background - campbellsville high school - moby... · background moby-dick is the story of a man’s...

358 ■ A Growing Nation (1800–1870)

Background Moby-Dick is the story of a man’s obsession with the dangerous and mysterious white whale that years before had taken off one of his legs. The man, Captain Ahab, guides the Pequod, a whaling ship, and its crew in relentless pursuit of this whale, Moby-Dick. Among the more important members of the crew are Starbuck, the first mate; Stubb, the second mate; Flask, the third mate; Queequeg, Tashtego, and Daggoo, the harpooners; and Ishmael, the young sailor who narrates the book.

When the crew signed aboard the Pequod, the voyage was to be nothing more than a business venture. However, in the following excerpt, Ahab makes clear to the crew that his purpose is to seek revenge against Moby-Dick.

from The Quarter-DeckOne morning shortly after breakfast, Ahab, as was his wont,

ascended the cabin gangway to the deck. There most sea captains usually walk at that hour, as country gentlemen, after the same meal, take a few turns in the garden.

Soon his steady, ivory stride was heard, as to and fro he paced his old rounds, upon planks so familiar to his tread, that they were all over dented, like geological stones, with the peculiar mark of his walk. Did you fixedly gaze, too, upon that ribbed and dented brow;

Learning ModalitiesIntrapersonal Learners To pro-mote active reading, invite studentsto keep a reader’s response journal.Guide them to focus their observa-tions about Ahab’s desire for revengeand on Starbuck’s responses to Ahab.Encourage them to record their ownopinions of Ahab’s quest and thereactions of the other sailors.

About the SelectionWidely regarded as one of the finestAmerican novels ever written, Moby-Dick expresses the view that, despitepeople’s desire to do so, they willnever be able to control nature orunderstand it completely. In “TheQuarter-Deck,” one of the novel’s keyearly chapters, Ahab becomes thenovel’s dominant character, andMelville reveals Ahab’s vengeful,obsessive personality and his conflictwith Moby-Dick. At this turningpoint, readers and sailors alike learnthe true purpose of the Pequod’s voy-age. “The Chase––Third Day” is thebook’s last chapter. There the novelreaches its climax in the final cata-strophic contest with Moby-Dick.

BackgroundHistoryIn Melville’s day, the captain of a shiphad unlimited authority––and allaboard ship knew this to be the case.Failing to follow orders broughtharsh and perhaps arbitrary punish-ment, and most crew members werecareful not to challenge the captaindirectly.

2

1

358

Accessibility at a Glance

Context Nineteenth-century whaling voyage

Language Challenging (similes and metaphors; whaling/seamen’slanguage and vocabulary; long compound andcomplex sentences

Concept Level Challenging (Moby-Dick as a symbol of nature’sbeauty, power, and immortality)

Literary Merit Classic, influential American novel

Lexile 970

Other Powerful struggle between humankind and nature

Overall Rating More challenging

from Moby-Dick

1

2

3

lt11_tena07_u3_p2-355-359 5/17/05 7:29 AM Page 358**admin **209:PQ1126:grade11-U3-p2: EQA

Literary AnalysisSymbol• Have a student volunteer read

aloud the paragraph beginning“Soon his steady, ivory stride washeard.” Make sure students under-stand the cause of the “dents”mentioned by Melville’s narrator;these are the dents in the woodenplanks of the ship’s deck caused byAhab’s peg leg.

• Point out that the repetition of theimage of dents indicates the pres-ence of a symbol. Draw students’attention to the language Melvilleuses––the footprints of his oneunsleeping, ever-pacing thought––to describe the wrinkles in Ahab’sbrow.

• In addition, point out the connec-tion Melville draws between Ahab’sdented brow and the deeper marksleft by Ahab’s “nervous” steps.

• Ask students the Literary Analysisquestion: What might the “dents”on Ahab’s furrowed brow symbolize?Answer: The dents might symbol-ize psychological injuries Ahab hassuffered in his battle with the greatwhale.

Reading CheckAnswer: Ahab has dented themwalking back and forth with his“bone leg.”

4

3

359

4

from Moby-Dick ■ 359

there also, you would see still stranger footprints—the footprints of his one unsleeping, ever-pacing thought.

But on the occasion in question, those dents looked deeper, even as his nervous step that morning left a deeper mark. And, so full of his thought was Ahab, that at every uniform turn that he made, now at the mainmast and now at the binnacle,1 you could almost see that thought turn in him as he turned, and pace in him as he paced; so completely possessing him, indeed, that it all but seemed the inward mold of every outer movement.

“D’ye mark him, Flask?” whispered Stubb; “the chick that’s in him pecks the shell. ’Twill soon be out.”

The hours wore on—Ahab now shut up within his cabin; anon, pacing the deck, with the same intense bigotry of purpose2 in his aspect.

It drew near the close of day. Suddenly he came to a halt by the bulwarks, and inserting his bone leg into the auger hole there, and with one hand grasping a shroud, he ordered Starbuck to send everybody aft.

“Sir!” said the mate, astonished at an order seldom or never given on shipboard except in some extraordinary case.

“Send everybody aft,” repeated Ahab. “Mastheads, there! come down!”

When the entire ship’s company were assembled, and with curious and not wholly unapprehensive faces, were eyeing him, for he looked not unlike the weather horizon when a storm is coming up, Ahab, after rapidly glancing over the bulwarks, and then darting his eyes among the crew, started from his standpoint; and as though not a soul were nigh him resumed his heavy turns upon the deck. With bent head and half-slouched hat he continued to pace, unmindful of the wondering whispering among the men; till Stubb cautiously whispered to Flask, that Ahab must have summoned them there for the purpose of witness-ing a pedestrian feat. But this did not last long. Vehemently pausing, he cried:

“What do ye do when ye see a whale, men?”“Sing out for him!” was the impulsive rejoinder from a score of

clubbed voices.“Good!” cried Ahab, with a wild approval in his tones; observing the

hearty animation into which his unexpected question had so magneti-cally thrown them.

“And what do ye next, men?”“Lower away, and after him!”“And what tune is it ye pull to, men?”“A dead whale or a stove3 boat!”More and more strangely and fiercely glad and approving, grew the

countenance of the old man at every shout; while the mariners began to

1. binnacle (bin« ß kßl) n. case enclosing a ship’s compass.2. bigotry of purpose complete single-mindedness.3. stove v. broken; smashed.

Literary AnalysisSymbol What might the “dents” on Ahab’s furrowed brow symbolize?

Why are the Pequod’s planks dented?

4

Support for Less Proficient ReadersDiscuss with students why the men are curiousand apprehensive. The reasons include that it isunusual for the men to be gathered on thisparticular deck (the “aft” deck at the stern, orrear, of the ship). Also, the men are wary ofAhab’s peculiar behavior as he continues topace about as if not noticing them.Point out how Melville establishes early on anatmosphere of psychological tension, togetherwith the idea that Ahab is a man with powerfulfeelings.

Support for English LearnersDraw students’ attention to Melville’s use ofmetaphor and simile to describe Ahab’s grow-ing tension (a chick pecking the shell, a stormyhorizon). Also draw their attention to possiblyconfusing descriptive phrasing in the text (“notwholly unapprehensive”). Explain that thesewriting techniques were common in the nine-teenth century. Encourage students to readslowly and carefully and to paraphrase thestory whenever possible.

lt11_tena07_u3_p2-355-359 5/17/05 7:31 AM Page 359**admin **209:PQ1126:grade11-U3-p2: EQA


gaze curiously at each other, as if marveling how it was that they themselves became so excited at such seemingly purposeless questions.

But, they were all eagerness again, as Ahab, now half-revolving in his pivot hole, with one hand reaching high up a shroud,4 and tightly, almost convulsively grasping it, addressed them thus:

“All ye mastheaders have before now heard me give orders about a white whale. Look ye! d’ye see this Spanish ounce of gold?”—holding up a broad bright coin to the sun—“it is a sixteen-dollar piece, men. D’ye see it? Mr. Starbuck, hand me yon topmaul.”

While the mate was getting the hammer, Ahab, without speaking, was slowly rubbing the gold piece against the skirts of his jacket, as if to heighten its luster, and without using any words was meanwhile lowly humming to himself, producing a sound so strangely muffled and inarticulate that it seemed the mechanical humming of the wheels of his vitality in him.

Receiving the topmaul from Starbuck, he advanced towards the mainmast with the hammer uplifted in one hand, exhibiting the gold with the other, and with a high raised voice exclaiming: “Whosoever of ye raises me a white-headed whale with a wrinkled brow and a crooked jaw; whosoever of ye raises me that white-headed whale, with three holes punctured in his star-board fluke5—look ye, whosoever of ye raises me that same white whale, he shall have this gold ounce, my boys!”

“Huzza! huzza!” cried the seamen, as with swinging tarpaulins they hailed the act of nailing the gold to the mast.

“It’s a white whale, I say,” resumed Ahab, as he threw down the topmaul: “a white whale. Skin your eyes for him, men; look sharp for white water; if ye see but a bubble, sing out.”

All this while Tashtego, Daggoo, and Queequeg had looked on with even more intense interest and surprise than the rest, and at the mention of the wrinkled brow and crooked jaw they had started as if each was separately touched by some specific recollection.

“Captain Ahab,” said Tashtego, “that white whale must be the same that some call Moby-Dick.”

“Moby-Dick?” shouted Ahab. “Do ye know the white whale then, Tash?”

