Journal #1

Moby Dick is known for being a book in which the plot revolves around the hunting of a whale. The narrator foreshadows his encounter with the great beast even in the first chapter (6). Melville decides to continuously refer to the whale throughout various parts in this first section. Some examples can be seen on chapter 3 (The Spouter-Inn), on 9 (The Sermon), and on chapter 16 (The Ship). On chapter 3, Ishmael tries to describe the “very large oil-painting” that caught his attention (10). His final guess about what is happening in the painting is that a whale is responsible for the destruction of the ship. I believe that the fact that Ishmael can’t quite comprehend the painting (11) symbolizes how mysterious whales were to him, considering he didn’t have any prior experience with them. On chapter 9, Father Mapple uses the story of Jonah and the “Big Fish” to preach. Chapter 16 (The Ship) shows how Captain Peleg describes how that “monstrousest parmacetty” took Captain Ahab’s leg (71). I think that the reason why Melville overuses the imagery of a monstrous whale is to build up the plot and make the readers want to keep on reading.

            Melville uses various rhetorical terms in his book, which makes the reading experience more enjoyable. One example happens when the narrator describes Pequod (68). Personification can be seen when the pronoun “she” is used to address the ship. Simile can also be seen when she is described like a barbarian Ethiopian emperor. I believe that the sailors were so attached to their ships that they viewed her as if she was part of the family, and that is why they personified the ship the way they did. In same chapter, there is also a part where a pun is used, which caught my attention. When Captain Peleg and Captain Bildad were discussing what lay they should give to Ishmael, Captain Bildad quotes the Bible saying, “Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth—” (76). The word “lay” is first used as a noun that refers to the fraction of the payment one would get after getting a whale, but when Captain Bildad says the same word, he refers to the verb. As for me, I really enjoy when authors use a couple of lines in order to make a subtle joke (even if they are not really funny).

            Two chapters that stood out for me were chapters 24 (The Advocate) and 25 (Postscript). According to what the narrator says, being engaged in the whaling industry was something dishonorable and to be ashamed of. The narrator however, effectively counters those assumptions. He uses historical facts to show how whaling aided the economy from the colonies (108) and how it helped the establishment of Australia (109). Another strategy used to make his point stronger is that the narrator mentions possible counter-arguments the opposition might have and address them individually (109-110).