I wanted to see if I could post these to make it so that Professor Pressman wouldn’t have to keep emailing people who ask for it – the link is glitched in the Reading/Work Schedule tab.
I saved them into my Google Drive, hope this helps/works!
Ishmael claims to be respectful towards different religions, however, his reactions to Queequeg shows his acceptance only goes so far. Melville uses Ishmael to reveal the hypocrisy and the cultural bias within the Christian religion. When referring to his Christianity, Ishmael says “we good Presbyterian Christians…” By Ishmael referring to Christianity as “good”, it shows that he believes the Christian faith is the only correct way and most respectful, even though he claims to be respectful of other faiths. This exposes his religious bias. Ishmael represents Christians of the 19th century and their narrow-mindedness by believing Christianity is the only good and correct religion out there.
When Ishmael comes in contact with Queequeg doing his traditions (his Ramadan, praying, and worshipping), he has a lot to say. A lot of negative things at that. When Ishmael saw Queequeg praying on the floor, he says, “it seemed so downright senseless and insane to be sitting there all day and half the night on his hams in a cold room, holding a piece of wood on his head” (Melville 93). By using the words “senseless” and “insane” shows that Ishmael’s Christian views had shaped his understanding of what “proper” worshipping is. He has a certain notion of how to properly worship God. And anything not seen as Christian is deemed weird.
Ishmael also goes on to criticize the fasting Queequeg does due to his beliefs. He goes on to make points against the fasting, even calling Queequeg’s beliefs “frantic”. Ishmael says that “prolonged ham-squatting in cold, cheerless rooms were stark nonsense; bad for the health; useless for the soul” (Melville 94). Again, while Ishmael claims to be respectful, he shows otherwise- showing his hypocrisy and his bias. He dismisses what he does not understand and tries to make excuses to justify his prejudices.
In Chapter 13, Ishmael finally boards a watercraft, a little ferry (the Moss) that will take him and Queequeg to Nantucket. It’s interesting that this is the first direct contact with the water that he’s had since the story started, given that he’s spent so much time thinking about it. Another example of this novel refusing to begin. The moment finally comes on page 66, when they start sailing down the Acushnet river. Ishmael muses, “Gaining the more open water, the bracing breeze waxed fresh; the little Moss tossed the quick foam from her bows, as a young colt his snortings. How I snuffed that Tartar air!–how I spurned that turnpike earth!–that common highway all over dented with the marks of slavish heels and hoofs; and turned me to admire the magnanimity of the sea which will permit no records” (66). Just as he said at the beginning of the story, the ocean makes him feel better; it’s his way to cope with life. He looks back at land and he compares it to a hell of sorts, a highway pockmarked with “slavish heels and hoofs.” He relishes the openness and the fluidity of the water, “which will permit no records.” He feels free, untethered. But at what cost? Melville juxtaposes the earth with the sea and gives that idea to us through Ishmael’s perspective–a white male in 19th century America. Melville intentionally uses the phrase “slavish heels and hoofs” to refer to the marks Ishmael sees on the side of the river. The word “slavish” could simply refer to the monotonous and restraining lives of most people on land, people who prefer stability over adventure; but further, I see this is a clear reference to the reality that was slavery in America, which was coming to its boiling point at the time, and was something that Ishmael would not have been negatively affected by. In fact, he would have benefitted from it, even if indirectly. For Ishmael, it is easy to scorn the Earth and prefer the ocean over it because he has that luxury. He feels the wind in his hair and mighty freedom surges in his heart as he sails through the water, but the earth does not forget. Ishmael hates to feel tied town and chained to his unfulfilling life, but he fails to recognize there are others who are legally considered subhuman and have no choice but to live in chains. The magnanimous sea “will permit no records,” and for someone like Ishmael it is easier and more convenient to turn away from the marks of injustice that lie upon the earth.
