The, The Whiteness Of The Whale - 1818 Words

Throughout his novel, Moby Dick, Herman Melville will often devote entire chapters to the thoughts and actions of specific characters. Two specific examples of this type of chapter are Chapter 36, The Quarter-Deck, and Chapter 42, The Whiteness of the Whale. The first of these chapters depicts Ahab addressing his crew for the first time in order to convince them to hunt down Moby Dick. The second offers insight to the fear that is brought upon by the mere mention of Moby Dick The significance and effectiveness of each of these chapters are enhanced by Melville’s use of rhetoric and style respectively. In Chapter 36, Ahab finally chooses to reveal the true purpose of this whaling voyage: To hunt down and kill Moby Dick. He does so through a grandiose speech in which he rallies almost the entire crew to his cause through a number of persuasive techniques. Ahab begins his speech by asking the crew a few basic questions about whaling. These questions lay out the basic purpose of this voyage: To hunt whales. In doing so, Ahab is laying the groundwork to convince the crew to hunt down a very specific whale: Moby Dick. In addition, the call-and-response used in this portion of the speech unifies and excites the crew, thereby making them more open to what Ahab is about to say. Immediately following this, Ahab reveals his desire to kill the White Whale and offers an ounce of gold to the first man to spot it. This use of bribery piques the interest of the crew and offers anShow MoreRelatedEssay about The Whiteness of the Whale878 Words   |  4 PagesThe Great White Whale and its Many Meanings Herman Melville, in his epic novel Moby-Dick, utilizes the symbolism of the color of the Great White Whale to demonstrate his theme of duality. However, Captain Ahab tragically had a single mind set towards Moby Dick, as he believed that the whale was the symbol of the worlds evil and had to be destroyed. On the other hand, Ishmael sees that the color white can mean many various and opposing things. It would be dangerous to settle upon any one singleRead MoreMoby Dick Themes1171 Words   |  5 PagesKnowledge As Ishmael tries, in the opening pages of Moby-Dick, to offer a simple collection of literary excerpts mentioning whales, he discovers that, throughout history, the whale has taken on an incredible multiplicity of meanings. Over the course of the novel, he makes use of nearly every discipline known to man in his attempts to understand the essential nature of the whale. Each of these systems of knowledge, however, including art, taxonomy, and phrenology, fails to give an adequate account.Read MoreAnalysis Of The Book Moby Dick Starts 949 Words   |  4 Pageschapter by Ishmael, â€Å"What and where is the skin of the whale?† (Melville 274) Ask anyone where the skin of an animal is that is in front of him or her and they would simply point downward to where the animal is, exclaiming, â€Å"right there on top.† But Ishmael wants to know everything about the whale. He wants to know about every layer and marking on the beast. In chapter 68 Ishmael talks about the skin of t he whale, calling it a blanket, â€Å"for the whale is indeed wrapt up in his blubber as in a real blanketRead More The Whale as Symbol in Moby Dick Essay1226 Words   |  5 PagesThe Whale as Symbol in Moby Dick That there are various perspectives to the white whale as symbol is a result of the value which Melville accords the symbol as a medium of expression. 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Whaling was an extremely dangerous and brutal practice that involved the inhumane capture and torture of essentially harmless creatures. â€Å"...the harpooner plunged his barbed weapon into the whale s back...At this moment of danger, the crew backed the boat away, as the whale thrashed in pain...When the whale tired, the crew pulled on the line to draw