice of mourning the dead while also dissecting the practice via those eyes of a questioning believer. The beauty persists in how he does so without insulting anyone while also hiding this message beneath a compelling argument as to why the death of a sailor causes more pain than that of a land-lover. Those bleak plaques described serve as a reminder that life consists of only a bleak set of circumstances laid upon us to be sorted through, and it is not how we reach salvation but rather when that ultimately matters on the other side. For this we must thank Mr. Melville for his thoughtful take on the more important as well as the ‘untouchable’ thoughts and actions of life.

24

The Grand Armada Brian Belaska

Chapter eighty-seven of “Moby Dick”, The Grand Armada, reveals the extremely brutal nature of whaling and the wastefulness of the whaling industry. Melville depicts a massive pod of several hundred whales. Of course the Pequod goes after the whales, and the crew proceeds to harpoon several whales and attach drugs to a majority of the harpooned whales. The drugs act as giant bobbers that tire out the whales and allow the crew to hunt multiple whales from one boat. Ishmael states at the end of the chapter that of the numerous whales the crew drugged only one was captured. The rest of the drugged whales would most likely die and would presumably be harvested by other whaling vessels. In reality the odds of another whaling vessel coming across one of the dead whales before the carcass sinks or is consumed by sharks are next to none. Therefore, several whales, perhaps a dozen or so, were killed for no reason other than the slim chance that the whalers did catch them. Even if the whalers had captured every whale they drugged most of these whales would have been lost to sharks or other natural events before they could process the whales.

This chapter disgusted me and hopefully most readers, Melville shows that whaling is a great waste of the lives of innocent and majestic creatures. The whalers must have known there was no chance in the world that they would actually use and process all of the whales. They must have killed the extra whales for fun or some other senseless reason. The reader also sees in this chapter some of the gruesome tactics used to cripple and then kill the whales, the most prominent of these being the edged spade. The whalers used this tool to injure the whale’s tail such that the whale cannot swim. In this particular chapter this tool is used with little caution and becomes tangled with a whale and in the whale’s panic the spade injures numerous other whales, and presumably inflicts mortal wounds on several of them. This catastrophe could have been avoided had the whalers been more careful or wary of the use of savage weapon.

This chapter challenges the reader to question how wasteful humans can be with Earth’s resources and how brutal and careless we can be when money is at stake. At the same time, this chapter offers a glimmer of hope that maybe humans are not always ruthlessly destructive when one boat ends up in the serene center of the pod and the whalers appear to have a gentle and caring side towards the whales. Although this chapter calls into question the morality and wastefulness of the whaling industry and humans in general, it reminds the readers that even in the most barbaric humans there is compassion, which is why this chapter captivated me.

25

Inner Journey Jeff Boelter

A person I hold a great deal of respect for once told me that Moby Dick was just “a story about a whale”. On the surface, (pun intended) it is a story about a whale, but below the surface, so much more exists. That same person used the word “journey” when describing the book, and I think that sums my interpretation up very well. Moby Dick represents the search for a desired prize or outcome. Ahab has Moby Dick. Ishmael longs for direction and meaning. Queequeg wants to explore and understand. They all have their white whale. We all have our white whales. This book is an allegory for the search for an object of desire in life. Every person has their own white whale, we just need to find what that is, and begin the chase.

With fall kicking in over the last couple of weeks, I have used my advantageous position in Mr. Sargent’s room to observe the change in color on the leaves, the clear blue skies, and the warm autumn wind, and as I’m sitting here observing nature, I can’t help but wonder what is out in the world. It feels like there’s an open ocean out there just waiting to be explored. The opening lines of chapter 29 in which Melville describes the environment around Ecuador really made me feel as if there is plenty out there that I need to see and experience in my time. “The warmly cool, clear, ringing, perfumed,, overflowing, redundant days, were as crystal goblets of Persian sherbet, heaped up - flaked up, with rose water snow.” The description may not be the most admirable in the book, but it placed an image and a sense of calm and want in my mind about everything that I have yet to experience.

I don’t believe I have found my white whale. I know some things I am passionate about, but not something to dedicate my whole self to like Ahab and Ishmael. Everything outside these windows seems so daunting, and I wonder if I will ever find my white whale. I just hope I don’t force a group of strangers to follow me to the gates of hell in order to get my whale. I try not to worry about it, though, as I just need to find my Pequod and set sail.

26

Fast-Fish and Loose-Fish Matt Bokamper

The words, “Fast-Fish and Loose-Fish,” refer to the status of availability of whales being hunted at sea by whalers. Fast-Fish, whales that are clearly claimed by a ship or boat by any medium, are off limits to other predatorial whale hunters. Loose-Fish, on the other hand, describe what could be considered “fair game” for anyone and everyone in the world of whaling. These “scientific” protocols seem to me as if they would cause much controversy regarding the status of whales and, according to Melville’s chapter, it did just that. For the sake of simplification, let us call the ships in conflict Ship A and Ship B. Ship A initially harpooned and fastened a whale to their boat, making that whale a Fast-Fish. However, the whale’s great strength allowed itself to escape from Ship A’s grasp and Ship B took this opportunity upon themselves and re-harpooned the whale and attached it to their ship once and for all. Technically, once the whale escaped from Ship A, it was a Loose-Fish and fair game for Ship B to take, which they did. Ship A, unhappy, sued Ship B but lost because of this technicality. I will return to this situation later on.

On the more philosophical, deeper thinking side, these Fast-Fish and Loose-Fish represent much more than their face value in the text, in accordance with the rest of the book. To me, the Fast-Fish and Loose-Fish represent life’s ups and downs. At times, one may be lucky, simply being in the right place at the right time, like the defendants (Ship B) were in this chapter. Unfortunately, there will also be times that life represents the plaintiffs’ (Ship A) situation in the fact that no matter what we do, a given situation will not turn out in our favor. Furthermore, Melville, by regarding these legislations as “scientific”, wants readers to understand that they need not take life’s challenges too personally in any fact because, to put things simply, that is the way things have to be sometimes. In a more positive sense, I comprehended the Loose-Fish to represent opportunities that are open for the taking. In my life, these opportunities have ranged from grades in the classroom to achievements on the athletic field, all of which have taught me a lesson about life. FastFish came off to me as a symbol of achievement and persistence. In but not limited to the context of whaling, Fast-Fish are seen by the world as a ship’s great feat of capturing the ever-dangerous Leviathan. However, as we see in the chapter, one may never know when these Fast-Fish may become attainable once again, leaving my mind with the thought of persistence.

