NCHS AP English Language

#s 1, 3, 5, 8, & 10 - Nathan Sheptock

1. Great Chain of Being - "classical and western medieval conception of the order of the universe, whose chief characteristic is a strict hierarchical system. It is a conception of the world's structure that was accepted, and unquestioned, by most educated men from the time of Lucretius until the Copernican and Darwinian revolution and the ultimate flowering of the Renaissance." (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_chain_of_being)for the confused:vertical scheme is something kind of like this:- Riza (...j/k)- perfection (God)- angels- humans- beasts- fish- plants- rocksin the Pequod:the 'Higher-ups'- Captain Ahab -- the captain (obviously) and the 'king' or 'ruler' of the ship- Starbuck -- the Pequod's first mate, Ahab's right-hand-man- Stubb -- the Pequod's second mate- Flask -- the Pequod's third mategeneral groups- harpooners (Queequeg, Tashtego, Daggoo, Fedallah) -- incredibly skilled harpooner, vital to the Pequod's purpose (whaling)- n00bs (Ishmael) -- the newbies who don’t know what the h3ll is going on- entertainers (Pip) -- simply there for the crew's amusement... no purpose whatsoeverGreat Chain of Being - "classical and western medieval conception of the order of the universe, whose chief characteristic is a strict hierarchical system. It is a conception of the world's structure that was accepted, and unquestioned, by most educated men from the time of Lucretius until the Copernican and Darwinian revolution and the ultimate flowering of the Renaissance." (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_chain_of_being)for the confused:vertical scheme is something kinda like this:- Riza (...j/k)- perfection (God)- angels- humans- beasts- fish- plants- rocksin the Pequod:the 'Higher-ups'- Captain Ahab -- the captain (obviously) and the 'king' or 'ruler' of the ship- Starbuck -- the Pequod's first mate, Ahab's right-hand-man- Stubb -- the Pequod's second mate- Flask -- the Pequod's third mategeneral groups- harpooners (Queequeg, Tashtego, Daggoo, Fedallah) -- incredibly skilled harpooner, vital to the Pequod's purpose (whaling)- n00bs (Ishmael) -- the newbies who dont know what the h3ll is going on- entertainers (Pip) -- simply there for the crew's amusement... no purpose whatsoever


