“I was a week or two after the last whaling scene recounted, and when we were slowly sailing over a seepy, vapory, mid-day sea, that the many nose on the Pequod’s deck proved more vigilant discoverers than the three pairs of eyes aloft, A peculiar and not very pleasant smell was smelt in the sea”(Moby-Dick).

The Roth Beneath the Sea, In this scene from Moby-Dick Chapter 91, “The Pequod Meets the Rose-Bid,” Melville introduces the nauseating odor of decaying whales drifting near the Pequod. The quote from Sir Thomas Browne about searching “in vain” for ambergris-the valuable substance found in a whale’s body-sets the tone for a futile and grotesque pursuit of profit amid death and decay. Melville uses sensory imagery, especially the “peculiar and not very pleasant smell,” to contrast the sailors’ physical revulsion with their economic desire. The men’s willingness to seek wealth even in rotting flesh reflects how greed overrides natural human disgust. Stub’s casual remark about “drugged whales” turns death into an everyday business transaction, exposing the moral numbness that whaling culture breeds. This passage reveals Melville’s critique of capitalist obsession and moral corruption. The quest for ambergris symbolizes the human drive to extract value from even the most repulsive and lifeless remnants of nature. Through this grotesque yet vivid moment, Moby-Dick warns how the pursuit of profit can dull both the senses and the soul, leaving humanity adrift in moral decay.

I attended the meeting on Wednesday 29, 2025 from 12:00 am to 1:00 pm and from 1::00 pm to 2:00 pm and from 7;00 pm to 8:00 pm. What we learned from the first meeting was that we all gathered together professors and students talking together about the M A so that to encourage us to continue studying so that to build our successful future, and after that there were some good connections between the professors and the students visiting them in their offices while giving us some candy because of the Halloween occasion, and we shared our thoughts and perspectives among each others, it was really helpful to build strong relationships among us. At the evening we met with poet that cam from Florida and we listened to some literary poems, they were amazing, and some students bought some his own poems book so that to encourage the poet himself. And here is a picture that I took with the poet.

“Do you see that mainmast there?” pointing to the ship; “well, that’s the figure one; now take all the hoops in the Pequod’s hold, and string ’em along in a row with that mast, for ought, do you see; well, that wouldn’t begin to be Fedallah’s age. Nor all the coopers in creation couldn’t show hoops enough to make oughts enough”(P.356). In this quote from Moby-Dick Stub uses a humorous metaphor comparing the ship’s mainmast and countless barrel hoops to describe Fedallah’s mysterious, seemingly ancient age. Melville uses exaggerated imagery and mockery, portraying the superstitious awe the crew feels toward Fedallah. The piling of “hoops” and “oughts” creates a sense of endless repetition, suggesting something beyond human comprehension. This passage shows how the sailors struggle to understand Fedallah’s eerie presence, symbolizing their confrontation with the unknown forces that guide the Pequod. It also underscores Melville’s theme of human limitation no amount of measurement or logic can grasp the depths of fate and mystery embodied by Fedallah.

“But if his eyes were broad as the lens of Hershel’s great telescope; and his ears capacious as the porches of hearing? Not at all.—Why then do you try to “enlarge” your mind? Subtilize it.” (Melville 362)

I was interested in this quote because it comes about as Ishmael is pondering on the discrepancy between the size of the whale and the size of its sensory organs and wonders if they may be superior to humans for these differences. This quote makes the question philosophical in its nature; Does size equate to intelligence? The whale is certainly large in its scale, yet all it requires are eyes the size of a horse’s and an ear so small as to be overlooked by a less discerning eye. The whale’s design makes it clear that making these organs longer does not guarantee they will be more efficient. In a similar way, having a broad knowledge does not amount to much if we do not understand how to apply it effectively or how to pay attention to detail. Ishmael makes the observation that unless someone like a whaler gets up close and personal with a whale’s head someone with less experience might never find the ear. That is how small it is. It is not enough to have seen a drawing of a whale, or to have read all the books on cetology if when you stand before it you are unable to perceive such an important part of their physiognomy. Time and time again in this book, Melville continues to remind the reader do away with our preconceived notions of what makes someone learned and to consider the importance of direct contact and direct action.

In Chapter 35 on page 366, the following quote stood out to me. “Look your last, now, on these venerable hooded heads, while they yet lie together; for one will soon sink, unrecorded, in the sea; the other will not be very long in following”.

In particular I would like to draw attention to the word “venerable”, which according to Google means “accorded a great deal of respect, especially because of age, wisdom, or character.” I looked it up and apparently it is used by the Catholic Church as a title given to a deceased person who has been declared to have lived a life of “heroic virtue” – meaning, that by using this word Ishmael is essentially declaring the head of this whale, and by proxy the whales themselves hero. There “sacrifice” alows for light being provided to the landsmen, as well as countless other commodities like we have talked about in class.

Not only that, but one of religious or spiritual importance specifically because of it’s religious connotations – there’s something almost spiritual happening in the passage. Melville is framing these whales like martyrs whose sacrifice fuels humanities progress. The fact that one of them will “sink, unrecorded, in the sea” only adds to the tragedy of their deaths. Their contributions are huge, yet their deaths barely acknowledged. Using such religious language lets Melville argue that the natural world, especially these massive and intelligent creatures, holds a sort of sacred dignity that humans ignore far too easily.