In Chapter 24, “The Advocate”, Ishmael narrates by defending the honor and dignity of whaling and argues that they deserve more respect from society ideals and see whaling as heroic . When Melville writes, “The dignity of our calling the very heavens attest. Cetus is a constellation of the South!” (122), he uses this imagery for us to see on how the whale and the people who hunt it hold like a cosmic/ divine importance. The whale isn’t just an animal, but as something powerful and important. The whales, in many cultures, often seen as divine, sacred and spiritual beings, and symbolized as creation, wisdom and strength. Melville is indicating that honor can exist in difficult, physical labor, and not just by high societal nobles, but as heroic, ” I account that man more honorable than that great captain of antiquity who boasted of taking as many walled towns,”(122). I believe Melville wants the readers (us) to see manual labor with admiration and respect and not seen as a societal norm. I feel that Melville wants for us to see the concepts on how America wanted to be demonstrated as a country with being defined as class and greatness.
So far this chapter was my favorite. Not going to lie, but the book was making me mad and confused all day after re-reading every sentences with the whole different dialect of old English.
One of the most interesting aspects of this book is the ever changing relationship between man and the whale. In my last post, I discussed Queequeg as being symbolic of the whale because of how he’s described with animalistic qualities. However, this statement goes both ways, meaning that the whale has humanistic qualities. It’s hard to hate something for simply being, especially if there is an innate relatability, connection, or understanding towards the creature. So far in the narrative, the whale has been depicted as a fearsome foe, a monstrous beast, but in the later chapters, this notion is challenged. Instead of viewing the whale as a malicious beast, the main character calls to question the innocent nature of the animal. This point is emphasis when he is talking to the ship’s captain, who retells the story of how he lost his leg, and in response he says;
“What you say is no doubt true enough sir; but how could I know there was any peculiar ferocity in that particular whale, though indeed I might have inferred as much from the simple fact of the accident” (80).
This vocalized plea of the whale’s innocence shifts the whale’s actions from being the perpetrator of evil to a victim of self-defense against capitalistic ventures. The whale did not attack without provocation, it was being hunted by whalers and responded accordingly to its survival. It’s in all our nature to have self-preservation. By having Ishmeal point this out to the captain shows that he doesn’t share these same opinions about the whale. He is recognizing that this is a living being, much like himself. Ishmeal’s ability to empathize with the whale humanizes the creature. Expanding our precious preconceived notions about the whale. Whereas in the previous chapters he’s a leviathan, in this particular moment, the whale is just an innocent animal trying to survive.
This weeks reading I found a bit more challenging than the readings prior and I think the main reason for that was the increase of dialogue between new characters. As Ishmael meets new characters and we are introduced to them, their conversations are relayed to us through dialouge, but the way in which they are written, I find a bit hard to read.
Despite that, the part of the reading that I found extremely interesting was essentially the entirety of Chapter 19 The Prophet and the character of Elijah. During his conversation with Ishmael, he says “Well, well, what’s signed, is signed; and what’s to be, will be; and then again, perhaps it won’t be, after all. ” This quote in particular really stuck with me because of how sort of prophetical, yet vague it is. Elijah acts as if he knows of what is to come in the future for the Pequod, yet at the same time we aren’t fully aware on if he actually does know something that they don’t or if he is just making a guess based on what he knows about the crew. Also throughout this chapter, we get more essentially ‘mythical’ descriptions and warnings about Captain Ahab through the vessel of Elijah. Something that I have really noticed that Herman Melville has done extremely well so far throughout this novel is build up suspense and intrigue for characters that we have yet to meet. If someone is going to be important to the story or to Ishmael later in the story, Melville will drag along their introduction, laying out intrigue through tales from other characters for both Ishmael and us the audience to truly wonder about. The use of a first person narrative through the mind of Ishmael really does help with this because we see him questioning and wondering about characters and in turn we begin to feel the same.
This chapter truly excited me to keep reading because of the intrigue it left of both meeting Captain Ahab and figuring out the fate of the crew of the Pequod. I am very interested to see if Elijah’s prophecies do come true for the crew. Something that was super interesting to me was the fact that religion has been such a massive aspect of the book so far and it is constantly brought up to the audience and to other characters, so the fact that Elijah has a biblical name makes me really wonder if his prophecies and predictions are actually rooted in more of a religious sign and warning for Ishmael and Queequeg rather than just a guess on his part.