“Does he fantail6 a little curious, sir, before he goes down?” said the Gay-Header deliberately.

4. shroud n. set of ropes from a ship’s side to the masthead.5. starboard fluke (flØk) n. right half of a whale’s tail.6. fantail v. to spread the tail like a fan.

Cap

tain

Ah

ab o

n t

he

Dec

k of

th

e P

equ

od, R

ockw

ell K

ent

Critical Viewing In what ways does this portrait of Ahab compare or contrast with your mental image of him? [Compare and Contrast]

Reading StrategyRecognizing Symbols What does Ahab’s treatment of the gold coin suggest about its presence as a symbol?

360

NantucketThe Pequod sails from the island of Nantucket,which is situated in the Atlantic Ocean off thesouthern coast of Massachusetts, about twentymiles south of Cape Cod and just east and southof Martha’s Vineyard. In the late 1700s and early1800s, Nantucket was one of the world’s majorwhaling centers. At one point during thisperiod, well over one hundred whaling shipsused the island as their main port. In the mid-1800s, the whaling industry began to declineand the island developed its other resources.

Invite students to do research on the Internet andelsewhere to find whaling museums or restoredseaports that feature whaling ships, tools, andother objects associated with the whaling indus-try. You might have students send for brochureson various items and exhibits. Such institutionsinclude the Kendall Whaling Museum in Sharon,Massachusetts; the New Bedford WhalingMuseum in New Bedford, Massachusetts; andthe Cold Spring Harbor Whaling Museum inCold Spring Harbor, New York.

HumanitiesCaptain Ahab on the Deck of thePequod, 1930, by Rockwell Kent

Rockwell Kent made many pen-and-ink drawings, including those thatappear in this selection, for the 1930Lakeside Press edition of Moby-Dick,published by Random House,Chicago. Kent was a painter, print-maker, author, illustrator, explorer,and political activist. Use the follow-ing question for discussion:

• What evidence of symbolism canyou find in this image?Possible answer: Ahab’s loomingshadow might symbolize thedestructive effects of his obsessionwith Moby-Dick.

Critical ViewingAnswer: Students may say that theillustration captures Ahab’s implaca-ble, obssesive nature very well.

Reading StrategyRecognizing Symbols• Point out that the narrator men-

tions several times a gold coinbrandished by Ahab.

• Ask students the Reading Strategyquestion: What does Ahab’s treat-ment of the gold coin suggestabout its presence as a symbol?Answer: Ahab’s nailing of the cointo the mast of the Pequod ensuresits central and continual presencethroughout the voyage. The gold,worth a fortune to the sailors, thussymbolizes the value that the questhas for Ahab, and the extremenature of his desire for vengeance.

7

6

5

7

8

6

5

361

Literary AnalysisSymbol• Invite listeners to focus on the

details about Moby-Dick that areoffered by each speaker. Suggestthat students use a graphic organ-izer like one shown on p. 357 torecord these details.

• Ask students the Literary Analysisquestion: What image of Moby-Dick is created in this discussion?Possible answer: The image ofMoby-Dick as an almost super-natural being is created.

BackgroundHistoryDiscuss with students why Ahab’scommand would surprise the crew.Point out that sailors on a whalersigned on for a share of the net prof-its. Although some probably hopedfor adventure, most sailors simplyhoped to capture as many whales aspossible so they could sell the valu-able whale oil, whalebone, and otherwhale byproducts. It would beunderstandable if Ahab’s crew wereto show reluctance to chase a singlewhale.

Reading CheckAnswer: The real purpose is to chaseand kill the great white whale, Moby-Dick.

10

9

8


“And has he a curious spout, too,” said Daggoo, “very bushy, even for a parmacetty,7 and mighty quick, Captain Ahab?”

“And he have one, two, tree—oh! good many iron in him hide, too, Captain,” cried Queequeg disjointedly, “all twiske-tee betwisk, like him—him—” faltering hard for a word, and screwing his hand round and round as though uncorking a bottle—“like him—him—”

“Corkscrew!” cried Ahab, “aye, Queequeg, the harpoons lie all twisted and wrenched in him; aye, Daggoo, his spout is a big one, like a whole shock of wheat, and white as a pile of our Nantucket wool after the great annual sheepshearing; aye, Tashtego, and he fantails like a split jib in a squall. Death and devils! men, it is Moby-Dick ye have seen—Moby-Dick—Moby-Dick!”

“Captain Ahab,” said Starbuck, who, with Stubb and Flask, had thus far been eyeing his superior with increasing surprise, but at last seemed struck with a thought which somewhat explained all the wonder. “Captain Ahab, I have heard of Moby-Dick—but it was not Moby-Dick that took off thy leg?”

“Who told thee that?” cried Ahab; then pausing, “Aye, Starbuck; aye, my hearties all round; it was Moby-Dick that dismasted me; Moby-Dick that brought me to this dead stump I stand on now. Aye, aye,” he shouted with a terrific, loud, animal sob, like that of a heart-stricken moose; “Aye, aye! it was that accursed white whale that razeed me; made a poor pegging lubber8 for me forever and a day!” Then tossing both arms, with measureless imprecations he shouted out: “Aye, aye! and I’ll chase him round Good Hope, and round the Horn, and round the Norway Maelstrom, and round perdition’s flames before I give him up. And this is what ye have shipped for, men! to chase that white whale on both sides of land, and over all sides of earth, till he spouts black blood and rolls fin out. What say ye, men, will ye splice hands on it, now? I think ye do look brave.”

“Aye, aye!” shouted the harpooneers and seamen, running closer to the excited old man: “A sharp eye for the white whale; a sharp lance for Moby-Dick!”

“God bless ye,” he seemed to half sob and half shout. “God bless ye, men. Steward! go draw the great measure of grog. But what’s this long face about, Mr. Starbuck; wilt thou not chase the white whale? art not game for Moby-Dick?”

“I am game for his crooked jaw, and for the jaws of Death too, Captain Ahab, if it fairly comes in the way of the business we follow; but I came here to hunt whales, not my commander’s vengeance. How many barrels will thy vengeance yield thee even if thou gettest it, Captain Ahab? it will not fetch thee much in our Nantucket market.”

7. parmacetty (pär« mß set« è) n. dialect for spermaceti, a waxy substance taken from a sperm whale’s head and used to make candles.

8. lubber (lub« ßr) n. slow, clumsy person.

Literary AnalysisSymbol What image of Moby-Dick is created in this discussion?

What does Ahab say is his real purpose for making the voyage?

Strategy for Less Proficient ReadersTo help students comprehend the text, havethem list and discuss the physical traits thatAhab and the crew members say distinguishMoby-Dick from other whales. These includehis white color; his unique way of fanning histail before submerging; his unusual, large, and“bushy” spout; his quickness; and his hide,which contains several iron harpoons.

Strategy for English LearnersHelp improve students’ comprehensionwith the Series of Events Chain GraphicOrganizer in Graphic Organizer Transparencies,p. 311. Use this to help students connect theevents in the story.

9

10

362


“Nantucket market! Hoot! But come closer, Starbuck; thou requirest a little lower layer. If money’s to be the measurer, man, and the accountants have computed their great countinghouse the globe, by girdling it with guineas, one to every three parts of an inch; then, let me tell thee, that my vengeance will fetch a great premium here!”

“He smites his chest,” whispered Stubb, “what’s that for? methinks it rings most vast, but hollow.”

“Vengeance on a dumb brute!” cried Starbuck, “that simply smote thee from blindest instinct! Madness! To be enraged with a dumb thing, Captain Ahab, seems blasphemous.”

“Hark ye yet again—the little lower layer. All visible objects, man, are but as pasteboard masks. But in each event—in the living act, the undoubted deed—there, some unknown but still reasoning thing puts forth the moldings of its features from behind the unreasoning mask. If man will strike, strike through the mask! How can the prisoner reach outside except by thrusting through the wall? To me, the white whale is that wall, shoved near to me. Sometimes I think there’s naught beyond. But ’tis enough. He tasks me; he heaps me; I see in him outrageous strength, with an inscrutable malice sinewing it. That inscrutable thing is chiefly what I hate; and be the white whale agent, or be the white whale principal, I will wreak that hate upon him. Talk not to me of blas-phemy, man; I’d strike the sun if it insulted me. For could the sun do that, then could I do the other; since there is ever a sort of fair play herein, jealousy presiding over all creations. But not my master, man, is even that fair play. Who’s over me? Truth hath no confines. Take off thine eye! more intolerable than fiends’ glarings is a doltish stare! So, so; thou reddenest and palest; my heat has melted thee to anger-glow. But look ye, Starbuck, what is said in heat, that thing unsays itself. There are men from whom warm words are small indignity. I meant not to incense thee. Let it go. Look! see yonder Turkish cheeks of spotted tawn—living, breathing pictures painted by the sun. The pagan leopards—the unrecking and unworshiping things, that live, and seek, and give no reasons for the torrid life they feel! The crew, man, the crew! Are they not one and all with Ahab, in this matter of the whale? See Stubb! he laughs! See yonder Chilean! he snorts to think of it. Stand up amid the general hurricane, thy one tossed sapling cannot, Starbuck! And what is it? Reckon it. ’Tis but to help strike a fin; no wondrous feat for Starbuck. What is it more? From this one poor hunt, then, the best lance out of all Nantucket, surely he will not hang back, when every foremasthand has clutched a whetstone. Ah! constrainings seize thee; I see! the billow lifts thee! Speak, but speak!—Aye, aye! thy silence, then, that voices thee. (Aside) Something shot from my dilated nostrils, he has inhaled it in his lungs. Starbuck now is mine; cannot oppose me now, without rebellion.”

