Moby Dick
By Herman Melville
Please
prepare
to begin our
study of Moby
Dick by Herman
Melville.
Main Characters
Ishmael
- The
narrator, and a
young member of
the crew of the
Pequod.
Main Characters
Captain
Ahab - The
egomaniacal captain
of the Pequod. Ahab
lost his leg to Moby
Dick.
Main Characters
 Mr.
Starbuck - The first mate
of the Pequod, Starbuck seems
the voice of reason and sanity in
contrast to Ahab’s growing
madness, yet exemplifies
respect, loyalty and compassion
for Ahab, the crew, and even the
white whale.
Main Characters
Moby
Dick - The
great white whale
Major symbol of
the story
Main Characters
 Queequeg - “Starbuck’s skilled
harpooner and Ishmael’s best friend.
Queequeg was once a prince from a
South Sea island who stowed away on a
whaling ship in search of adventure. He is a
composite of elements of African, Polynesian, Islamic,
Christian, and Native American cultures. He is
brave and generous, and enables Ishmael
to see that race has no bearing on a
man’s character.”

(excerpted from sparknotes.com)
Secondary Characters
Stubb
- The
second mate
of the Pequod.
Secondary Characters
Tashtego
Stubb’s
harpooner.
-
Secondary Characters
Flask
- The
third mate of
the Pequod.
Secondary Characters
Pip
- A young
black boy who fills
the role of a cabin
boy on the Pequod.
Secondary Characters
 Fedallah
- A strange,
“oriental” …whom Ahab has
brought on board in secret for
the sole purpose of killing the
white whale. He is an “almost
supernaturally skilled hunter
and also serves as a prophet
to Ahab.”
Secondary Characters
Captain
Peleg and
Captain Bildad —The
principal owners of the
Pequad (they hire
Ishmael and Queequeg)
Secondary Characters
Father
Mapple - A
former whaleman and
now the preacher in the
New Bedford
Whaleman’s Chapel
Major Themes
Whaling as a metaphor for life
2. Alienation
3. Friendship
4. Loyalty and obedience
5. Man’s search for knowledge
1.
6.
Man’s search for control over nature
Fate
Obsession
7.
8.
WRITING ARTICULATION
Writing SITUATION

Where your story takes place is just as important
as the story’s plot or the characters themselves.
Setting draws the reader further into the story
world by creating or intensifying mood. They
story’s setting is also a significant part of its
architecture. It frames the narrative’s meaning
(theme) and often reflects the internal lives of
the characters. Sometimes setting can even act
as a symbol in the story.
Writing DIRECTIONS

In a well-developed and insightful
essay, analyze the various functions
of setting that apply to your text
(mood, characterization, symbol). Be
sure to also discuss how setting
reflects significant themes. Use
evidence from the story to support
your claims.
 Please
take out your Moby
Dick film notes packets. We
will watch the first half of the
film today.
 Tomorrow:
Independent
reading—bring your book (10
points).
 Please take home your
reading projects today.
 Advanced Placement
applications due NLT Friday.
Biblical allusion - Parable of Jonah and the Whale
Told in Father Mapple’s sermon
THINK: What is the lesson people are supposed
to learn from the parable of Jonah? How is that
story—and that lesson--related to the story and
the characters in Moby Dick?




“Jonah was a prophet from Galilee and his story takes place somewhere between 780 B.C and 760 B.C. During this period
of history, Assyria was a powerful, evil nation and Israel’s most dreaded enemy. The Lord spoke to Jonah and told him to
go to Nineveh, the capital of Assyria, and preach to the Ninevites. (Jonah 1:2) Jonah was supposed to warn the Ninevites to
repent or suffer the consequences of their wickedness…Jonah had other ideas, though. Instead of heading for Nineveh, he
took off for Tarshish, Spain. His motives could have been fear or revenge or both. The Assyrians had committed terrible
atrocities against the people of Israel: traveling into their midst would have been frightening. Jonah also despised the
Assyrians and probably would have liked to see God punish them. Yet, Jonah knew God’s nature. He knew that if he
preached repentance to the Ninevites, they would repent and God would spare them. (Jonah 4:2)”
“Jonah hops on a boat headed for Tarshish, attempting to hide out from God. At night, a huge storm comes up and tosses
the boat wildly. The sailors are afraid and all start to pray to their gods, while Jonah sleeps soundly below deck. (Jonah 1:46) The captain goes down to Jonah’s cabin and pulls him out of bed. “And they said to one another, ‘Come, let us cast lots,
that we may know for whose cause this trouble has come upon us.’ So they cast lots, and the lot fell on Jonah.” (Jonah 1:7).
“The sailors all question Jonah about what he’s done to bring this storm on them. He confesses that he is running away
from the Lord’s will and tells the sailors to throw him overboard to spare their lives. This they do. (Jonah 1:8-15)”
“As Jonah is sinking into the sea, a big fish (whale) swallows him. (Jonah 1:17) The story says that God intervenes and
spares Jonah’s life. Jonah sits in the whale’s belly for three days and nights. He spends that time in prayer thanking God for
saving him. He is sincere in his prayer and God tells the whale to spit Jonah out on shore. (Jonah 2:1-10)”

http://www.essortment.com/all/jonahwhale_rsug.htm
Parable of Jonah and the Whale
Bible Story
“Jonah in sailors' superstition
 A long-established expression among sailors uses the
term “a Jonah" as meaning a person (either a sailor or a
passenger) whose presence on board brings bad luck
and endangers the ship. This presumably arose from
Christian sailors taking the Biblical story of Jonah at
face value.
 Later on, this meaning was extended to "A Jonah"
referring to "a person who carries a jinx, one who will
bring bad luck to any enterprise.” (from www.wikipedia.com)
Vocabulary


charisma (noun) – personal magnetism, charm or
power of emotional persuasion
charismatic (adj) – uses personal magnetism, charm or
power of emotional persuasion (charisma) to motivate
and inspire people.


malice (noun) – intent to harm



Ahab is a charismatic leader.
If you do something with malice, you intended to cause harm.
If you are absent of malice, it means you did not intend to cause
harm.
fluke (noun)


1. one side of a whale’s tail.
2. a stroke of luck; a chance happening; an accident.

It was a fluke that a man found my stolen wallet in the bushes.
St. Elmo’s Fire
A
form of luminous corona
discharge that sometimes
occurs during electrical
storms.
 St. Elmo is the patron saint
of sailors.
St. Elmo’s Fire

“St. Elmo’s Fire is a luminous discharge of electricity extending
into the atmosphere from some projecting or elevated object. It
is usually observed (often during a snowstorm or a dust storm)
as brush-like fiery jets extending from the tips of a ship's mast or
spar, a wing, propeller, or other part of an aircraft, a steeple, a
mountain top, or even from blades of grass or horns of cattle.
Sometimes it plays about the head of a person, causing a tingling
sensation. The phenomenon occurs when the atmosphere
becomes charged and an electrical potential strong enough to
cause a discharge is created between an object and the air around
it. The amount of electricity involved is not great enough to be
dangerous. The appearance of St. Elmo's fire is regarded as a
portent of bad weather. The phenomenon, also known as
corposant, was long regarded with superstitious awe.”
(factmosnster.com