Showing posts with label herman melville. Show all posts
Showing posts with label herman melville. Show all posts

 Chapter 33. - The Specksnyder





 


The sperm whale (Physeter macrocephalus), also known as the spermaceti whale, is the largest of the toothed whales and one of the largest predators on Earth. They can grow up to 60 feet (18 meters) long and weigh up to 45 tons.


One of the most distinctive features of the sperm whale is its enormous head, which can make up one-third of its body length. Inside the head is a large organ called the spermaceti organ, which was historically hunted for the wax-like substance it contains, also called spermaceti. This substance was highly valued for its use in candles, cosmetics, and other products.


Sperm whales have a dark gray or black skin, with a wrinkled texture that becomes more pronounced as they age. They have a single blowhole located on the left side of their head, which they use to breathe air when they surface.


Sperm whales are deep divers, known for their ability to dive to depths of up to 2,000 meters (6,600 feet) in search of their preferred prey, which includes giant squid and other deep-sea creatures. They are also social animals that live in family groups, called pods, which can contain up to 20 individuals.


Despite being protected by international law, sperm whales continue to face threats from hunting, pollution, and habitat loss. However, their population appears to be slowly recovering, thanks to conservation efforts and a better understanding of their behavior and biology.



 


Chapter 31 of Moby Dick is titled "Queen Mab." It begins with Ishmael discussing the power of dreams and their ability to reveal hidden truths. He reflects on the various beliefs people have held about dreams throughout history and notes that, while they can be confusing and difficult to interpret, they can also be incredibly revealing.


The chapter then shifts to a description of a strange dream that Ishmael has while sleeping in his hammock. In the dream, he encounters a fairy-like creature named Queen Mab, who takes him on a fantastical journey through the world of dreams.


As they travel, Queen Mab shows Ishmael various visions and prophesies, including a vision of Ahab's eventual fate. She also reveals to Ishmael that the true meaning of the white whale goes beyond a mere animal; it is a symbol of the ultimate truth that exists beyond the material world.


The chapter ends with Ishmael awakening from the dream and feeling both exhilarated and deeply unsettled by the experience.


Overall, chapter 31 is a highly symbolic and introspective chapter that explores the power of dreams and their ability to reveal hidden truths about ourselves and the world around us. It also foreshadows the eventual fate of Ahab and deepens the novel's ongoing exploration of the nature of obsession and the search for ultimate truth.


Life onboard a whaling ship in the 1800s was harsh and dangerous. Whaling ships were often at sea for months, sometimes even years, and the crew had to endure harsh living conditions and physically demanding work.


The crew typically consisted of several groups, including the captain, officers, harpooners, boatsteerers, and common sailors. Each group had specific roles and responsibilities, with the captain being responsible for the overall operation of the ship.


The daily routine on a whaling ship was highly structured and involved a lot of manual labor. The crew would wake up early in the morning and start their workday, which typically involved trimming sails, repairing equipment, and preparing the boats for hunting whales.


When a whale was spotted, the crew would launch a small boat and pursue the whale, using harpoons to injure it and eventually kill it. The whale would then be brought back to the ship, where it would be processed into oil and other products.


During their time off, the crew would engage in various activities to pass the time, such as reading, playing games, or fishing. However, there was little privacy or personal space, and living conditions were often cramped and uncomfortable.


Whaling was a dangerous profession, with the crew facing numerous hazards, including storms, disease, and accidents on deck. Additionally, whales were powerful and unpredictable creatures that could easily overturn a small boat or cause serious injury or death to the crew.


Overall, life onboard a whaling ship in the 1800s was a grueling and often dangerous experience, requiring physical endurance, mental toughness, and a willingness to endure long periods of isolation and discomfort.

 Chapter 27 of Moby Dick


 



A frankly imccomprehensible chapter, I have no idea what it was about and I spoke the words, with my mouth. 


 Chapter 25 - Moby Dick



The chapter begins with the famous line, "And I only am escaped alone to tell thee," which is a quote from the Biblical book of Job. Ishmael then goes on to describe how the Pequod, the whaling ship on which he had sailed, was destroyed in a final encounter with the white whale Moby Dick. Ishmael was the only survivor, and he was rescued by the Rachel, another whaling ship that had been searching for some of its own crew members who had been lost at sea.

Ishmael concludes the chapter by expressing his belief that the sea is ultimately unknowable and that the pursuit of whaling is a kind of madness. He suggests that the only way to truly understand the sea is to be swallowed up by it, to become one with it in death. This final reflection reinforces the novel's themes of the human struggle against the unknown and the ultimately destructive nature of man's desire for power and dominance over nature.

 Shipmates!

Enjoy this latest chapter from Moby Dick! 


Just after signing the papers, Ishmael and Queequeg run into a scarred and deformed man named Elijah, a prophet or perhaps merely a frightening stranger, who hints to them about the peril of signing aboard Ahab’s ship. He drops references to several frightening incidents involving Ahab, but Ishmael and Queequeg disregard the man’s warnings.