This chapter and these Fast-Fish and Loose-Fish can easily be taken in any direction one’s mind seems fit. The symbols in this chapter for life’s ups and downs, open opportunity, a less irascible approach on life, and a sense of achievement and persistence caught my attention immediately. Every single one of the personal symbols I discovered in this chapter of the Gospel of the 1800s applies directly to my personal standing with the world, whether it may be my current self or my aspirations in life ahead.

27

Moby Dick Revisited: An Important Connection Ryan Cariolano

Captain Ahab of the Pequod emerges as an important character in Moby Dick who becomes maddened in the process of seeking the legendary “Great White Whale,” thus framing this simple, yet philosophically complex story. This complexity is shown not only by the intellectual wordiness observed in the tale, but also through its philosophical meanings and representations, allowing an individual to delve deeper through text and unleash the power of the mind to make connections and find correlations between symbols in the story and one’s own life and perception of the modern world. One of the most profound philosophical representations in Moby Dick that can be examined upon is the correlation between Ahab’s ever growing madness in his grueling exertion to fulfill his vengeance towards the whale and the modern world’s unending struggle of acceptance towards the unfairness and cruelty of the macrocosm.

As one learns through the progression of the tale, Ahab’s endeavors for revenge becomes, in a most apparent way, unsafe. The truth that Ahab, the Pequod, and the crew will fail at the quest of killing Moby Dick becomes ostensible as the captain’s madness grows unyielding. Ahab has an inability to understand that one cannot punish or seek vengeance on the natural world for all of its evilness and sufferings, and as mentioned in the book, is what he claimed the great whale to be a representation of. Ahab pins his anger toward this animal, an object in the natural world, and seeks to put an end to it. In the modern world, it is common for one to pin their anger, conscious or unconscious, deriving from the inability to accept the cruelty of the universe, towards something in the natural world, whether the object be of uncomplex form to something such as race, gender, religion, etc. As mentioned in the book, Moby Dick can be seen in different places at the same time by various people, and the same can be understood with the modern world, as different people have their own views of where the evilness and suffering of the world is to be blamed. Moby Dick represents all of these objects in the natural world that one may pin their anger on, given the whiteness of the whale and its colorless, mysterious, and infinite meaning, representing that the sources of the cruelty of the world vary seemingly infinitely. Ahab fails at his quest for vengeance on Moby Dick, and he only becomes more maddened in the process. This holds great meaning when making a correlation towards the modern world.

Life, in general, is not always fair. Good and evil mix simultaneously creating a chaotic world with an infinite spectrum of emotions. One cannot blame the natural world for this chaos, for if an inability for acceptance exists, madness shall progress.

28

Ahab’s Obsession Anthony Christante

After reading Moby Dick, the thing that sticks with me the most is Ahab’s obsession with the white whale, Moby Dick. Ahab’s every decision is based upon getting revenge on Moby Dick, who he sees as evil. The obsession cost him his leg, his family, his crew, and ultimately his life. Ahab’s first encounter with Moby Dick left him with a wooden peg in place of a leg. This started his quest for revenge. He devoted so much time and energy to this quest, he abandoned his family in the process. The whaling vessels voyage would last about three years.

Ahab was so determined on seeking revenge, he ignored several warnings about the white whale. One example is when the Pequod runs into the Jeroboam. Gabriel, one of the crew members on the Jeroboam, warns Ahab of the danger of attacking the White Whale. Ahab ignores this warning. Another example of this is when Fedallah, a Parsee on the Pequod, tells Ahab of a dream he had about Ahab's death. Fedallah predicts that before Ahab can die, he will see two hearses, one not made by mortal hands, and the other made of wood from America. Fedallah also proclaims that he will die before Ahab, and that hemp will kill Ahab. Ahab does not think he will die on this voyage, since you can't see hearses at sea. Another warning came when the Pequod came upon the ship Rachel. The captain of the Rachel informed Ahab that when they encountered Moby Dick, the captain lost his son. None of these warnings stopped Ahab on his quest to kill Moby Dick. When the Pequod finally gets the opportunity to go up against Moby Dick, boats get destroyed and Fedallah dies. Starbuck then begs Ahab to stop chasing "this murderous fish". Ahab then says that he will solve "this riddle". Ahab's determination only became stronger. His persistence on getting revenge then led to him and all but one of his crew to their death. The obsession with getting revenge on Moby Dick was Ahab's downfall. Being persistent and devoted to a goal or cause can be a good thing, but if it turns into an obsession, can be dangerous.

29

The White Whale Brady Dickison

What is the meaning of the White Whale? The beauty of Moby-Dick is that Melville leaves the interpretation of many symbols (including the White Whale) to the discretion of the reader. Melville’s book is timeless because the issues and symbols of this novel can be applied to any time period. The symbol of the White Whale to me symbolizes the issue of life because it is a prominent issue that is hotly debated in our generation.

I think that the White Whale symbolizes the issue of life because it greatly affects our society today.

Just as the White Whale is ever present to the sailors of the Pequod, pro-life vs pro-choice is an issue that is greatly contested in our world. It is an issue that is very important to me and that is why I feel a parallel with the White Whale. For some people (including myself), abortion should be erased and replaced in the world.

To others, it is a non-important issue that should be ignored or not discussed in depth. I think that the issue of abortion needs to be dealt with head-on. Abortion is an extremely difficult issue to sidestep like the presence of the White Whale, and these obstacles will be ever-present unless they are confronted and solved.

Similarly to the White Whale, there are many different opinions on this gargantuan issue. Like Melville and his personal experiences with whaling, I too have personal stories about my White Whale. Because of these similarities, I was able to draw my personal moment with Moby-Dick with the significance of the White Whale to me.