“God keep me!—keep us all!” murmured Starbuck, lowly.But in his joy at the enchanted, tacit acquiescence of the mate,

Ahab did not hear his foreboding invocation; nor yet the low laugh

Literary AnalysisSymbol and Theme What do Ahab’s comments say about the value of money compared with great desire?

Vocabulary Builderinscrutable (in skrØt« ß bßl) adj. not able to be easily understood

Literary AnalysisSymbol What insights into the whale’s symbolic meaning can you gain from a close reading of this passage?

Hunting RitualsAhab gathers his crew on the quarter-deck tobegin the hunt for Moby-Dick. The gatheringhas ceremonial aspects that echo the traditionof centuries of pre-hunt rituals. Tell studentsthat ever since the earliest Americans drummedand sang to address the animal spirits beforea hunt, many peoples have believed in thepower of ritual to aid their success. Forexample, before buffalo hunts, the Blackfeetand other Plains Indians held celebrations inwhich they prayed, danced, sang, smoked, and

made offerings to ensure that the animalswould come near enough to be taken.

Have students find out more about pre-huntrituals in North America or elsewhere. Havethem look for similarities and differencesamong them. Invite students to make classpresentations of their findings.

Literary AnalysisSymbol and Theme• Have students read this passage

and identify references to moneyand commerce (Nantucket market,money’s, accountants, computed,countinghouse, guineas, premium).

• Then, ask students how they knowAhab is using business metaphorsto emphasize the strength of hisdesire to catch and kill Moby-Dick.If necessary, point out his explicitreference to “my vengeance” andhis physical indication of his heart.

• Ask students the first LiteraryAnalysis question: What do Ahab’scomments say about the value ofmoney compared with greatdesire?Answer: Ahab views desire––evenif it is considered “vengeance”–– asfar more valuable than money.

Literary AnalysisSymbol• Read aloud the passage more than

once, so that students can focus onthe key ideas of Ahab’s speech.

• Help students understand Ahab’sreferences to masks. These tell thereader that the captain believesthat the whale’s behavior shows itto be acting in response to a mindand will, rather than by animalinstincts.

• Ask students the second LiteraryAnalysis question: What insightsinto the whale’s symbolic meaningcan you gain from a close readingof this passage?Answer: Close reading indicatesthat Ahab (and the reader) mustview the whale on both real andsymbolic levels. Ahab declares herethat he does not care whether thewhale acts on its own out of maliceor at the direction of anothergreater will (“Talk not to me ofblasphemy, man; I’d strike the sunif it insulted me”). Indeed, theunknowability of the whale’s—andby implication God’s—motives arethe very thing Ahab hates. Becauseit is hate that drives Ahab, his questis cast symbolically in this passageas hubris, or the placing of the selfabove the will of God as revealed innature, including the white whale.

12

11

11

12

363

Reading CheckAnswer: Ahab shares a pre-huntdrink with his crew in order to getthem to pledge their success in thehunt for Moby-Dick.

13


from the hold; nor yet the presaging vibrations of the winds in the cordage; nor yet the hollow flap of the sails against the masts, as for a moment their hearts sank in. For again Starbuck’s downcast eyes lighted up with the stubbornness of life; the subterranean laugh died away; the winds blew on; the sails filled out; the ship heaved and rolled as before. Ah, ye admonitions and warnings! why stay ye not when ye come? But rather are ye predictions than warnings, ye shadows! Yet not so much predictions from without, as verifications of the fore-going things within. For with little external to constrain us, the innermost necessities in our being, these still drive us on.

“The measure! the measure!” cried Ahab.Receiving the brimming pewter, and turning to the harpooneers, he

ordered them to produce their weapons. Then ranging them before him near the capstan,9 with their harpoons in their hands, while his three mates stood at his side with their lances, and the rest of the ship’s company formed a circle round the group; he stood for an instant searchingly eyeing every man of his crew. But those wild eyes met his, as the bloodshot eyes of the prairie wolves meet the eye of their leader, ere he rushes on at their head in the trail of the bison; but, alas! only to fall into the hidden snare of the Indian.

“Drink and pass!” he cried, handing the heavy charged flagon to the nearest seamen. “The crew alone now drink. Round with it, round! Short drafts—long swallows, men; ’tis hot as Satan’s hoof. So, so; it goes round excellently. It spiralizes in ye; forks out at the serpent-snapping eye. Well done; almost drained. That way it went, this way it comes. Hand it me—here’s a hollow! Men, ye seem the years; so brimming life is gulped and gone. Steward, refill!

“Attend now, my braves. I have mustered ye all round this capstan; and ye mates, flank me with your lances; and ye harpooneers, stand there with your irons; and ye, stout mariners, ring me in, that I may in some sort revive a noble custom of my fishermen fathers before me. O men, you will yet see that—Ha! boy, come back? bad pennies come

9. capstan (kap« sten) n. large cylinder, turned by hand, around which cables are wound.

With whom does Ahab share a drink? For what purpose?

Strategy for Less Proficient ReadersMoby-Dick is a huge novel, and when it is readin its entirety, the characters grow in detail andfullness before the reader’s eyes. In excerpts likethese, students may need help delineating thecharacters. For especially challenging passages,have students read each paragraph twice––once silently and once aloud. Help studentsidentify any fragments of dialogue or descrip-tion that seem important or suggestive about aparticular character.

Strategy for Advanced ReadersPoint out that Ahab could be described as suf-fering what the Greeks called hubris, or exces-sive pride. Invite these students to define theterm, to identify other tragic heroes who sharethis character trait, and to lead the class in adiscussion of how hubris might be said to applyto Ahab.

13


not sooner. Hand it me. Why, now, this pewter had run brimming again, wer’t not thou St. Vitus’ imp10—away, thou ague!11

“Advance, ye mates! cross your lances full before me. Well done! Let me touch the axis.” So saying, with extended arm, he grasped the three level, radiating lances at their crossed center; while so doing, suddenly and nervously twitched them; meanwhile glancing intently from Starbuck to Stubb; from Stubb to Flask. It seemed as though, by some nameless, interior volition, he would fain have shocked into them the same fiery emotion accumulated within the Leyden jar12 of his own magnetic life. The three mates quailed before his strong, sustained, and mystic aspect. Stubb and Flask looked sideways from him; the honest eye of Starbuck fell downright.

“In vain!” cried Ahab; “but, maybe, ’tis well. For did ye three but once take the full-forced shock, then mine own electric thing, that had perhaps expired from out me. Perchance, too, it would have dropped ye dead. Perchance ye need it not. Down lances! And now, ye mates, I do appoint ye three cupbearers to my three pagan kinsmen there—yon three most honorable gentlemen and noblemen, my valiant harpooneers. Disdain the task? What, when the great Pope washes the feet of beggars, using his tiara for ewer? Oh, my sweet cardinals! your own condescension, that shall bend ye to it. I do not order ye; ye will it. Cut your seizings and draw the poles, ye harpooneers!”

Silently obeying the order, the three harpooneers now stood with the detached iron part of their harpoons, some three feet long, held, barbs up, before him.

“Stab me not with that keen steel! Cant them; cant them over! know ye not the goblet end? Turn up the socket! So, so; now, ye cupbearers, advance. The irons! take them; hold them while I fill!” Forthwith, slowly going from one officer to the other, he brimmed the harpoon sockets with the fiery waters from the pewter.

“Now, three to three, ye stand. Commend the murderous chalices! Bestow them, ye who are now made parties to this indissoluble league. Ha! Starbuck! but the deed is done! Yon ratifying sun now waits to sit upon it. Drink, ye harpooneers! drink and swear, ye men that man the deathful whaleboat’s bow—Death to Moby-Dick! God hunt us all, if we do not hunt Moby-Dick to his death!” The long, barbed steel goblets were lifted; and to cries and maledictions against the white whale, the spirits were simultaneously quaffed down with a hiss. Starbuck paled, and turned, and shivered. Once more, and finally, the replenished pewter went the rounds among the frantic crew; when, waving his free hand to them, they all dispersed; and Ahab retired within his cabin.

10. St. Vitus’ imp offspring of St. Vitus, the patron saint of people stricken with the nervous disorder chorea, which is characterized by irregular, jerking movements.

11. ague (à« gyØ) n. a chill or fit of shivering.12. Leyden (lìd« ßn) jar n. glass jar coated inside and out with tinfoil and having a metal

rod connected to the inner lining; used to condense static electricity.

History ConnectionThe Legend of the White Whale

Herman Melville’s whaling experiences in the South Pacific provided him with rich material for his writing. While working aboard the whaling ship Acushnet, he often heard stories about an elusive, monstrous white whale. Melville expanded this legend—adding his knowledge of the day-to-day workings of a whaler—into his best-known work, Moby-Dick.

Melville also based his novel on an actual whaling disaster: the 1820 sinking of a Nantucket whaling ship, the Essex, by a sperm whale. Melville had read a first-person account of the disaster written by the ship’s first mate—one of eight survivors. The whale’s attack on the ship was believed to be both intentional and unprovoked.

Do you think it is possible for an animal such as a whale to act with destructive and even malicious intent? Explain.

Literary AnalysisSymbol What is Ahab’s symbolic purpose in having his harpooners drink from their weapons?

