Shimarah Mehrotra- extra credit
John Keats's "Ode to the Grecian Urn" relates to Light in August. Lena is, of course, on the long journey to Mississippi to find the father of her soon to be born baby. In the first stanza of the poem it asks "What mad pursuit? What struggle to escape?" of the people on the urn. Lena's journey could very easily be described as a "mad pursuit" (meaning the journey could easily be considered insane and she is very fervent about it) in order to escape Doane's Mill, where she does all of the work.
The figures on the urn are there for eternity and are immobile. Although Leana is literally moving, it seems as if she is not getting anywhere. The walk is a long and arduous one (especially since she is very pregnant), no one seems to know about Lucas Burch, and she does not really know where she is going. She does not know what awaits her when, or if, she finds Lucas.
Lena, much like the figures on the urn, is stagnant and seems to be getting nowhere.
Ode to a Grecian Urn - Emily Rew
THOU still unravish'd bride of quietness,
Thou foster-child of Silence and slow Time,
Fair youth, beneath the trees, thou canst not leave
Thy song, nor ever can those trees be bare;
Thou, silent form! dost tease us out of thought
As doth eternity: Cold Pastoral!
When old age shall this generation waste,
Thou shalt remain, in midst of other woe
All these excerpts from the poem Ode to a Gredian Urn by John Keats explain the slow and steady progress of Lena from wagon to wagon in a neverending process.In the book it explains how Lena percieves the wagons as being almost identical and anonymous at teh same time. This is because she is set toward her goal to find Lucas Burch and all the days of traveling seem to roll into one long journey. The poem explains how the people on the urn are stuck still in time and nothing can change the actions that they are in. Just as the youth beneath the trees cannot leave what they are doing so too Lena cannot end the neverending progress of the journey and the sound of the wagon wheels on the road. Faulker says alot wiht this one statement, and seems to make the present time stand still itself. Lena has to remain liek the characters on the urn in the "midst of other woe." The journey is something she cannot escape and it seems like she will never be able to escape her traveling. The urn poem also depicts a young woman traveling which can symbolize Lena. By inserting a reference to the urn in his story and by choosing the name Lena which originates form the Greek language, Faulker somewhat elevates Lena's status.
Extra Credit Mary Elaine and Libby
The first stanza of an Ode on a Grecian Urn depicts an unwedded "bride" who is in search of her groom in silence and gloom. "Thou foster-child of Silence and slow Time," this reiterates the reoccuring theme of time in the novel. The foster child can either be understood as Lena, herself, and/or the baby she carries with her. "A flowery tale more sweetly than our rhyme:" because Lena knows who she is, despite being belittled by society, her knowing herself is bittersweet and much sweeter than those rhymes made by the author or the poem. "What wild ecstasy?" this shows that she is driven to find her "husband" despite what some view her journey as ridiculous. The line, "Heard melodies are sweet, but those unheard" mimics the cries and laughter of the baby about to be brought into the world.
ODE ON A GRECIAN AND ITS RELEVANCE TO LIGHT IN AUGUST
"Ode on a Grecian" Urn by John Keats relates to the book Light In August by William Faulkner.
"THOU still unravish'd bride of quietness,
Thou foster-child of Silence and slow Time,
Sylvan historian, who canst thus express
A flowery tale more sweetly than our rhyme:
What leaf-fringed legend haunts about thy shape 5
Of deities or mortals, or of both,
In Tempe or the dales of Arcady?
What men or gods are these? What maidens loth?
What mad pursuit? What struggle to escape?
What pipes and timbrels? What wild ecstasy
"
This quote relates to the main character of this novel, Lena Grove. Lena is almost "suspended in time". She really has no apparently no real concept of the time that has passed around her. She still lives in the same circumstances with the same idea, looking for Lucas Burch, the father of her child. Even though things have changed, and he has left her, she still thinks that he wants to be there for her. Also, by calling her an "unravished bride" it is cluing us in to her naivete (sp?) that is mentioned above.
BY Lisa Elizondo
Extra Credit: Rebecca Hall
First, consider the subject matter of the poem. An urn is "mutable to subject or time" yet the events depicted on an urn are unchanging which directly applies to Lena and where she fits in in regard to the world. As the world moves around her, Lena remains unchanged and unmoved; she simply is.
The last six lines of stanza II deal with frozen time, primarily in a negative tone ("never, never canst, nor ever can, etc.). We once again may make the connection of time between Light in August and the poem.
Stanza III uses some curious imagery which the reader can't help but relate to Light in August, particularly the tree which can't shed its leaves and the lover. Just as a tree which refuses to let go of its leaves, its lifesource as well as a physical part of itself, Lena refuses to let go of her lover, her "leaves," if you will.
The poet who penned "Ode on a Greecian Urn" conjures images of an empty town, similar to the small home town of Lena, Doane's Mill.
I think the largest connection we may draw between the two pieces is that time is inmutable, unchangable. Lena is a representation of a subject unchanged by time and progress, as that of an urn.
-Rebecca Hall
http://academic.brooklyn.cuny.edu/english/melani/cs6/urn.html#analysis
ODE TO A GRECIAN URN BY CAILIN LOYD
ODE TO A GRECIAN URN HOW IT RELATES TO A LIGHT IN AUGUST
"Who are these coming to the sacrifice?
To what green altar, O mysterious priest,
Lead'st thou that heifer lowing at the skies,
And all her silken flanks with garlands drest?
What little town by river or sea-shore, 35
Or mountain-built with peaceful citadel,
Is emptied of its folk, this pious morn?
And, little town, thy streets for evermore
Will silent be; and not a soul, to tell
Why thou art desolate, can e'er return."
This passage of the poem relates to Lena in a Light in August because it talks about how there are sacrifices being made, liek so with Lena. Also, the lines say that the soul can never return to the town where it has left, where no one is "silent." Lena may never return to her town after her journey.
"When old age shall this generation waste,
Thou shalt remain, in midst of other woe
Than ours, a friend to man, to whom thou say'st,
'Beauty is truth, truth beauty,—that is all
Ye know on earth, and all ye need to know.'" 50
The last two lines relate to the truth of how life is, and there is no negativity or anger in that thought. Lena is the same way, she lives for how she feels in that moment, and none of her thoughts are angered to the father of her baby, and she is not troubled by her journey.
BY CAILIN LOYD
Hannah Robinson Kyle Smith and Tyler Smith Odes to a Grecian Urn
ODE TO A GRECIAN URN
The line that most relates to the quote on pg 7 of a Light in August is
THOU still unravish’d bride of quietness,
Thou foster-child of silence and slow time,
Sylvan historian, who canst thus express
A flowery tale more sweetly than our rhyme:
The references to spring encompass the idea of Lena bearing a child in the near future. Just as in Spring everything blossoms; Lena is blossoming with a child. Her trip however to find her lover is wearied and monotonous; while there are changes occuring in her trip they are the same changes over and over again. Every day the sun rises and sets; darkness overcomes her. The section of the poem which talks about slow time describes the feeling of Lena that time just keeps moving forever.
Hannah Robinson
Kyle Smith
Tyler Smith
"Ode on a Grecian Urn" (Chris Fitzer and Catherine Samson)
In the first chapter of Light in August, Faulkner uses a simile to describe the way Lena appears to be traveling. She is "like something moving forever and without progress across an urn" (7). She is constantly moving towards an unattainable destination. She moves without ever reaching death ("across an urn"). Her walking seems pointless for nothing is achieved in that she is continuously walking but making no progress (like walking on a treadmill). In John Keats poem "Ode on a Grecian Urn," the narrator describes the tales that decorated the facades of this Greek urn. He depicts the friezes of Greek maidens, warring gods and men, musicians playing springtime hyms, and small desolate towns on hills rising from the sea. Faulkner particularly refernced the lines "THOU still unravish'd bride of quietness, / Thou foster-child of Silence and slow Time." Lena is this bride of quietness in that she walks towards her destination to deceive others into believing she is a resident of that town and not someone running away to or from something. She is the child of slow time, making her almost forced to obey the rules of time (being her parent). She seems to be making no progress, trapped to follow the unbending rules and laws time has set forth. Furthermore the lines stating "Will silent be; and not a soul, to tell / Why thou art desolate, can e'er return." also seem to echo the same position Lena is in. She, by her own souls choice, has chosen to remain silent on the subject of her baby and its father. She is unable to speak about why she is making this journey, and why she can't seem to go back home. She is in desperate search for her baby's father, in hopes that for some reason he might be compelled to help her in this situation. Being the daughter of silence, she does not tell people where she is headed but rather appears to avoid social contact, for she knows that she, according to her soul's desire, cannot reveal her motives. Lena now makes her way, seemingly without progress due to slow time, towards her destination without even wispering "why she is desolate."
Shimarah Mehrotra- major differences between the book & movie (better late than never...?)
The major differences between Moby Dick the novel & Moby Dick the book are the differences between any book and its movie- meaning time periods are shorter in the movie than in the book & the movie cannot go into as much detail as the book due to these time constraints.
Most noticeably is the time difference when the crew searches for Pip when he falls out of the boat. In the book they seem to search much longer than in the movie.
Another difference that does not concern time is when Queequeg wants his coffin built. In the book there was not a trance- he merely laid in his hammock after he got up from out of the coffin until he did not feel it was his time to die anymore.
This is probably too late...
I realize this is ridiculously late, but i already had this written, i had just forgotten to post it, its the answer to Question #2 about the Mark of Cain/Ahab:
The mark of Cain, refers to the biblical character who ed his brother out of spite and recieved a mark from God which would make him known to all as a er, but also protected him from any retaliotory attacks. Ahab, has also recieved a mark, his leg (or lack thereof) , which was given (or should i say taken?) by Moby Dick. Of course, Ahab killed noone that we know of, so we must assume his mark has a different meaning than Cain's. One possible interpretation of Ahab's mark points toward Ahab's lack of proper leggage as a warning to others who hunt moby dick (or any other ghost of the past) that they are in danger. It might also point towards the whaling buisness as a sort of immoral buisness which massacres sentient beings in the name of monetary gain and better lighting.
-- by Mark Francis
Ahab's speech- Shimarah Mehrotra
In Ahab's speech to Starbuck, he reveals his empathetic nature and his ability to relate to Starbuck's problem of being away from his wife and family. He tells Starbuck how he wedded his wife only to sail for Cape Horn the next day and how for forty years he has led a life of solitude and peril while sailing. Ahab criticizes himself saying that he is "more a demon than a man".
Ahab's speech brings him down from his pedestal and shows that he is as miserable as the rest of the crew, yet for some reason he cannot give up on his mission to find and destroy Moby Dick.