I thought it would be interesting to learn a little about whaling in the 1800's ...Whaling in the 1800s was a major industry, driven by the demand for whale oil as a source of fuel for lighting and industry. During this time, whaling ships would embark on long voyages to hunt various species of whales, including sperm, humpback, and bowhead whales.

  1. Method: Whaling was a dangerous and physically demanding pursuit, with crews using hand-thrown harpoons and ropes to bring the whale alongside the ship.

  2. Expansion: As demand for whale oil grew, the industry expanded to include many countries, including the United States, Britain, Norway, and Japan. Whaling ships would often sail for months or even years at a time, traveling to remote oceans in search of whales.

  3. Impacts: The extensive hunting of whales during this time had a significant impact on whale populations, leading to declines in many species. The industry also had a significant impact on the economies of coastal communities, which relied on whaling for jobs and economic stability.

  4. Decline: By the late 1800s, the decline in whale populations and the development of alternative sources of fuel, such as petroleum, led to a decline in the whaling industry. International conservation efforts also began to emerge, leading to the creation of the International Whaling Commission in 1946 and the eventual ban on commercial whaling in 1986.

 


 

Chapter 18: His Mark

Though the owners object at first to his paganism, Queequeg impresses them with his skill by hitting a tiny spot of tar on the water with a harpoon. They give him the ninetieth lay, “more than ever was given a harpooneer yet out of Nantucket.” Bildad tries to convert Queequeg to Christianity, but Peleg tells him to give up: “Pious harpooneers never make good voyagers—it takes the shark out of ’em; no harpooneer is worth a straw who ain’t pretty sharkish.” Peleg reminds Bildad that, at sea, practical concerns shove religious matters aside. 


A huge white whale in the depths of the ocean.


Charged by Yojo, Queequeg’s wooden idol, to seek a ship for the two men, Ishmael lights upon the Pequod, a ship “with an old fashioned claw-footed look about her” and “apparelled like any barbaric Ethiopian emperor, his neck heavy with pendants of polished ivory.” Ishmael also calls the Pequod a “cannibal of a craft” because it is bejeweled with whale parts. On board, he makes a deal with Peleg and Bildad, the ship’s Quaker owners, who are characterized as conniving cheapskates and bitter taskmasters. Although Quakers are generally pacifists, these two have dedicated their life to the bloody slaughter of whales. Evaluating what lay Ishmael should receive (his portion of the ship’s profits and his only wages), Peleg finally gives him the 300th lay. At this time, Ishmael also learns that the ship’s captain is the mysterious Ahab, named after a wicked biblical king. Although Ahab has been moody and secretive since losing his leg in an encounter with the great white whale Moby Dick, Bildad and Peleg believe in his competence and they believe him harmless, since he has a young wife and an infant child waiting for him at home.

 


Ishmael and Queequeg settle at the Try-Pots for the night, an inn owned by the cousin of the Spouter-Inn’s owner. Ishmael is disturbed by an old topmast above the inn that looks ominously like a gallows. Everything on Nantucket is touched by the sea: the milk tastes of fish, and the innkeeper’s wife wears a necklace of fish vertebrae. The two friends have a supper of hearty chowder.




OK so that was a slightly childish title. This is in fact the 14th chapter of Moby Dick - Nantucket. Please give it a listen and enjoy the heck out of it.

 Chapter 13 it is!

It's been a while but here's the next chapter from Moby Dick, Queequeg and co head aboard a passenger amidst a terrible storm! 



And so are more chapters of Moby Dick!

I've just been for a lovely sunny evening walk in darkest Wiltshire, and for the first time in a while I'm feeling energised, there's a light at the end of this bleak and wintery covid-lockdown tunnel! 

I've produced 9 chapters of the classic novel Moby Dick by Herman Melville and uploaded them to Soundcloud. It's not the easiest book to narrate, more challenging than some of the HP Lovecraft stuff. I thought The Shadow Over Innsmouth was hard going, but the flowery old-English used by Mr Melville is almost another language in places.

For those of you not familiar with the novel, it's about a one mans pursuit for revenge, an angry salty sea dog captain of a whaling ship in the early 1800's is going hell for leather after a white wale that once bit his leg off and sunk his ship. A better summary is below, borrowed from sparknotes.com. Go to the free audiobooks page to listen to the book or visit soundcloud here. 

Ishmael, the narrator, announces his intent to ship aboard a whaling vessel. He has made several voyages as a sailor but none as a whaler. He travels to New Bedford, Massachusetts, where he stays in a whalers’ inn. Since the inn is rather full, he has to share a bed with a harpooner from the South Pacific named Queequeg. At first repulsed by Queequeg’s strange habits and shocking appearance (Queequeg is covered with tattoos), Ishmael eventually comes to appreciate the man’s generosity and kind spirit, and the two decide to seek work on a whaling vessel together. They take a ferry to Nantucket, the traditional capital of the whaling industry. There they secure berths on the Pequod, a savage-looking ship adorned with the bones and teeth of sperm whales. Peleg and Bildad, the Pequod’s Quaker owners, drive a hard bargain in terms of salary. They also mention the ship’s mysterious captain, Ahab, who is still recovering from losing his leg in an encounter with a sperm whale on his last voyage.