Vocabulary Buildermaledictions (mal« ß dik« shßnz) n. curses

364

Literature in ContextMelville When the Acushnetrounded Cape Horn and crossed thePacific Ocean to the MarquesasIslands in 1842, Melville deserted theship and headed inland. There heencountered the Typees, an islandtribe rumored to be cannibals. ToMelville’s surprise, the people werepeaceful and generous. He was touse this experience later as the basisfor his 1846 novel Typee.

Connect to the Literature Reviewwith students Ahab’s perception ofMoby-Dick’s behavior. Encouragethem to cite examples of animalswho have behaved in an extraordi-nary way, whether good or bad.Answer: Students should supporttheir answers with appropriate rea-soning and examples.

Literary AnalysisSymbol• Encourage students to visualize or

model what the harpooners aredoing, as well as what Ahab has inmind.

• If necessary, help students under-stand that the harpooners areremoving the iron part of their har-poons and up-ending the socketsto use as cups, which Ahab will fillwith drink.Ask students the Literary Analysisquestion: What is Ahab’s symbolicpurpose in having his harpoonersdrink from their weapons?Answer: Ahab may wish them toparticipate in a pre-hunt ritual thatsymbolizes a common mission andallegiance. The act of drinking fromtheir weapons symbolically bindsthem together as extensions ofAhab’s vision and vengeance.Students may mention that thedrinking from the “chalices” is rem-iniscent of religious rituals.

Vocabulary BuilderLatin Prefix mal-• Point out the word maledictions in

the bracketed sentence. Tell stu-dents that mal- means “bad.”

• Have students look up this word ina dictionary.

• As a class, have students suggestother words that contain mal-.Possibilities include: malicious,malign, malodorous, maladroit.

16

15

14

Moby-DickMoby-Dick is a long and complex novel that canbe divided into five parts. In the first part, thereader meets Ishmael, the story’s narrator, andlearns of his relationship with the harpoonerQueequeg. The chapter “The Quarter-Deck”appears in the next part of the book, thesection that develops the character of Ahaband the conflict between Ahab and Moby-Dick.Parts three and four are concerned with thebusiness of the Pequod and the general subjectof whales and whaling. “The Chase––Third

Day” is the last chapter of the fifth and finalpart, in which Melville focuses on the searchfor––and confrontation with––the great whale.In a one-page epilogue, Ishmael tells how hesurvived to tell his tale: He was rescued byanother ship, the Rachel, “that in her retracingsearch after her missing children, only foundanother orphan.”Melville’s reference is to the Bible’s book ofJeremiah in which Rachel is said to be weepingfor her children, “because they were not.”

14

15

16

365

HumanitiesMoby-Dick, 1930, by Rockwell Kent

Throughout his life, Kent tested hisdevotion to nature. He spentextended time in some of theplanet’s coldest and most remote,severe environments. Kent capturedthese experiences in his drawings,paintings, illustrations, and prints insome of the most authenticevocations of nature’s power intwentieth-century art. Use thefollowing question for discussion:

• What evidence of symbolism canyou find in this image?Possible answer: The smallwhales are fleeing Moby-Dick asthe giant surfaces. The act ofsurfacing might represent thedestiny of the whale in this novel.

Critical ViewingAnswer: Students may infer that thewhale pictured here is huge. Theirinference might be based on theproximity of three small whales. Ifthese are swimming in the vicinity ofthe large one, then the latter isindeed enormous.

Reading StrategyRecognizing Symbols• Have a student volunteer read this

passage as you––or students––write on the chalkboard wordsand phrases that Melville uses tocharacterize the wind.

• Lead students to see that theseimages include wild winds, vilewind, tainted, noble and heroicthing, coward wind, bodiless, mostspecial . . . most cunning, gloriousand gracious, and so on.

Monitor Progress: Ask studentsthe Reading Strategy question:What does the wind symbolize to Ahab?Answer: The wind symbolizes themaddening, sometimes ineffable,noble, and glorious power ofnature. He absolves it of malice,however, unlike Moby-Dick.

Reading CheckAnswer: The Pequod is in its thirdday of pursuing Moby-Dick.

20

19

18

17


qAfter Moby-Dick has been sighted in the Pacific Ocean, the

Pequod’s boats pursue the whale for two days. One of the boats has been sunk, and Ahab’s ivory leg has been broken off. How-

qever, as the next day dawns, the chase continues.

The Chase—Third DayThe morning of the third day dawned fair and

fresh, and once more the solitary night man at the foremasthead was relieved by crowds of the daylight lookouts, who dotted every mast and almost every spar.

“D’ye see him?” cried Ahab; but the whale was not yet in sight.

“In his infallible wake, though; but follow that wake, that’s all. Helm there; steady, as thou goest, and hast been going. What a lovely day again! were it a new-made world, and made for a summerhouse to the angels, and this morning the first of its throwing open to them, a fairer day could not dawn upon that world. Here’s food for thought, had Ahab time to think; but Ahab never thinks; he only feels, feels, feels; that’s tingling enough for mortal man! to think’s audacity. God only has that right and privilege. Thinking is, or ought to be, a coolness and a calmness; and our poor hearts throb, and our poor brains beat too much for that. And yet, I’ve sometimes thought my brain was very calm—frozen calm, this old skull cracks so, like a glass in which the contents turned to ice, and shiver it. And still this hair is growing now; this moment growing, and heat must breed it; but no, it’s like that sort of common grass that will grow anywhere, between the earthy clefts of Greenland ice or in Vesuvius lava. How the wild winds blow it; they whip it about me as the torn shreds of split sails lash the tossed ship they cling to. A vile wind that has no doubt blown ere this through prison corridors and cells, and wards of hospitals, and ventilated them, and now comes blowing hither as innocent as fleeces.13 Out upon it!—it’s tainted. Were I the wind, I’d blow no more on such a wicked, miserable world. I’d crawl somewhere to a cave, and slink there. And yet, ’tis a noble and heroic thing, the wind! who ever conquered it? In every fight it has the last and bitterest blow. Run tilting at it, and you but run through it. Ha! a coward wind that strikes stark-naked men, but will not stand to receive a single blow. Even Ahab is a braver thing—a

Mo

by-

Dic

k, R

ockw

ell K

ent

13. fleeces (flès« ßz) n. sheep.

Critical Viewing Draw an inference about the size of the whale pictured. On what details do you base your inference? [Infer]

Reading StrategyRecognizing Symbols What does the wind symbolize to Ahab?

For how long has the Pequod pursued Moby-Dick?

Support for Special Needs StudentsThese students may benefit from seeing someor all of a dramatized version of Melville’ssprawling story. Of course, Moby-Dick has allthe elements of a blockbuster movie––compelling characters, exotic locations, and one of the largest movie “villains” imaginable––and filmmakers have tried anumber of times to bring to the screenMelville’s tale of the great white whale.

One of the best attempts was made by direc-tor John Huston, who cast Gregory Peck as Ahab

in the 1956 film Moby Dick. Screen a video ofthis production for students. Have studentsview one or more scenes in order to helpthem appreciate the characterizations of Ahab,Starbuck, and Ishmael; the evocations of thewhale as a symbol of nature’s power and ofthe untamable; and the various conflicts thatdrive the story forward.

17

18

20

19


14. doubloon (du blØn«) n. old Spanish gold coin. (Ahab offered it as a reward to the first man to spot the whale.)

15. hempen basket rope basket. (The basket was constructed earlier by Ahab, so that he could be raised, by means of a pulley device, to the top of the mainmast.)

Humanities ConnectionThe Whale as Archetype

An archetype is an image, a symbol, a character, or a plot that recurs so consistently across cultures and time that it is considered universal. The term comes from Swiss psychologist Carl Jung (1875–1961), who believed that certain human experiences have become a shared genetic memory. According to Jung, this “collec-tive unconscious” explains why archetypes evoke strong feelings in people of all cultures.

The whale had made many appearances in myth, folklore, literature, and art well before Melville used it as a central symbol in Moby-Dick. Perhaps the most famous is the biblical tale in which Jonah is swallowed by a whale and then cast ashore. Because the whale is the largest of all animals, its image evokes fear and awe, as well as a sense of the power of nature. In Moby-Dick, Melville used these archetypal associations to create fiction of enduring power.

Do you think modern readers react with fear and awe to the image of a whale? Explain.

nobler thing than that. Would now the wind but had a body but all the things that most exasperate and outrage mortal man, all these things are bodiless, but only bodiless as objects, not as agents. There’s a most special, a most cunning, oh, a most mali-cious difference! And yet, I say again, and swear it now, that there’s something all glorious and gracious in the wind. These warm trade winds, at least, that in the clear heavens blow straight on, in strong and steadfast, vigorous mildness; and veer not from their mark, however the baser currents of the sea may turn and tack, and mightiest Mississippis of the land swift and swerve about, uncertain where to go at last. And by the eternal poles! these same trades that so directly blow my good ship on; these trades, or something like them—something so unchange-able, and full as strong, blow my keeled soul along! To it! Aloft there! What d’ye see?”

“Nothing, sir.”“Nothing! and noon at hand! The doubloon14 goes a-begging!

See the sun! Aye, aye, it must be so. I’ve oversailed him. How, got the start? Aye, he’s chasing me now; not I, him—that’s bad; I might have known it, too. Fool! the lines—the harpoons he’s towing.

