NCHS AP English Language

Question 7 Libby Brett Mary Elaine

Notes

The infamous charachter of Melvilles, Moby Dick, is a great white sperm whale which is known for its great attacks on crew members and ships. First and foremost, the most basic and essential information about Moby Dick is its name. The sperm whale was mostly spoted in the area of Mocha Island, hence the name Moby. From research, it is not known for how Melville translated Mocha to Moby. "Dick" was an ordinary name just like "Tom," "Harry," or "Bob."

Whiteness, like any characteristic or distinction is viewed by the biased and by ure. Some, like Ishmael, viewed "whiteness" as something of a disease. Because of the conservative, retired schoolteacher, when he thinks of "whiteness" he thinks of Albinos and how they are to be feared just because they are born genetically mutant to others. Albinos live in extreme enviornments like rugged, rocky areas. He views the whiteness completely opposite of the traditional view of purity and some sort of sacredness. Ahab on the other hand, instead of fearing Moby Dick, like Ishmael, he believes the whiteness of Moby Dick to be dipicted as evil. This of course is biased because Moby Dick is the creature that not only scarred Ahab physically, but emotionally. Ahab feels he needs to end this "intrinsically evil" creature in order to serve his posistion of the crew.

allusion is an 'indirect mention http://thesaurus.reference.com/search?r=2&q=allusion

Categories

objects: marbles, pearls, japonicas
nations: Pegu-"Lord of the White Elephants"(imperial), Siam- snow white quadrupied in the royal standard(imperial), Hanoverian flag- snow white charger(feared and exalted), Austrian Empire- imperial color, Romans- white stone(joyfulness), Red Men of America- white belt of wampum(honor)
groups of people: Persian fire worshipers- white forked flame(holy), Iroquois- sacred white dog(holy, spotless creature), Christian priests- albs or tunics(holy and pure)
Feasts: Vision of St John-white robes(redeemed)
Animals: polar bear of the north(transcendent horror), white shark of the tropics(transendent horror), white steed of the praries(magnificent creature)
Man: Albino(repels humans of their own kind because of mutant)
Landmarks: White tower of London(strong adverbs of descriptions), White mountains of New Hampshire(gigantic ghostliness), White Sea(fancy this color over others that provide distraught, vivid emotions), the breakers in the sea(when breakers are seen crashing against the rocks, it is thought to fear this because of intensity of waves and intensity of the storm about to come)

Melville uses the different descriptions to verify and construct a reasonable reason for the symbolic meaning of the whitness of Moby Dick. He varies from holiness to ferociousness. He depicts the beauty of the pearls, marbles, and japonicas, the imperial importance of white when relating it to the "Lord of the white elephants," the snow white charger of the Hanoverian flag, and the joyfulness of the white stones of the Romans. White is thought as holiness by many groups of people including the Red Men of America, who use the white belt as exultatin opposed to others, the white forked flame of the Fire Worshippers, the white sacred dogs of the Iroquois, the use of white tunics and albs worn under every vestment of the Christian fathers, and white robes symbolize redemption in the Vision of St. John. Although the color white has shown sacredness, it also is depicted as some sort of a . For example, the white shark and polar bear fear us naturally. If we were to never see or hear about a white shark or polar bear, we still fear them because it is as if it is a universal scare. As for the s known, the breakers of the sea are feared because of the storm about to occur. The intensity of the breakage against the rocks signifies a great storm would be to come about. In conclusion, the whiteness of Moby Dick is not one, but all of these allusions. He, being the greatest creature in the world (not only by size but by exaultation made by the crew), Moby Dick is seen as all.

posted by Anonymous @ 1:50 PM