Moby Dick
What is Captain Ahab's most prominent facial feature? What caused it? What impression does Ishmael get to Ahab?
"And not only that, but moody stricken Ahab stood before them with a crucifixion in his face, in all the nameless regal overbearing dignity of some mighty woe"(159). He doesn't seem ill!
On what basis does Mrs. Hussey object to Queequeg's taking his harpoon to his room?
"Because it is dangerous. Ever since young Stiggs coming from that unfortunate voyage of his, when he was gone 4 and half years, with only 3 barrels of ile, was found dead in my first floor back, with his harpoon in his side, ever since then I allow no dangerous weapons in rooms" (99).
What is the first question Ahab asks the assembled crew?
"What do ye do when ye see a whale, men?" (200).
How does Stubb compare to Starbuck in relating to the whales?
"When close to a whale, in the very death-lock of the fight, he handled his unpitying lance cooly and off-handedly, as a whistling tinker his hammer" (152).
What reward does Ahab offer to the men who spots the white whale, and how does he advertise it?
"Whosoever of ye raises me a white-headed whale with a wrinkled brow and crooked jaw shall have this gold ounce, my boys"(201). He takes a hammer and nails the gold to the mast.
What is a "lay"?
A certain share of profits that one receives instead of wages.
Name the 3 positions that Ishmael does not wish to occupy aboard ship
A commodore, captain, or cook
Who is "Aunt Charity" and how did she get that name?
Aunt Charity was Captain Bildad's sister who was very kind hearted and wanted to help.
Why is Queequeg allowed to crew the Pequod?
Because he is not a cannibal and also he is very good with his harpoon
After undressing, Queequeg draws a tomahawk from his bag. Why?
Because he needed room to stuff his New Zealand head
Who besides Ishmael and Queequeg sees the five vanishing sailors board the ship?
Elijah saw them too
What surprises Ishmael about breakfast?
Everyone was so quiet and they looked embarrassed
Why does Ishmael pity Flask when he is summoned to dinner?
Flask was the last person down at dinner and the first man up. He got the "sloppy seconds".
What makes Starbuck"... as careful a man as you'll find anywhere in this fishery"?
In Starbuck courage was not a sentiment
What foreshadowing does the preacher use?
It shows a similarity between Jonah and Ishmael's life! (This isn't right)
Who are Tashtego and Daggoo? What is off about the crew?
Tashtego was an unmixed Indian harpoon who was awesome at hunting down whales. Daggoo was a black harpoon. All of the crew members were Islanders.
Why does Captain Peleg argue that Queequeg should be hired?
That pious harpooners never make good voyagers. But he thinks Queequeg could save them
What about the Glacier separates it from other whaling ships?
The Glacier's sleet crow's nest is like a large pipe, that opens above.
What is the name of the first boat that Ishmael and Queequeg board together?
The Moss
Which whale is known as the Unicorn Whale?
The Narwhal
What makes the Specksnyder different from the other officers on the ship?
The Specksynder was equivalent to a Chief Harpooner.
What is the name of the inn that Ishmael eventually settles into?
The Spouter Inn:- Peter Coffin
What can be inferred by the last sentence in the chapter?
The adventure has finally begun!
What advice does Ishmael give to the ship owners looking to hire sailors?
"Beware of enlisting in your vigilant fisheries any lad with lean brow and hollow eye, given to unseasonable meditativeness, and who offers to ship with Phædon instead of Bowditch in his head" (198).
Why does Ishmael accept Peleg and Bidad's excuses on behalf of the Captain?
"But when a man suspects any wrong, it sometimes happens that if he be already involved in the matter, he insensibly strived to cover up his suspicions even from himself. And much this way it was with me" (130).
Why does Starbuck say "I will have no man in my boat,... Who is not afraid of whale"?
"By this, he seemed to mean, not only that the most reliable and useful courage was that which arises from the fair estimation of the encountered peril, but an utterly fearless man is a far more dangerous comrade than a coward" (149).
Why does Ishmael object to Queequeg's taste in "furniture"? Who is the next man introduced and what is his job?
"Call that his face? Very benevolent countenance then, but how hard he breathes, he's heaving himself, get off Queequeg, you are heavy, it's grinding the face of the poor" (133). Starbuck is the next man introduced and he is a chief mate.
What biblical story does Father Mapple use as a basis for his sermon?
"Clinch the last verse of the first chapter of Jonah" (71).
What credits does Ishmael list in defense of whaling?
"For almost all the tampers, lamps, and candles that burn around the globe, burn so many shrines, to our glory"(143).
Why does Ishmael go to sea as a sailor rather than as a passenger?