Aye, aye, I have run him by last night. About! about! Come down, all of ye, but the regular lookouts! Man the braces!”

Steering as she had done, the wind had been somewhat on the Pequod’s quarter, so that now being pointed in the reverse direction, the braced ship sailed hard upon the breeze as she rechurned the cream in her own white wake.

“Against the wind he now steers for the open jaw,” murmured Starbuck to himself, as he coiled the new-hauled main brace upon the rail. “God keep us, but already my bones feel damp within me, and from the inside wet my flesh. I mis-doubt me that I disobey my God in obeying him!”

“Stand by to sway me up!” cried Ahab, advancing to the hempen basket.15 “We should meet him soon.”

“Aye, aye, sir,” and straightway Starbuck did Ahab’s bidding, and once more Ahab swung on high.

A whole hour now passed; gold-beaten out to ages. Time itself now held long breaths with keen suspense. But at last, some three points off the weather bow, Ahab descried the spout again, and instantly from the three mastheads three shrieks went up as if the tongues of fire had voiced it.

“Forehead to forehead I meet thee, this third time, Moby-Dick! On deck there!—brace sharper up; crowd her into the

366

Literature in ContextThe Whale as ArchetypeIn the biblical tale, the great fish isportrayed as the embodiment of evil.Jonah is sent by God to the city ofNinevah to prophesy about the city’swickedness. To escape God’s order,Jonah heads in the opposite direc-tion. However, his ship is engulfedby an extraordinary storm. Knowingthat his disobedience has caused thestorm, Jonah asks to be thrownoverboard. He is swallowed by a“great fish,” stays inside it forthree days and nights, and is finallyvomited onto land. The ninthchapter of Melville’s Moby-Dickaddresses the story of Jonah directly.

Connect to the Literature Askstudents how they react to the imageof a whale. How might it differentfrom their reactions to a huge, mys-terious, fearsome creature aboutwhom they know very little?Possible answer: Because of scien-tific advances, modern readers knowmore about whales and their behav-ior. Many modern readers probablyhave seen whales at aquariums anddo not fear them. However, awhale’s size and power might stillinspire awe.

Literary AnalysisSymbol• Have a student volunteer read this

passage in which Ahab addressesthe masthead and then begins tocompare himself to it.

• Ask students the Literary Analysisquestion on p. 367: What symbolicmeaning do you find in the com-parison between Ahab and the mast?

• As students consider the question,you might list words and phrasesfrom their responses in a Venndiagram on the chalkboard. Thisdiagram can help students seethe similarities and differencesbetween Ahab and the masthead.Answer: Students may say that toAhab the mast represents hisresolve in his quest for Moby-Dick.The mast stands alone, tall, strong,and long lasting, as he does in hissingle-mindedness.

22

21

WhalesIn existence for over ten million years, whalesare among the world’s most ancient and intelli-gent animals. They also are the largest: Theblue whale is heavier and longer than anyknown dinosaur. Invite students to find outmore about these amazing mammals. They canfind interesting information as they work toanswer questions like these:1. How do whales keep warm? How deep do

they dive?

2. How are the swimming methods of whalesand of fish different? How far can whalesswim?

3. What is the world’s whale population today?Are whales in danger of extinction?

4. How do whales, porpoises, and dolphinsdiffer?

5. How do whales communicate with oneanother?

Invite students to share their findings.

21

367

BackgroundLiteratureThe Parsee is a Persian sailor who dis-appeared in the previous chapter ofthe novel. Earlier in the book, a pre-diction was made that he would diebefore Ahab but that Ahab would seehim once more before his owndeath.

Critical ThinkingAnalyze• Have three students––playing

Ahab, Starbuck, and thenarrator––read aloud this passage.

• Ask students to explain what ishappening in this exchangebetween Ahab and Starbuck.Answer: Students may respondthat Ahab is expressing fear andapprehension prior to this (his nextattempt to kill Moby-Dick) and thatStarbuck is making one last futileeffort to persuade Ahab to forgothe quest.

Reading CheckAnswer: Starbuck begs Ahab not topursue Moby-Dick in a small har-pooning boat.

25

24

23


wind’s eye. He’s too far off to lower yet, Mr. Starbuck. The sails shake! Stand over that helmsman with a topmaul! So, so; he travels fast, and I must down. But let me have one more good round look aloft here at the sea; there’s time for that. An old, old sight, and yet somehow so young; aye, and not changed a wink since I first saw it, a boy, from the sand hills of Nantucket! The same!—the same!—the same to Noah as to me. There’s a soft shower to leeward. Such lovely leewardings! They must lead somewhere—to something else than common land, more palmy than the palms. Leeward! the white whale goes that way; look to wind-ward, then; the better if the bitterer quarter. But good-bye, good-bye, old masthead! What’s this?—green? aye, tiny mosses in these warped cracks. No such green weather stains on Ahab’s head! There’s the difference now between man’s old age and matter’s. But aye, old mast, we both grow old together; sound in our hulls, though, are we not, my ship? Aye, minus a leg, that’s all. By heaven this dead wood has the better of my live flesh every way. I can’t compare with it; and I’ve known some ships made of dead trees outlast the lives of men made of the most vital stuff of vital fathers. What’s that he said? he should still go before me, my pilot; and yet to be seen again? But where? Will I have eyes at the bottom of the sea, supposing I descend those endless stairs? and all night I’ve been sailing from him, wherever he did sink to. Aye, aye, like many more thou told’st direful truth as touching thyself, O Parsee; but, Ahab, there thy shot fell short. Good-bye, masthead—keep a good eye upon the whale, the while I’m gone. We’ll talk tomorrow, nay, tonight, when the white whale lies down there, tied by head and tail.”

He gave the word; and still gazing round him, was steadily lowered through the cloven blue air to the deck.

In due time the boats were lowered; but as standing in his shallop’s stern, Ahab just hovered upon the point of the descent, he waved to the mate—who held one of the tackle ropes on deck—and bade him pause.

“Starbuck!”“Sir?”“For the third time my soul’s ship starts upon this voyage, Starbuck.”“Aye, sir, thou wilt have it so.”“Some ships sail from their ports, and ever afterwards are missing,

Starbuck!”“Truth, sir: saddest truth.”“Some men die at ebb tide; some at low water; some at the full of

the flood—and I feel now like a billow that’s all one crested comb, Starbuck. I am old—shake hands with me, man.”

Their hands met; their eyes fastened; Starbuck’s tears the glue.“Oh, my captain, my captain!—noble heart—go not—go not!—see,

it’s a brave man that weeps; how great the agony of the persuasion then!”

“Lower away!”—cried Ahab, tossing the mate’s arm from him. “Stand by the crew!”

In an instant the boat was pulling round close under the stern.

Literary AnalysisSymbol What symbolic meaning do you find in the comparison between Ahab and the mast?

What does Starbuck beg Ahab to do?

22

23

24

25


“The sharks! the sharks!” cried a voice from the low cabin window there; “O master, my master, come back!”

But Ahab heard nothing; for his own voice was high-lifted then; and the boat leaped on.

Yet the voice spake true; for scarce had he pushed from the ship, when numbers of sharks, seemingly rising from out the dark waters beneath the hull, maliciously snapped at the blades of the oars, every time they dipped in the water; and in this way accompanied the boat with their bites. It is a thing not uncommonly happening to the whaleboats in those swarming seas; the sharks at times apparently following them in the same prescient way that vultures hover over the banners of marching regiments in the east. But these were the first sharks that had been observed by the Pequod since the White Whale had been first descried; and whether it was that Ahab’s crew were all such tiger-yellow barbarians, and therefore their flesh more musky to the senses of the sharks—a matter sometimes well known to affect them—however it was, they seemed to follow that one boat without molesting the others.

“Heart of wrought steel!” murmured Starbuck gazing over the side, and following with his eyes the receding boat—“canst thou yet ring boldly to that sight?—lowering thy keel among ravening sharks, and followed by them, open-mouthed to the chase; and this the critical third day?—For when three days flow together in one continuous intense pursuit; be sure the first is the morning, the second the noon, and the third the evening and the end of that thing—be that end what it may. Oh! my God! what is this that shoots through me, and leaves me so deadly calm, yet expectant—fixed at the top of a shudder! Future things swim before me, as in empty outlines and skeletons; all the past is somehow grown dim. Mary, girl; thou fadest in pale glories behind me; boy! I seem to see but thy eyes grown wondrous blue.16 Strangest problems of life seem clearing; but clouds sweep between—Is my journey’s end coming? My legs feel faint; like his who has footed it all day. Feel thy heart—beats it yet? Stir thyself, Starbuck!—stave it off—move, move! speak aloud!—Masthead there! See ye my boy’s hand on the hill?—Crazed—aloft there!—keep thy

16. Mary . . . blue reference to Starbuck’s wife and son.

Vocabulary Builderprescient (presh«ßnt) adj. having foreknowledge

Mob

y-D

ick,

Roc

kwel

l Ken

t

Critical Viewing What details from Moby-Dick did the artist probably use to create this illustration? [Hypothesize]

368

Whale SongsSome people––scientists and musiciansalike––are fascinated by the mysterious,mournful, musical sounds whales make asthey communicate with one another. Theirgroans, yips, and wails can carry many milesthrough and across the water. Humpbackwhales, in particular, are skillful performers:Each male sings its own unique song (whichcan last for up to thirty-five minutes) overand over again.

