Moby Dick Whaling

“ The story of the whale is so remarkable, that were there not so many witnesses, I would not venture to tell it, lest I be accused of exaggeration.”

Published in 1851, the story of Moby-Dick is not just the tale of one mans search for control over nature, but also the story of friendship, alienation, fate and religion that become intertwined amidst the tragedy that occurs upon the doomed Pequod. The crew itself are an amalgamation of cultures, from the cannibal Queequeg, to Starbuck, "a native of Nantucket." The Pequod can thus be seen as a microcosm for immigrants and whaling within America. In Moby-Dick Herman Melville examines both the exploitation of whaling and the reality of being born outside of America.

Specifically, stories in the bible, especially of the Old Testament. Likewise, Melville was inspired by William Shakespeare’s books in writing his masterpiece Moby Dick. Although, many other references were considered, Shakespeare is the most abundant in this novel. It was his major influence because he wanted to prove the superiority of American Nation as well as American Literature. In this novel he presents tragedy like Shakespeare. Another great influence in writing Moby Dick was Nathaniel Hawthorne. Definitely, not only by his works, but also meeting him had an impact on Moby Dick. They became friends and later neighbors in the summer of 1850 with “an infinite fraternity of feeling” as Melville called it. He especially admired Hawthorne’s psychological deepness and linked him with unique American Literature. Such was Melville’s admiration for Hawthorne that he dedicated Moby Dick to him.

A vengeful man, a native, and a man seeking enlightenment board a whaling vessel; this isn’t a joke, this is the United States of America throughout history and the members of the Pequod. Moby Dick is not just a tale about a whaling venture gone awry, it is a metaphor for what America was and is. The Pequod represents the country and government, while the 30 crew members (Melville 430; ch. 126) represents the United State citizens. This would have not been possible to consider in Melville’s time, but it is a true testament to literature being a living text. Melville wasn’t only writing about America in the 1800’s, he was writing about the natures of humanity, and the future of our society.

On the island of Nantucket, every infant is raised to become a sailor. Sailing is the pride of Nantucket, and sailors are very well respected. Non-sailors of Nantucket were typically outcast, and more than often were never married during their lifetimes. Nantucket viewed whaling as art and took it very seriously. Whaling, harvesting the resources of whales, was how this small town made its living. The Essex was part of a group of more than seventy whaling ships originating from the town of Nantucket. The role of whaling ships Because the price of whale oil was steadily increasing, there were very high expectations set for the Essex and the remaining ships of the fleet. The town of Nantucket was depending on the ships to be successful on their

The Marine Mammal Protection Act was created in 1972, because of the growing concern from scientists and the general public about certain species of marine mammals becoming extinct, due to human activity. The primary objective of this act in 1972 was to maintain the health and stability of the marine ecosystem. When this objective was fulfilled the next focus would be to maintain the ideal population of each species. As you can tell from the graph below there has been a substantial decrease in the percent of maximum population in certain marine mammals.

Whaling as a business in America first began in the early seventeenth century with the English settlers. As the settlers carelessly butchered whales who’d accidentally washed ashore, they remembered how prominently the oil was used back home, and began selling and using the oil as a commodity. The “industry” was then furthered, beginning with simple row boats capturing whales which neared the land. Soon, ships stocked with crews specifically for whaling were being paid for and shipped out, mostly from ports in Nantucket Island, Massachusetts. As the industry grew and higher demands came for whale oil, focuses shifted from Nantucket to New Bedford. Oil was now being used broadly, with baleen for umbrella handles, ambergris for perfume, and spermaceti

The term whaling describes the inhumane hunting down and killing of whales. This happens on expeditions that are carried out for the sole purpose of killing whales to collect their meat, oil, and bones (Herrera and Hoagland, 2004). The most commonly killed are the Humpback whale (Megaptera novaeangliae), the Right Whales (Eubalaena), the Minke whales (Baleanoptera) and the Fin Whale (Balaenoptera physalus). Because of the major decline in the populations of these whales, a commission was created. The International Whaling Commission, otherwise known as the IWC, was created in order to help enforce and regulate laws regarding Whaling (Herrera and Hoagland, 2004). It consists of several countries around the world including the United States.