I may be overanalyzing, but if the book’s reputation holds any weight, perhaps the fact Peleg was suspicious of Ishmael on page 79 was because pirates would use the “merchant” excuse often. Captain Peleg said, “…what makes thee want to go a whaling, eg?–it looks a little suspicious, don’t it, eh?–Hast not been a pirate, hast thou?–Didst not rob thy last Captain, didst thou?–Dost not think of murdering the officers when thou gettest to sea?” This might be foreshadowing a pirate attack, but it might also be a genuine concern at the time. Alternatively, anyone without whaling experience or from outside the local area would naturally arouse suspicion and would be excluded from the crew. This piece of dialogue reflects on the themes of danger and trust, as discord may be sown mid-journey.
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.”
In Chapter 23, “The Lee Shore,” Ishmael pauses to reflect on the paradox of safety and danger, using the image of a ship struggling against the wind: “The port is pitiful; in the port is safety, comfort, hearthstone, supper, warm blankets, friends, and all that’s kind to our mortalities. But in that gale……the one touch of land, though it but graze the keel, would make her shudder through and through.” (Melville 116) This passage captures Melville’s fascination with the tension between the comfort of home and the perilous freedom of the open sea. On the surface, Ishmael seems to pity the ship for having to turn away from warmth and companionship, but beneath that pity, I think lies admiration. Admiration for the ship’s strong refusal to yield to safety. The repeated p sounds in “port,” “pitiful,” and “peril” emphasize the actual physical struggle of resistance, almost mimicking the ship’s heaving motion in the storm.
Melville’s language transforms the sea into a kind of moral testing ground. The ship, personified as a living being, “fights ‘gainst the very winds that fain would blow her homeward.” (Melville 116) It’s as if the forces of nature, which normally symbolize comfort, normalcy, and even mortality, try to push her back to safety, but she seemingly continues to reject them. Her “refuge’s sake” lies not in reaching the shore, but in being able to escape it. The paradox here is striking: the ship seeks survival through danger, finds peace in motion, and calls her “bitterest foe” (the sea) her “only friend.” I believe that Melville’s phrasing suggests that true existence, or what Ishmael later calls “the highest truth,” can only be found in defiance of stillness and complacency.
What’s really remarkable about this moment is how it extends beyond the image of the ship. The passage feels like a challenge from Melville to his readers: to question the value of safety and to consider whether comfort dulls our vitality. The port, with its “warm blankets” and “friends,” represents the easy life of certainty and convention within society. The ship, meanwhile, embodies the actual human soul that refuses to settle, even when that refusal means pain or destruction. Melville’s use of the word “forlornly” conveys both sorrow and beauty, showing that this restless search is lonely but necessary to grow.
By turning a simple nautical scene into a full-blown philosophical allegory, Melville continues to show that he makes the sea a mirror for human experience. To live meaningfully, he suggests, is to sail “offshore,” to face the unknown with courage even when the winds seem to demand our retreat. The ship’s struggle against being blown homeward becomes a symbol of human endurance, a strong insistence that the comfort of safety can never compare to the freedom found in risk.
There is a lot that could be discussed in this week’s writing–as it is a big chunk–however, what I found important to note was Ishmael’s thoughts on this “alien” practice of Queequeg’s.
Traditionally. Ramadan is a focused act of fasting, prayer, and conscious acts of compassion towards others. What we see with Queequeg here though, is fasting and prayer as he sits on his hams in their cold and dark room–his wooden doll “Yojo” on top of his head. Ishmael is aware that Queequeg is practicing this in his room, and initially think of himself right to not disturb his comrade. Although, Ishmael becomes increasingly worried and anxious that maybe his comrade might have had a stroke or been overcome by apoplexy.
What I specifically want to point out is Ishmael’s conflicting ideology of religious practices, despite having “the greatest respect towards everybody’s religious obligations, never mind how comical, and could not find it in [his] heart to undervalue even a congregation of ants worshiping a toad-stool; or those other creatures in certain parts of our earth…bow down before a torso of a deceased landed proprietor…” On the whole, this chapter still presents somewhat of a condescending view towards “half-crazy” practices outside of Ishmael’s experience. On pg. 94, Ishmael is finally able to sit Queequeg down and express that “fasting makes the body cave in; hence the spirit caves in; and all thoughts born of a fast must necessarily be half-starved.” This shows me Ishmael’s still ignorant nature, and more importantly, maybe Melville’s dismissive nature towards practices outside Presbyterian Christianity (dismissive might be too of a strong word to use here).