NCHS AP English Language

#1 Great Chain of Being and the Pequod

The Great Chain of Being: a powerful visual metaphor for a divinely inspired universal hierarchy ranking all forms of higher and lower life. http://www.stanford.edu/class/engl174b/chain.html
Its major premise was that every existing thing in the universe had its "place" in a divinely planned hierarchical order, which was pictured as a chain vertically extended. ("Hierarchical" refers to an order based on a series of higher and lower, strictly ranked gradations.)
Elements/Inanimate objects-Flowers/Trees-Animals-Humans-Angels-God. They were also ranked in these groups, creating hierarchies among themselves. http://academic.brooklyn.cuny.edu/english/melani/cs6/ren.html

The hierarchial structure is apparent on the Pequod. At the top of the chain is the Captain of the ship, Ahab. The First mate, Starbuck, the Second mate, Stubb, and the Third mate, Flask, occupy the next rank and are divided into their own hierarchial structure. Each mate has a harpooner, and the harpooners are ranked accordingly. Starbuck's harpooner is Queequeg, Stubb's harpooner is Tashtego, and Flask's harpooner is Daggoo. Then are the owners of the ship, Bildad and Peleg. The rest of the crew including the craftsmen and cooks take orders from the people higher up on the chain. Ishmael falls into this last category, since he is the newbie. However, each "rank" has a specific and vital function in the ship. Captain Ahab runs his ship for the purpose of "control of land and resources," in this case, the white whale. Although Ahab's power is essential to the community's life, Starbuck is agitated because Ahab makes their sole purpose his personal revenge against the white whale, and this most likely will lead to conflict later.

Alissa Davis

posted by Anonymous @ 1:52 PM