30

To Be Left Behind Josh Estes

Moby Dick will forever be one of the greatest novels I have ever read. To be honest, I originally thought reading this whale of a book was going to be absolutely dreadful. However, after just a few nights of reading, I quickly changed my views on the book, and became rather quickly enthused about the nightly readings. I found all most all of Moby Dick was applicable to something going on in today’s society. I also found that I could personally relate to dozens of chapters in the novel. Unfortunately, Chapter 93: The Castaway, made me relive what was the darkest months of my entire life.

In Chapter 93, Pip, a black adolescent, joins Stubb’s boat. Pip was inexperienced out on the waters and in whaling, and he therefore was unable to control himself properly when out in the boat whaling. While the men had finally caught a whale, Pip became mortified and erratically jumped out of the boat into the sea which forced the men to cut the whale free. The men, along with Stubb, give Pip a second chance to redeem himself with one caveat, if he jumps again, they’ll leave him die. Against his fair warning, Pip does freak out once again, and decides to jump ashore from the boat. Stubb, staying true to his threat, leaves Pip behind to die. Pip, being just a boy left for death in an ocean, causes Pip to lose his sanity. Pip had no one he could reach out to until a boat passed by, which Pip had hoped to save him; the boat sailed right past him, causing Pip to feel unworthy in the world and better off dead.

Ever since the third grade, I had always dreamed of coming to Vianney. I attended every athletic camp possible, yes, even basketball, and to those who don’t know my basketball career very well, I had a more of a chance as a bricklayer than I did at making a basketball team at Vianney. Nonetheless, I thoroughly enjoyed always being up at Vianney as much as I still do today. Being a gifted athlete with other varying talents and gifts, I was fortunate enough to “fit in” and was popular. Fortunately for me, I grew up with a best friend that went to my grade school, had the same hopes of coming to Vianney as I did, and attended all the camps with me. For the most part, my best friend and I stayed out of trouble and tried doing the right thing. Well, come about October of our eighth grade year, my friend’s parents went through a rough divorce.

This impacted my friend tremendously, and clearly affected his outlook on life. In the shortcomings ahead, what were once our friends, my pal made pretty cruel jokes about and towards them. I’m not quite sure why looking back at it, but at the time I stayed with him very closely and followed in some of his mischievous acts.

Throughout the next few months, he and I were chronically in the principal’s office for small things such as talking while the teacher was talking, to full-out tackling in our two-touch football games. My good buddy simply had a pessimistic view on life that I frankly didn’t understand at the time to give him the support or tough love that he needed. I don’t think he woke up in the morning with the happiness he once did for he never seemed to show much compassion towards applying to Vianney. I was deeply saddened by this, but nothing would deter me from applying to my dream school. Well, February rolled around, and on a snowy Saturday morning, I received my acceptance letter. I couldn’t have been happier; my dream had come true.

Monday morning rolled around and everyone was so excited and talking about their acceptance letters to their high schools; everyone except my friend. I could see the sorrow, rage, hate, madness, and millions of emotions all burning inside of him. All of these emotions would shortly be brought to the surface.

The next few months until graduation, our jokes slowly became more insulting and offensive, and we slowly lost all of the friends at our grade school. A lot of our actions and jokes were never handled properly and a lot of it went unpunished. While most of our jokes went far beyond joking, which I’m positive did hurt people emotionally, other than football at recess we never hurt anyone. Violence was pretty much nonexistent in our grade school. That is, until the first Wednesday of May in 2011, and our last Wednesday of grade school, what would be one of the worst days of my life.

It started out as a normal day in grade school, screwing around in gym class, not doing an ounce of algebra, talking and laughing amongst ourselves just my pal and I. Lunch came around, and we both headed outside for recess after finishing our lunch. For one reason or another, most of the kids we sat with were in “recess detention” as the school called it, where students who misbehaved had to miss a recess and sit with 31

the principal. It’s safe to say my friend and I grew very familiar with it. Yet, somehow he and I were free for this recess. With much of our friend group being left inside, we were unable to play football, and simply observe and joke about the other group of guys in our grade school, all of whom were primary targets of our deteriorating jokes. As he and I went back and forth between ourselves poking fun of the group, a brawl broke out. As I said earlier, violence never really occured at our grade school, so he and I rushed to see what was going on. By the time he and I got there, about thirty-forty seconds after it started, everyone dispersed, except for a student on the ground who was the victim. This was the first time in a long time that I saw my friend try to show compassion by asking the student if he wanted any help, for he was relatively abused. The student shouted, “No! Get away from me!,” and then quickly skirmished off. My buddy and I really thought nothing of this incident other than it was clearly was wrong but went on with our daily lives. We walked home to his house that day, as we did on most school days in those later months. I remember laying out on his tanning lawn chairs just listening to the radio and talking with him when his mother yelled out from behind us, “What the hell did you do this time? You’re suspended from school!” We both freaked out and were very confused, but to be completely honest, I felt nothing other than sympathy for him because I too thought I did nothing wrong as did he.

About ten minutes go by, and then my phone rings, “Josh, where are you?” which was my mother asking, to which I replied, “I’m at his house Mom, he needs me right now. He just got suspended.”

Before I could barely rambled off that he had gotten suspended, my Mom interrupted and screamed back, “Get out front now! You’re suspended too!”

I had a sense of fear and an even bigger sense of confusion, but I did as I was told and left.

As it turns out, the student who was beaten by his peers, convinced his parents, staff, and easily his friends who were the perpetrators, that my friend and I did it because he didn’t want his friends taking the blame and my friend and I probably deserved it from karma. He and I were suspended indefinitely, even with graduation being just the next Tuesday coming up. The next few days, he and I didn’t talk much, even though I tried several times to reach out to him. My texts went unanswered, phone calls went to voicemail. Frankly, I wasn’t sure what the hell happened to the kid, but I knew I would have a rough couple of days ahead of me.

The next few days didn’t get any easier either, we tried pleading our case and telling them our side of the story, but there were no monitors who saw any of the incident, so all the staff had was personal “witnesses.”

