Author Archives: Brock Stewart

Essay 1: “Oh Father, Where Art Thou”

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As Ishmael and Queequeg are seated in the chapel, a chosen individual with the illustrious title of Father Mapple, dramatically approaches the pulpit, looking down at his “simple hearers” to deliver an illustrious and ‘truthful’ sermon. However, this sermon is not just a delivery of divine truth, but a masterful manipulation of fear, guilt, and seduction. “Shipmates, God has laid but one hand upon you; both hands pressed upon me. I have read ye by hat murky light may be mine the lesson that Jonah teaches to all sinners; and therefore to ye, and still more to me for I am a greater sinner than ye.”  (p.53) By retelling the story of Jonah to an onlooking crowd of sailors, he is “preying” upon the souls of those who want and are willing to do good, and therefore inconspicuously creating a narrative that ultimately suggests our fate is predetermined. Even so, one must repent for one’s sins to free oneself from damnation.  Mr Mapple diminishes the character of Jonah for the well-being of himself and those who would benefit from the prosperous tale. Because of Jonah’s ultimate martyrdom, he is revered as a beloved saint, a goal Mr. Mapple aspires to achieve. Mr Mapple, according to himself, is a “pilot of the living god.” By spreading the word, he is holier than thou, and by instilling this fear and need for redemption in his fellow onlookers, he creates a path for the rich and powerful to prosper, suggesting that God’s world is only meant for those who are the survivors of the fittest. 


The story of Jonah is the heart of Father Mapples’ sermon, and by addressing the crowd as shipmates and exhorting his congregation with the professional language of sailing, he is able to be relatable but also personify the fear that they too can be another example of God’s punishment or, as he elquentyly says, “ a model of repentance.” (p.52) This sermon and the setting and stage of the sermon are not by mere coincidence. As a reader, we are aware of the time this takes place, at the height of the whaling industry and the word of a Christian God in America. This is reminiscent of the present-day America, where we don’t see the separation of church and state, but the congealed conformity of what is considered right or wrong based on the majority of its so-called “people.” “To preach the Truth to the face of Falsehood!” (p.54) I noticed how the words Truth and Falsehood are capitalized, giving them that proper noun, and to show that the word is used in a specialized sense, that there is only one truth and everything else is simply false.


Hence why this is such an important model in the times the American people are living today. Where the government and church are tied together to spread this Truth and to denounce anything and everything that doesn’t align with the Truth even though that Truth may have zero validity or proof, but as Father Mapples preaches this so called Truth, from the word of God, it plays into our fears that as someone who’s Gods hands has supposedly been laid upon twice, it gives it this crediabiliy that if to question would be a sin. They, too, just like Jonah, by not heeding the warning of God, can end up in the “belly of the beast.” If you sin, you must repent, even knowing a horrible fate may welcome you. This lesson has allowed us to separate church from the bases of moral humanity. 


This idea of man unable to comprehend the will of God allows for the individual to become a sheep heard by another sheep in wolf’s clothing. It plays into this idea that you’re either with us or against us and that one’s existence is just a stepping stone to spreading this radicalized Truth. Ishmael is constantly doubting that anyone could ever know the exact truth about anything. Because of that doubt, “while he was speaking these words, the howling of the shrieking slanting storm without seemed to add new power to the preacher, who when describing Jonahs sea storm seemed tossed by a storm himself” (p.52) begins to plant the seed in ones mind (in this case Ishamel) that maybe Mr. Mapple is speaking the Truth. Ishmael has already struck a friendship with Queequeg, who has an entirely different religious perspective than him and who has seen that goodness can be found in anyone regardless of faith, but by the installation of this fear of Truth, could cloud (in a sea storm) Ishmael’s judgment of what it means to be tolerant and to love thy neighbor. 

I related far too much to that Cabin Table

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As I open my book to chapter 34, The Cabin Table (after reading and learning more information on whales than I ever wanted or expected), I thought to myself, “Here we go again, an overdescriptive nonsensical chapter of the dining arrangements on the Pequod.” I was wrong. I don’t like being wrong, but this was a rare occasion.

“Back when I was in the Navy…” Yes, it’s story time. On a navy ship, enlisted and officers are separated when it comes to meal hours. The officers dine in a more ceremonious manner and with luxurious dining utensils and china. I use the word luxurious lightly, but when you’re an enlisted person eating off a plastic tray that has separate compartments for your entrees and sides, the thought of having a ceramic soup bowl does feel a tad opulent. In the officer’s ward room, the lower-ranking person may sit at the table without asking if they are the first to arrive. If there’s a higher-ranking person at that table and a lower-ranking person arrives, they must receive permission to sit by that higher-ranking official. If the lower-ranking person were to finish their meal first, they must ask the highest-ranking individual there to be excused. If the highest ranking person arrives (the captain), they have a designated chair they sit in, and the atmosphere in the room immediately becomes erect with utmost posture and well-behaved manners that a southern mother would even appreciate. While reading this chapter I could understand and feel the intense aura and presence that Ahab is giving off.

