NCHS AP English Language

QUESTION 6 KATE PENNEBAKER

Question #6 Starbucks Soliloquy

Trope: any literary device such as a metaphor, metonymy, synecdoche, or irony that consists in the use of words in other than their literal sense.

Starbucks soliloquy is all about his initial feelings towards his departure. He wishes that he had not joined Captain Ahab, i.e. the “madman”, on the voyage to hunt for Moby Dick. Despite his unhappiness, he knows that he can’t leave Captain Ahab because he feels responsible for the success of the mission. On top of his unhappiness, he feels somewhat angry at himself for thinking and assuming that the mission is a predetermined failure. The trope in this passage is undoubtedly”The white whale is their demogorgon.” All of the hatred towards Moby Dick is summed up into one word : demogorgon, meaning a demon of hell. He has so much contempt towards the whale because it is the main reason for the voyage on which he embarked upon (which he fully regrets). Not only has the whale caused this dreadful voyage, he has also caused his friend Ahab an unruly amount of pain.

posted by NCHS AP English Language III @ 9:25 AM