This speech not only reveals Ahab's human side, but also reinforces his insanity and thirst for vengeance.
Light In August - Assignment 1
Read Chapter 1, pages 3-top of 9.
Read it again.
How does Faulkner take us into the mind of the character?
On page 7 How does he handle the phenomenology of time? (Don't be put off by the term "phenomenology." In this approach, one deals with the concrete, the experience as it is experienced by the person [character]. One shares the other's reality through the text.) I will give you a big hint: there is an allusion to time and an urn that comes from a specific poem, an ode.
Ahab and Pip's Relationship (Libby, Mary Elaine, and Brett)
The heirarchy of the ship is the heirarchy of life, especially of those who've made their life the Pequod. Ahab, a powerful yet insane captain, befriends Pip, a very lowely and common tambourine boy later on into the novel. At first, Ahab would never of even made contact with Pip unless Pip somehow got in his way of merely walking across the deck. Although, one characteristic begins their alikeness by how different they really are. Confusing? I'll sum it up. Just like Ahab, not only being the head of the Pequod, Pip is at the very bottom of the Pequod when talking about heirarchy. Both of their positions are known, understood, and unquestioned. Another, yet completely opposite similarity is the difference in skin color. Ahab, obviously white because he is at the top of the heirarchy (at this time) and Pip, who is obviously a black is at the bottom. I'm arguing that Ahab not only befriended Pip, but took him under his care. Ahab has realized that instead of recognizing himself at the top of the heirarchy, Moby Dick is his "god" and therefore realizes he is just like Pip. In one chapter, after being lost at sea, Pip goes "insane." He experiences somewhat of a same feeling as Ahab. Ahab began his "madness" by being at sea in the first place. Their obsessions however relevate upon each other. Ahabs obsession is Moby Dick, and now Pip's obsession is Ahab. Pip dresses like Ahab and one would think Ahab would scorn Pip for doing such, but laughs as if its comical and perhaps "precious?" Afterall "mimicking is the highest form of flattery." Another connotation is the relationship of a father and a son. Being at sea, not only drives Ahab mad by his neverending chase of Moby Dick, but also, perhaps, he misses his family back home. Pip gives Ahab a sense of comfort and a normal stabilization.
written by : Elizabeth Negron, Mary Elaine Gambill, and Brett Sandstrom
QUESTION 4 QUEEQUEGS COFFIN BY CAILIN LOYD
Discuss Queequeg's coffin: its purpose, what it becomes symbolically.
Queequeg's coffin changes in purpose more than once.
Its first purpose, and also the purpose of why it was built, is to put Queequeg's body in it when he dies, because at the time when it was built he was mentally unstable and ill. In that purpose, the coffin symbolizes .
Its second purpose is to house Queequeg's belongings when he wants to live. This symbolizes life, not , and also symbolizes Queequeg's will to live. Also, Queequeg carves the designs of his s on the coffin lid, symbolizes knowledge and life. The next purpose of the coffin is to be the Pequod's life buoy, which is a symbol of life and the will not to die. After the Pequod is destroyed, Queequeg's coffin becomes Ishmael's life boat, saving him from certain . The coffin transforms throughout the chapters from being a symbol of to a saver of life.
BY CAILIN LOYD
The Coffin- Shimarah Mehrotra
When Queequeg comes down with a common fever, he imagines the worst possible outcome- death. At the thought of this, he asks for a coffin to be made for him and "shuddered at the thought of being buried in his hammock" or tossed out to sea for sharks to devour as was the usual sea- custom. Upon Queequeg's request, the carpenter measured him for the coffin's dimensions. After it is made especially for him, it is brought to Queequeg and he lays in it while Pip sobs at the thought of Queequeg's death. Queequeg was unaffected by the displays of grief and lay quietly until he was laid back onto his hammock.
Content with the death arrangements made, Queequeg suddenly decided it was not his time to die and so he did not die at that moment. According to him, a man's life was in his own hands and it was his choice as to whether or not he would live or die.
Queequeg then spent most of his time carving pictures and recreations of the "twisted tattooing" on his body into the coffin, almost as if to make the coffin his own and, therefore in a way, himself.
After the ship had sank and Ishmael floated alone in the ocean waiting for salvation, he relied on Queequeg's coffin for support. Ironically, the thing that was intended for Queequeg's lifeless body kept Ishmael alive and saved him from the fate that Queequeg thought his fever would fulfill. Since Queequeg had made the coffin hiw own and through his own image, Queequeg saved Ishmael from his demise.
Pip and Ahab- Shimarah Mehrotra
According to the heirarchy of the characters in Moby Dick, Pip and Ahab are on complete opposite ends of the spectrum of power on the Pequod. Ahab is the powerful (yet insane) captain of the ship, while Pip is merely the black servant. They are seemingly antitheses of each other- one with all of the power and the other with absolutely none.
However, their similarities do not lay in their positions of power, but rather their "insane" natures.
In chapter 129, as Ahab walks the decks in search of Moby Dick, Pip follows Ahab and says that he will never abandon him as Starbuck once did to Pip. Pip offers himself as a compensation for Ahab's missing leg, saying "Ye have not a whole body, sir; do ye but use poor me for your one lost leg; only tread upon me, sir; I ask no more, so I remain a part of ye." With this quote it appears that Pip never wants to leave Ahab and Ahab should rely on him for the support that he had lost when he lost his leg- which literally supported him.
Ahab does not want such a devoted follower because of his "malady", which is his "most desired health".
Pip and Ahab are also similar in their monomaniacal personalities. Ahab devotes all of his time to capturing Moby Dick while Pip devotes his time to not only befriending Ahab, but becoming Ahab's support system.
Pip vs Ahab - Patrick Collins
The relationship between Pip, who is at the bottom of the social heirarchy of the Pequod, and Ahab, who is at the top, is one that seems very unlikely. It is through most of the novel until Pip is left at sea when he jumps overboard. When this happens and he is rescued Ahab realizes that Pip is mad and sees a reflection of himself in the young tambourine boy. Just looking at the two one would think that they had nothing in common, and in fact they don't besides the fact that Ahab feels a special connection due to the maddness caused by the sea to Pip. Ahab takes Pip under his care and they become inseperable, which is strange considering the heirarchy of the Pequod, but nevertheless it is how things are.
Patrick Collins
Ahab's Speech - Patrick Collins
In chapter 132 Ahab has a long soliloquoy with Starbuck in which he reminisces on many of his past experiences and the voyage he is currently on. He mentions that he has been at see for a very long period of time with little or no breaks. He goes on to mention that he realizes that he is crazy and that he is putting the ship in danger, but he goes on to say that he is not in control over his monomaniac attitude any more and that he is being driven by a supernatural force that keeps pushing him and the crew toward Moby Dick. He points out that since he is not in control there is no way to turn back and the ship is doomed (meaning of Peqoud) for whatever fate awaits. This is an important realization.
Patrick Collins
Movie vs. Book - Patrick Collins Kyle Smith Tyler Smith Kate Pennebaker
There are many differences between both the movie and the book. For on the book is much more detailed and does not worry about time, but that is a given. One major difference though that is a difference in the actual plot is the pursuit of Moby Dick. In the book it is a long and drawn out process that takes three days of planning and differently executed attacks, whereas in the movie it is all squeezed into a short amount of time. Another difference comes in the meeting of ships. In the book the Pequod encounters a number of ships throughout it's journey, but in the book the meetings aren't a presence. The instance of Pip fallling overboard is also very different between the two. In the book Pip falls overboard two times and the search for him is described as a long affair, whereas in the movie he falls only once is found quickly and is almost attacked by a shark. This is an example of added drama and suspense. Queequeg's coffin rising to the surface is also very different. In the movie is just happens to appear a foot away from Ishmael, but in the book it rises from a vortex from the sunken wreckage and Ishmael must go to it. I don't know if it is considered in the last third of the book or not but Ahab also does not speak to the whale head in the movie.
Patrick Collins, Kyle Smith, Tyler Smith, Kate Pennebaker
Coffin - Patrick Colllins
During the novel Queequeg becomes angry because he feels that there is no god on the Pequod. He stops taking orders from Ahab and drops into a period of excessive meditation. He burns his little black statue and becomes sick. He insists that a coffin is made and fitted for him because he knows he will die. Lightning then strikes and he realizes that he must continue to follow Ahab no matter how crazy he is. He then has no use for his coffin. His coffin finds a use when a crew member falls overboard and drowns due to a faulty floatation device. The crew decides to use his coffin as a replacement. At the end of the book when the Peqoud sinks (goes to hell) a vortex brings Queequegs coffin to the surface where Ishmael has survived. He floats on the device before he is ultimately rescued. The coffin sybolizes both life and death. When Queequeg is ill and sure he is going to die he builds it for the purpose of death, but when he is better he uses it to store his belongings and as a floatation device, which are both symbols of life.
Women- Patrick Collins
In both the movie and the book there are virtually no women present throughout the story line. This is partly due to the fact that the book was written in the 1800's and women did not have many rights, and were considered inferior. Melville probablly just didn't include them because they were just not involved in whaling, which was the central theme of the novel. Another reason for the omission of women could be because Melville wanted to further emphasize the importance of making a profit on the Pequod's voyage. It would be very hard for the men to concentrate on whales if there were women on board distracting them. Melville also wanted to enhance Ahab's monomaniac attitude in which he is focused on one thing (Moby Dick), and one thing only.
Patrick Collins
Hannah Robinson and Alyssa Berger - comparison between movie and book
Books made into movies are many times known to neglect important information from the book in the movie. Moby Dick falls into the majority with this catergorization. Moby Dick the book portrays many things that the books does not depict. There are four specific instances from the last third of the book that are left out in the last third of the movie. One extreme difference between the book and the movie is that Pip is only falls off board the whaling boat once. In the book Pip is jumps out of the boat once because he gets frightened when a whales back grazes the bottom of the boat; Pip, in the book, then jumps out another time after getting frightened. The search for Pip in the book is described also much longer than the time portrayed for it during the movie. Pip while at ocean also almost gets attacked by sharks and this is not mentioned in the book; this particular scene could be depicted for possible added suspense in the movie.
One other major difference between the book and the movie was the absence of Ahab's talk to the whale heads hanging on opposite sides of the boat. This scene is considered one of the more important ones within the book; and the absence of it is a major loss of content for the movie.
One last difference between the movie and the books was the loss of the bond between Fedallah and Ahab. The book really emphasizes the relationship between Fedallah and Ahab; even compares the two together as one shadow. In the book, one can tell that Fedallah and Ahab are related on a highly spirtual level, in a way a numinous level.