Obtain recordings of whale songs to playfor students. For example, on the Judy Collinsalbum Whales and Nightingales, the traditionalsea song “Farewell to Tarwathie” incorporatesmelodies of the humpback whale. Invite stu-dents to freewrite in response to thesounds they hear.

Reading StrategyRecognizing Symbols• As you read aloud this passage,

ask students to think about thepossible symbolic meaning of thesharks that surround Ahab andfollow him in his small boat.

• Help students understand that thesharks separate Ahab further fromhis crew. Moreover, they suggestin a symbolic way that Ahab’spursuit of the white whale isfoolish and doomed. The sharksadd an extra element of danger;they are harbingers of death.

HumanitiesMoby-Dick, 1930, by Rockwell Kent

This is another of Rockwell’s pen-and-ink drawings for the Lakeside Pressedition of Moby-Dick. Use the follow-ing question for discussion.

• What evidence of symbolism canyou find in this image?Possible answer: Although thewhale is largely out of sight, it isresponsible for the chaos anddestruction portrayed in the image.The whale’s partial concealmentbeneath the sea may symbolizethe “masked,” “inscrutable”malice that Ahab sees in Moby-Dick’s actions.

Critical ViewingAnswer: Students may respondthat the artist used many detailsfrom Moby-Dick to create this illustra-tion, among them the descriptions ofthe boats, harpoons, and lines,as well as the descriptions of the size,speed, and power of Moby-Dick ashe dives and surfaces.

Reading StrategyRecognizing Symbols• Tell students that three is a tradi-

tional symbol echoing the trinityin Christian belief. The thirdnumber often represents finality.

• Ask students to explain the signifi-cance of Starbuck’s reference tothe number three here.Answer: Usually the voice ofpracticality, Starbuck nowrecognizes the grim meaning ofthe three-day chase. Ahab andthe crew are now in the thirdday, and Starbuck seems to sensea mystical significance in thelength of time the chase has taken.

29

28

27

26

28

26

27

29


keenest eye upon the boats—mark well the whale!—Ho! again!—drive off that hawk! see! he pecks—he tears the vane”—pointing to the red flag flying at the maintruck—“Ha, he soars away with it!—Where’s the old man now? see’st thou that sight, oh Ahab!—shudder, shudder!”

The boats had not gone very far, when by a signal from the mastheads—a downward pointed arm, Ahab knew that the whale had sounded; but intending to be near him at the next rising, he held on his way a little sideways from the vessel; the becharmed crew maintaining the profoundest silence, as the head-beat waves hammered and ham-mered against the opposing bow.

“Drive, drive in your nails, oh ye waves! to their uttermost heads drive them in! ye but strike a thing without a lid; and no coffin and no hearse can be mine:—and hemp only can kill me! Ha! ha!”

Suddenly the waters around them slowly swelled in broad circles; then quickly upheaved, as if sideways sliding from a submerged berg of ice, swiftly rising to the surface. A low rumbling sound was heard; a subterraneous hum; and then all held their breaths; as bedraggled with trailing ropes, and harpoons, and lances, a vast form shot length-wise, but obliquely from the sea. Shrouded in a thin drooping veil of mist, it hovered for a moment in the rainbowed air; and then fell swamping back into the deep. Crushed thirty feet upwards, the waters flashed for an instant like heaps of fountains, then brokenly sank in a shower of flakes, leaving the circling surface creamed like new milk round the marble trunk of the whale.

“Give way!” cried Ahab to the oarsmen, and the boats darted forward to the attack; but maddened by yesterday’s fresh irons that corroded in him, Moby-Dick seemed combinedly possessed by all the angels that fell from heaven. The wide tiers of welded tendons over-spreading his broad white forehead, beneath the transparent skin, looked knitted together; as head on, he came churning his tail among the boats; and once more flailed them apart; spilling out the irons and lances from the two mates’ boats, and dashing in one side of the upper part of their bows, but leaving Ahab’s almost without a scar.

While Daggoo and Queequeg were stopping the strained planks; and as the whale swimming out from them, turned, and showed one entire flank as he shot by them again; at that moment a quick cry went up. Lashed round and round to the fish’s back; pinioned in the turns upon turns in which, during the past night, the whale had reeled the involutions of the lines around him, the half-torn body of the Parsee was seen; his sable raiment frayed to shreds; his distended eyes turned full upon old Ahab.

The harpoon dropped from his hand.“Befooled, befooled!”—drawing in a long lean breath—“Aye, Parsee! I

see thee again—Aye, and thou goest before; and this, this then is the hearse that thou didst promise. But I hold thee to the last letter of thy word. Where is the second hearse? Away, mates, to the ship! those boats are useless now; repair them if ye can in time, and return to me; if not, Ahab is enough to die—Down, men! the first thing that but offers

Literary AnalysisSymbol What symbolic meaning is suggested by the description of the whale’s behavior as he breaks the water’s surface?

Reading StrategyRecognizing Symbols What does Ahab realize when he sees Parsee’s body lashed to Moby-Dick?

What happens to Parsee?

369

Literary AnalysisSymbol• If necessary, draw students’ atten-

tion to the import of what is aboutto happen: Moby-Dick is about tosurface. Point out that––given thesymbolic associations Melville hasestablished already for the whitewhale––the descriptive details ofthe whale’s appearance are boundto carry symbolic meaning.

• Ask students the Literary Analysisquestion: What symbolic meaningis suggested by the description ofthe whale’s behavior as he breaksthe water’s surface?Answer: The description of thewhale’s behavior, rising slowly atfirst so that the water shows myste-rious portents of his presence, thenbursting from the sea into the airand seeming to hang suspendedthere, symbolizes Moby-Dick’snear-supernatural status as Ahab’snemesis.

Reading StrategyRecognizing Symbols• If necessary, remind students of the

identity of the Parsee and of hisprophecy regarding his own andAhab’s death (see p. 367).

• Ask students the Reading Strategyquestion: What does Ahab realizewhen he sees the Parsee’s bodylashed to Moby-Dick?Answer: He realizes that his owndeath is at hand.

Reading CheckAnswer: He has died and remainslashed to the body of Moby-Dick.

32

31

30

30

31

32

Strategy for Less Proficient ReadersThe paragraph beginning “Suddenly thewaters” marks the start of the dramatic finalclash with Moby-Dick. Encourage students topause here to picture the sudden appearanceof the whale and its powerful movements.Invite them to imagine the spray, the sounds,and the changing textures of the surface of thewater as the giant emerges from, and thendives back into, the depths. You might encour-age students to draw their own illustrations ofthis dramatic passage.

Strategy for English LearnersEncourage students to use the illustrationsaccompanying the selection to help them pic-ture and understand the action. Have themnote key details that they find in the illustra-tions that add meaning to what they encounterin the text. Then have students share and dis-cuss these details with other students.

370


to jump from this boat I stand in, that thing I harpoon. Ye are not other men, but my arms and my legs; and so obey me—Where’s the whale? gone down again?”

But he looked too nigh the boat; for as if bent upon escaping with the corpse he bore, and as if the particular place of the last encounter had been but a stage in his leeward voyage, Moby-Dick was now again steadily swimming forward; and had almost passed the ship—which thus far had been sailing in the contrary direction to him, though for the present her headway had been stopped. He seemed swimming with his utmost velocity, and now only intent upon pursuing his own straight path in the sea.

“Oh! Ahab,” cried Starbuck, “not too late is it, even now, the third day, to desist. See! Moby-Dick seeks thee not. It is thou, thou, that madly seekest him!”

Setting sail to the rising wind, the lonely boat was swiftly impelled to leeward, by both oars and canvas. And at last when Ahab was sliding by the vessel, so near as plainly to distinguish Starbuck’s face as he leaned over the rail, he hailed him to turn the vessel about, and follow him, not too swiftly, at a judicious interval. Glancing upwards he saw Tashtego, Queequeg, and Daggoo, eagerly mounting to the three mast-heads; while the oarsmen were rocking in the two staved boats which had just been hoisted to the side, and were busily at work in repairing them, one after the other, through the portholes, as he sped, he also caught flying glimpses of Stubb and Flask, busying themselves on deck among bundles of new irons and lances. As he saw all this; as he heard the hammers in the broken boats; far other hammers seemed driving a nail into his heart. But he rallied. And now marking that the vane or flag was gone from the main masthead, he shouted to Tashtego, who had just gained that perch, to descend again for another flag, and a hammer and nails, and so nail it to the mast.

Whether fagged by the three days’ running chase, and the resis-tance to his swimming in the knotted hamper he bore; or whether it was some latent deceitfulness and malice in him: whichever was true, the White Whale’s way now began to abate, as it seemed, from the boat so rapidly nearing him once more; though indeed the whale’s last start had not been so long a one as before. And still as Ahab glided over the waves the unpitying sharks accompanied him; and so pertinaciously stuck to the boat; and so continually bit at the plying oars, that the blades became jagged and crunched, and left small splinters in the sea, at almost every dip.

“Heed them not! those teeth but give new rowlocks to your oars. Pull on! ’tis the better rest, the sharks’ jaw than the yielding water.”

“But at every bite, sir, the thin blades grow smaller and smaller!”“They will last long enough! pull on!—But who can tell”—he

muttered—“whether these sharks swim to feast on the whale or on Ahab?—But pull on! Aye, all alive, now—we near him. The helm! take the helm! let me pass”—and so saying, two of the oarsmen helped him forward to the bows of the still flying boat.

