Author Archives: Diego Aguirre

An Incomplete Cetology and Humanity

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When I first read this book, I remember skimming through the “Cetology” chapter, disregarding it as one of Ishmael’s many ramblings because I was bored, annoyed, confused, and didn’t “get it”. Admittedly this chapter, and a large chunk of this book, still maintains those qualities but that’s exactly the reason why I wanted to dissect some of the quotes in chapter 32. Before providing us with this makeshift dictionary on whales, Ishmael says “I promise nothing complete; because any human thing supposed to be complete, must for that very reason infallibly be faulty” (147). Having discussed his willingness to change his mind about Queequeg and witnessed his desire to continue to learn about the world, this seemed like a very Ishmael thing to say. By preceding with this, he shows us that “any human thing” should always remain open to change in order to progress/grow; to claim completion is a disservice to the very nature of being alive, for to live is to change. Our ideals, perspectives, values, our LIVES are not set in stone, we should constantly evolve and learn from past experiences lest we be faulty by denying our incompletion. It’s a very fitting contrast to Ahab whose “infinity of firmest fortitude” and “fixed and fearless, forward dedication” keeps him on this path, uncaring for anything else as his mind is set on nothing but destroying Moby Dick (135).

The chapter ends with Ishmael’s “cetological System standing thus unfinished, even as the great Cathedral of Cologne was left, with the crane still standing upon the top of the uncompleted tower. For small erections may be finished by their first architects; grand ones, true ones, ever leave the copestone to posterity. God keep me from ever completing anything” (157). Again, the value of leaving things unfinished is shown by Ishmael here; it also shows how his meeting with Queequeg changed his whole attitude towards life, in chapter 2 he was saying “it’s too late to make any improvements now. The universe is finished” (12). Ishmael is showing us how vital it is to change our minds and accept the incomplete nature of life. We can’t have a complete dictionary of these whales, and there is no definitive description of how to live. They’re meant to be interpreted in many ways, added upon by each generation and their encounters; any reading with one singular message would simply be propaganda (this last part doesn’t really make sense in this context but I just wanted to add it because I’ve been thinking about this since our professor said it).

Civilized Savages

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Oh Queequeg, our Bosom Friend. It’s hard not to be allured by his awkward civility, “neither caterpillar nor butterfly” (31). What’s great about him is that he’s just honest, more noble, and nowhere near as savage as some other so-called civilized characters. After his initial fears of Queequeg subside, we see Ishmael’s willingness to try this friendship out and we too are invited to change our minds (something hardly allowed and not easily done in the contentious, debate-brained climate we are plagued by). The passage I want to highlight is what I would say is the moment Ishmael, and us in turn, fully puts aside any differences and welcomes Queequeg with all his peculiarities:

“No more my splintered heart and maddened hand were turned against the wolfish world. This soothing savage had redeemed it. There he sat, his very indifference speaking a nature in which there lurked no civilized hypocrisies and bland deceits… And those same things that would have repelled most others, they were the very magnets that thus drew me. I’ll try a pagan friend, thought I, since Christian kindness has proved but a hollow courtesy” (57).

In shutting down the preconceived notions of the savage which sits before him, Ishmael pushes us to reflect on the true savagery of our own “civilized” society. In resisting the tribalism so often pushed upon us, meant to divide and pit one against the other, we can reserve our splintered hearts and maddened hands. This soothing savage has reconstructed our entire view of the wolfish/savage world. Melville’s juxtaposition in the “soothing savage” is very powerful here as the contrast paints a new image for what a savage can be, breaking away from the fearful connotation of the title; it certainly doesn’t align with the “other “cannibal” title previously attributed to him.

Ishmael then goes further and deconstructs our perceptions of what “civilized” entails. This savage has no lurking ill intent. In fact, he’s often the first to act when people are in desperate need while the “civilized” men will stand by. It’s very intriguing knowing that this was written just before the civil war; Melville saw the hypocrisy of civilization, many that can be compared to current events. Why should we be the civilized ones when there’s no end to the hypocrisies and bland deceits on every level? Wouldn’t the countless acts of violence in our country make us savage? Are we not run by a savage whose condolences are naught more than hollow courtesy when the next words out of his mouth are more hateful and divisive rhetoric?

Hints of Ishmael’s Philosophy?

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I don’t really have much to say about the etymology or extracts other than I wonder how an extracts section would look now post Moby Dick; how would the “bird’s eye view” of the Leviathan have changed across nations and generations? My focus for this week’s reading was mostly directed towards a quote at the end of Chapter 2 which reads “it’s too late to make any improvements now. The universe is finished: the copestone is on, and the chips were carted off a million years ago” (12). The passage this is in involves a biblical reference to Euroclydon, a “tempestuous wind” in the Mediterranean, which in this context, Ishmael uses to position The Spouter-Inn as his final hope of respite, it being too late to find another lodging. But I was completely oblivious to this, all biblical references in this book will go over my head so I’m hoping that some of you will be able to give more insight into those as we read.

In my initial reading of this quote, I took it in a more philosophical sense; “The universe is finished” reminded me of Nietzsche’s “God is Dead”. I’m no expert in philosophy, so correct me if I’m off the mark, but I’ve always viewed this quote “God is Dead” as a way of saying that we have started to lose the structure, and maybe even the answers, that religion provided for so long. Similar to this, I saw “the universe is finished” as a way of saying that there are no more developments or answers that the universe has to offer for humanity. We were kind of just plopped here without any definitive structure, rules, or guidebook on how to live and it’s up to us to make of it what we will. To connect it back to Ishmael and even the blue humanities, this lack of structure is what provides more potential and freedom, as Ishmael willingly lets the Euroclydon lead him to The Spouter-Inn where he will meet Queequeg and begin his journey.