There were many differences between Moby Dick the book and Moby Dick the movie, however some while micrsopic changes and others were considerable absences.
Hannah Robinson
Alyssa Berger
Queecoffin! MSnider, Shundt, ATaylor
Queequeg is a type of Christ figure. His death brings Ishmael life. His coffin, that which represents him, is what carries Ishmael to safety. This is ironic because Queequeg is a pagan and is given a godly role. It is also ironic because at the beginning of the novel, Queequeg was trying to kill Ishmael, and at the end he is ultimately the one who saves him.
Michelle Snider, Seanna Hundt, Allison Taylor
Wrapping It All Up (2). . .By Rebecca Hall, Alex Wikoff and Corinne McConnell
Wrapping Up Moby Dick
2) Discuss the relationship between Pip and Ahab. Interpret, don't just summarize.
It is important to note that Pip was at the bottom of the Great Chain of Being whereas Ahab was at the top until Pip's unfortunate tumble overboard.
Henceforth, Pip is driven insane. Perhaps his brush with the numinous was simply too much for him to bear, but regardless the important thing to note is that Ahab begins to see himself reflected in the boy.
"And who art thou, boy? I see not my reflection in the vacant pupils of thy eyes. Oh God! that man should be a thing for immortal souls to sieve through!" (Pg. 489)
This is similar to when Ahab awakes from nightmares earlier in the book.
In Pip Ahab sees himself which is quite frightening. Pip is insane due to his brush with the numinous and perhaps Ahab is that way due to the injury inflicted by Moby Dick (the numinous).
We must not assume that Ahab cares about Pip as a person, indeed, Ahab's sudden embrace of Pip is merely because of his recognition of his own reflection in the boy reinforcing the common theme of Ahab's self-gratification as well as his madness. Pip, being Ahab, is suddenly at the top of the Great Chain of Being, even sleeping by Ahab's side.
-Brought to you by Rebecca Hall, Alex Wikoff, and Corinne McConnell
This website is amazing:
http://everything2.com/index.pl?node=Moby%20Dick
Wrapping It All Up. . .By Rebecca Hall, Alex Wikoff and Corinne McConnell
Wrapping Up Moby Dick
1) Research the ships we encounter that have biblical names.
In the Bible, Rachel was barren until after much intense prayer she was granted sons by God. She ultimately (and tragically) died in childbirth.
In Moby Dick, we ironically encounter a ship called none other than Rachel whose captain begs Ahab to help it find its "lost son."
Recall that in the Great Chain of Being, we labeled Ahab as the "God"- the highest power of the ship. One can't help but speculate that author perhaps included this segment in the book to highlight the differences between the two "Gods" we primarily deal with in the book (excluding the pagan god of Queequeg).
We of course have the Christian God of Starbuck, a kind family-oriented man who believes in a day's work for a day's pay. The Christian God is a compassionate God whom we juxtaposition to "God" Ahab. By denying the ship Rachel, who is in a sense "praying" for a son, his help, the illumination of Ahab's true motives is finally complete and we are assured that Ahab is not chasing a nessecary evil but a wild whim in which he employs the help of the entire ship.
Jeroboam is another ship we encounter whose inclinations should be fairly obvious following a little research on who Jeroboam himself was.
The Biblical Jeroboam "suffers because of obstinacy and his failure to heed the warnings of a prophet." Similarly, the ship Jeroboam suffers because of his failure to heed the warnings of the prophet Gabriel, as crazed as he may be. Gabriel warns Ahab not to chase the white whale, and later Ahab suffers for his failure to heed this warning.
-Brought to you by Rebecca Hall, Alex Wikoff and Corinne McConnell
Ahab's Speech by Bobby Katoli
This is an important part of the novel. Ahab begins to come to senses about this madness he has been living in. He begins by telling Starbuck how he has whaled and traveled the seas for more than forty years. He tells about his wife which he described her as being a widow because he is never home. He goes on to talk about his kids about how they have no father. Ahab says he can see his wife and kids in Starbuck's eyes. Starbuck responds by saying that he sees his wife and kids not Ahab's. Starbuck then tries to persuade Ahab to return home to family. Then, Ahab says he has lost his mind. He feels powerless to control his thoughts as if an outside force has been manipulating him. The speech made by Ahab shows his real emotional side. Throughout the novel so far, we had read about Ahab as being delirious and caught up in Moby Dick. Ahab's speech shows the human side of him.
Pip and Ahab (Dani Lewis, Catherine Samson, Chris Fitzer, and Jessica Huff)
Ahab and Pip begin to deepen their relationship toward the end of the novel. Before, Pip had a non-existent relationship with Ahab; however, this changed after Pip jumped overboard, tramautizing him and making him mad like Ahab. Earlier in the novel, Ahab and Pip seemed to have nothing in common because their differences were so apparent. The reader notices that Pip is young and a tambourine boy, while Ahab is older and the captain of the Pequod. Their positions put Pip and Ahab on two opposites ends of the heirarchy of the Pequod. Ahab is at the top of this chain, while Pip is at the very bottom of the chain. Pip goes mad after he jumps into the water. Ahab is already mad because he also has had a bad experience with water (getting attacked by Moby Dick). This gives them a similar experience and can help them relate to each other. Additionally, Pip goes into Ahab's cabin and begins to wear Ahab's clothes and legs. Oddly enough, Ahab does not get upset by this, rather Ahab and Pip begin to develop a relationship. Also, Ahab misses his family at home, and begins to act as a father figure to Pip. Ahab missing his family is another explanation for the deepening of his relationship with Pip.
-Dani Lewis, Catherine Samson, Chris Fitzer, and Jessica Huff
Final questions 1-5 - Nathan Sheptock and Mark Francis
1. Find the meanings of names of the various ships mentioned in the novel.
Pequod- A misspelling of the original name, Pequot, a tribe of Native Americans who lived in and around what is today Mystic, Connecticut. Their fort in that area was attacked and destroyed by a Puritan led by Major John Mason in 1637. This could elude to the eventual destruction of the Peqoud by mob Dick.
Albatross- This name is most commonly meant as one type of large, usually snow-white in color seabird named so , but it can mean in a metaphorical sense some type of wearisome burden, or encumbrance as alluded to in Samuel Taylor Coleridge's poem The Rime of the Ancient Mariner, in which a man who, while on a sailing voyage shoots an albatross, a good omen, is forced to wear the bird around his neck as a guard against bad fortune.
Jeroboam- This was the name of the first king of the Northern Kingdom of Israel after its split with the Southern Kingdom of Judah. During his reign, he erected two large golden calfs at both ends of his kingdom as symbols of God and instucted all of his people to come to worship at these symbols rather than in the city of Jerusalem and has since been known by many as the king who "made Israel to sin." Once during his worship at one of the shrines he erected, is it said that a prophet came with a message from God against him and, after he attempted to have him arrested, his hand began to become withered, and was only healed after he begged for God's forgiveness.
Samuel Enderby- The primary founder of the whaling and sefaring firm called Samuel Enderby and Sons in the late 1700s, which was still present and operational during the time setting of Moby Dick. It can also refer to the prophet Samuel mentioned in the Book of Samuel in the Bible. In biblical text, he was the last Hebrew judge and one of the first prophets to preach in the land of Israel. He is also noted for his selection and anointing of Israel's first two kings, Saul and David.
Rachel- She is, in biblical text, the second and favorite wife of Jacob who eventually bore him two sons, and died while birthing the second child. The book of Genesis tells that in order to marry her, Jacob agreed with her mother Laban to work 7 years for them, but after completion of these 7 years, Laban tricked him into unkowingly marrying her sister, Leah, instead. Despite this, it says that he agreed to work yet another 7 years in order to marry her. In some Jewish texts, it is also noted that after pleading with God to forgive His people, he agreed and promised to her that He would eventually lead the Jews out of exile back to the promised land.
2. Explain the relationship between Ahab and Pip.
The most notable similarity between Ahab and Pip (after being left overboard) is their obvoius state of mind- madness in the most basic sense, a near total disattachment from the present reality of the voyage and events to come. But their connection, in many aspects, extends much deeper than this most evident mental correspondence. For one, both Ahab and Pip are in fact the two great extremes of the Great Chain of Being, with Ahab at the top, as the highest being, as God, and Pip at the top, as the lowest being. In a sense it can be interpreted that because of their their obvious connection, in contrast with their even greater disparities, they as a pair complete each other, they each fill the sense of "whole" each of the other is apparently asent of. This in turn takes us back to the Great Chain, which has now instead become a ring, with each end inherently connected to each other begining, reafirming the great struggle present within the book as, in the end, returning to the earth from whence it came. In another aspect, Ahab and Pip have without a doubt both had an encounter with the numinous, in a sense, Ahab's being his first struggle with Moby Dick, and Pip's being his short period alone at sea, from which they both have seemed to go mad. But could this be viewed as simply madness, a physical illness of the brain? Ahab seems to see in Pip more than just a distorted mental state, he seems to know that Pip has had an encounter with God Himself, a profoundly holy experince (which he refers to Pip as-holy-when he talks with him on the deck) which his feeble mind simply could not comprehend on a full scale. This leads to Ahab's next view of Pip, now as more than just a simple cabin boy, now as "touching his center," a reflection of himself in a sense. This in turn leads to Ahab's irreational view of himself as "holy," perhaps from his own experince with the numinous (Moby Dick), or perhaps more likely from what he interpreted as purpose for the encounter: God Himself came to him many years ago with the holy mission, which He conveyed to him through the encounter, to seek vengence on and destroy all that is evil in the world (Moby Dick) so that he may bring peace and balance to the universe.