Moby-Dick is considered to be one of, if not the, best novels in American history. Harper & Brothers first published it in 1851 in New York. In England, it was published in the same year under the title, The Whale (“Moby Dick”). Melville explores topics and themes that were scarcely spoken of and never even seen in a novel. In the novel, the Pequod, which is the ship, is named after a Native American tribe that was exterminated when the white settlers arrived. It is a symbol of death and doom and foreshadows event that occur later in the novel. Melville brings some very controversial themes to light in the novel. Revenge is one of the main themes of Dark Romanticism and Melville uses it to drive every action taken by Ahab. This is seen early on in the novel as Ahab explains to the crew why he has a peg leg and that he wants to enact his revenge on Moby Dick (Melville 160-161). “Moby Dick is, fundamentally, a revenge tragedy. It’s about one man’s maniacal obsession with vengeance. It’s about finding an object on which to pin all you anger and fear and rage, not only about your own suffering, but also about the suffering of all mankind” (“Moby

Donald Yannella, author of New Essays on Billy Budd, says that “at the heart lies an obsession with justice," as is exhibited in Herman Melville’s classics, Moby Dick and Billy Budd, Sailor. Herman Melville was an American author born on August 1, 1819 in New York, New York. The author wrote many books and penned poetry in his later years. Best known for his novel Moby Dick, Melville was not regarded as one of America’s greatest writers until after his death on September 28, 1891. Not achieving his dream job, and with his family in shambles, he boarded the St Lawrence in 1839. His time spent at sea would prove to be useful, as the majority of his books take place on the high seas.

which is not just typical for this book but typical for the way most people on ships speak, he does not embellish it with more female characteristics. He contradicts its femininity by placing "a beard upon its bows" and comparing it to a French Grenadier which is a specialized soldier that was established as a distinct role in the mid-to-late 17th century, for the throwing of grenades and sometimes assault operations. Similarly, whales are almost always termed in the feminine before they are caught. Tashtego clings to the masthead and exclaims "There she blows!” (180), at the first whale spotted. That call is repeated throughout the book when the characters sight a spirit spout, squid, whale, and even Moby Dick. In the end, we can say that

Herman Melville published the novel Moby Dick in 1851. In Moby Dick, Melville uses the whale, other sea creatures, and elements of nature to show the transcendental view of God. Melville uses the principles of color to portray the power of God, and the symbolistic meaning of color in nature. Melville depicts sea creatures as both good and bad, to juxtapose characters in the novel, and as metaphor for the concepts of fate, God, and the unknown.

Aboriginal peoples have been whaling as a tradition for thousands of years with it being a significant part of their culture. They have depended on whales for food, clothing and other handicrafts. Whaling was key to survival and the Natives have honored the sacrifice of each whale through spiritual rituals and ceremonies. It gives them a purpose and discipline which benefits their whole community. This has not been a problem for many centuries, only recently have animal activists been trying to stop the hunting of whales. The Makah people have been the main subjects to the opposition of whaling on the basis that it is unnecessary for their culture or their survival. This has been an ongoing issue since 1999, when they harvested their first whale in 70 years. The violent backlash received has prevented them from gaining permission to hunt after that which led to the illegal killing of a whale in 2007. To present day, the Makah has gotten many undeserved death threats and bomb threats to schools. Many complaints have been made that the hunting method differs from how it was done traditionally so the hunting cannot be considered as one of their cultural practices. By denying the Makah cultural rights, this controversy could lead to cultural genocide. The Makah people should be allowed to harvest a total of 24 whales in 6-year period with two hunting seasons of 3 weeks each because it is the main factor in preserving their culture, it will not cause the gray whale population to

What is the IWC? In 1946, whaling nations established the International Convention for the Regulation of Whaling in order to prohibit the killing of certain endangered whale species, set quotas and minimum size for whales caught commercially and regulate the whaling seasons. This convention was not an environmental agreement, but a club of whaling nations to regulate the practice of catching whales. The International Whaling Commission, (IWC), was the decision making body in charge of the regime and was tasked with the duty of protecting this marine species. Unfortunately, not only was the IWC largely toothless in terms of enforcing their rules, many of their actions were actually counterproductive. The IWC would met in secret to haggle over quotas that were set so high more whales were being killed than before the convention and the total number of whales killed doubled between 1951 and 1962. Even worse, while the major whaling nations were members of the IWC, many developing countries refused to join or abide by its decisions and even went so far as to allow pirate whalers who sold their products to Japan to operate within their territories. Overall, the IWC was largely ineffective until the blue whale became endangered in the 1960’s.

In the novel, A Moby Dick, Pip is a young African American boy, who has almost no power on the Pequod. Pip only makes a handful of appearances in the novel, which leads the reader to ask: why does Melville include him in this novel? Pip normally serves as an entertainer for the crew and cleans up the ship. However, after being left in the ocean for hours, he forms a special bond with Ahab. Through their time spent together Pip positively affects Captain Ahab, which is why he is included in the novel.