#1 Patrick Collins
Macro-microcosm/Great Chain of Being- Universal truths that apply to the world on a large scale and can be represented in a smaller, more controlled setting. A macrocosm is the universe considered as a whole, while a microcosm is the same representation of the universe on a smaller scale.
Ahab- Captain (God)
Starbuck- First Mate (King)
Stubb- Second Mate (Nobles)
Flask- Third Mate (Lesser Nobles)
Queequeg, Tashtego, Daggoo, Fedallah, Harpooners, something to offer, merchants- (Middle Class)
Ishmael, Pip- New Guys (Slaves)
The Chain of Being is an idea that was developed during the Renaissance period and is used to explain the natural, hierarchal order of beings in the universe. The chain is not complete unless both the highest and lowest forms are present. The universe would not be “complete” unless the chain extended from the highest to the lowest forms of being without any gaps. The chain states that without the imperfections (which are represented by the lowest class on the chain), the universe would not be complete.
In Moby Dick, Captain Ahab is at the top of the hierarchy, in terms of the Pequod as the universe. The mates follow Ahab, and the harpooners, who are ultimately followed by the newcomers and slaves, follow them. This hierarchal attitude on the Pequod serves to illustrate the idea of a microcosm structure. The idea outlined in the first paragraph is an example of the Chain of Being related on a grand, or macro, level. The smaller, more focused, version of “the Chain” that I related to the Pequod is the microcosm. The same characteristics apply to the Chain, whether the structure is micro, or macro.
posted by NCHS AP English Language III @ 10:40 PM
1 Comments:
Pip is at the very bottom. Fedallah is not a member of the crew, but a special and mysterious retainer of Ahab's.
4/5
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