3. What is the purpose of Ahab's long speech to Starbuck(he talks about his past)?
As discussed in class, Mellville intentionaly wrote Moby Dick as a book that could be anaylzed and interpreted many different ways. Ahab's soliloquy is no exception. When the reader reaches Ahab's soliliquy, he has endured a painful 132 pages of Ahab as a heartless lunatic who has long since abandoned any sort of human traits in favor of seeking revenge on, of all things, a whale. The reader is farely secure in the notion that Ahab is a flat character, and probably has even guessed that Ahab's demise will correlate in some way, with his strange obsession. Alas, Mellville, being the ever-savvy author that he is, decides to throw in a twist. He makes Ahab, for the first (not technicaly the 1st, but certainly the most memeorable) time, seem like a human-being. He does this of course with the mention of his wife and family and other personal information. So, from an author's standpoint, its clear that Ahab's speech gives Ahab more depth, makes him more interesting, but wait, it wouldnt be Mellville if there wernt other ways to interpret this. Ahab also has a good reason for making this speech, just as reader has read 132 chapters and wants something interesting, the sailors have sailed a really long ways, and are beginning to have serious doubts about whether or not to just kill Ahab and go home, after all, hes just a heartless soulless shadow controlled by a vicious hatred for some white whale, right? WRONG! Ahab buys himself some extra time (and he knows it) by making the speech, heartfelt or contrived he knows he was able to touch his sailors heartsjust enough to keep looking for Moby Dick just a little bit longer. Finally, it forces the reader to view things, or at least compells the reader towards seeing things in shades of gray, rather than black and white. As discussed in class, it has many similarities to Star Wars, when Vader removes his wicked-cool bad guy helmet to reveal a human face. As Mr. Oliver said, it is this moment that the viewer realizes that the forces which drive Luke and Vader, are the same, which forces the reader to consider that niether Luke nor Vader is bad or good, just the same guys in different circumstances. Ahab's speech, while certainly not revealing that he is similar to Ishmael, or any other sailor, gives both sailers and the readers alike, a refreshing and thought provoking new way to view Ahab.
4. Discuss Queequeg's coffin: its purpose, what it becomes symbolically.
Near the end of the novel, Queequeg contracts what appears to be a lethal ailment, or decides he's suicidal (depends on movie or book), and, in view of whichever situation you choose to like better, the crew decides to make a coffin for him. Of course, as the story goes, Queequeg recovers from either his suicidal thoughts or violent sickness and doesnt need the coffin, and in the end, the coffin saves Ishmael's life. However, it is clear that in fact, Queequeg DOES NOT recover from whatever ailed him. Quequeg actually died, and his spirit transfers from his body, which is never the same even after he seems to have recovered, to the casket. After Quequeg's recovery, he seems seems much more mellowed and complacent in respect to Ahab and even stops worshiping his pagan idol. Queequeg in fact died, he was unable to bear Ahab's insanity, and simply decides to "die" rather than endure Ahab. When Ishmael is saved by Queequeg's coffin, he is ultimately saved by Queequeg, if Queequeg hadnt have become ill, Ishmael would surely have drowned. It is in fact possible that Queequeg was aware of this, and it may have contributed to why he decided to "die" and have his casket made, before he phsycally died.
5. Discuss the difference between 4 major points in the novel and the film.
In almost all translations, be them language to language or text to film, some deatails are lost or minimialized or over-emphasized in order to benifit the final translation, often at the loss of the original integrity. Moby Dick has its fair share of discrepencies btw. the movie and book, but there are four, which are most significant. The such incident which comes to memory regards Pip falling (or jumping) into the ocean. The movie shows Pip being knocked into the ocean, while the book emphasizes that Pip intentionally jumps into the ocean out of fear. This happens twice in the book, only once in the movie. This is most likely to due the director cutting down the movie to fit time constraints. As discussed in class, Moby Dick has so many messages which can be read from it, probably not even Mellville himself could manage to make a intersting movie which reatained all these elements. The second major difference (as mentioned in the above paragraph) is the reason which compelled the crew of the Peqoud to construct a cofin for Queequeg. The movie shows Queequeg as being apathetic to the point of wanting to die, while the book explains that Queequeg becomes ly ill and requests a coffin. This difference in the movie was probably allowed because the director found it necessary to emphasize Queequeg's extent of belief in magic and omens. The third difference is unlike the previous two specific instances, rather, the movie leaves out a vast majority of the descritpions of the sights and sounds which are talked about often in the book, for instance, chapter 111, The Pacific, almost exclusively about the scenerey of the voyage, is completely left out of the movie. This is probably because the directors found it better to show the scenery rather than have Ishmael tell us about it. The final difference is how many encounters with other ships, like the Samuel Endenbury, are missing from the movie, this most most likely deemed unimportant to the overall plot by the directer and probably was left out for this reason.
The Coffin, an obvious symbol of Queequeg (C Fitzer, D Lewis, C Samson, and J Huff)
Ishmael was trapped at sea, the lone survivor of the Peqoud's destruction. The sinking of this ship after Moby Dick's attack caused a large vortex in the middle of the sea. Ishmael who was thrown from the boat early on in the battle started to be pulled toward the center of this whirlpool. Like Ixion, who was imprisoned by being chained to a place to fly aroung in circles for eternity, Ishmael began to swirl around the vertex of the vortex. Symbolically, the whirlpool is the karmic punishment for the sailors aboard. Like Ixion being punished for being the first human to murder a divine, Ahad and the whalers are persecuted for their attempt to kill Moby Dick. Ishmael's only crime is that of accompaniment and for that reason he is able to survive the Peqoud's destruction and resulting whirlpool. The vortex, a symbol of danger, is also depicted in another epic, the Odyssey. Oysseus on his voyage home to Ithica, he must avoid the whirlpool Charybdis. Fortunately the whirlpool stopped spinning when Ishmael was near eminent doom, and from the center of the now ended vortex arose the Peqoud's life buoy, formerly Queequeg's coffin. This obvious is a shining refernce to the protective nature of Queequeg shown throughout the book. In laymen's terms, Queequeg even in death is a guardian to Ishmael which he vowed to be when they became acquainted. Queequeg is a numinous for Ishmael, in that through divine intervention Queequeg becomes Ishmael's personal protector. In other instances in the book, Queequeg personally and physically saves Ishmael, but in the epilogue the absense of Queequeg requires for some symbol or icon of Queequeg to save Ishmael from possibly death. That icon is his coffin which saves Ishmael from drowning and allows him to float along until some one is able to find him stranded at sea. This coffin not only provides a safe floatation device, but through its symolism of Queequeg, it also protects him from harm. The normally agressive sharks appear to be passively ignoring Ishmael, because he is guarded by the numinous of Queequeg.
Ahab's Speech Kyle Smith Kate Pennebaker Tyler Smith
Melville has his protagonist of the novel (Ahab) give a speech to Starbuck about his life and adventures at sea. Ahab's speech emphasizes his desire to capture and kill Moby Dick. But also he explains how his life has been wasted as a metaphor of his age and past experiences. The reader can tell that this speech was inevitable due to the debate on the Pequod about turning back around. This speech can be seen a turning point in the novel; Ahab displays how long he has wanted to capture the white monster of the sea.
Kyle. Tyler, Kate
Hannah Robinson and Alyssa Berger - Ahab's speech to Starbuck
Througout Chapter 132 Ahab reminisices on his life and the choices he has made in the past. Ahab talks to Starbuck of memories of the past years of his life and how more than forty of them Ahab has spent away from his home; wife and child. Ahab thinks back and wishes that he would have made better choices and that he would have spent more time at home with his family. His wife really is a "widow" because Ahab is never home. Starbuck after hearing Ahab's confession about the thoughts of the past trys to persuade Ahab to turn the boat around and head back to Nantucket; there they could spend the rest of their lives with their wives and children. Starbuck talks of how he wants to be able to see his wife again and plans on returning back alive and all in one piece. Ahab responds by saying that he has lost control of his mind. Ahab breathes, eats, sleeps revenge of Moby Dick. Ahab thinks he has no control over his choices he will always attempt to capture and kill Moby Dick, even if it means death for Ahab. I believe that Melville decides to reveal this incite into his character to show that Ahab has been overcome by the want of revenge on Moby Dick and nothing, not even the thought of never seeing his family again, can take away the want of revenge.
Hannah Robinson
Alyssa Berger
QUESTION 3 BY CAILIN LOYD
What is the purpose behind Ahab's long speech to Starbuck, when he talks about his past? CH132
Ahab knows that there is something not right about him or his obsession with Moby Dick, and he attempts to convey that message to Starbuck. He tells Starbuck,
"What is it, what nameless, inscrutable, unearthly thing is it; what cozening, hidden lord and master, and cruel, remorseless emperor commands me; that against all natural lovings and longings, I so keep pushing, and crowding, and jamming myself on all the time; recklessly making me ready to do what in my own proper, natural heart, I durst not so much as dare?"
This statement makes it clear that Ahab knows what he is doing, he just is so obsessed that he can do nothing to stop it, and he knows the perils he is putting his crew in by continuing to search for Moby Dick. However, even with the dangers, Ahab can not bring himself to turn the Pequod around due to the presence in his mind which drives him. Ahab also talks about his wife and son back in Nantucket to Starbuck, who uses this to try to change Ahab's mind about searching for Moby Dick. Ahab's purpose in telling Starbuck what's on his mind is his attempt to connect with his humanity; he knows he is going crazy and dragging his crew to his doom with him, but he wants to try to explain to Starbuck that if he could have it another way he would. This does not excuse his madness, it only helps him appear more human than in the rest of the book.
BY CAILIN LOYD
Novel/Movie-Alissa Davis
Discuss the difference between 4 major points in the novel and the film.
The first reference to the numinous is left out of the movie. Even though it is a flashback that Ishmael endures after finding Queequeg's arm around him at night, the movie fails to mention this reference to the numinous as having any connection to past events. Ishmael has been touched by the numinous once before, when he was a child, and he feels this same sensation again.
One chapter that is different between the book and the movie is the chapter when Pip jumps out of the boat and is lost at sea. In the book, Pip becomes frightened and jumps out of the boat, and he is immediately rescued by the crew and is warned not to jump again or they would leave him out at sea. However, Pip does jump out of the boat again and is left behind while they chase the whale. The book does not describe Pip's rescue, but rather says that the ship itself rescued him. In the movie, Pip is left behind the second time for them to chase a whale, but Pip is left out at sea for what seems a much longer span of time. When the crew returns to the ship, a search party with boats is organized to go find Pip. But while in the book, the source of Pip's insanity is the vast expanse and loneliness of the sea where he seems to be touched by the numinous, in the movie, Pip is driven insane by the sight of the blood and guts of the whale on deck.
One of the important chapters in the book is the chapter where Stubb and Flask kill the right whale and its head is sitting on the deck. As they are talking over it, Fedallah was comparing the wrinkles on his hand to the wrinkles on the whale, forshadowing Fedallah's fate. Fedallah also seemed to occupy Ahab's shadow and lengthen it, symbolizing how their personalities are dissimilar and Fedallah could be Ahab's dark side(his shadow). This is yet another reference to the numinous that is left out of the movie that holds great importance in the novel.
In the book, there was a great emphasis on the fact that Ahab was comparing the whale to the sphinx. Although Ahab's obsession with the whale is apparent in the movie, the novel shows his soliloquy when he is talking to the whale on the deck of the ship. He sees the whale as an obstacle that must be outsmarted in order to be defeated. Ahab risks everything to defeat Moby Dick, and even though his motives are obviously shady in the book, the movie fails to address Ahab's actual feelings of the whale as a malevolent creature.