Therefore, he and I’s suspension was elevated to expulsion. We were jaw dropped and amazed. Of all the bad things we did, the one thing we didn’t do is what caught up to us. I went without ever going to my eighth graduation and wound up missing the parties that followed. I felt completely alone; I had no one left.

As these dark days turned even more lonely, my mother received a phone call from Vianney saying that my acceptance was being reevaluated and that I would need to have a mandatory meeting with the staff at Vianney. This was the literally the worst news I had ever heard in my life. I originally met with the faculty at 8 A.M. on a monday, right before I went to my incoming freshmen baseball camp at 9 A.M. My second interview was far from my first; let’s just say the questions I was asked had little to do with my favorite and least favorite subject in school. I had an awful, terrible athletic performance that day, and I went home and cried all day in my bed. Until that day, I never really understood why people contemplated suicide, but for the first in my life, I felt it was my best option.

I have a very severe allergy to peanut butter, and earlier in the year, I almost died from an anaphylaxis reaction. On Wednesday, we received a phone call saying that they’d like to give us their final decision on Friday after my final baseball event. That’s when things really started to hit me. I figured that people only tell people awful news in person, so I had to be getting denied. I felt my life was over. All I ever wanted to do was come to Vianney and eventually wear the V on my chest with pride out on the fields and ice rink. It became pretty evident now that I wouldn’t be receiving that opportunity, so when I was home alone Thursday night, I cooked a cookie cake, but the cookie cake contained enough peanut butter to kill me in under an hour. I let the cookie cake cool off and then placed it in my closet, and then went to bed that night crying because I knew it’d be my last night here. It’s safe to say I didn’t sleep too well that night. Nonetheless, I woke up with a bit of fire in my eyes to go out one last time on that ball field and give it my all. After having my last few hours of peace out on the diamond, I felt I had made my peace and was ready to hear the fatal news. I remember walking into Vianney and then approaching the admissions office. There, my family and I 32

were met by a Vianney affiliate. He slowly sat down and waited for us to have a seat. I had tears uncontrollably running down myself and I was shaking frantically. He finally started to say, “After Monday’s interview, the board has finally decided that Josh will be accepted into the class of 2015.”

I looked up in amazement and befuddlement. I had no idea that this would actually happen. Nonetheless, my family and I walked out hand-in-hand with tears of joy. My life went from being completely over, to having a second opportunity in life to change.

Change, I did, indeed. I threw the peanut butter cookie cake away when I got home, told my parents of what I had been going through in the last few weeks, and decided from then on that I would no longer be just a fake, an “Eddie Haskell” as I was always coined, that I would genuinely change and put meaning and feeling into everything I did. Vianney truly did change, save, and propel my life into what it is today.

Much like Pip, I know what it’s like to be lost, to be stranded, with no one there for you. I felt like I would be better off dying. All those times I screwed around at my grade school, I myself was jumping off the ship, and finally it caught up with me. I was left all alone in the ocean to die. It’s by the grace of God that Pip was saved, as well as myself.

33

Striking Similarity Alex Flynn

When reflecting upon Moby Dick, the character of Ishmael stands out. This character was a device exclusively used by Melville to insert his personal views on society. Ishmael does little to further the actual plot of the book, but rather inputs societal views and philosophical dialogue. From what Ishmael says, the reader gets the sense that Melville is extremely open-minded and essentially intelligent enough to see through the ignorance behind discrimination and political and economic systems such as the condemnation of capitalism that occurs in the book. This is noteworthy to myself personally, because Ishmael strikes me as a transcendentalist figure that Melville yearns to be in an ideal world.

This transcendentalism is evident mainly by the endeavor that Ishmael takes on at the beginning of the book, which for him represents leaving his ordinary life to seek a more purposeful one. This is the underlying belief of transcendentalists to seek purpose in one own’s life by self-reliance, pondering nature, and by not conforming to societal norms. The latter is also conspicuous in the novel, as Ishmael shares a questionable relationship with another man and is forthcoming in his beliefs on race, both abhorrent actions for this time period. Ishmael is also extensively depicted overlooking the water in more philosophical chapters where he delivers melodramatic dialogue. Therefore, the mast head chapter strikes me as ironic, because Melville condemns the idea of transcendentalism, yet the character in the novel who depicts Melville’s voice is the epitome of transcendentalists’ ideals. My assumption for the reasoning behind this would be that society despised of transcendentalists during this time; it was viewed as insanity so this could be Melville considering his audience’s perspective but his true intentions will forever remain unknown. Furthermore, Ishmael and his transcendentalist behavior was memorable because he reminded me of a novel we read in Mrs. Finley’s class titled Into The Wild.

In this book, based off a true account, a boy named Chris McCandless essentially removed himself from society by taking an expedition all across the country and eventually ended up in Alaska isolated and extremely weak. He inevitably died there as he was ill prepared because of his faith in selfreliance. Homologous to Ishmael, Chris left his old life behind to find a deeper purpose by setting out and experiencing the real world. Ishmael has the same intentions only he takes to the sea; in each case though, nature is their escape from traditional lives which is at the core of transcendentalist beliefs. Another striking similarity between the two stories is that both had great lives prior to their journeys. Ishmael is obviously very intelligent and so too was Chris, as he was a candidate for Harvard Law School and was raised in a wealthy and loving family. All of this brings in a mind a question that appears rudimentary.

This question is why would someone escape a life such as the ones Ishmael and Chris had. Since we aren’t fully introduced to Ishmael’s prior life, I’ll answer from Chris’ perspective by replying that it appears irrational and almost insane for someone to rid him or herself of all their money and possessions and to cut off contact from others, but Chris’ goal was to live a happier life. The quote, “One man’s trash is another man’s treasure,” is suitable here because what causes one happiness isn’t necessarily going to have the same effect on others. Many people would sacrifice everything to have an opportunity to attend Law School at Harvard, but unfortunately Chris wasn’t one of those kids.

