Moby Dick

1
Moby Dick

• By Herman Melville

2

• Please prepare to begin our study of Moby Dick by
  Herman Melville.

3
Main Characters

• Ishmael  - The narrator, and a young member of
  the crew of the Pequod.

4
Main Characters

• Captain Ahab  - The egomaniacal captain of the
  Pequod. Ahab lost his leg to Moby Dick.

5
Main Characters

• Mr. Starbuck  - The first mate of the Pequod,
  Starbuck seems the voice of reason and sanity in
  contrast to Ahabs growing madness, yet
  exemplifies respect, loyalty and compassion for
  Ahab, the crew, and even the white whale.

6
Main Characters

• Moby Dick  - The great white whale
• Major symbol of the story

7
Main Characters

• Queequeg  -  Starbucks skilled harpooner and
  Ishmaels best friend. Queequeg was once a prince
  from a South Sea island who stowed away on a
  whaling ship in search of adventure. He is a
  composite of elements of African, Polynesian,
  Islamic, Christian, and Native American cultures.
  He is brave and generous, and enables Ishmael to
  see that race has no bearing on a mans
  character.
• (excerpted from sparknotes.com)

8
Secondary Characters

• Stubb  - The second mate of the Pequod.

9
Secondary Characters

• Tashtego  - Stubbs harpooner.

10
Secondary Characters

• Flask  - The third mate of the Pequod.

11
Secondary Characters

• Pip  - A young black boy who fills the role of a
  cabin boy on the Pequod.

12
Secondary Characters

• Fedallah  - A strange, oriental whom Ahab has
  brought on board in secret for the sole purpose
  of killing the white whale. He is an almost
  supernaturally skilled hunter and also serves as
  a prophet to Ahab.

13
Secondary Characters

• Captain Peleg and Captain Bildad The principal
  owners of the Pequad (they hire Ishmael and
  Queequeg)

14
Secondary Characters

• Father Mapple  - A former whaleman and now the
  preacher in the New Bedford Whalemans Chapel

15
Major Themes

1. Whaling as a metaphor for life
2. Alienation
3. Friendship
4. Loyalty and obedience
5. Mans search for knowledge
6. Mans search for control over nature
7. Fate
8. Obsession

16
WRITING ARTICULATION
17
Writing SITUATION

• Where your story takes place is just as important
  as the storys plot or the characters themselves.
  Setting draws the reader further into the story
  world by creating or intensifying mood. They
  storys setting is also a significant part of its
  architecture. It frames the narratives meaning
  (theme) and often reflects the internal lives of
  the characters. Sometimes setting can even act as
  a symbol in the story.

18
Writing DIRECTIONS

• In a well-developed and insightful essay, analyze
  the various functions of setting that apply to
  your text (mood, characterization, symbol). Be
  sure to also discuss how setting reflects
  significant themes. Use evidence from the story
  to support your claims.

19

• Please take out your Moby Dick film notes
  packets. We will watch the first half of the film
  today.
• Tomorrow Independent readingbring your book (10
  points).
• Please take home your reading projects today.
• Advanced Placement applications due NLT Friday.

20
Biblical allusion - Parable of Jonah and the
Whale Told in Father Mapples sermonTHINK What
is the lesson people are supposed to learn from
the parable of Jonah? How is that storyand that
lesson--related to the story and the characters
in Moby Dick?

• Jonah was a prophet from Galilee and his story
  takes place somewhere between 780 B.C and 760
  B.C. During this period of history, Assyria was a
  powerful, evil nation and Israels most dreaded
  enemy. The Lord spoke to Jonah and told him to go
  to Nineveh, the capital of Assyria, and preach to
  the Ninevites. (Jonah 12) Jonah was supposed to
  warn the Ninevites to repent or suffer the
  consequences of their wickednessJonah had other
  ideas, though. Instead of heading for Nineveh, he
  took off for Tarshish, Spain. His motives could
  have been fear or revenge or both. The Assyrians
  had committed terrible atrocities against the
  people of Israel traveling into their midst
  would have been frightening. Jonah also despised
  the Assyrians and probably would have liked to
  see God punish them. Yet, Jonah knew Gods
  nature. He knew that if he preached repentance to
  the Ninevites, they would repent and God would
  spare them. (Jonah 42)
• Jonah hops on a boat headed for Tarshish,
  attempting to hide out from God. At night, a huge
  storm comes up and tosses the boat wildly. The
  sailors are afraid and all start to pray to their
  gods, while Jonah sleeps soundly below deck.
  (Jonah 14-6) The captain goes down to Jonahs
  cabin and pulls him out of bed. And they said to
  one another, Come, let us cast lots, that we may
  know for whose cause this trouble has come upon
  us. So they cast lots, and the lot fell on
  Jonah. (Jonah 17).
• The sailors all question Jonah about what hes
  done to bring this storm on them. He confesses
  that he is running away from the Lords will and
  tells the sailors to throw him overboard to spare
  their lives. This they do. (Jonah 18-15)
• As Jonah is sinking into the sea, a big fish
  (whale) swallows him. (Jonah 117) The story
  says that God intervenes and spares Jonahs life.
  Jonah sits in the whales belly for three days
  and nights. He spends that time in prayer
  thanking God for saving him. He is sincere in his
  prayer and God tells the whale to spit Jonah out
  on shore. (Jonah 21-10)
• http//www.essortment.com/all/jonahwhale_rsug.htm

21
Parable of Jonah and the WhaleBible Story

• Jonah in sailors' superstition
• A long-established expression among sailors uses
  the term a Jonah" as meaning a person (either a
  sailor or a passenger) whose presence on board
  brings bad luck and endangers the ship. This
  presumably arose from Christian sailors taking
  the Biblical story of Jonah at face value.
• Later on, this meaning was extended to "A Jonah"
  referring to "a person who carries a jinx, one
  who will bring bad luck to any enterprise. (from
  www.wikipedia.com)

22
Vocabulary

• charisma (noun) personal magnetism, charm or
  power of emotional persuasion
• charismatic (adj) uses personal magnetism,
  charm or power of emotional persuasion (charisma)
  to motivate and inspire people.
• Ahab is a charismatic leader.
• malice (noun) intent to harm
• If you do something with malice, you intended to
  cause harm.
• If you are absent of malice, it means you did not
  intend to cause harm.
• fluke (noun)
• 1. one side of a whales tail.
• 2. a stroke of luck a chance happening an
  accident.
• It was a fluke that a man found my stolen wallet
  in the bushes.

23
St. Elmos Fire

• A form of luminous corona discharge that
  sometimes occurs during electrical storms.
• St. Elmo is the patron saint of sailors.

24
(No Transcript)
25
(No Transcript)
26
(No Transcript)
27
St. Elmos Fire

• St. Elmos Fire is a luminous discharge of
  electricity extending into the atmosphere from
  some projecting or elevated object. It is usually
  observed (often during a snowstorm or a dust
  storm) as brush-like fiery jets extending from
  the tips of a ship's mast or spar, a wing,
  propeller, or other part of an aircraft, a
  steeple, a mountain top, or even from blades of
  grass or horns of cattle. Sometimes it plays
  about the head of a person, causing a tingling
  sensation. The phenomenon occurs when the
  atmosphere becomes charged and an electrical
  potential strong enough to cause a discharge is
  created between an object and the air around it.
  The amount of electricity involved is not great
  enough to be dangerous. The appearance of St.
  Elmo's fire is regarded as a portent of bad
  weather. The phenomenon, also known as corposant,
  was long regarded with superstitious awe.
  (factmosnster.com