Differences - L. Mill and E. Rew
5) Discuss the difference between 4 major points in the novel and the film.
The novel, MOBY DICK, differs greatly from the film, MOBY DICK. One such difference between the novel and the film is the origin of Pip's madness. In the novel, Pip goes mad after being left for in the ocean and seeing the numinous. However, in the movie, Pip goes insane when he views the slaughtering and butchering of a whale on deck. All the and guts gets to him and causes him to go insane. Furthermore, another major difference between the novel and the film is Ishmael's outer character. In the novel, Ishmael is an old sailor, an outsider because he is simply set apart from the rest of mankind. Yet, in the film, he is a newbie sailor, set apart from the rest of the crew because he is new and does not know what he is doing.
Yet another difference is the fact that Fedallah and Ahab's bond is not emphasized at all in the movie. In the novel, however, great importance is given to the fact that Fedallah and Ahab are bonded on a more spiritual level. Chaspter 73 references that Fedallah is Ahab's Shadow in the Jungian theory of the mind. One reads of the Persian being in Ahab's elongated shadow, and they are merged together in one being. Also, the crew can clearly tell in the novel that Fedallah possesses an evil, aura about him. This relates to Ahab because he himself states he believes he is the epitome of madness.
Lastly, Ishmael does not really relate to his numinous experience in th movie like he does in the novel; therefore, the reader cannot correlate Ishmael and Pip's similar experiences. The prescence of the numinous in the novel helps stress the theme of insanity versus reality and Moby Dick's ethereal nature.
One further point is that Ahab's obsessive character is more emphasized in the novel than in the movie. This is because the novel can have more detailed information [as that would make for a boring movie], but the movie did not stress as much as it could have how obsessed Ahab was. An example is, in the chapter, The Sphinx, Ahab talks to a whale head, blaming and accusing Moby Dick, but also divinizing him. This clearly shows Ahab's madness and obsession in the pursuit of Moby Dick, which should have been used in the movie to stress Ahab's character even more so. It also shows how he relates to the numinous, which is completely omitted from the movie, and it may remove some of the spiritual depth that the novel possesses.
I'm thinking of a number between 1 and 5...ITS ALL OF THEM!!!
Wrapping Up Moby Dick
5 Problems to Solve
1) Research the ships we encounter that have biblical names. (You could find a great quotation in the Bible regarding Rachel.)
Laban, Jacob's uncle, had two daughters, Leah and Rachel, who was the younger daughter. Jacob wanted to marry Rachel and Laban promised her hand if Jacob would work for him for seven years. After seven years, Laban slipped Rachel's sister Leah into Jacob's tent in place of Rachel. When Jacob awoke and found himself married to Leah instead of Rachel, he had to work another seven years for Rachel, who ended up being Jacob's favorite wife. At first, she had trouble bearing children, so she gave her handmaiden, Bilhah, to Jacob for a concubine. But, she finally bore him two children, Joseph and Benjamin, who became Jacob's favorite sons. Also, she is one of the four Jewish matriarchs. Rachel from the bible died giving birth to Benjamin, but in Moby Dick, the ship, Rachel, ‘adopts’ Ishmael because they had lost the captain’s son.
Jeroboam I was the first king of the northern kingdom of Israel. He was an Ephraimite and he led a revolt against Solomon, inspired probably by the restlessness of northern Palestine under southern rule. Jeroboam fled to Egypt when the plot failed, but returned on the accession of Solomon's son, Rehoboam. When the new king would not satisfy the northerners, Jeroboam led a secession, leaving the house of David, only Judah and some of the areas of Benjamin. Jeroboam is notorious for fostering idolatry in his kingdom of Israel. His capital was first in Shechem and later at Tirzah. When Jeroboam died, he was succeeded by his son, Nadab.
2) Discuss the relationship between Pip and Ahab. Interpret, don't just summarize.
Ahab is at the top of the chain of being and he is the captain of the ship. Pip is at the bottom because he is a black boy who cannot serve the ship as the other men. In both the novel and the movie, Ahab says that Pip is him. This is ironic seeing that Ahab is white and Pip is black, showing that what Ahab says is not meant to be taken literally. For the king to recognize the servant as himself is something that rarely ever happens and it happens in the case of Ahab and Pip. Ahab is seen as the king of the ship and that everyone is to obey him because he is the captain. When Ahab recognizes Pip as his equal, or rather, as a mirror of himself, the chain of being becomes disorganized as the lowest person, the little black boy, goes up to the top with the king. At this period in time, Blacks are still regarded as slaves, therefore this is something as to which is almost impossible to happen. The Great Chain of Being, in which we have defined in Moby Dick earlier this quarter, has been flipped upside down as the lowest person has become equal to the king, by the king himself nonetheless. Ahab has gone and recognized what he sees in Pip and therefore proclaims him as equal to the status of the king. When Ahab brings Pip to his status, the lowest part of the chain of being has disappeared and interrupts the balance, foreshadowing the in which the Pequod was to experience very soon.
3) What is the purpose of Ahab's long speech to Starbuck (he talks about his past)?
Right before the chase of Moby Dick, both Ahab and Starbuck were on deck with each other. At this time, Ahab confesses to Starbuck about his past and how long he has been whaling. He talks about the forty years of which he has been out at sea and only went on land for a short while, during which time he wed and widowed a poor . For forty years he has been out at sea and he has confessed that he has been an old fool as to spend so much time away and what he has left behind since then. The leg that he has lost to Moby Dick is what he considers as a punishment to how Ahab has been out at sea more than he has been on land, which is where humans belong. He called himself an old fool and that he’s been chasing Moby Dick furiously and blindly as a more than that of a man. The purpose of why he confesses this to Starbuck is to show that Ahab is actually human, unlike what Starbuck thinks. At this time, Starbuck wants to kill Ahab because Ahab has become a senile maniac that has taken control of the whole crew and needs to be taken care of. By saying this speech to Starbuck, Ahab shows Starbuck that he is actually human that has been whaling for too long to the point in which it becomes his life. He basically says that whaling has become too embedded into him that he cannot change that until he captures Moby Dick. Ahab’s speech provides a window to both the readers and Starbuck that shows that Ahab is human and his full, yet crazy, reasoning as to why he chases after Moby Dick for so long and what he has sacrificed because he has been chasing Moby Dick.
4) Discuss Queequeg's coffin: its purpose, what it becomes symbolically.
Coffins are generally associated with . When people see coffins their mind naturally thinks of and dying. Because of this, it is doubly ironic that it is a coffin that saves Ishmael’s life. Though the coffin now symbolizes life, however, this may not be the case to Ishmael. No matter what purpose it is serving now, the coffin is an uncanny reminder of the crew that has just been killed and most of all, its former owner Queequeg. The coffin, though it keeps him safe from the sharks and birds, is still thought of as a "dirge-like main" (*). So even though the coffin is saving Ishmael’s life, it still keeps its sinister nature. The function of a coffin, its very reason for existing, is to help keep the body from the elements, and help it to not decay. The Ancient Egyptians used to embalm their , for this purpose, to keep them as immortal as possible. They would also build giant tombs to be a reminder of the deceased. A coffin, if used for its original purpose, can help a person 'become immortal', even if its only in the minds of those who see it. This coffin, however, is distorting its original purpose, which was for Queequeg. When Queequeg goes into his trance-like state, he asks for a coffin to be made of him. This is one of the only times when Queequeg is not there for Ishmael. It is ironic that during this time, the coffin is made, and that saves Ishmael’s life. It is also ironic that the other time when Queequeg is not there for Ishmael, is when Yojo tells Queequeg that Ishmael should pick the ship. Ishmael picks the Pequod which eventually leads to Queequeg’s . When the coffin is made for Queequeg, he even lays in it, which foreshadows his own . Soon after, however, he comes out of his stupor, and no longer needs the coffin. The next we hear of the coffin, the disgruntled carpenter has been ordered to make it into a life buoy. He complains about the wrongness this task, and when Ahab comes out on deck, he agrees, “Here now's the very dreaded symbol of grim , by a mere hap, made the expressive sign of the help and hope of most endangered life. A life-buoy of a coffin! Does it go further? Can it be that in some spiritual sense the coffin is, after all, but an immortality-preserver” (520). After berating the carpenter, he tells him to never let him see the coffin again. The coffin later makes its final appearance at the very end of the book, when, after Moby Dick’s attack, the Pequod sinks. Ishmael is left alive, and is able to float on Queequeg’s coffin, until he is picked up by the Rachel. Queequeg is able to take care of Ishmael and keep him alive, even in . It is very ironic that this should be how Ishmael ends his relationship with Queequeg when it started off with being introduced by Peter Coffin. In the end, this coffin, which started out as a symbol of , becomes an 'immortality preserver'.
5) Discuss the difference between 4 major points in the novel and the film.
One of the major differences between the book and the film is the whole situation of Queequeg and his coffin. In the book, Queequeg becomes sick with a fever and thinks he is going to die, so he asks the carpenter to make him a coffin. In the movie, he gets mad at Ahab for not helping the Rachel and goes into a trancelike state and refuses to come out of it; he asks Ishmael to ask the carpenter to make a coffin that floats because that’s how warriors were buried in his homeland. In the book, Queequeg lines the coffin with his harpoon and his idol; in the movie, however, Ishmael burns his idle and stabs his harpoon in the ground ands says “I will not harpoon again.” After he gets better, he gets out of the coffin and uses it as a chest for his belongings and draws the s on the lid of the coffin. In the movie, the coffin is never mentioned again after Queequeg comes out of his trance until the very end when Ishmael uses it as a float.
Another difference between the movie and book is the whole Pip going mad bit. In the movie, Pip stows away in the boat, and then gets knocked out of the boat. Ishmael throws him a floatation thing, and then freaks out about how they are leaving him. The rest of the people in the boat, save Queequeg, don't listen, and say the other two boats will get him. Needless to say, they don't and poor Pip is left floating at sea. After the chase is done, Ishmael freaks out again that Pip is left in the sea, and so his boat group goes out and looks for him, and eventually finds him, but not before an exciting, and completely fabricated, scene where Pip almost gets eaten by a shark. In the book, Pip replaces an oarsman, rather than stowing away. This being his first time out at sea, he is naturally a little jumpy, literally. When the whale bumps the bottom of the boat, Pip jumps out. Stubb fishes him out and tells him that he will leave him out there if he jumps again. True to his word, when Pip jumps out again, Stubb does nothing to save him, and says the two boats behind him will pick him up. They don't. Pip gets stranded out there at sea, and is finally picked up by the main ship.