Literary AnalysisSymbol and Theme What does Melville mean when he describes Ahab as being tormented by “far other hammers?”

Vocabulary Builderpertinaciously (p†r« tß nà« shßs lè) adv. unyieldingly

CetologyCetology is the branch of zoology that dealswith the study of cetaceans, a mammalianorder that includes whales and dolphins.Oceanography is the study of the oceanenvironments, including analysis of thewater, ocean depths, sea beds, animals, andplants. Invite interested students to researchwhat kinds of work scientists at the cuttingedge of these branches of science are doingcurrently. To research today’s cetology oroceanography issues, students can use the

Internet, books, scientific journals, or magazinessuch as Nature or Natural History. Studentsmight even interview scientists who are doingresearch in either field. Suggest that studentsget started on their research by talking withtheir science teachers about the best researchpaths to follow.

Literary AnalysisSymbol and Theme• Remind sudents that every symbol

functions on two levels––a literalmeaning and a larger meaning––and that a theme is one of aliterary work’s central messages.

• Ask students the Literary Analysisquestion: What does Melvillemean when he describes Ahabas being tormented by “farother hammers?”Possible response: He meansthat Ahab briefly feels a stab ofregret and remorse when hepasses the Pequod and sees hismen working hard to repairdamage Moby-Dick has done.

Critical ThinkingSpeculate• Read this passage aloud and ask

students to identify the surprisingidea that the narrator seems tobe suggesting. If necessary, pointout that Ishmael is suggestingthat Moby-Dick may be givingup the fight.

• Invite students to say what theythink will happen next.Answer: Students might respondthat because of what hashappened up to this point, thefight with Moby-Dick is far fromover. In fact, catastrophe may yetresult.

34

33

33

34


At length as the craft was cast to one side, and ran ranging along with the White Whale’s flank, he seemed strangely oblivious of its advance—as the whale sometimes will—and Ahab was fairly within the smoky mountain mist, which, thrown off from the whale’s spout, curled round his great Monadnock17 hump; he was even thus close to him; when, with body arched back, and both arms lengthwise high-lifted to the poise, he darted his fierce iron, and his far fiercer curse into the hated whale. As both steel and curse sank to the socket, as if sucked into a morass, Moby-Dick sidewise writhed; spasmodically rolled his nigh flank against the bow, and, without staving a hole in it, so suddenly canted the boat over, that had it not been for the elevated part of the gunwale to which he then clung, Ahab would once more have been tossed into the sea. As it was, three of the oarsmen—who foreknew not the precise instant of the dart, and were therefore unprepared for its effects—these were flung out; but so fell, that, in an instant two of them clutched the gunwale again, and rising to its level on a combing wave, hurled themselves bodily inboard again; the third man helplessly drop-ping astern, but still afloat and swimming.

Almost simultaneously, with a mighty volition of ungraduated, instantaneous swiftness, the White Whale darted through the weltering sea. But when Ahab cried out to the steersman to take new turns with the line, and hold it so; and commanded the crew to turn round on their seats, and tow the boat up to the mark; the moment the treacher-ous line felt that double strain and tug, it snapped in the empty air!

“What breaks in me? Some sinew cracks!—’tis whole again; oars! oars! Burst in upon him!”

Hearing the tremendous rush of the sea-crashing boat, the whale wheeled round to present his blank forehead at bay; but in that evolu-tion, catching sight of the nearing black hull of the ship; seemingly seeing in it the source of all his persecutions; bethinking it—it may be—a larger and nobler foe; of a sudden, he bore down upon its advancing prow, smiting his jaws amid fiery showers of foam.

Ahab staggered; his hand smote his forehead. “I grow blind; hands! stretch out before me that I may yet grope my way. Is’t night?”

“The whale! The ship!” cried the cringing oarsmen.“Oars! oars! Slope downwards to thy depths. O sea that ere it be

forever too late, Ahab may slide this last, last time upon his mark! I see: the ship! the ship! Dash on, my men! will ye not save my ship?”

But as the oarsmen violently forced their boat through the sledge-hammering seas, the before whale-smitten bow-ends of two planks burst through, and in an instant almost, the temporarily disabled boat lay nearly level with the waves; its half-wading, splashing crew, trying hard to stop the gap and bale out the pouring water.

Meantime, for that one beholding instant, Tashtego’s masthead hammer remained suspended in his hand; and the red flag, half wrapping him as with a plaid, then streamed itself straight out from

17. Monadnock (mß nad« näk) mountain in New Hampshire.

Literary AnalysisSymbol What symbolic connection between his own body and the boat does Ahab seem to feel?

Reading StrategyRecognizing Symbols What is symbolized by the red flag streaming out from Tashtego?

What happens to the boat carrying Ahab when it nears Moby-Dick?

371

Literary AnalysisSymbol• Have students note the rapid chain

of events in the bracketed passage:Moby-Dick, having nearly turnedthe boat over, swims swiftly away.Ahab orders the line connectingthe boat to the whale to be pulledtaut, to pull the boat closer to thewhale. The rope snaps in two, andAhab cries out.

• Then, ask students the LiteraryAnalysis question: What symbolicconnection between his own bodyand the boat does Ahab seem tofeel?Answer: Ahab seems to feel asthough the boat is an extension ofhis body.

Reading StrategyRecognizing Symbols• Draw students’ attention back to

the passage on p. 370 in whichAhab instructs Tashtego to nailanother flag to the main masthead,since a hawk has torn down theother and flown away with it.

• Ask students the Reading Strategyquestion: What is symbolized bythe red flag streaming out fromTashtego?Answer: Students might say thatthe flag symbolizes the passionatedesire of Tashtego, the crew, andAhab’s to vanquish the whitewhale; others might say that theflag symbolizes Ahab’s life, which isabout to be lost to the vast ocean.

Reading CheckAnswer: The boat is nearly capsizedby the whale’s rolling motion.

37

36

35

35

36 37

Enrichment for Gifted/Talented StudentsStudents might enjoy acting out part of theexciting action of this chapter. Have studentsprepare a script, using correct conventions andstyle to indicate dialogue and stage directions.Use page 91 in Writing and Grammar, RubyLevel, to help students draft their scripts.Guide students to rehearse lines and actionsbefore performing their scenes for the class.If possible, have students include props tomake their performances more realistic.

Support for Advanced ReadersGuide students to appreciate that the action isbecoming increasingly kaleidoscopic. Havethem notice that readers now catch only briefbits of the action, much as a sailor at the scenewould do in the midst of the chaos of battle.Also help students note that Ahab’s statementsbecome increasingly disjointed. Aside from thefrantic chase of the white whale, what dostudents think is causing Ahab’s strange,sometimes incomprehensible statements?


him, as his own forward-flowing heart; while Starbuck and Stubb, stand-ing upon the bowsprit beneath, caught sight of the down-coming monster just as soon as he.

“The whale, the whale! Up helm, up helm! Oh, all ye sweet powers of air, now hug me close! Let not Starbuck die, if die he must, in a woman’s fainting fit. Up helm I say—ye fools, the jaw! the jaw! Is this the end of all my bursting prayers? all my lifelong fidelities? Oh, Ahab, Ahab, lo, thy work. Steady! helmsman, steady. Nay, nay! Up helm again! He turns to meet us! Oh, his unappeasable brow drives on towards one, whose duty tells him he cannot depart. My God, stand by me now!”

“Stand not by me, but stand under me, whoever you are that will now help Stubb; for Stubb, too, sticks here. I grin at thee, thou grin-ning whale! Who ever helped Stubb, or kept Stubb awake, but Stubb’s own unwinking eye? And now poor Stubb goes to bed upon a mattress that is all too soft; would it were stuffed with brushwood! I grin at thee, thou grinning whale! Look ye, sun, moon, and stars! I call ye assassins of as good a fellow as ever spouted up his ghost. For all that, I would yet ring glasses with thee, would ye but hand the cup! Oh, oh! oh, oh! thou grinning whale, but there’ll be plenty of gulping soon! Why fly ye not, O Ahab! For me, off shoes and jacket to it; let Stubb die in his drawers! A most moldy and oversalted death, though—cherries! cherries! cherries! Oh, Flask, for one red cherry ere we die!”

“Cherries? I only wish that we were where they grow. Oh, Stubb, I hope my poor mother’s drawn my part-pay ere this; if not, few coppers will now come to her, for the voyage is up.”

From the ship’s bows, nearly all the seamen now hung inactive; hammers, bits of plank, lances, and harpoons, mechanically retained in their hands, just as they had darted from their various employ-ments; all their enchanted eyes intent upon the whale, which from side to side strangely vibrating his predestinating head, sent a broad band of overspreading semicircular foam before him as he rushed. Retribution, swift vengeance, eternal malice were in his whole aspect, and spite of all that mortal man could do, the solid white buttress of his forehead smote the ship’s starboard bow, till men and timbers reeled. Some fell flat upon their faces. Like dislodged trucks, the heads of the harpooneers aloft shook on their bull-like necks. Through the breach, they heard the waters pour, as mountain torrents down a flume.

“The ship! The hearse!—the second hearse!” cried Ahab from the boat; “its wood could only be American!”

Diving beneath the settling ship, the whale ran quivering along its keel; but turning under water, swiftly shot to the surface again, far off the other bow, but within a few yards of Ahab’s boat, where, for a time, he lay quiescent.