An American Prophecy

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There’s a lot in Delbanco’s introduction that I wanted to highlight, but I’ll try to limit myself starting with this simple quote: “He [Ahab] is on a mission, Ishmael is on a cruise” (xx). It’s very brief but it does a lot to frame one of the main conflicts of the novel. Considering our talks about language in relation to the blue humanities, the words “mission” and “cruise” evoke the different nature of their goals here. Ahab is set on a clear path with the definitive goal of hunting Moby Dick, whereas Ishmael is willing to go with the flow and really goes on the Pequod just to see more of the world and learn about the whaling industry. Delbanco makes the point that this conflict never becomes a direct battle in the novel and their ideals aren’t directly pitted against each other because “Melville himself incorporates both, and he feels their claims with equal fervor” (xix). This I feel is very important to include because rather than only give us Ishmael’s perspective and preach about one over the other, Melville shows that there is merit to each side; no one side is completely right or wrong.

I’m a bit hesitant to view Moby Dick as a prophecy of a doomed American experiment because of the implications it has for our country’s past, present, and future, but time and time again we see the consequences of unbridgeable fissures between the people of our nation (xx). It only continues to get worse when people adopt the “us against them” mentality, and the view that “the other” is always at fault. “Like Ahab, every man feels maimed and hopes to find relief by assigning blame” (xxii). This line of thinking is poisonous, contagious even, and all it does is further increase the gap between differing ideals. Leaning too far on either side leads to more tension and ultimately catastrophe. I don’t even really know what I’m trying to say anymore, but I’m hoping I can find more of the optimism the chronicle of the Pequod has to offer.

Extra Credit Mentz Questions

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  1. What other oceanic studies were there before the rise of blue humanities?
  2. How much does the study of the ocean in blue humanities include life in the ocean and how they interact with it?
  3. How are places such as aquariums and Sea World viewed from a blue humanities perspective?
  4. What are some consequences that may arise if we were to ignore blue humanities?
  5. Can a similar approach to the ocean in blue humanities be applied to other frontiers, such as the desert?

American Imperialism

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“A century and a half after it first played out, Ahab’s wanton chase was evoked in the ‘war on terror,’ and the attempts to pursue an apparently uncatchable foe, even as it sourced an epic designed to reflect America’s first imperial venture – the getting of the oil that lit and lubricated the Western world.” This quote from Hoare’s “What ‘Moby-Dick’ Means to Me” immediately put into perspective the cultural relevance this novel will have on us today. It also gave me a concrete example of why this is considered The American Novel. We were just discussing in class how the whaling industry was a way for the United States to spread it’s influence in it’s conquest of the ocean; since that industry died out, we’ve used different industries (mainly the military) to perpetuate our global influence. This aspect is really interesting to me because it is one of the most American things I can think of, constantly finding reasons and/or scapegoats to maintain our influence and control across the world.

https://www.thenewscholar.nl/index.php/tns/article/download/mobydick/mobydick/385 I found this essay comparing characters and events from Moby Dick to political figures and their missions during the campaign for the War on Terror (don’t read past the second page if you don’t want to get spoiled). Another quick thing I want to add is this quote Hoare highlights: “Does the Whale’s Magnitude Diminish? – Will He Perish?” Taking into account the relation to American imperialism, this quote could be a questioning of whether our country’s obsession with dominance will ever go away.

Emerson’s American Scholar

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After our discussion in class today, specifically the mention of how boredom begets creativity, I wanted to highlight a quote from Emerson’s essay that seemed very applicable to today in which he says “Our age is bewailed as the age of Introversion”. When I first read this I was surprised to see that even back when this was written, there was the sentiment that people are becoming more isolated from one another. I think this separation comes from the individualism that is so deeply rooted in our culture, which Emerson promotes here but, Emerson goes on to state that this doesn’t have to be to our detriment: “Must that needs be evil?. . . This time, like all times, is a very good one, if we but know what to do with it”. This seemed like another example of Emerson pushing for the American scholar to break off from the teachings of old and avoid the stagnation of idolizing revered works rather than exploring our own thoughts provoked from the readings. I’m excited to learn from Ishmael as the vessel of these traits of the American scholar and how it might conflict with other approaches, especially the unwavering will of Ahab on his revenge quest.

Introduction

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Hi class, I’m Diego. I’m a third year transfer from Southwestern college and I am excited to take these higher level English classes. I’ve always loved literature, reading, and stories in general since I was a kid. Whenever I wasn’t watching movies, I was reading. Although I have a dream of being able to write my own stories, I view that more as a personal hobby/interest. What I really want to do with my degree is use it as an avenue into law. I’ve always been obsessed with ideas of justice and stories even slightly related to this topic, and I’ve always admired the people that help others with their knowledge of the law, even if it is flawed. Other than law and crime stories, my second favorite genre is horror. Some of my favorite books are The Silence of the Lambs and Dracula and two of my top three favorite movies are Scream and Alien. I also want to read more classics, I have a lot of unopened ones on my bookshelf, but Moby Dick is one of the ones I did read, mainly because it was constantly referenced throughout Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain and I wanted to understand why. I’m looking forward to reading it again and getting a better grasp on it with everyone throughout the semester.