Moby-Dick
Call me __________________________________________
Favorite moment? ________________________________
94-96
1. Re-read the opening six paragraphs of chapter 94 (end at the asterisks). How does
Melville manipulate the text to convey the enthusiasm and euphoria that Ishmael
experiences? See how many rhetorical devices you can find, and be sure to note their
effect as well. Answer in bullet points. (see back for list of rhetorical devices)
2. Reread chapter 96 from “All ready there? Off hatch, then” to “seemed the material
counterpart to her monomaniac commander’s soul.” Instead of rhetorical devices, look
at diction in this section. List all of the hellish diction (single words or phrases) in this
section.
3. What’s Ishmael’s admonition to man (“Look not too long in the face of fire”)? Translate to
plain English.
4. What’s he saying in the next paragraph (“Nevertheless . . .”)?
5. And, finally, he ends with the famous “Catskill Eagle” quotation. Try translating this into
plain English.
Rhetorical Devices
Look for figurative language/literary devices
Alliteration or Assonance or Consonance
Allusion
Apostrophe (direct address to an object not present)
Foreshadowing
Hyperbole
Irony
Metaphor
Onomatopoeia
Oxymoron
Personification
Simile
Look for construction of idea
Anecdote
Diction (word choice) or Syntax (way sentences are constructed)
Repetition (beginning or end)
Lack of conjunctions within a list
Mood
Parallelism
Tone