3. The feeling of the numinous is an awe inspiring thing. Numina, the singular form of numinous, is a presence of the sacred spirit in all parts of creation. The feeling of the numinous is the "dread" of the unknown transcendent spirits. This fear is not from what such a spirit or divinity could do, but rather, the fear of its ability to do something far more powerful than any terrestrial creature and of its unworldly nature, of which we are unfamiliar. This phenomena is often referred to as "Mysterium Tremendum", or numinous dread.Ishmael experiences this feeling of the numinous in the novel Moby Dick. The Mysterium Tremendum is frequently characterized by three things: 1)-its absolute unapproachability, 2)-its power, 3)- its urgency or energy, a force which is most easily perceived in the "wrath of God." All of which, are felt by Ishamael as he is confronted by the awesome power of the sea and the horridness of Moby Dick. An abnormality,such as a great white whale known by all in the whaling enterprise, would certainly give one the feeling of the numinous, especially if that person is new to whaling in general, like Ishmael. Moby Dick certainly seems unearthly in its power and far more powerful and evil than any other earthly being.This numinous dread that Ishmael feels from the sea and Moby Dick will manifest itself. Later on in the book, the ship and crew's imminent and impending destruction, brought about by Captain Ahab's selfish desire for revenge, will be forshaddowed several times. The feeling of the numinous is an awe inspiring thing. Numina, the singular form of numinous, is a presence of the sacred spirit in all parts of creation. The feeling of the numinous is the "dread" of the unknown transcendent spirits. This fear is not from what such a spirit or divinity could do, but rather, the fear of its ability to do something far more powerful than any terrestrial creature and of its unworldly nature, of which we are unfamiliar. This phenomena is often referred to as "Mysterium Tremendum", or numinous dread.Ishmael experiences this feeling of the numinous in the novel Moby Dick. The Mysterium Tremendum is frequently characterized by three things: 1)-its absolute inapproachability, 2)-its power, 3) - its urgency or energy, a force which is most easily perceived in the "wrath of God." All of which, are felt by Ishmael as he is confronted by the awesome power of the sea and the horridness of Moby Dick. An abnormality, such as a great white whale known by all in the whaling enterprise, would certainly give one the feeling of the numinous, especially if that person is new to whaling in general, like Ishmael. Moby Dick certainly seems unearthly in its power and far more powerful and evil than any other earthly being.This numinous dread that Ishmael feels from the sea and Moby Dick will manifest itself. Later on in the book, the ship and crew's imminent and impending destruction, brought about by Captain Ahab's selfish desire for revenge, will be foreshadowed several times.The feeling of the numinous is an awe inspiring thing. Numina, the singular form of numinous, is a presence of the sacred spirit in all parts of creation. The feeling of the numinous is the "dread" of the unknown transcendent spirits. This fear is not from what such a spirit or divinity could do, but rather, the fear of its ability to do something far more powerful than any terrestrial creature and of its unworldly nature, of which we are unfamiliar. This phenomena is often referred to as "Mysterium Tremendum", or numinous dread.Ishmael experiences this feeling of the numinous in the novel Moby Dick. The Mysterium Tremendum is frequently characterized by three things: 1)-its absolute unapproachability, 2)-its power, 3)- its urgency or energy, a force which is most easily perceived in the "wrath of God." All of which, are felt by Ishamael as he is confronted by the awesome power of the sea and the horridness of Moby Dick. An abnormality,such as a great white whale known by all in the whaling enterprise, would certainly give one the feeling of the numinous, especially if that person is new to whaling in general, like Ishmael. Moby Dick certainly seems unearthly in its power and far more powerful and evil than any other earthly being.This numinous dread that Ishmael feels from the sea and Moby Dick will manifest itself. Later on in the book, the ship and crew's imminent and impending destruction, brought about by Captain Ahab's selfish desire for revenge, will be forshaddowed several times.The feeling of the numinous is an awe inspiring thing. Numina, the singular form of numinous, is a presence of the sacred spirit in all parts of creation. The feeling of the numinous is the "dread" of the unknown transcendent spirits. This fear is not from what such a spirit or divinity could do, but rather, the fear of its ability to do something far more powerful than any terrestrial creature and of its unworldly nature, of which we are unfamiliar. This phenomena is often referred to as "Mysterium Tremendum", or numinous dread.Ishmael experiences this feeling of the numinous in the novel Moby Dick. The Mysterium Tremendum is frequently characterized by three things: 1)-its absolute unapproachability, 2)-its power, 3)- its urgency or energy, a force which is most easily perceived in the "wrath of God." All of which, are felt by Ishamael as he is confronted by the awesome power of the sea and the horridness of Moby Dick. An abnormality,such as a great white whale known by all in the whaling enterprise, would certainly give one the feeling of the numinous, especially if that person is new to whaling in general, like Ishmael. Moby Dick certainly seems unearthly in its power and far more powerful and evil than any other earthly being.This numinous dread that Ishmael feels from the sea and Moby Dick will manifest itself. Later on in the book, the ship and crew's imminent and impending destruction, brought about by Captain Ahab's selfish desire for revenge, will be forshaddowed several times.


5. Sunset is a short chapter with Captain Ahab's soliloquy. Along with delusions of persecution (by "bullies"!) and of grandeur, he imagines himself crowned with the legendary Iron Crown of Lombardy.
The Iron Crown has a narrow band of iron about three-eighths of an inch in it, supposedly be beaten out of one of the nails used by the crucifixion. According to legend, the nail was given to Emperor Constantine I by his mother Helena, who found Jesus' cross.
In 1805, Napoleon Bonaparte had himself crowned King of Italy at Milan in splendor and magnificence. Sitting on an extravagant throne, and going up to the altar, he took the iron crown, and put it on his head, and said "God gives it to me, beware those who touch it".
^^Answers.com (rephrased and condensed)^^
Though persecuted, he feels 'crowned' and backed by prophesy. He is determined to find and 'dismember' Moby Dick - just as Moby Dick dismembered him.
Monomania is an excessive concentration on a single object or idea. According to poestories.com. Ahab most certainly has this psychological condition with his obsession over Moby Dick.


