Tag Archives: Marley Feasel

Moby Dick : Chapters 4 – 12

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As I am starting to read these chapters, what has really been apparent to me is the way in which Herman Melville uses Ishmael’s observations of Queequeg to demonstrate both inherent bias and shifting perspectives.

The quote “Thinks I, Queequeg, under the circumstances, this is a very civilized overture, but, the truth is, these savages have n innate sense of delicacy, say what you will; it is marvelous how essentially polite they are. I pay this particular compliment to Queequeg, because he treated me with so much civility and consideration, while I was guilty of great rudeness…” (Melville 10) is, to me, a perfect example of what Melville is using the observations of Ishmael to convey. Within this quote, we are able to see the way in which Ishmael feels about Queequeg have shifted from the first three chapters of the book. Initially he is frightened of Queequeg because of his appearance and the internal bias he has against those both of a different race and those of a different way of living. I think this quote shows just how much Ishmael has started to shift his opinion on Queequeg and is understanding that he does have these biases. In this quote, he talks about Queequeg in a kind manner, saying that ‘savages’ are actually very polite when just the chapter before he was petrified to even be in the same room as someone he sees as a savage or a cannibal. He also acknowledges how his own biases led him to be rather rude and unfair to Queequg initially and how in response, Queequeg was kind to him rather than being rude back to him.

I think this quote and these first few chapters in general really do a great job emphasizing how much Ishmael is experiencing a change of perspective and a shift from what he already thought he knew. I am very curious to see how this open-mindedness continues to be utilized throughout the story as he continues to meet people who are completely different than him and ahve goals that may not align with his.

Deterritorializing Preface : Steve Mentz

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Within Steve Mentz’s Deterritorializing Preface, he provides a very interesting insight on how he believes that we should view the world. Every word and idea he presents has a common focus on the idea of fluidity and movement. He considers the best view of the world as one that is ever-changing and allows us to see and think about new ideas and concepts. The quote that I think represented this the best was under his section about Word #7 : Horizon where he says “I imagine horizons as sites of transition, like beaches or coastlines, and also as places where perspectives merge. Horizons of ocean, horizons of currents. These are places from which new things become visible.” I think the way he put this is both beautiful and also extremely interesting. I have always considered my view of the world and just my perspective of things in general to be very structured and organized, so hearing him describe this in such a way was quite eye-opening for me. I consider myself to be an open-minded person, but without structure I do get overwhelmed. But, considering perspectives as shifting and flowing rather than just completely separate and different from one another is a way in which I had never viewed them.

In addition, I think the part of this writing that impacted me and stuck out to me the most is his section about Word #3 : Flow. In this section he says “Thinking in terms of cyclical flows rather than linear progress makes historical narratives messier, more confusing, and less familiar. These are good things.” What really impacted me the most about this quote in particular is how different it is from the way we are taught. In history and english classes growing up, we are taught to memorize events and narratives the exact way in which we are taught and that is something I have taken with me throughout my education. I am very good at understanding the way in which events happen, so the thought of them becoming more confusing and disoriented as something good was kind of a jarring thought. In the same vein, I understand where he is coming from. I feel as if it is very similar to Emerson’s idea of not following what is written by other people. If history becomes messy and confusing, it allows us to create our own ideas and develop a new perspective on events rather than just understanding what happened on a base level. I think this is a concept that I am going to sit and think about for a while.

The Blue Humanities – John R. Gillis

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I think what I connected to the most in John R. Gillis’ article The Blue Humanities, was his understanding of the way in which we as people get curious. It seems to almost be in human nature to want to understand what is unknown. We have always put our dreams into the vast unexplored spaces of the universe, i.e. space, unexplored land, etc, and the ocean is not an exception to that. The quote “Dreams and nightmares that had previously been projected on terrestrial landscapes were now invested in seascapes. Even as the oceans became an object of science, they produced new myths.” is one that I think reflects this perfectly. As we explore the sea more and more, it just becomes more apparent that there is so much of it that will potentially not even be explored in our lifetime, and this is what intrigues people. The unknown world that exists simultaneously with us creates an endless desire to understand it within people because it allows us to imagine what could possibly be living among us. It’s different from just reading a fairytale or fantasy book, this is stuff that could possibly be real and the less we know the more we want to. I think this concept also resonates with and connects to what Emerson was saying in his speech about going out and exploring nature in order to learn. The desire to understand the world around us and create ideas of what might be in the world around us allows us to become more independent thinkers. This allows our brains to be stimulated in a completely different way than just reading and understanding someone else’s point of view.

Ralph Waldo Emerson : The American Scholar

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If I am being completely honest, reading this essay was a bit difficult for me. The length and the way of writing caused the words to sort of jumble together on my first few attempts and I wasn’t able to finish it the first few times. However, after reading it again and actually making it to the end, I thank I have developed a bit more of an understanding for what Emerson was saying through this.

My main takeaway might not be what his main point was, as I am still unsure of what exactly it was, but what stood out to me the most throughout this reading was his focus on unity. He constantly referenced the way in which society is broken up, citing that as the reason for division within communities. He says that we do have a common ground and roots, yet we tend to stay divided in separate groups. One of his main arguments throughout this essay, I think, is the argument for the complete unity of the country. He says that through individuals creating and thinking and passing along information, we have the potential to unite through scholarship.

Something I noticed while reading this was how Emerson seems to reference one of Henry David Thoreau’s ideologies, which is that of the Three Chairs. I am not extremely familiar with Emerson and his inspirations, but regardless he did bring up the same idea as Thoreau. Thoreau’s Three Chairs references his belief that in order to be a truly be a well socialized and well thought out individual, it is important to embrace and act upon different methods of reflection. The chairs represent, one for solitude, two for friendship, and three for society. Thoreau emphasizes just how important each of these ‘chairs’ are and within this essay, Emerson does too. Emerson’s main focus is on the unity of society as a whole and how important doing things for your community is (chair three), but he also describes just how important the ideas of others (chair two) through more individualized groups and literature and the practice of solitude and self reflection (chair one) are. He speaks a lot about how important it is for a scholar to be introverted in a sense. He believes that the only true important thoughts come from a place of self reflection and not from the inspiration of others.

Once again, I am not sure how accurate what I pulled from the essay was, but this is what I understood of it!

Introduction

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Hi everyone!! My name is Marley Feasel and I am an English major. This is my first year here at SDSU and I transferred here from MiraCosta College up in Oceanside. I am actually originally from Florida and lived there for about nineteen years before moving up to Carlsbad, so I’m definitely looking froward to exploring more of the San Diego area, rather than just North County, now that I’ve moved down here!

A few other things about me, I love going to concerts (my fav artists being Taylor Swift, Hozier, and Chappell Roan), the beach, reading (my favorites being the Picture of Dorian Gray, the Hunger Games, and literally any cheesy romance book I can find), and watching movies (my favorites being Across the Universe, Mamma Mia, 27 Dresses, and Aftersun). My dream for after I graduate is to pursue a career in book publishing and I absolutely love art and want to get better at painting.

I am super excited for this class and can’t wait to learn more about everyone!!