It’s easy to criticize either of the journeys as ludicrous, but the motives behind them weren’t. They both sought happier and more fulfilling lives and their current ones weren’t acceptable. Therefore, all either of them were striving for were better lives which isn’t insane at all when stated in this way. Plenty of people would take risks if there was a possibility of a happier life which gives the idea of transcendentalism logic and understanding behind it. Having said that, this doesn’t mean that every pursuit of happiness is rational and definitively going to end with achieving the original goal. Pursuing happiness is what humans do every day as it really is the only reason we all live. Understanding the consequences though, is vital and obviously wasn’t applicable to Chris which warrants the criticism that the whole idea of transcendentalism gets. Therefore, I see transcendentalism as irrational because of its emphasis on self-reliance which was the factor that inevitably killed Chris, while Ishmael survives and ironically was on a ship full of other crew members. On the other hand, taking chances on life in order to hopefully live happier and with a more profound sense of purpose is not ridiculous but rather essential in order to grow as people.

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The Blanket Adam Gilmore

“It does seem to me, that herein we see the rare virtue of a strong individual vitality, and the rare virtue of thick walls, and the rare virtue of interior spaciousness. Oh, man! admire and model thyself after the whale! Do thou, too, remain warm among ice.

Do thou, too, live in this world without being of it. Be cool at the equator; keep thy blood fluid at the Pole. Like the great dome of St. Peter's, and like the great whale, retain, O man! in all seasons a temperature of thine own.”

Herman Melville utilizes chapter sixty-eight of Moby-Dick to “pull a fast one” on the reader. Melville leads the reader to believe that he is using three (or so) pages to discuss/explain the makeup of what he believes to be the skin of the whale. I know what you’re thinking, and the answer to your question is, “Yes, that part of the chapter is as riveting as it sounds.” At the culmination of all of this excitement, Melville reveals why he found it necessary to include this whale anatomy lesson through the above quote.

Melville is simply telling us to stay true to ourselves. He advises that we be a person whose thick outer layer serves to protect a well-formed inside depth that is all too uncommon in this world. Melville was a student of transcendentalism, although he didn’t fully buy into it (part of Chapter 35: The Mast Head is often seen as a criticism of transcendentalism). Part of this quote from chapter sixty-eight is a representation of this disconnect of beliefs. Melville tells us to “live in this world without being of it,” and in doing so, he is trying to tell us that while we have no choice but to live in this world, we ought not simply conform to its social norms. Given the context, though, he isn’t telling us to transcend out of society, but rather to live in society without letting it change who we are--especially if it is change for the worse.

Melville’s thoughts in chapter sixty-eight also have a lot to say about integrity. While integrity and the ideas previously discussed are very similar, integrity refers more specifically to that inner person mentioned earlier, as opposed to simply having a thick outer shell. It requires that we “keep thy blood fluid at the Pole,” meaning that even in the most extreme situations that warrant moral ambiguity, our inner person must work to stay strong, or we will become another casualty of society by becoming a thoughtless zombie. Sacrificing the ability to think on our own and becoming unable to maintain that inner individuality will figuratively (if not literally) kill us from the inside out. We must influence others to think on their own as well; we must “remain warm among ice,” and melt the frozen (closed-minded), poorly developed thought processes that surround us.

Melville shows us that we have a lot to learn from the thick-skinned and spaciously interiored whale.

While it’s obvious to Melville (and hopefully the reader) that the whale does not hold personality traits such as integrity, the metaphor of environmental change that the whale must adapt to serves to simplify life for us.

The closing thought given to us is to, “retain, O man! in all seasons a temperature of thine own.” In simplest terms, Melville is simply advising the reader to stay true to one’s self. An idea that is, like many other ideas, so simple in theory, yet so difficult in practice. That being said, Melville presents us with the perfect model: the whale.

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Queequeg

Jordan Kernebeck Personally, I find Queequeg to be the most loyal, moral, and interesting character in the novel. Queequeg’s character also serves as a symbol critically important for major, monotheistic religions to understand. Queequeg is a pagan, a person both rejected and shunned in Christianity and religions like it, but somehow he still exhibits high moral intelligence, greater than that of the other characters.

Monotheistic religions, as a unit, tend to believe that pagans,or those who practice their spirituality differently, are wrong in their beliefs and practices and are destined for a mythological burning eternity known as hell. Yet we see that, although he is a pagan, Queequeg somehow has greater morals than the so called “Christians” like Bildad and Peleg. These men who claim to be Christian and therefore christlike are actually the exact opposite. They are highly immoral, judgemental, and racist, but since they associate themselves with the Church, they are viewed as moral people by society. Then we have a cannibal, Queequeg, who is a loyal friend and lifesaver but is demonized because he worships “strange” gods. The church, for many people as seen in the novel, acts as a mask to hide one's true self behind. You can be a rich, greedy, judgemental, land owning white male, while making yourself appear as a forgiving, gentle, and understanding Christian. Queequeg, regardless of what he worships, is a true human being, who would die to save one of his friends. A person’s true moral integrity is on the inside, just like Queequeg because outside appearances are often deceiving.

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Ishmael Wants to Be Equal With His Shipmates Sam Leible

In this chapter Ishmael states that he wishes to be a common shipmate instead of being a wealthy ship owner or investor. He just wanted to be common with all the other “entry level employees�. This really says something about wanting to be equal with others. It can be said that there is a little Ismael in all of us when it comes down to it.

To me, we all have a little Ismael inside us because we all want to be equal in at least one way or the other. Some people want to be racially equal, and others would like to be sexually equal. These are just examples of the vast range of subjects in which people fight for equality. The ability and right to be equal is something we all strive for whether we know it or not. We feel some type of sympathy for the misfortunate in some way.

Personally, I strive for racial equality. I personally believe that the way our society is set up now, it is impossible for certain member to succeed as well as others. If we would eliminate this we could give everyone an equal chance to succeed and make a decent living for themselves in this short storybook we call life.

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Queequeg Nick Lowe

Queequeg’s character portrays a cannibalistic, savage, Pacific islander, whose outer appearance masks his true identity. From the beginning, even before Queequeg is introduced, Ishmael predetermines how Queequeg will look and act. Ishmael worries of sharing a bed with a cannibal man and what may happen.