"For to go as a passenger you must need to have a purse and a purse is a rag unless you have something in it. They also don't enjoy themselves and they don't get paid" (29).
What reason does Ishmael give for going to sea?
"Having little or no money in my purse, and nothing particular to interest me on shore, I though I would sail about a little and see the watery part of the world"
What is Peleg's opinion of Ahab? What impression is given of Ahab?
"He is a queer man , Captain Ahab but a good one. He is a grand, ungodly, god- like man and doesn't speak much. But when he does speak, you should listen" (112).
What reward does Queequeg ask for his heroics on the ship?
"He only asked for water-fresh water- something to wipe the brine off" (92).
Why had Queequeg stay away from his homeland for so long?
"He was fearful Christianity, or rather Christians, had unfitted him for ascending the pure and undefined throne of 30 pagan Kings before him" (86).
What does the stranger say that injects an element of mystery into the story?
"He's got enough though, to make up for all the deficiencies of that sort in other chap" (124)
What helps Ahab maintain his footings while on deck?
"His bones leg steadied in that hole" (159).
What is Quequeg doing when Ishmael returns from church?
"I found Quequeg there quite alone. And in one hand was holding up to his face that little negro idol of his, peering hard into his face with a jack-knife" (79).
How does Ishmael explain Ahab's continued absence on deck?
"I'll hope ye'll have fine weather now, so that Captain Ahab may soon be moving among ye- a pleasant sun is all he needs" (138).
On what logic basis does Ishmael join in Queequeg's rituals?
"I'll try a pagan friend, thought I, since Christian kindness has proved but hollow courtesy" (81).
According to legend, how was Nantucket discovered?
"In olden times an eagle swooped down upon the New England coast and carried off an infant Indian in his talons. The parents of the infant decided to follow the eagle and discovered the island and there they found their dead infant" (94).
Why does Ishmael consider Ahab's views on the use of his cabin typical?
"In this one matter, Ahab seemed no exception to most American whale captains, who, as a set, rather incline to the opinion that by the rights the ship's cabin belongs to them, and that it is courtesy alone that anybody else is, at any time, permitted here" (191).
Find a simile and foreshadowing
"It smells like another world, more strangely than the moon would to an Earthsman" (94)
What premonitions does Ishmael have?
"It's ominous, thinks I.A Coffin my Innkeeper upon landing in my first whaling port, tombstones staring at me in the whalemen's chapel, and here a gallows" (97).
In your opinion, why does Ishmael react as he does to the idea of the crow's nest?
"Likewise we should denominate after ourselves any other apparatus we may beget.
What happens at the end of the chapter?
"Look sharp, all ye! There are whales here abouts" (168).
What does it mean to "stand a mast had"?
"Of modern standers-of-mast-heads we have but a lifeless set, mere stone, iron, and bronze men, who, though well capable of facing out a stuff gale" (193).
What piece of wisdom does Stobb take from his dream?
"Remember what I say, be kicked by him, account his kicks honors, and on no account kick back" (167).
Why does Ishmael discount Captain Scoresby?
"Scoresby knew nothing and says nothing of the great sperm whale"(170).
What according to Ishmael, is the "grand distinction" between officers and seamen?
"The grand distinction drawn between officer and man at sea is this- the first lives aft, the last forward. The mates have their quarters with the captain.
Who refers Queequeg and Ishmael to the Try Pots? Why?
"The landlord of the Spouter- Inn had recommended us to his cousin Hosea Hussey of the Try Pots, whom he asserted had the best kept hotel in Nantucket and the best chowder" (96).
Ishmael asserts that "a sleeping apartment should never be furnished with a fire."(83). Why not?
"The more so, I say because truly to enjoy bodily warmth, some small part of you must be cold"(83).
What type of whale, according to Ishmael, is the most profitable to hint?
...
In what order do the officers report to Ahab's cabin for dinner?
1.Starbuck 2. Stubb 3. Flask
Provide 2 different reasons why the selection of the ship is left to Ishmael.
1.Yojo had befriended Ishmael and Queequeg 2. Yojo had already pitched upon a vessel
What is the Cape Horn measure?
A full glass is a Cape Horn measure.
What was Ishmael's profession while not at sea?
A schoolmaster
According to Ishmael's system if classification, what type of animal is a whale?
A whale is a fish!
Why does the stranger's name affect Ishmael strongly?
After their conversation, Elijah(the stranger) began to follow Ishmael and Queequeg and dodge them. But eventually Ishmael "pronounced him in his heart as a humbug".
What is meant by Stubb's remark about Ahab that "the chick that's in him pecks the shell."twill soon be out"?
Ahab is thinking very hard and soon he will have an awese idea sprout out of him!