“I turn my body from the sun. What ho, Tashtego! let me hear thy hammer. Oh! ye three unsurrendered spires of mine; thou uncracked keel; and only god-bullied hull; thou firm deck, and haughty helm, and Polepointed prow—death-glorious ship! must ye then perish, and

Literary AnalysisSymbol What details in this paragraph suggest that the whale has become a symbol of retribution?

Literary AnalysisSymbol and Theme What thematic elements come together in Ahab’s climactic speech?

372

Literary AnalysisSymbol• Point out that Ahab himself articu-

lates the symbolic nature of thegreat whale in a conversation withStarbuck (see p. 362): “I see inhim outrageous strength, withan inscrutable malice sinewing it.”

• After reteaching symbol, readaloud with students the bracketedpassage and ask students the firstLiterary Analysis question: Whatdetails in this paragraph suggestthat the whale has become asymbol of retribution?Answer: Students may point todetails such as the whale’s “swiftvengeance” and the “eternalmalice [of] his whole aspect.”

• Remind students that it is thenarrator, Ishmael, who is tellingthe story. Ask students what issuggested by Ishmael’s descriptionof the whale as malicious andvengeful.Possible response: Students maypoint out that Ishmael’s accountsuggests that he has joined Ahabin his view of the whale as adeliberate agent of destruction.

Literary AnalysisSymbol and Theme• Read aloud this stirring speech,

or play the recording of it on theListening to Literature Audio CDs.

• Ask students the second LiteraryAnalysis question: What thematicelements come together in Ahab’sclimactic speech?Possible response: In Ahab’sspeech, Melville touches onthematic elements such aspersonal loyalty, death, humanity’ssearch for meaning in life, themysteries of nature, and goodand evil.

39

38

Impacts on Whale HuntingA decade after Moby-Dick was published, aNorwegian whaling captain developed twoinventions that revolutionized the whalingindustry. One was a new harpoon tipped withan exploding bomb to kill whales morequickly; the other was a faster, steam-poweredwhaling boat. As a result, more whales werekilled in the first forty years of the twentiethcentury than in the four preceding centuries.

For humanitarian reasons, many nations,including the United States, Canada, and most

of Europe, have stopped hunting whales.Japan and the former Soviet Union still dohunt, although international pressure tooutlaw whaling increases each year. Havestudents find out what whale products areused today and the current size of the world’swhale population. Ask them to give andsupport their opinion on whether or notwhaling should be prohibited internationally.

38

39


What happens to the Pequod?

Critical Viewing In this image from a film version of Moby-Dick, how do the filmmakers use a sense of scale to suggest the whale’s overwhelming power? [Analyze]

without me? Am I cut off from the last fond pride of meanest ship-wrecked captains? Oh, lonely death on lonely life! Oh, now I feel my topmost greatness lies in my topmost grief. Ho, ho! from all your fur-thest bounds, pour ye now in, ye bold billows of my whole foregone life, and top this one piled comber of my death! Towards thee I roll, thou all-destroying but unconquering whale; to the last I grapple with thee; from hell’s heart I stab at thee; for hate’s sake I spit my last breath at thee. Sink all coffins and all hearses to one common pool! and since neither can be mine, let me then tow to pieces, while still chasing thee, though tied to thee, thou damned whale! Thus, I give up the spear!”

The harpoon was darted; the stricken whale flew forward; with ignit-ing velocity the line ran through the groove;—ran foul. Ahab stooped to clear it; he did clear it; but the flying turn caught him round the neck, and voicelessly as Turkish mutes bowstring their victim, he was shot out of the boat, ere the crew knew he was gone. Next instant, the heavy eye splice in the rope’s final end flew out of the stark-empty tub, knocked down an oarsman, and smiting the sea, disappeared in its depths.

For an instant, the tranced boat’s crew stood still; then turned. “The ship? Great God, where is the ship?” Soon they through dim, bewildering mediums saw her sidelong fading phantom, as in the gas-eous fata morgana,18 only the uppermost masts out of water: while fixed by infatuation, or fidelity, or fate, to their once lofty perches, the pagan harpooneers still maintained their sinking lookouts on the sea. And now, concentric circles seized the lone boat itself, and all its crew, and each floating oar, and every lance pole, and spinning, animate and inanimate, all round and round in one vortex, carried the smallest chip of the Pequod out of sight.

But as the last whelmings intermixingly poured themselves over the sunken head of the Indian at the mainmast, leaving a few inches of the erect spar yet visible, together with long streaming yards of the flag, which calmly undulated, with ironical coincidings, over the destroying billows they almost touched—at that instant, a red arm and a hammer hovered backwardly uplifted in the open air, in the act of nailing the flag faster and yet faster to the subsiding spar. A sky hawk that tauntingly had followed the main-truck downwards from its natural home among


18. fata morgana (fät« ß môr gän« ß) n. mirage seen at sea.

373

Critical ViewingAnswer: The filmmakers showMoby-Dick’s huge jaw closing uponAhab’s tiny boat, which will clearlybe barely a mouthful for the greatwhale.

Reading CheckAnswer: The Pequod sinks in avortex of swirling water.

41

40

41

40

Strategy for Less Proficient ReadersUsing repeated oral readings, help studentsunderstand how Ahab dies. Guide them to seethat he is caught around the neck by theharpoon line and jerked from the boat. Hedies throwing a harpoon into a fleeing Moby-Dick and declaring his eternal hatred of theanimal. Have students use the same techniqueto recognize the fate of the Pequod.

Vocabulary for Gifted/Talented StudentsInvite students to review the text in orderto create a glossary of nautical and othertechnical terms for readers of Moby-Dick.Students’ entries might include such termsas capstan, harpoon, and keel.


the stars, pecking at the flag, and incommoding Tashtego there: this bird now chanced to intercept its broad fluttering wing between the hammer and the wood: and simultaneously feeling that ethereal thrill, the submerged savage beneath, in his deathgasp, kept his hammer frozen there: and so the bird of heaven, with archangelic shrieks, and his imperial beak thrust upwards, and his whole captive form folded in the flag of Ahab, went down with his ship, which, like Satan, would not sink to hell till she had dragged a living part of heaven along with her, and helmeted herself with it.

Now small fowls flew screaming over the yet yawning gulf; a sullen white surf beat against its steep sides; then all collapsed, and the great shroud of the sea rolled on as it rolled five thousand years ago.

Critical Reading1. Respond: Do you admire, despise, or pity Captain Ahab? Explain.

2. (a) Recall: What does Ahab offer to the crew member who spots Moby-Dick? (b) Infer: Why does Ahab feel it necessary to offer this incentive to his crew?

3. (a) Recall: What happened to Ahab in his previous encounter with Moby-Dick? (b) Interpret: What does Ahab’s obsession with Moby-Dick reveal about his character? (c) Compare and Contrast: In what ways is Starbuck different from Ahab?

4. (a) Recall: How does Starbuck interpret Ahab’s obsession with Moby-Dick? (b) Analyze: Why does Starbuck obey Ahab even though he disagrees with him?

5. (a) Recall: What happens to Ahab, Moby-Dick, and the Pequod at the end? (b) Analyze: What does the final paragraph indicate about the relationship between humanity and nature?

6. (a) Recall: What is Moby-Dick’s reaction when the Pequod first approaches his flank? (b) Compare and Contrast: How does Moby-Dick’s reaction to the ship illuminate the differences between the whale in reality and in Ahab’s imagination?

7. (a) Interpret: What does Ahab mean when he says, “Ahab never thinks; he only feels, feels, feels; that’s tingling enough for mortal man! to think’s audacity.” (b) Evaluate: Do you think Ahab’s beliefs about human nature are true? Explain.

8. Take a Position: This novel has been called a “voyage of the soul.” Would you agree or disagree with that assessment? Explain.

For: More about Herman Melville

Visit: www.PHSchool.comWeb Code: ere-9310

374

Answers

1. Students should support theirresponses with clear reasons andexamples from the text.

2. (a) Ahab offers a Spanish coinmade from one ounce of gold.(b) He may sense that they donot feel as strong a motivationas he does to hunt down thisparticular whale.

3. (a) He lost one of his legs. (b) It reveals that he is a stubborn,angry, and bitter man. (c) Starbuck is practical and realis-tic and is disturbed by Ahab’sobsession; in contrast, Ahab isobsessive and volatile.

4. (a) Starbuck sees the obsessionas vengeance against a dumbanimal. (b) Starbuck obeysbecause he is loyal and has servedAhab a long time; he also caresabout Ahab, and may unwillinglyadmire his courage.

5. (a) Ahab is caught by the fouled,or tangled, harpoon line, isyanked out of the boat anddisappears; with the harpoon inhim, Moby-Dick disappears; thePequod sinks. (b) Possibleresponse: Nature endures in theface of human mortality and isindifferent to human suffering.

6. (a) He surfaces and then disap-pears. (b) In his obsession, Ahabfeels pursued and tormented byMoby-Dick; in reality, Moby-Dickis trying to escape his pursuers.

7. (a) Ahab means that he––likemany human beings––ispowerless to resist followinghis emotions. Ahab implies thatthought is a “higher” processthat is best left to God. (b) Students should support theiropinions with evidence fromthe selection.

8. Many students may agree withthis assessment, given that thelast years of Ahab’s life arededicated to his journey to findand kill Moby-Dick.

For additional infor-mation about Herman

Melville, have students type in the WebCode, then select M from the alphabet,and then select Hermen Melville.

background - campbellsville high school - moby... · background moby-dick is the story of a man’s...

Documents