Upon introduction, Queequeg is judged for his tattoos, idol, and shrunken heads. A myriad of ignorant thoughts lead to Queequeg being made out to be a violent and ruthless being, even though he is the exact opposite. Queequeg is the most loyal and thoughtful character in Moby Dick, as Ishmael was his bosom friend, entailing Queequeg would die for Ishmae. Along with being a dear friend to Ishmael, Queequeg sympathized for any person he encountered, even those less important to his life. For example, he jumped off the Pequod into the vast ocean to save a drowning ship mate, while risking his own life for a man Queequeg hardly knew.

As readers of Melville's "parable", examples such as these involving Queequeg, illustrate Melville's take on how society should be more like the character Queequeg. Melville’s frustration by the way people look upon being different sparked him to write Moby Dick, such as how onlookers saw Queequeg and Ishmael together or strictly how Ishmael perceived Queequeg.

Although, if I were to see Queequeg galavanting through the streets with tattoos, shrunken heads and an idol, I would have a negative perception of Queequeg as well, that was Melville’s point. He intended for us to include the happenings on the pequod to our own lives, by including controversial issues still circling the world today in 2014. Herman Melville’s purpose for Queequeg was to illustrate certain images and characteristics in a way that the reader could picture and form their own judgements before realizing that Queequeg is actually a caring and loyal man. In addition to, Queequeg's disappointing search for Christianity and modern civilization, illustrates Melville's opinion pertaining to how Americans treat each other and that people should behave in a more open and respectful manner. Herman Melville's metaphorical writing, leads the meaning of Queequeg's character open for argument, though the book declares that Queequeg is a character of exploration and kindness.

38

Character of Interest Alex Mueller

Queequeg is a native from the island of Rokovoko, who is essentially judged by many different people for his beliefs and culture. At the beginning of the novel, Ishmael is apprehensive with the idea of sharing a bed with a stranger, but this apprehension turns into fear when he learns the stranger is a black cannibalistic man. Ishmael’s thoughts are generating terrible images of Queequeg, and he almost decides to sleep on a bench rather than share a bed with this strange heathen. Ishmael’s first reaction to physically observing Queequeg's tattoos and pagan ritual is terror. In this situation, I would have bolted for the door and never looked back. Ishmael rather than allowing his judgment to control his thinking put in the time to understand Queequeg’s culture, just as Queequeg had put in time to understand Ishmael’s, and this understanding allowed them to become bosom friends.

Herman Melville through his larger than life character, Queequeg, might be trying to tell his readers to stop judging others based on their appearance or religion and to simply take the time to know someone before making a decision on who they are. Queequeg on the surface is seen as an unintelligent savage, but past his appearances he is an intelligent man with extreme loyalty and devotion to those around him.

Queequeg does not judge anyone, and even if someone has wronged him he will risk his life to save them.

For example, on the beginning of the voyage a sailor is mocking Queequeg, but when this same sailor is knocked into the ocean it is Queequeg who rescues him. Queequeg does not even hesitate to save the sailor even though if it had been Queequeg in the ocean no one would have risked their life to save him. Herman Melville seems to be saying that even though Queequeg is seen as a brute, he is still a better person on the inside than almost everyone else on the ship.

Queequeg’s bravery and care for other human beings stood out to me more than any other character in Moby Dick. Unfortunately, if I saw him walking down the street I would avoid eye contact with him for fear of my life based strictly on his looks. Our society has and most likely always will be judgemental towards non conformists and anyone different from ourselves because we often view their practices as taboo. Classes like English 450 at Vianney allow me to learn about perspective, but many public schools do not or are not allowed to talk about certain subjects. Our world needs to be educated on perspective so that our future leaders understand why certain cultures are the way they are. Many wars and other problems occur because of religious or cultural intolerance, which could potentially be solved if leaders took the time like Queequeg to learn about other cultures rather than shoving their beliefs down the enemies throat.

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The Islander

Brandon Ochterbeck Queequeg, as displayed in Herman Melville’s Moby Dick, is an islander from his home of Kokovoko.

He meets Ishmael at an inn where they share a room and a bed together. At first Ishmael is afraid of this idol worshipping man, but after the night they spend together the two become best friends and even “married” in the eyes of Queequeg’s culture. This “marriage” is just a way to say that the two will be there for one another until the end. Queequeg, in this instance, represents a loving father figure for Ishmael, and that is why they get along so well with one another. Queequeg also displays that even though he is considered a cannibal, that he is a great guy. This shows just because someone is stereotyped into a certain group, it doesn’t mean that they are a bad person, and just because someone is Catholic or Christian doesn’t mean that they are a good person. This means that one cannot take another person just at face value, but they must get to know the person. There are good and bad people in every culture and religion.

Queequeg also embodies loyalty and devotion to humans and their life. Queequeg has an argument with a person right before boarding the boat, but later that day the man falls overboard and instantly Queequeg comes to his rescue by diving into the ocean and saving the man from drowning. Queequeg shows his love for people with that action and shows his devotion. He is also extremely loyal to Ishmael, so much so that he even splits his belongings in half and gives half to Ishmael. Queequeg embodies loyalty and devotion to a cause because he is such a strong authoritative figure and a great role model for all.

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Starbuck

Luke Parlow

The character in Moby Dick that I connect with and admire the most throughout the novel would be Starbuck. A couple reasons why I feel like Starbuck and I share a number of similarities are because of his intelligance and loyalty. Starbuck Is an extremely intelligent character and he shows it in many ways. When Ahab first tells the crew of his plans to hunt Moby Dick, Starbuck is not a fan of the idea, but he keeps quiet.

He knows that it would be to his benefit to not express his disliking of the idea. If he were to speak up, the crew would’ve gone against him and he would’ve faced consequences such as being thrown overboard. Because he doesn’t speak up, the crew works smoothly and they still accomplish the goal they had in the beginning, hunting many whales. Another quality that I admire about Starbuck is his loyalty. Even though Starbuck disagrees with Ahab about many things, he remains loyal to him because he is his captain. I believe that Starbuck is the most civilized ship member on the Pequod.

41

Ahab

Spencer Peterson To me, Ahab is the most interesting character in Moby Dick. We all know what he does in the book and how his insanity shows so easily. He doesn’t care about anyone nor does it matter to him what he does to obtain what he wants.