The third major difference is the lack of Ishmael’s contemplating in the film. The book, being told from Ishmael's point of view, would naturally contain some of his thoughts on what is going on at the time. Ishmael, however, feels obligated to spend most of the book telling us, the readers, what he thinks about everything. Naturally, the movie can't convey everything that Ishmael thinks, so it settles for just showing some of the events that happen.
The last major difference is that of the ships in which the Pequod encounters. While in the film, they encounter only two, one being the Rachel and the other the name is unknown, the novel goes into more detail as the Pequod encounters eight ships.
Ellen (and) Wagner, Kelly (the) Snyder, Anh (or) Nguyen, Melissa (but) Hamptoon - B Period
Pip n' Ahab and ship names (MSnider, Shundt, ATaylor)
After Pip returns from being lost at sea, the crew believes that the young boy has gone mad. Ahab, after a similar experience, was also driven mad. Some day after the incident, Pip comes up to Ahab wearing his clothes and leg. Suddenly Ahab sees something in this boy and calls him his "reflection" suggesting that they are equal, even though in reality Ahab is at the top of the chain and Pip is at the bottom. This can be compared to a relationship between a king and his jester. The king is amused by the lowly jester but one day finds out that they are not so dissimilar. It could just be the king’s insanity, but it can also mean his enlightenment. Pip makes Ahab feel as though he is not so alone in the world. He thinks, "Here is this boy who is just like me. I will take him in and care for him! He shall be my new pet!" People tend to like for their pets to be similar to them, or else they will not get along. Just as a king and his jester. The jester must have the same taste as the king, or the jester will soon be without a job.
Pequod- The Pequod was named after the once powerful Pequot Indians. The name of the tribe meant “destroyer”. A war with colonists caused the Pequot’s strength and population to diminish. This can relate to Ahab thinking of himself so highly but after a “war” with Moby Dick, his sanity begins to atrophy. The destruction of the Pequod also symbolizes the death of Indian culture.
Jeroboam- Jeroboam from the bible was a king who worshipped false gods. The crew of the Jeroboam can be related to this because while they were supposed to be following their true captain, they instead followed another man who usurped his power.
Virgin- The Virgin’s captain is unexperienced and quite without oil. The captain cares about the needs of the ship but is inept and is trying to learn as he goes. This leads them to much suffering and loss. The Virgin in biblical terms could refer to Mary and the needs of her and her family, and in the same way she ends up suffering because of the loss of her son.
Rose-bud- The Bouton de Rose’s captain is on this voyage for fun. He is also inexperienced and used to be in the cologne business. The crew actually knows what they are doing though, which causes them to disrespect their captain. This glorifies the working class and shows the stupidity of the upper class.
Delight- This is rather ironic. The ship is named “delight” when actually the captain is quite sad. He has lost his men and he honors and appreciates them. This ship symbolizes a democratic leader who actually cares about his crew.
Samuel Enderby- This captain is much like Ahab, he is respected by his crew and lost an arm to Moby Dick, though he is not crazy. He has led his crew to success dealing with loss but still being a good leader. The name “Samuel Enderby” comes from a great whaling family.
Bachelor- This captain is experienced and has already led his crew to success and distributed the wealth. Now the ship is just one big party that Ahab is offered to join, but he declines the offer.
Rachel- The Rachel from the bible was married to Jacob (after 7 years of work) but she was barren. She longed for a child just as the captain of the Rachel longed to find his lost son. Later, God blesses Rachel allowing her to give birth to Joseph and Benjamin. This can be compared to the Rachel’s finding of Ishmael.
Michelle Snider, Seanna Hundt, and Allison Taylor
Queequeg's coffin by Bobby Katoli
When Queequeg and Ishmael first meet they had to share a room together in Peter Coffin's Inn. When Ishmael wakes up the next morning he felt Queequeg's arm around him and remebered the numinous experience he had with the phantom when he was a child. He felt a sense of security with the phantom that night and with Queequeg the morning at the Spouter Inn. Later during the voyage, Queequeg decides that Ahab is delirious and he should not take his orders anymore, he goes into a spiritual trance were he constantly prays. He then has a coffin made for him because he feels they are all going to die. He comes around from his trance when during a storm Ahab has on his harpoon what seems like lightning. After this experience he seems to no longer need a use for a coffin. After the encounter with Moby Dick the Pequod sinks and everybody dies except for Ishmael. While Ishmael was floating around the vast Atlantic Queequeg's coffin comes up from no where and helps Ishamel to stay on top of the water to be rescued. Symbolically the coffin means that even in death Queequeg still took care of Ishamel and saved him from drowning.
Pip and Ahab by Bobby Katoli
Pip and Ahab become very close with each other. This is quite ironic because Pip is at the bottom of the ship's hierarchy and Ahab is at the top. When Pip rescued after he was tossed into the ocean, he seemed to go mad. Mysteriously, Pip somehow knows now why Ahab has gone mad so he tries to dress and act like him. Ahab takes notice of his sudden change in behavior. Pip becomes delirious after his experience at sea, so Ahab can relate to his madness because Ahab fell into madness after he was 'dismembered' by Moby Dick. After the experience Pip went through he becomes isolated from the crew just like Ahab. These similarites are why Ahab befriends Pip. Now Pip is at the top of the ship's hierarchy with Ahab.
Meeting the ships:
During the course of the novel, the Pequod encounters many different vessels which represent different stories, or rather the progression of Captain Ahab. The film only has the Pequod interact with the Samuel Enderby and the Rachel. Even though the other ships serve necessary purposes in the book, they do not necessarily have to take up valuable film time for the already lengthy movie.
actual chase of Moby Dick:
In the book, the final pursuit of Moby Dick is a long-awaited three day affair. For timing purposes, the film makes these three days into about 5 minutes. Numerous boats go out from the Pequod, and basically Fedallah dies first from drowning, which happens in the book, then Ahab jumps outs and dies, while Moby Dick attacks the little boats and smashes them all. Somehow, Ismael manages to stay alive, keeping afloat with the coffin Queequeg doesn't have to use anymore, which leads into the next difference.
Queequeg's coffin as a floatation device:
In the book, the coffin made for Queequeg magically pops up from the "vortex" created by the sinking of the Pequod. Ishmael must have a floatation device, and in both the novel and the movie the coffin serves this purpose. However, in the film the coffin miraculously surfaces from the water literally a foot away from Ishmael in the middle of the ocean, pretty far away from the the Pequod.
Nailing the flag:
Ahab tells Tashtego to nail a red flag to the top of a mast so that other ships can recognize the pieces of the boat when it sinks. Tashtego grabs a fiesty bird that is mocking him while the ship is sinking, (623-624) which symbolizes a "bird from Heaven" going down to hell (the Pequod sinking). Ahab wouldn't let the ship go down without some of his input, his control.
Written by: Caroline Ward, Lisa Elizondo, Amy Coates
Ahab's Speech
In chapter 132, Captain Ahab talks to Starbuck about his past, his current life situation, his fears, etc. He claims that he has ruined his wife’s marriage to him because he is literally almost never home. He pours his heart and soul to Starbuck, explaining things that people do not know about him, including his wife. He exposes a more human side to his personality, as opposing to the tyrannical Moby-Dick pursuing psycho. This speech mends the division between his contrasting sides of his personality (tyrant and human). At the beginning of the novel, Ahab was seen as crazy and demanding of his crew for making them find the white whale. Now, he seems like he feels guilt and shame and regret for making innocent people risk their lives for his selfish cause. Although this better side of him emerges, he still claims that he cannot control his yearning to KILL MOBY DICK. Making this speech to Starbuck could signify to the reader that Ahab is making amends or at least trying to give reasoning (excuses) for his actions. At the end of his speech and conversation with Starbuck, it almost seems like he is also trying to convince himself and rationalize to himself that killing Moby Dick is a good idea.
In conclusion, the purpose of Ahab’s speech to Starbuck is that the reader is made aware of Ahab’s human side. He lets down the façade of the “in charge tyrannical captain” and almost makes the reader feel sorry for him. The reader finally witnesses his breakdown, and empathizes with his crazed vocation.
Written by: Caroline Ward, Lisa Elizondo, Amy Coates
Queequeg's Coffin- Alissa Davis
When Ishmael and Queequeg first meet at the spouter's inn, owned by Peter Coffin, Ishmael is in need of companionship. Through Peter Coffin, Ishmael met Queequeg. Even though their first encounter was one of surprise and Ishmael was afraid of the pagan worshipper, they form a lasting bond which lasts until the very end. On board the ship, Ishmael needs Queequeg in a way nobody else could understand, and when Queequeg dies, it was hard for Ishmael to accept. When Ishmael becomes the only survivor when the ship sinks, he finds Queequeg's coffin to float on, saving him once again from the loneliness in his life.
Ahab's speech- Alissa Davis
The purpose of Ahab's speech about his life and his family is to see the human side of Ahab. The conflict between the captain and the first mate only worsens as time passes and they are still only chasing the white whale. Starbuck especially, even though the rest of the crew also thinks he is crazy, thinks that the only way for the ship to function as it should is to kill Ahab. Ahab admits that he has been out at sea so long, he often cannot control what happens and that he is driven by a force to catch Moby Dick. Therefore, Ahab only puts the whole crew in danger because he possesses some supernatural force of the sea. As he is speaking to Starbuck, more light is shed on why Ahab is the way he is and puts perspective on their whole situation.
Queequeg's coffin- L. Mill and E. Rew
Discuss Queequeg's coffin: its purpose, what it becomes symbolically.
Ishmael and Queequeg develop an odd symbiotic relationship almost instantaneously. Ishmael is depressed and feeling restless. He spends the night at Spouter's Inn, needing a sailing job, and Peter COFFIN, the owner of the inn, assigns him to share a room with a savage because they have no vacancies. Thus, through a Coffin, even if it is a person, they meet. Furthermore, Queequeg, in a way, saves Ishmael at the beginning. He is nowhere to go; he is feeling to the world. Then, Queequeg arrives, and they start this partner relationship that is very admirable. The novel ends with Ishmael and Queequeg's relationship ending as well. However, paralleling to when they first met, when they are broken apart at last, there are many correlations. Through a coffin, they part once more, Queequeg going down with Moby Dick, Ishmael staying up with the coffin. Also, the coffin, which was designed for Queequeg, saves Ishmael once more. Queequeg's coffin is symbolically Queequeg and even at the end, he rescues Ishmael again by beign his liferaft. This demonstrates what Queequeg's coffin is symbolically. It is Queequeg and its purpose is to save Ishmael in the end.
