Activity One
Using the Moby Dick Handout, answer the following questions:
The Origin
1. Moby Dick was inspired
by an article written by _______________________.
2. What was "The White Whale
of the Pacific" about?
3. Where was the whale most
often sighted?
4. Based on its use in the
third sentence, what does "generic" mean?
Excerpt One
5. Explain the meaning of
Melville's metaphor,
"Whenever
I find myself growing grim about the mouth."
6. According to Ishmael, how
is the sea a "substitute for pistol and ball"?
7. Based on this opening paragraph,
what type of person is Ishmael?
Excerpt Two
8. To what are prows compared?
9. To what is the ocean compared?
10. Who is the "breathless hunter"?
11. What are the "light toes"?
12. Who is the fish in this excerpt, "to
and fro skimming like a canopy over
the fish,"
?
13. What is the mood at the end
of the second excerpt? (choose one)
a.
a tornado is approaching the prow of the ship
b.
the calm before the storm
c.
all is quiet on the sea and it looks glassy
d.
Ishmael feels the whale is waiting to destroy the hunters as he has
destroyed before.
Excerpt Three
14. See Whaling
Ships . What was the typical size
of whaling ships in the 1800's?
Hint: use scale modeling, ratio/proportion, and the doorway.
15. Using
your knowledge of scale modeling and the typical size of Moby Dick,
compare the typical size of "Ahab's boat" to Moby Dick.
Estimate and write a ratio of the ship to the whale.
16. Was coming
"head-and-head" a common practice for whalers of the time?
17. If there
were three crews, how many boats were there?
18. To what
were the boats were compared?
19. See Whaling
History.Describe the "irons" that Ahab's men darted at Moby
Dick. Use similes to compare them to a weapon.
20. If you
lived in the 1800's, would you have wanted to become a whaler?
Write a detailed explanation describing why you feel that way.