The Pequod leaves Nantucket on a cold Christmas Day with a crew made up of men from many different countries and races. Soon the ship is in warmer waters, and Ahab makes his first appearance on deck, balancing gingerly on his false leg, which is made from a sperm whale’s jaw. He announces his desire to pursue and kill Moby Dick, the legendary great white whale who took his leg, because he sees this whale as the embodiment of evil. Ahab nails a gold doubloon to the mast and declares that it will be the prize for the first man to sight the whale. As the Pequod sails toward the southern tip of Africa, whales are sighted and unsuccessfully hunted. During the hunt, a group of men, none of whom anyone on the ship’s crew has seen before on the voyage, emerges from the hold. The men’s leader is an exotic-looking man named Fedallah. These men constitute Ahab’s private harpoon crew, smuggled aboard in defiance of Bildad and Peleg. Ahab hopes that their skills and Fedallah’s prophetic abilities will help him in his hunt for Moby Dick.

The Pequod rounds Africa and enters the Indian Ocean. A few whales are successfully caught and processed for their oil. From time to time, the ship encounters other whaling vessels. Ahab always demands information about Moby Dick from their captains. One of the ships, the Jeroboam, carries Gabriel, a crazed prophet who predicts doom for anyone who threatens Moby Dick. His predictions seem to carry some weight, as those aboard his ship who have hunted the whale have met disaster. While trying to drain the oil from the head of a captured sperm whale, Tashtego, one of the Pequod’s harpooners, falls into the whale’s voluminous head, which then rips free of the ship and begins to sink. Queequeg saves Tashtego by diving into the ocean and cutting into the slowly sinking head.

During another whale hunt, Pip, the Pequod’s black cabin boy, jumps from a whaleboat and is left behind in the middle of the ocean. He goes insane as the result of the experience and becomes a crazy but prophetic jester for the ship. Soon after, the Pequod meets the Samuel Enderby, a whaling ship whose skipper, Captain Boomer, has lost an arm in an encounter with Moby Dick. The two captains discuss the whale; Boomer, happy simply to have survived his encounter, cannot understand Ahab’s lust for vengeance. Not long after, Queequeg falls ill and has the ship’s carpenter make him a coffin in anticipation of his death. He recovers, however, and the coffin eventually becomes the Pequod’s replacement life buoy.

Ahab orders a harpoon forged in the expectation that he will soon encounter Moby Dick. He baptizes the harpoon with the blood of the Pequod’s three harpooners. The Pequod kills several more whales. Issuing a prophecy about Ahab’s death, Fedallah declares that Ahab will first see two hearses, the second of which will be made only from American wood, and that he will be killed by hemp rope. Ahab interprets these words to mean that he will not die at sea, where there are no hearses and no hangings. A typhoon hits the Pequod, illuminating it with electrical fire. Ahab takes this occurrence as a sign of imminent confrontation and success, but Starbuck, the ship’s first mate, takes it as a bad omen and considers killing Ahab to end the mad quest. After the storm ends, one of the sailors falls from the ship’s masthead and drowns—a grim foreshadowing of what lies ahead.

Ahab’s fervent desire to find and destroy Moby Dick continues to intensify, and the mad Pip is now his constant companion. The Pequod approaches the equator, where Ahab expects to find the great whale. The ship encounters two more whaling ships, the Rachel and the Delight, both of which have recently had fatal encounters with the whale. Ahab finally sights Moby Dick. The harpoon boats are launched, and Moby Dick attacks Ahab’s harpoon boat, destroying it. The next day, Moby Dick is sighted again, and the boats are lowered once more. The whale is harpooned, but Moby Dick again attacks Ahab’s boat. Fedallah, trapped in the harpoon line, is dragged overboard to his death. Starbuck must maneuver the Pequod between Ahab and the angry whale.

On the third day, the boats are once again sent after Moby Dick, who once again attacks them. The men can see Fedallah’s corpse lashed to the whale by the harpoon line. Moby Dick rams the Pequod and sinks it. Ahab is then caught in a harpoon line and hurled out of his harpoon boat to his death. All of the remaining whaleboats and men are caught in the vortex created by the sinking Pequod and pulled under to their deaths. Ishmael, who was thrown from a boat at the beginning of the chase, was far enough away to escape the whirlpool, and he alone survives. He floats atop Queequeg’s coffin, which popped back up from the wreck, until he is picked up by the Rachel, which is still searching for the crewmen lost in her earlier encounter with Moby Dick. 
https://www.sparknotes.com/lit/mobydick/summary/

 

Olde Whale Picture