For my final project, I will be painting a scene of whales breastfeeding! I was inspired by chapter 87, The Grand Armada, and Professor Pressman’s article on breastfeeding to make this for my final project! I am currently almost done with the painting, I just need to add some final touches, and I could bring to to class on Thursday to show!
Along with the painting, I will be writing the paper explaining why I chose this subject in particular. I wanted to analyze the aspect of the feminine nature of the ocean and the beauty of the whales breastfeeding in this moment, as the rest of the book is filled with violence of harming these beautiful creatures for what they can get from them.
Thesis: Despite no feminine presence aboard the Pequod, the vast oceans hold some of the most beautiful feminine nature within. Seen in chapter 87, The Grand Armada, we read of a beautiful scene of sperm whales that even describes nursing whales exuding a beautiful, tender moment of a womanly presence and act, breastfeeding! Although the presence of women is sparse in this book, Melville does grace us with a motherly nature in the ocean seen by these misunderstood creatures amid the violence they commit towards the whales throughout the rest of the book.
I like this idea very much, but as I’ve noted before, I don’t yet see a clear argument. I don’t think you want to essentialize that the female is always beautiful and feminine and about mothering, which is what you’re doing above… so, instead, can you clarify– what specifically do we get from the scene that you want to analyze? Is this about the novel giving us “grace”, a reprieve, from violence and masculine obsession? or is this about seeing “these misunderstood creatures”?– and are those creatures the whale or men? as it is unclear here “amdist the violence they commit towards the whales through the rest of the book.” I’d like to see you spend a bit more time fleshing out what this scene is illuminating and why you are painting a picture of it; likewise, you need to explain what your painting does to illuminate the scene. Is this a particularly visual scene, one that reads like a painting? I think so… so perhaps that could be a foundation from which to develop your claim…