Term Paper on "Moby Dick by Herman Melville"
Term Paper 4 pages (1293 words) Sources: 0
[EXCERPT] . . . .
Moby-Dick, Herman Melville tells a story of one man's anger. Captain Ahab, Captain of the whaling ship Pequod, is outraged because a great white whale caused him to lose his leg. Although his leg is healing, the wounds to Captain Ahab's huge ego fester. Ahab becomes obsessed with killing the whale, acting as if the whale deliberately insulted him. Ahab is clearly a strong and courageous man. He has great strength of will and tremendous self-reliance. Unfortunately for him, he is also rigid and inflexible. Setting himself above both God and nature, he has taken the accident so personally that his obsession with killing the whale he calls "Moby-Dick" borders on insanity. The second time Ahab tangles with the whale, not only will Ahab die but his ship will be destroyed. Only one person, the narrator -- Ishmael -- will live to tell the story of what happened to the Pequod.In the story, the narrator, Ishmael, signs on to a whaling ship, expecting to go on a hunt for the lucrative whale oil that makes the dangerous job worth the risk. Instead, the crew discovers that the captain intends to use the ship to avenge himself against the whale that took his leg. He nails a gold coin to the mast and uses liquor as motivation.
The reader doesn't realize at first just how dangerous the voyage is going to be, although Melville gives some clues. For instance, the manager of the place Ishmael sleeps before he sails is named "Coffin." Ishmael goes to a church service before he sales, where the preacher, Father Mappel, says, "Woe to him whom this world charms from Gospel duty...who seeks to pour oil upon the waters when God has brewed them into a gale...whose good name is more to him than goodn
download full paper ⤓
Ahab tells his officers and crew,.".. 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 razed me; made a poor pegging lubber of me for ever and a day... 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. " (pp. 160-161)
If Captain Ahab did not have so much power, the crew might be tempted to shout "Get over yourself, already! You're just not that important!" But in fact the captain's power is absolute. He bribes the men with the promise of gold for spotting the whale, and the men go along with him.
Starbuck, the Chief Mate, recognizes how foolish the captain's vendetta is, and says, " '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." (p. 161) Starbuck realizes that the captain's obsession is going to interfere with the search for whale oil. He has signed on to make money, not get even with one animal. As Starbuck debates with Ahab over the purpose… READ MORE
Quoted Instructions for "Moby Dick by Herman Melville" Assignment:
Moby Dick
Author: Herman Melville Textual Support and Citations of Textual Support must come from the following edition
Publisher WW Norton & Co.Copyright 2002
You should have a clear introduction with a clearly stated and FOCUSED thesis. Your thesis should be neither to broads nor too specific. You should have at least three supporting paragraphs which support your thesis in some way. You should have a good conclusion. YOU MUST HAVE TEXTUAL SUPPORT AND CITATION OF THAT TEXTUAL SUPPORT!
Topic: Discuss the relationship between Ishmael and Queequeg. How does their freindship occur despite the obvious cultural differnces they have? How are their outlooks on life similiar?
This high school uses turn it in to check for plagerism so please be accurate citations are correct and make sure that this is original work.
How to Reference "Moby Dick by Herman Melville" Term Paper in a Bibliography
“Moby Dick by Herman Melville.” A1-TermPaper.com, 2005, https://www.a1-termpaper.com/topics/essay/moby-dick-herman-melville-tells/5135710. Accessed 4 Oct 2024.
Related Term Papers:
Moby Dick by Herman Melville Term Paper
Moby Dick by Herman Melville is called a "masterpiece," and I can understand why. Melville has created an exciting story that at the same time allows him to express his… read more
Term Paper 3 pages (870 words) Sources: 0 Topic: Religion / God / Theology
Moby Dick by Herman Melville Term Paper
Moby Dick by Herman Melville [...] how the author informs the reader that Captain Ahab is not like other people. Captain Ahab is an extremely unlikable character that dominates this… read more
Term Paper 2 pages (698 words) Sources: 6 Style: MLA Topic: Literature / Poetry
Moby Dick Thesis
Moby Dick by Herman Melville
In this book, the author narrates a whaling adventure that the Captain Ahab hunts Moby Dick, the extremely large white whale that previously bit the… read more
Thesis 3 pages (955 words) Sources: 5 Style: MLA Topic: Literature / Poetry
Perspective Good and Evil in Moby Dick by Herman Melville Term Paper
Moby Dick
GOOD and EVIL in HERMAN MELVILLE'S
MOBY DICK
According to Melville scholar John Bryant, commenting in Ungraspable Phantom: Essays on Moby Dick, the Old Testament Hebrew word for… read more
Term Paper 4 pages (1387 words) Sources: 7 Style: MLA Topic: Religion / God / Theology
Symbolism of the White Whale in Moby Dick Term Paper
Moby Dick is a book full of symbolism, most of it religious in connotation. For example, all of the members of the Pequod's crew have biblical sounding or descriptive names.… read more
Term Paper 3 pages (814 words) Sources: 10 Style: MLA Topic: Literature / Poetry
Fri, Oct 4, 2024
If you don't see the paper you need, we will write it for you!
We can write a new, 100% unique paper!