Why I find Ahab the most interesting character is because I feel that Ahab represents something in all human beings. In all of us, there is one thing we want wholeheartedly. In Ahab's case he wants revenge for his leg. Revenge is the only thing can stop Ahab's insanity , but eventually that one thing he wants drives him to death. I believe that one desire exist in every person. In some, it is much more evident while in others it is held deep in their soul, which is not much better. that desire for me for me would be football. I live and breathe the sport, wanting nothing more than to play it my whole life. My insanity for the sport shows through how much I work out for it, how much I watch it. I am completely obsessed with the sport. Other people strive for a certain job or material things, others want love or just to fit in. that “desire� is within everyone, some are lucky enough to obtain that want, while others do anything and everything to get that one thing.

Thats how I see Ahab and why he relates to every human being, striving for that one thing their whole life.

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Ignorance is the Parent of Fear Liam Shannon

Ignorance draws a common parallel to fear in the fact that both are of the unknown. Not understanding something often times gives feelings of inferiority because what is not already known by a person is filled in by what is automatically assumed of someone or something as being. The first thing that comes to mind with this concept is the idea of ghosts. When something unexplainable happens in a house whether it be a cup moving or door creaking, the initial thought process, with little in depth thinking, comes to the conclusion that some entity must be hostile towards the person therefore striking fear. Although many things may better explain these occurrences, little really proves the theory wrong because it is an unexplained idea of an invisible entity not a truly physical specimen. A more societal example would be the stereotypes of racial tendencies. It is not a coincidence that the most racist people in society just so happen to have dealt the least with the opposite race. Often times, the racial tendencies taught by society apply to not only a limited number of the race’s members but also have a negative connotation to them. These ideas spread about a race usually are associated with making people fearful of them or seeing them as being in the wrong to the point where it is thought of as common knowledge despite no factual backing on the general statements given about a particular race. Ignorance, in reality, is merely how people perceive the varying amounts of unrevealed information of which they choose not to understand, which is mostly what provides the basis for fear itself or being afraid of what the realities could be.

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Soul-Less Pip Nick Shylanski

The Pequod’s cabin boy, Pip, plays an increasingly important role throughout Moby Dick. The first scene in which Pip plays an important character is in Chapter 93- The Castaway. Pip fills in for one of Stubb’s oarsmen. However, there was also a white cabin boy, Dough Boy, who was not chosen. During a time of slavery issues, Melville steps up and goes against the grain by supporting a black man over a white man. I think that Pip was confused yet excited to be asked to fill in, but it botched his head and could have been the start of his madness. While hunting the whale, Pip jumps out of the boat and becomes entangled in the lines of the harpoons. Stubb gives the command to cut Pip free, but the crew loses the whale. Stubb tells Pip to not jump out because they will leave him. Stubb also makes a racist remark “‘Stick to the boat, Pip, or by the Lord, I won’t pick you up if you jump; mind that… a whale would sell for thirty times what you would, Pip, in Alabama” (425 Melville). This slur puts the thought into Pip’s head by stating the the money earned from one whale contains more value than Pip. When Pip jumps a second time, Stubb stays true to his word and leaves Pip behind. In the water, Pip watches as two ships pass him because they see whales. Yet again, people have chosen money from whales over a human being, Pip. As Pip stays afloat in the ocean, he slowly loses his mind, “The sea had jeeringly kept his finite body up, but drowned his infinite soul.” (426 Melville). The drowning of Pip’s soul may be the end of his sane and jolly life.

44

Storms Attacking the Pequod David Siebum

Throughout the many storms that brutally attack the Pequod, the crew stayed together and were able to survive through each other. Up until the end, they stayed strong despite the dangers that occurred around them. What this symbolized to me were the struggles that every person faces each day. From bullies to deaths of loved ones, there are people around you to lean on in those tough times to take your mind off the situation. Like the boat, which had the carpenter and blacksmith to fix problems on the boat relating the mast, hull and gunnels, people have friends or family who they can talk to.

A few things that I struggle with is anger issues and my attitude when playing sports. Not many people outside of my sport, volleyball, know about my problem. I’ve had numerous talks to every coach who has coached me and I have avoided the issue and thought I could battle it by myself. I have been supported more than anyone could know and have taken it all for granted. Through all the support, my mentality never changed. Since last year, I have opened my eyes to the problem and my progress has made me play so much better than I had before. My attitude and perfectionist mentality are the storms to the Pequod. My family, teammates and coaches are the blacksmith and carpenter who fix the mast, hull and gunnels which keep the boat sailing and afloat or in relation to me, playing the sport I love.

45

The Tolerance of Madness Nathan Smith

In Moby Dick, madness played an integral role of the characters and their stories, somewhat reflecting how madness can take hold people, but the allowance of madness by the sane characters truly reflects human nature and the tendency of society to deny and ignore the insane. Ahab’s madness fueled the overarch of the story: the hunt for the white whale, Moby Dick, but his vengeful hunt was allowed by the stable Starbuck, good natured Queequeg, and thoughtful Ishmael. As the book progresses, Ahab’s insanity and obsession intensifies, but the crew does nothing to oppose their captain, which results in their deaths.

Our society treats the problem of the mentally ill population just like the crew does in the book: we ignore and deny the problem of the mentally ill by hiding the problem and focussing on meaningless activities of celebrities and the media.

Melville incorporates a strong sense of social equality in his books, such as Ishmael’s commentary of people like Queequeg the cannibal in a positive manner, and blurring gender roles, but the madness of Captain Ahab is only addressed by another madman prophet who is ignored by the philosophical Ishmael.

Whether or not Melville was trying to send the message that insane people are a negative piece of society through Ahab’s actions and the shunning of Elijah is up in the air, but it serves as a close parallel to how people of those days and how modern people view the insane: as either a detriment like Ahab, or someone to be ignored like Elijah. While Moby Dick tackles many social equality themes head on, it seems to ignore the rights and equality of the maddened.

As literature has developed, it has paved the way to expression of equality of gender, race, and sexual orientation, but it still seems to leave out the mentally ill. In Moby Dick, the mentally ill served an evil purpose through Ahab. This trope recurs throughout literature with the crazed antagonist, and its easy to say that our society has yet to get the nerve of facing the uncomfortable problem of the mentally ill as they have homosexuals, reverse gender roles, and racial equality.