“But ere stepping into the cabin doorway below, he pauses, ships a new face altogether, and, then, independent, hilarious little Flask enters King Ahab’s presence, in the character of Abjectus, or the Slave.” The family table is the American symbol of open conversation, where a group gathers to just “let it all out.” Ahab is borne out by his actions. He is there to do a job and not there to be social or experience joy. The last joy he had was in his tobacco pipe that he threw out to sea because even that was too much of a conundrum for his monomania. Ahab has such power in his silence that it’s deafening to the crew around him. Ahab is a master of his ship, and his leadership and implicit power are not once reinforced. It is known without a shadow of a doubt that the standard Ahab has set up. Ahab is not there to run a successful crew and ship; he already has well-trained personnel to do that for him. Ahabs’ internal strife is what keeps him going.

Back to my Navy story, sometimes, and this isn’t often allowed, some Navy officers would slip down to the mess decks, where we enlisted peasants eat, to enjoy a meal. They, too, would rather be peeling the eggshell of a hard-boiled egg instead of walking on one. In the mess decks, just like the harpooners, is where the heart of the ship is. This is the area where all those petty social games are played, and a little bit of stress and anxiety can somehow vanish for a quarter of an hour. Just like in the Pequod, this is where cultures come together or clash, but lessons are learned, friendships are formed, and values are established. That’s one of the beauties of being a sailor. If I had a ship, I would title her USS Carrabba’s because when you’re here, you’re family.

p.s. I know that last line was cheesy, but I couldn’t “pasta” up the opportunity.

p.s.s. and yes I did catch that grape directly in my mouth. Fruits must be washed before ingesting.

I still can’t get over The Sermon

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Setting: I’m writing this blog post on a Sunday afternoon in downtown Los Angeles at The Conrad hotel on the “larboard” side of the 27-story hotel, while my date preps for the Dua Lipa concert he’s taking me to for my 33rd birthday. Still, before I go, I relayed to him, I MUST post a blog post before my professor castrates me since I have not posted in two weeks. I have a supportive reason behind my lack of posting, but I know that won’t get me out of the harsh reality of getting a big fat goose egg (0) on the weekly assignments, but you can’t cry over spilled milk, so here we go.

Plot: As I read the assigned reading for the week, I still couldn’t stop thinking about Chapter 9, “The Sermon.” For me, this is the climax and foreshadowing of the entire novel. I’m not sure if anyone has written about this exact chapter, and if they did, frankly, my dear, I don’t give a damn because Frank, this chapter is so relevant to what is going on in this sad, depressive state we call America. Farther Mapple is the equivalent of the pitiful human being we name Mike Johnson. Let’s begin, shall we? {insert the biblical story of Jonah and the whale} Jonah repents and is not begging for forgiveness. Still, confirmation of the life lived, and therefore whatever fate God (the whale) gives him shall be justified, regardless of personal opinion. If you sin, you have to repent. You have to apologize and ask for forgiveness, even knowing that some horrible fate may await you. This is one of the sins that Jonah commits; he defies God and then, on the ship in the storm, refuses to repent. That is why he’s swallowed up and taken to the depths of the ocean, until he finally admits his wrongdoing. And then, even from those same abyssal depths, God hears his plea and has mercy upon him.

“Shipmates, God has laid but one hand upon you; both his hands pressed upon me.” (p.53) Oh, so Mr. Mike Johnson, you think just like Mr Mapple, you’re holier than thou? It’s this use of religion to pray/prey upon the souls of those just willing and wanting to do good. The exact moral of this sermon is that our fate is predestined, and if God wants to consume you in the form of a whale, you must let him because your life is just that. A stepping stone for the rich and powerful to prosper. The chosen ones, as they call themselves. Mr Mapple diminishes the character of Jonah for the well-being of himself and those who would benefit from the prosperous tale. Because of Jonah’s ultimate martyrdom, he is seen as a beloved saint. Looks like Jonah and Charlie Kirk will have a lot to talk about when or if they meet.

I’ll leave you with some incomparable words from the “give us nothing” queen of Dua Lipa,

“I be like, “Ooh, it’s amusin'”
You think I’m gonna fall for an illusion.”

Steve Mentz: Oceanic Scholar

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Deterritorialization. I like this word. Quite the tongue twister if you ask me, and God forbid if I had a stutter. I had to look up the meaning of this word, and it has several different meanings depending on who you ask, but for me, it’s simply a fancy word to describe the change in history. Steve Mentz wants us to rethink, and in return, can ignite a change in the way we view or interpret things. The world is quite literally an open ocean, and so should one’s brain.