8. First of all, what the heck is a trope?? Well, according to dictionary.com it is a NOUN!!! wow... It can be defined as "any literary or rhetorical device, as metaphor, metonymy, synecdoche, and irony that consists in the use of words in other than their literal sense". In Layman's terms this means that a trope is a word or phrase that describes something in a nonliteral way. (Ex: 'You are such a chicken!!' or 'He can be such a couch potato... *shakes head*')Now that we know what a trope is, let's find five of them in this paragraph, shall we?
"It was a sight full of quick wonder and awe! The vast swells of
the omnipotent sea; the surging, hollow roar they made, as they
rolled along the eight gunwales, like gigantic bowls in a boundless
bowling-green; the brief suspended agony of the boat, as it would
tip for an instant on the knife-like edge of the sharper waves, that
almost seemed threatening to cut it in two; the sudden profound
dip into the watery glens and hollows; the keen spurrings and
goadings to gain the top of the opposite hill; the headlong, sled-
like slide down its other side; -- all these, with the cries of the
headsmen and harpooners, and the shuddering gasps of the oars-
men, with the wondrous sight of the ivory Pequod bearing down
upon her boats with outstretched sails, like a wild hen after her
screaming brood; -- all this was thrilling. Not the raw recruit,
marching from the bosom of his wife into the fever heat of his first
battle; not the dead man's ghost encountering the first unknown
phantom in the other world; -- neither of these can feel stranger
and stronger emotions than that man does, who for the first time
finds himself pulling into the charmed, churned circle of the hunted
sperm whale."
1. "...they rolled along the eight gunwales, like gigantic bowls in a boundless bowling-green..."Simile: rolling waves against ship vs. rolling balls on a playing field2. "...the headlong, sled-like slide down its other side..."Simile: ship's downward path after hitting a wave vs. a sled-like slide3. "...with the wondrous sight of the ivory Pequod bearing down upon her boats with outstretched sails, like a wild hen after her screaming brood..."Simile: the Pequod's sails vs. a wild hen4. "...the knife-like edge of the sharper waves, that almost seemed threatening to cut it in two;"Simile: edges of waves vs. the edge of a knife5. "...the brief suspended agony of the boat..."Personification: the boat is given the human trait of being in agonyFirst of all, what the heck is a trope?? Well, according to dictionary.com it is a NOUN!!! wow... It can be defined as "any literary or rhetorical device, as metaphor, metonymy, synecdoche, and irony, that consists in the use of words in other than their literal sense". In Layman's terms this means that a trope is a word or phrase that describes something in a nonliteral way. (ex: 'You are such a chicken!!' or 'He can be such a couch potato... *shakes head*')Now that we know what a trope is, let's find five of them in this paragraph, shall we?"It was a sight full of quick wonder and awe! The vast swells ofthe omnipotent sea; the surging, hollow roar they made, as theyrolled along the eight gunwales, like gigantic bowls in a boundlessbowling-green; the brief suspended agony of the boat, as it wouldtip for an instant on the knife-like edge of the sharper waves, thatalmost seemed threatening to cut it in two; the sudden profounddip into the watery glens and hollows; the keen spurrings andgoadings to gain the top of the opposite hill; the headlong, sled-like slide down its other side; -- all these, with the cries of theheadsmen and harpooneers, and the shuddering gasps of the oars-men, with the wondrous sight of the ivory Pequod bearing downupon her boats with outstretched sails, like a wild hen after herscreaming brood; -- all this was thrilling. Not the raw recruit,marching from the bosom of his wife into the fever heat of his firstbattle; not the dead man's ghost encountering the first unknownphantom in the other world; -- neither of these can feel strangerand stronger emotions than that man does, who for the first timefinds himself pulling into the charmed, churned circle of the huntedsperm whale."1. "...they rolled along the eight gunwales, like gigantic bowls in a boundless bowling-green..."Simile: rolling waves against ship vs. rolling balls on a playing field2. "...the headlong, sled-like slide down its other side..."Simile: ship's downward path after hitting a wave vs. a sled-like slide3. "...with the wondrous sight of the ivory Pequod bearing down upon her boats with outstretched sails, like a wild hen after her screaming brood..."Simile: the Pequod's sails vs. a wild hen4. "...the knife-like edge of the sharper waves, that almost seemed threatening to cut it in two;"Simile: edges of waves vs. the edge of a knife5. "...the brief suspended agony of the boat..."Personification: the boat is given the human trait of being in agony


10. In chapter 51, also called the Spirit-Spout, Fedallah, while taking his turn as the night watchman, spots a “silvery moon-lit jet” which Ahab assumes is a sign of Moby Dick. As any whaler would know, unlike fish, whales don’t have gills; instead they obtain their oxygen from air, like humans. Also, as any whaler would know, whales don’t have noses, like humans; instead they have a spout, which is used to expel the oxygen depleted air from their lungs when the whale wishes to replenish his or her supply of oxygen. This spout fills with water while the whale is submerged, so when the whale resurfaces and exhales, the air forces the water in the spout out, forming what at night, would appear to be a “silvery moon-lit jet”. Of course, one can’t necessarily reason that the jet belongs to Moby Dick, it could belong to any whale, but Ahab just isn’t a very reasonable person. Ahab and his crew desperately attempt to follow the mysterious jet, but it eludes them for the remainder of the night. In fact, night after night the crew of the Pequod spots the elusive jet, but like a ghost, it’s never seen more than once before vanishing until the next night, thusly earning the nickname “Spirit Spout”. The crew of the Pequod, realizing that the jet could be any whale, begin to realize that their captain is probably insane (what took them so long?!?!?!), and view the jet as a sign of their impending doom.

posted by NCHS AP English Language III @ 4:27 PM