46

Adrift

Kyle Stiebel Pip, a young, black cabin boy, is one of the most sympathetic characters in Moby Dick. When we first met Pip, he is using his tambourine to entertain the crew, an act that is acutely appreciated. As the story progresses, Pip fades off into the background, only appearing in brief snippets and doing little of significance.

He is not a mad whaler, like Ahab. He is not a jaded philosopher, like Ishmael. He’s not extraordinarily strong and agile, like Queequeg. In a book where every character is shrouded in symbolism, Pip is simply a boy on a boat.

Unfortunately for Pip, Moby Dick is not a novel where the innocent are allowed to watch undisturbed from the sidelines. One morning, Pip is thrust into a new, far greater and far more dangerous role on the ship following the injury of another sailor; he is instructed to fill in for an oarsmen on one of the harpoon boats.

Any profession today pales in comparison to the dangers of whaling in the 1850s, and there was not a station more dangerous on the entire ship than harpooner or harpoon boat oarsmen. Where before Pip only needed to concern himself with small errands and the general cleanliness of the ship, he now had the burden of helping chase screaming, bleeding leviathans that weighed forty times more than his meager harpoon boat.

But when the time came for Pip to do his duty and row his oars, he proved incapable. On his first trip out into the open sea, Pip becomes frightened when an injured whale brushes up against his boat, which in turn causes him to jump off. Begrudgingly, Pip is rescued, but at the cost of potentially letting a whale escape.

After a stern warning, Pip is once again forced to trek out into the unforgiving waters as an oarsman, but his mettle proves too weak. Pip, out of desperation and the instinct for self-preservation, leapt into the sea for the second time when his boat crossed too close with a whale. However, this time, his fellow sailors do not turn back for him. After all, as he has been reminded, Pip is worth less than a whale. From this new vantage point, floating adrift in the middle of an ocean that did not know or care for him, Pip was given a new perspective on whaling, even a new perspective on humanity. At the end of the day, all these men cared about was their whale and their paycheck. In society, all men care about is getting their just deserts, no matter the cost or moral implications. On the ship, Pip was merely a cabin boy, and in society at large, Pip was black.

Although only a boy, it was alone in that supremely peaceful and supremely callous ocean that Pip realised what a curse being born poor and black in America was, where he had less value than a whale. He realized what a curse money could be to men in a country like America, and he realized rudimentary flaws of the American system we all hold so dear. And then Pip went insane, and I could finally see the ways in which capitalism drives some men to become less than human.

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Queequeg: The Man the Myth and the Legend Brendan Tierney

I admire Queequeg for a number of reasons in the novel Moby Dick. The scenario which stemmed my admiration for him was in chapter thirteen when Queequeg hears a man on the ship talking bad about him, and he immediately stands up for himself. After Queequeg is scolded by the captain, the stranger goes over board, and with no hesitation whatsoever Queequeg goes in after him. I strive to stand up for myself in situation just as Queequeg did, but more importantly I like to think I would go great lengths to help others. If we had more people like Queequeg the world would be a better place.

I also admire Queequeg’s profound dedication he shows throughout the story. Queequeg’s pagan idol Yojo does not seem to leave his side, and faith is a constant in his life. Whaling seems to be right there with his faith, in the sense that it is always there as well. He shows admirable dedication to both to the point that as he lays down, for what seems will be the last time, he does so with Yojo and his harpoon. I hope to be half as dedicated to my faith as he is to his, and I hope to take what is important to me all the way to my grave.

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More than Words on a Page Stephen Turner

After reading by far the most challenging piece of literature I have ever encountered, I walked away from it with a better understanding of how to interpret its deeper message and apply it to life. “I know not all that may be coming, but be it what it will, I’ll go to it laughing”. This powerful quote stood out amongst all the others as an interpretation on how to approach the future of an individual’s life. Among all the symbolism that is encapsulated within this epic story, I found this particular quote really applicable to my life. It is true that I have absolutely no exact idea what great things are in store for me down the road. All I can do is take one step at a time and enjoy what life throws my way. There is no easy road to travel within one’s life. One encounters numerous obstacles and challenges that must be approached in a reasonable and analytical manner. Nothing in life is concrete or set in stone. Anything worth doing is not easy, but yet it’s the most challenging things we accomplish in life that have the biggest rewards. If one were to read Moby-Dick and walk away without a better understanding of how to view specific topics or pondering thoughts, then they missed out on the full experience and purpose of reading this powerful piece of literature by a Sub-Sub Librarian. The intent, of this novel, is to walk away with a better understanding of things than you had going into it. If this has been completed, then the goal is complete.

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Queequeg in His Coffin Daniel Ulrich

In chapter 110, when Queequeg is on the brink of dying, and increasingly getting closer to the after life, when suddenly he climbs out of the coffin claiming he willed himself back to life, struck me with a deeper meaning of faith than the other chapters. Queequeg rising from his coffin when he was so near to dead possesses a meaning of resurrection in my Catholic understanding. Queequeg’s recovery similarly represents that of Jesus’s resurrection from the dead in the way that Jesus rose from the dead to complete his father’s mission, Queequeg rose from his coffin because of his lingering mission to kill Moby Dick. It further represents the resurrection scene in the bible when Queequeg draws his meaningful tattoos on his coffin. The tattoos represent a complete theory of the heavens and the earth according to a Kokovoko native. He keeps all his valuables in the coffin representing that he finds comfort in whaling, and also in Yojo, just as people of faith find comfort when they are praying. In keeping his valuables in his coffin, he shows he wants to take his beliefs with him to the afterlife.

This moment in Moby Dick personally touches me because it closely resembles the rollercoaster effect of everyday life. Chapter 110 resembles life as a sine wave, there are peaks and there are valleys throughout a normal day. We need to persevere through the tough times throughout the day just like Queequeg willed himself back to life when he was so close to dying. Not only in chapter 110 does Queequeg show a strong foundation of morals, he repeatedly blossoms through his rough exterior with his engaging personality, and modest religious beliefs.

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