Ahab and Starbuck Speech- Emily R and Lindsey M
3)What is the purpose of Ahab's long speech to Starbuck(he talks about his past)?
Chapter 132 "The Symphony" starts with Ahab leaning over the rail of the ship on calm and sunny day. He is reflecting over his past life and he actually drops a tear into the ocean which is described as so great that "nor did all the Pacific contain such wealth as that one wee drop. " When Starbuck confronts him Ahab begins to rant about his past life and how he has not been on land in forty years where his "widow" of a wife and children live.He tells of how he feels so very old but questions why he is this old, because he has not had enough joy in life to wear him out. As I read this chapter I relaized that this was the second time Ahab had shown some true regret and deep emotion other than the time the RAchel ship had approached Ahab seeking the captain's son. This monologue between Starbuck and AHab gives some insight into the life that Captain AHab lived before he began the whaling business, and it shows the true regrets that Ahab has about hunting for Moby Dick and pursuing the depths. Ahab even calls himself a , expressing to STarbuck that which he expressed in his soliloquy at teh beginning of the book. Ahab asks to look into Starbucks eyes so that he can have a piece of home and the land but Ahab refuses to return to NAntucket. This chapter expresses the struggle between the two personalities fo AHab, the one that wishes to give up the chase and go home, and the obsessive compulsive side that is continually on the hunt for Moby Dick. Ahab trys to figure out what cozening, hidden lord and master, and cruel, remorseless emperor commands (him)." At one point he even points to God as a power that drives him because his thoughts and his heart are controlled by an invisible power which must be God. By using this monologue the reader begins to feel sympathy for AHab and the fact that he cannot control his free will, but is doomed to a fate of chasing Moby Dick. The chapter ends with Ahab leaning over ship and staring at the two eyes of Fedallah who is leaning over the same rail Ahab was at the start. THis connects to the fact that FEdllah and Ahab seem like parallels.
PIP AND AHAB....THEIR RELATIONSHIP
2) Discuss the relationship between Pip and Ahab. Interpret, don't just summarize.
The relationship between Pip and Ahab is almost non-existent at the beginning of story, therefore it is very surprising and almost baffling when it does come about. Also adding to the confusing aspect of this new relationship is that presents itself after Pip is lost at sea for a while. One day, out of nowhere, Pip comes to Ahab wearing his clothes and his leg. One might think that Ahab would be angered because it looked like Pip could be making fun of him. But instead, in a surprising reaction, Ahab takes Pip under his wing. I think that Pip reminds him of his wife and child back home, and so he thinks that he must preserve some kind of connection to them. Ahab realizes that he has driven many people away on the ship, and wants to be able to come home to his family a sane man. Pip is the only reminder that he has of what he has left behind at home. Pip symbolizes all that is good and stable in Ahab's life, and he wants to be able to proctect and preserve that.
Lisa Elizondo and Cailin Loyd
Hannah Robinson and Alyssa Berger Queequeg's Coffin
Towards the end of Moby Dick Queequeg requests for a floatin coffin to be made for him; so after he dies he can be burried like the warriors of his home country. Ishmael seems to have a hard time coping with the idea that his best friend with a relationship like a marriage, will be passing on soon. At the end of Moby Dick this coffin ends up representing Queequeg. In the last effort attempt to capture and kill Moby Dick all the crew is killed except for Ishmael. The one thing that ends up saving Ishmael is Queequeg's floating coffin. This coffin keeps Ishmael afloat for three days until another whaling ship comes upon him. While the ending to the novel is devestating in a way, this coffin brightens the ending because it shows that Queequeg will always be there for Ishmael.
Hannah Robinson and Alyssa Berger
Biblical Names by Bobby Katoli
In the Bible Rachael could not bear a son for Jacob, so Rachael let Jacob sleep with their maid, Hagar so he could have a son. In Moby Dick the captain Rachael asks for help from Ahab to find his son who went missing from a whaling event. Ahab rejects the offer and continues on its course to catch up with Moby Dick. After the fight with the whale Ishmael is the only of the Pequod. After two days and a night, the Rachael finds him floating aimlessly in the sea and rescues him. Rachael from the Bible and the captain on the Rachael from Moby Dick both wanted a son. They were both searching to find a way to have a son.
Jeraboam in the Bible led a revolt against Solomon but failed and fled to Egypt were he stayed for a few years but later returned. When he returned he led a succession. In Moby Dick, the crew of the Jeroboam was afflicted by an epidemic and worshipped their prophet instead of their captain. The prohet had led a revolt on the captain and had taken control of the ship. Gabriel, the prophet on board the Jeroboam, warns Ahab not to go after Moby Dick. Ahab does not listen to the warning and continuos on to his .
Queequeg's Coffin Tyler Smith Kyle Smith & Kate Pennebaker
While aboard the Pequod, Queequeg spent many of his final days praying to his Gods whom he felt could heal his broken spirit. Queequeg had thoughts and wishes of and went as far as to have the carpenter make him a floating coffin, in which his life would slowly dwindle away while at sea. Although his prayers were never answered, his resulted in the saving of another life: ishmael. Queequeq and Ishmael got off to a rocky start while at the Spouter Inn. Ishmael feared the massive "creature" because of his non traditional beliefs and his different appearance. After a big scene was made, they shared a bed and pipe and became close comrads. At this time, Ishmael had his famous NUMINOUS experience and he knew that Queequeg would play a vital role in his life in some way or another. As the voyage comes to an end, Ishmael finds himself in a situation where his friends life is in his hands. After Queequeg is harpooned through the chest, Ishmael frantically swims down into the depths of the ocean to rescue him. Queequeg put up a fight, insisting that he die like a fighting soldier. At this time, Ishmael learned to fully accept Queequegs beliefs and let him die an honorable . Ishmael finds himself alone in the ocean, fighting for his own life. Right as Ishmael is about to give up, out of the depths of the ocean shoots the floating coffin. Ishmael recognizes that this coffin was intended for his dear friend Queequeg, and silently thanks him as he floats to safety. Queequeg saved his life.
Boats- Patrick Collins
Pequod - Peqoud is a name for a Native American tribe in Massachusetts that was driven out and killed shortly after the white man's arrival. The name Peqoud is a symbol of imminent doom. The name Peqoud is a sign of what is to happen to the boat and it's crew.
Jeroboam - The meeting between this ship and the Pequod is a very strange one in that the captain of the Jeroboam won't board or even bring his ship very close to the Pequod because he says there is a terrible epidemic aboard his ship. Ahab asks him about Moby Dick, as he does all of the ships, and the captain immediatly tells him not to pursue the white whale. He says that a man on his ship, who believed he was the archangle Gabriel warned his crew not to pursue the whale, but they did anyway ignoring the prophecy. One man got killed by the whale, and the ship was left to sickness and suffering. The name Jeroboam, and their story relates to the bible in that the biblical Jeroboam also ignored a prophecy, and was left to suffering. The captain of the Jeroboam warns Ahab not the hunt for the white whale and ignore prophecy once again. The captain also hints that Ahab will be with Moby Dick and their ship's dead crew member very soon.
Rachel - Rachel in the bible died during childbirth, and was the mother of Jacob. She was barren before she miraculously became pregnant. In Moby Dick Rachel is a ship that is looking for the lost son of it's captain. When they confront the Peqoud about their problem Ahab is angry and curses them, because they do not have any information about Moby Dick. The Rachel is angered back and tells Ahab that he will die in his pursuit.
Boat Names Kate Pennebaker Tyler Smith Kyle Smith
The two boats in Moby Dick, Rachel and the Jeroboam, each have a biblical name that refers to characters in the Bible. Rachel tried to give birth, but Jacob had promised her father (Laban) that he would labor in the fields for 7 more years if he could have her daughter's hand in marriage. However, God makes her barren and the promise is unfulfilled. How does this story relate to the ship in Moby Dick? The Rachel is looking for the captain's son who has been lost at sea, which symbolizes the ship's inability to "have" children, a similar ending to that of the biblical Rachel.
Jeroboam was the first king of the northern kingdom of Israel who fled from his country to Egypt when his rebellion was put down. In Chapter 71 of Moby Dick, the acts of Jeroboam are shown when Starbuck speaks out against Captain Ahab and the way he runs the ship.
Kate, Tyler, Kyle
Symbolism in the Names of the Ships (C Fitzer, D Lewis, C Samson, and J Huff)
The Peqoud encounters many other whaling ships on its pursuit of the white whale. It meets the ships such as the Delight and the Jungfrau, but more important than these boats are the ones with biblically refernced names like the Rachel, the Jeroboam, and the Samuel Enderby.
Rachel was the son of Laban and second wife of Jacob, later named Israel. Jacob gets sent to live with his uncle Laban, the brother of Rebekah. Jacob falls in love with his cousin, Rachel, and after 7 years of working for Laban Jacob was supposed to marry Rachel but through the decption of Laban he ends up being wed to Rachel's sister Leah. After another 7 years of laboring for Laban, Jacob then married his love Rachel. Rachel was barren and unable to produce children for Jacob, and spent her time either trying to produce children or finding other ways for Jacob to have heirs, such as having Bilbah, her handmaiden, to be Jacob's concubine. Just as Rachel sought for a son for her husband, so to does Captain Gardiner of the Rachel scours the seas in search of his lost son. Rachel ends up bearing Joseph and Benjamin, the most beloved sons of Jacob, and the Rachel ends up finding Ismael, an orphan lost at sea.
Jeroboam attempted to start a revolution during the reign of Solomon that he believed would be fostered by the animosity the Northern Palestinians felt towards their southern rulers. His planned failed and out of fear Jeroboam fleed to Egypt until the ascension of Solomon's son, Rehoboam, to the throne of Israel. At this time, Jeroboam led the succesion of the Northern Kingdom from the Ten United Tribes of Israel. The Northern Kingdom was highly noted for the expansive use of idolatry which flourished under the control of Jeroboam. Gabriel the prophet aboard the Jeroboam, who believes that he himself is the Archangel Gabriel, tries to start dissension amongst the crew against their captain. Mayhew. Through his perplexing charisma, Gabriel creates a group of personal disciples, just as Jeroboam was able to create a group of followers willing to divide the kingdom of Israel. Both through oratory skills and false idolatry trick innocent and desperate men into following their every word.