“Thinking in terms of cyclical flows rather than linear progress makes historical narratives messier, more confusing, and less familiar. These are good things. (ixvi) Steve Mentz is inviting you to have that hard conversation or think of an unforeseen or unpopular “opinion” and bring it to life. Simply put, there are no wrong answers. He expertly uses the ocean as an example to think beyond the sea, beyond the planet, beyond what we know as life, and allows our feelings, thoughts, and emotions to “flow.” The ocean may be a scary place, but nothing is more unnerving than having these linear thoughts that keep us stagnant and allow history to repeat itself. We often try to see the world or life through a different lens, but Mentz challenges humans to create that lens.

Just like Emerson is to nature, the ocean is Mentz’s version of Emerson’s nature. We take so much from the ocean and other outward things, but it’s time for the ocean to give back to the scholar, offering new ways of thinking and imagination. It’s a scary and confusing concept to embrace, but one would be doing a disservice if they didn’t try. Drowning in one’s linear thoughts could be a slow and painful death.

Fish sticks? Moby Dick is gay whale

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While reading “What Moby Dick Means to Me,” I started asking the same question. For some reason or another, millions of people around the world have heard the title of Moby Dick, and most claim, Oh yeah, I know what that’s about. Even my 8-year-old niece has heard about Moby Dick, but why? Why is this novel a pop culture icon and a household name in literature, yet most people have yet to read it?


“American high-school students are subjected to Melville’s madness, with its subversion and, to modern eyes, overtly homoerotic passages.” (Hoare) What Hoare is stating is absolutely true; Moby Dick is often considered a high school read, where teens are forced to read an 800-page book that, in my opinion, is more suited for college-level readers. I mean, I’m currently enrolled in a class dedicated to the many layers and facets of this iconic novel. Moreover, through research, Moby Dick has been published in hundreds of versions, providing readers of all knowledge levels with access to what appears to be a simple story of adventure. So why are we wasting our time when, on the surface level (pun intended). I’m eager to know more and why.


Speaking of high school, Moby Dick often was a gay joke in class or would release a few immature snickers when it would be said in class by the teacher. That is also a possibility, which explains why the title is well known, but the heart of Moby Dick remains. Not only did the Bible make Jonah and the Whale a staple in religious stories, but also the first animated version of Pinocchio made an incredible impact on the lives of children around the world. It was released in the 1940s and remains referenced to this day. I believe this has had a profound impact on the legacy of Moby Dick in American history, as it’s deeply ingrained in our collective consciousness from childhood onward; familiarity is quite comforting.


“Overly homoerotic passages.” What can I say, that too caught my eye. Leave it to the gays to make a literary icon gain new relevance as a gay icon. Watch out Babadook! Brendan Fraser plays a gay character in the 2022 film The Whale, where he plays an ailing English professor struggling in his relationship with his teenage daughter, but is restored through an essay she wrote on Moby Dick. In the finale (spoiler alert), Brendan Fraser reads the essay aloud to his angsty daughter right before they both smile at each other, and he dies, floating away into an imaginary white light crossing over the sea. Moby Dick… the icon that you are! Slay momma


Philip Hoare even states’ Moby-Dick’ is a long book, and time is short. Even a sentence, a mere phrase, will do.” This is what keeps the legacy alive. No matter how you interpret it, there is no wrong answer, and there’s something to find inside the Whale that is missing in us all. There is no answer to life, but from the sound of things, Moby Dick may have some answers to keep the world turning. I’ll be sure to revisit this post come December and see if I have an answer to some of life’s questions (homoerotic or not) with the help of Herman Melville.


“No, my first name ain’t Whale. It’s Moby… Mr Dick, if you’re nasty!”

Hello Hello HELLO

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What it do, My name is Howard, but you can call me Brock, but my family calls me by my chosen name… Dis-Appointment. I was born and raised in Jacksonville, FL until I was 19 years old and then I went off into the military where I lived and breathe the sea life for 10 years. Ive been to 26 different countries and lived in Spain for over a year! Anchors Aweigh my boy!

I don’t take myself or life too seriously, but I suppose I’ll try to approach this course as seriously as I can. I love to read, but my best reading and writing comes after I have had a bottle of Rosé in me, so please be aware that my future blog posts may show signs of me being half inebriated and possibly emotional.

I’m a very social person who loves to talk and listen to others. I love sex, drugs, and rock N roll (in that order)! My escape is the gym, where I go to be antisocial. It’s my way to let off steam and be in my own world for an hour or two, focusing, meditating, and working out these chest-ticles. I’m an open book, so please feel free to approach me and ask me anything. I do not get offended. I look like Tazran and sound like Jane, so it’s the best of both worlds.

I’m ready to “dive” feet first into Moby Dick. I say that now, but I’m sure I and half of the class may be regretting this later. Like Troy Bolton and Gabriella said, “We are all in this together!”