Biblically, Samuel was the son of Hannah who was barren for many years, but because of his miracle birth Hannah dedicated Samuel's life to God and brought him to be apprenticed by the priest Eli. Samuel was a witness to God through a Numinous experience. He heard the voice of God, which at first he mistook as being Eli, but after a realization he was able to properly listen to the instructions of God. Samuel later became pivital in the unificatin of the Israeli tribes against the Palestinians. In British history, Samuel Enderby was the first to establish a whale corporation that sailed all the way to the south sea of the Pacific in pursuit of sperm whale oil. This ship was named after this man in honor of his tenacity and industry in the areas of whaling. Captain Boomer of the Samuel Enderby, also having lost a limb from Moby Dick as did Ahab, headed his encounter as a warning and decided to not pursue the white whale in fear of another dangerous incident. Ahab on the other hand was intrigued and became further determined to get Moby Dick. Like Samuel in the Bible, Boomer was able to notice this as a divine instruction and decided to follow its wishes by avoiding Moby Dick. Contrarily to Samuel, Ahab, blinded by obsession, ignores the warnings and continues on headlong towards Moby Dick and his eminent death.
Pip and Ahab- Alissa Davis
Pip and Ahab have a strange but complementary relationship. While Pip is at the bottom of the Pequod's hierarchy as a tambourine boy, Ahab is the captain at the very top. Pip, especially after being lost in the vast expanse of the sea, feels inferior and seems to go insane. Ahab, who is also quite mad, is powerful and quite egotistical. Thus they are drawn to each other because they are both seen as crazy and isolated from the rest of the crew even though they are complete opposites in age and color.
Pip and Ahab's relationship - L. Mill and E. Rew
The relationship between pip and ahab interpret:
The relationship between Pip and Ahab is very ironic and cotnradictory. At first, Pip is at the bottom of the ship hierarchy as the slave tambourine boy and Ahab is at the top as the captain of the Pequod. However, after Pip's numinous experience of beign left out at sea, Pip goes mad, similar to Ahab. Ahab then realizes that something within Pip is now similar to him. Perhaps it is Pip's madness? Furthermore, Ahab and Pip relate to each other because oth see the world differently than others and also feel ostracized from the vast crowd of men in general in the world. Differences between them however are definitely the Promethean attitude of Ahab while Pip understands that he is nothing in the vast complex of the world; he is just another little being in the huge ocean while Ahab believes he rules the ocean or is striving to by killing Moby Dick. This is the interpretation of Pip and Ahab's relationship. Moreover, they are complete opposites because Pip is young, black and naive while Ahab is old, white and wise. Also, Ahab has a little bit of sanity while Pip has gone completely insane. Therefore because Ahab and Pip are so opposite they compliment each other in a way that bonds them together, and Ahab begins to treat Pip as his son just about.
Ship's Biblical relevance
In Moby Dick, the Pequod encounters many ships trying to find the whale, including the Samuel Enderby, Albatross, Town-ho, Rose Bud, Bachelor, Delight, Rachel, Jeroboam, and Virgin/Jungfrau. Since the novel has patterns of Biblical references throughout the course of the plot, some of these ships can be identified with the Bible, such as the Jeroboam and the Rachel, the 2 most prominent biblical ships.
In 1 Kings 11, Jeroboam rebelled against King Solomon, who tried to kill Jeroboam because a prophet told Jeroboam he would take the dynasty out of Solomon’s hands. On board the ship Jeroboam, a crazed crewmember claiming to be the angel Gabriel warns everyone that Moby Dick is really a god reincarnated. These two stories parallel each other because in both a prophet warns not to pursue their wishes, Jeroboam wanting to gain Solomon’s kingdom and Ahab commanding to kill Moby Dick.
In Genesis 26, Rachel, the younger daughter of Laban, and Jacob wanted to marry, and when they finally did, Rachel could not produce any children for Jacob to carry on his name. She was willing to let her husband sleep with their servant in order for his genealogy to be passed down. In the Rachel from Nantucket in the novel, the captain of the ship is searching for his lost son, and claims that Ahab owes him a favor, to help him in his search. Both Rachel’s in the stories want to find a child that is lost or nonexistent, but the Rachel in Moby Dick finds a means of getting another “child,” or Ishmael when the Pequod is attacked by the Whale.
Written by: Caroline Ward and Amy Coates
mary elaine bible libby brett
Rachel from the bible was married to Jacob and had difficulty baring children. Eventually she bore 2 children, Joseph and Benjamin. In Moby Dick, the captain of the Rachel asks Captain Ahab to help him find his son. He goes to this extreme measure, asking Ahab to give up his highest goal in life, finding Moby Dick, for the love of his son. Where as Rachel from the bible could not produce children, she was willing to give a concubine to her husband. She too was willing to go to these drastic measures in order to "find" a child. At the end of the novel when Ishmael was rescued by the Rachel, it was like Rachel was finding or even replacing her lost son. Genesis 35:17 states "And as she was having great difficulty in childbirth, the midwife said to her, "Don't be afraid, for you have another son." As Rachel was losing her second born, she was instilling in someone else the life of her lost son.
Jeroboam from the bible was burning incense when a prophet appeared claiming that a king would appear and would restore worship of the true God. The alter cracked in order to burn the false priests at the altar. Jeroboam's hand froze while trying to stop the prophet. God resored the frozen hand and Jeroboam stayed steadfast in his ways. In Moby Dick, the prophet Gabriel on the boat Jeroboam was trying to warn the crew of the harsh journey that was to come. Neither the crew nor Joreboam listened to Gabriel and the prophet.
The boat Virigin is without oil and is having trouble catching whales. The captain aboards the Pequod and asks for helps from Ahab. The term virgin refers to being unexperienced. The Virgin is in need to help and of guidance. Similarly, the Virgin Mary had to be guided by God.
Final Assignment Moby Dick
Wrapping Up Moby Dick
5 Problems to Solve
1) Research the ships we encounter that have biblical names. (You could find a great quotation in the Bible regarding Rachel.)
2) Discuss the relationship between Pip and Ahab. Interpret, don't just summarize.
3)What is the purpose of Ahab's long speech to Starbuck(he talks about his past)?
4) Discuss Queequeg's coffin: its purpose, what it becomes symbolically.
5) Discuss the difference between 4 major points in the novel and the film.
Final Problem: Oral presentation (4-5 minutes) in which you discuss the patterns of meaning in Moby Dick. Concern yourself with the big picture, several patterns that connect everything together.
BIBLICAL SHIP NAMES BY CAILIN LOYD
The Pequod
The Virgin, or "Jungfrau"-BIBLICAL
The Goney, or the "Albatross"
The Town-Ho
The Jeroboam-BIBLICAL Ch 71
The Bouton de Rose
Samuel Enderby
The Bachelor
The Rachel-BIBLICAL
The Delight
The Virgin CH81- In the Bible, the virgin is Mary the mother of Jesus. She is the maternal figure for various cultures and in the Christian Church. In a more secular sense, the word "virgin" could be related to the characteristics of innocence, naiivity, and inexperience. In Moby Dick, the Virgin, or "Jungfrau" is not like the Biblical meaning of Virgin, but more like the secular meaning. The "Virgin" is a whaling ship full of inexperience; the crew is desperate to find whales but can not kill one. Also, the meeting of the Pequod, which represents experience, and the Virgin brings about the incident of the dead whale carcass that begins to sink te ship, as if it were getting revenge for its death.
The Jeroboam CH 71- Jeroboam in the Bible was the first king over the ten tribes of Israel that had broken away from the other tribes. His reign was plagued with war and conspiracy. Also, Jeroboam worshiped idols, even after being warned by the prophet Judah. When worshiping an idol at Bethel, Judah approached Jeroboam with a warning message from the Lord. Jeroboam tried to arrest the prophet, but his hands were dried up. Even after he regained his hands, he disregarded the miracle and continued to worship false idolatries. The Jeroboam in MOby Dick had a prophet on it named Gabriel, who prophesized the death of the former mate on his ship ,who was killed while hunting moby dick. Gabriel's prophecy had come true, and therefore the crew followed him as their leader. Gabriel warns Ahab about going after Moby Dick, reminding him about the mate who had been killed. Ahab ignores this warning, and the Pequod meets a violent end, as does Jeroboam in the Bible.
The Rachel CH128- In the Bible, Rachel was the second wife of Jacob who gave birth to two sons, Benjamin and Joseph, who both became important biblical figures and kings. Rachel loses both of her sons, one out of jealousy (he was sold into slavery) and the other for a short time. In Moby DIck, the captain of the Rachel has lost his son and begs Ahab to help him look for him. Ahab refuses, and the captain curses him and says he will not be forgiven.
BY CAILIN LOYD
Biblical Ships - Lindsay Miller and E. Rew
The two ships with biblical names that I found in MOBY DICK were RACHEL and JEROBOAM. How does the usage of thse names improve upon the novel? The use of the name RACHEL is very clever. The crew and captain of the Rachel are searching for the captain's lost son. His one and only son was lost on a harpoon boat trying ot bring Moby Dick down. This parallels to the tale of Rachel who lost seven of her sons before one finally survived. Furthermore, even though she is deceased when this occurs, said son is lost again, sold into slavery and presumed dead for years. Therefore, this relates to the novel because Rachel lost many of her sons as Captain Boomer lost his son.
The ship the JEROBOAM also correlates its biblical name to its purpose in the novel. The JEROBOAM has a mutinous crew that only listens to the prophet, Gabriel. They refuse to listen to their captain and are idolly worshipping Gabriel as their "god" rather than the captian of the ship. In the hierarchy of a whale boat, the captain is at the top just like in the hierarchy of heaven, God is at the top. Therefore, the captain is like the crew's god. However, the JEROBOAM's crew did not worship their captain god but idolly worshipped a man who came aboard and pronounced himself as the archengel, Gabriel. This relates to the bible because Jeroboam was a King of the ten tribes of Israel who built to golden calves as shrines and told the people to only worship there and not at Jerusalem. This relates to Moby Dick because by telling the people to worship only at his shrines this was like Gabriel telling the crew of the Jeroboam to worship him and throw thier captain overboard.
Kelsey Marsh and Shimarah Mehrotra Biblical Ship Names
The significant ships in Moby Dick are The Bachelor, The Samuel Enderby, The Rose-Bud, The Virgin, The Rachel, and The Delight. The Rachel is of importance because in the Bible Rachel is wanted by Jacob. Jacob wanted her instead of Leah because Rachel was younger than Leah. Jacob had to work for fourteen years to get Rachel. In Moby Dick, The Rachel was the ship that saved Ishmael after floated in the ocean for two days before he was saved by her. He was the only one saved by The Rachel and he was the youngest of the crew.
In the Bible, Rachel was barren and could not give Jacob sons so she had her handmaiden Bilhah bear him sons. Later she had two sons, Joseph and Benjamin, but she died giving birth to Benjamin. The Rachel is an appropriate name for the ship because it saved Ishmael and adopted him into safety, much like a mother would do for a son.