What does Ishmael find odd about Queequeg's dressing habits?
All of the queer proceedings increased his uncomfortableness
What is Captain Peleg's response to Ishmael's credentials?
Captain Peleg gets very mad about how Ishmael worked in merchant service and he thinks Ishmael is dumb.
Who are Captain Peleg and Bildad? What is the general impression of the Pequod?
Captain Peleg is one of the principle owners of the Pequod. Captain Peleg is also an owner of the boat. The Pequod was very old fashioned
Why does Ishmael avoid returning to the room after signing on to the Pequod?
He avoids going to the room because he doesn't want to disturb Queequep's Ramadan fasting.
Why does Ishmael break the innkeeper's bolt?
He breaks the innkeeper's bolt because the door was locked and his friend Queequeg might of been in the room dead!
What job does Ishmael most closely associate with the professional whaler?
He compares the job to being a butcher.
What is Tashtego's way of speeding up the service at the harpooner's table?
He darted his fork at his back, harpoon-wise.
What about Queequeg's appearance does Ishmael find disturbing?
He had a disgusting yellow, purplish face.
Why is Father Mapple so highly regarded by his congregation?
He had led an adventurous maritime life in his past life.
Why does Ishmael leave "The Trap"?
He has to leave "The Trap" because it is a negro church.
What in Ishmael's opinion brings Ahab out from his cabin?
He needed air and the sun.
Who is the first member of the Pequod's crew that Ishmael observes?
He observes that the guy didnt make alot of noise like the rest of his shipmates. He was 6 feet tall, very tan, a Southern accent, and he was favorited by the shipmates.
What does Stubb decide about Ahab's outburst?
He replies and says "I will not be tamely be called a dog, sir".
Why does Ahab toss his pipe into the ocean?
He said "smoking no longer soothes" and "I'll smoke no more".
What does Ishmael do with the stranger's advice?
He tells him "it is the easiest thing in the world for a man to look as if he had a great secret in him"
How does Flask compare with Stubb and Starbuck about whales?
He thought of a whale like "a water rat requiring only little circumvention and some small application of time and trouble in order to kill and boil"(153).
Why is Queequeg so eager to leave his island? Why was he unsuccessful in his quest?
He wanted to visit the Christian lands. But the ship had rejected him. When he finally got accepted he did not like what the sailors were doing with their wages and decided that the world was wicked.
Where is Quequeg while Ishmael is deciding whether or not to share his bed?
He went out peddling
What is Bulkington's job aboard ship?
He works to help with the boat during the storm.
What does Ishmael speculate is the cause of Stubb's good humor?
His pipe brought out the best humor in him.
Why does Ishmael discredit the work of more than half of his listed experts on Cetology?
Most of the people in the book have never seen a whale before.
Who assumes command of the ship while she leaves the harbor? Who is the second mate?
Mr. Starbuck assumes command.
What is the name of the first city in which Ishmael looks for lodging?
New Bedford
Where is Queequeg from?
Queequeg was a native of Kokovoko, an island far away to the West and South.
Why does Ishmael finally decide to befriend Queequeg?
Queequeg was very weird and different but Ishmael began to be drawn to him and decided that he really liked him.
What is Queequeg's status among his people?
Queequeg's father was a High Chief/King and his uncle was a High Priest!
Who does Ishmael compare Quequeg to as he studies the man's head?
Queequeg's head reminded Ishmael of General Washington 'a head. It had the same long regularly graded retreating slope from the brows.
Who besides Ahab actually has seen Moby Dick before the meeting on the Pequod?
Queequeg, Tashtego, and Daggoo have all seen Moby Dick.
What prompts Stubb to approach Ahab? What is Ahab's reaction?
Stubb was upset that "if Captain Ahab was to walk the planks, then no one could say nay"(162). Ahab replies and says "Am I a cannon-ball Stub?" (162).
What is the first piece of information that Ishmael learns about his bedmate?
The harpooner is a dark complexioned chap. He never eats dumplings, he eats nothing but rare steak.
Before the sermon begins, Ishmael compares the pulpit?
The joints on the pulpit seemed unnecessary
What finally decides the issue of where Ishmael will sleep?!
The landlord finally convinces Ishmael that the room is nice and that the harpooner isn't that crazy
What is the focus of attention in the church as Ishmael makes his entrance? What do these objects have in common?
The men and woman eyed several marble tablets. The tablets were in honor of sailors who had died
Who does Stubb tell about his encounter with Ahab, which he called a dream?
The next morning Stubb tells Flask.
What are the origins of the name Pequod?
The origin of the name was from Nantucket Quakerism.
One of the first things Ishmael notices upon entering the inn is a painting. What does the painting depict?
The picture represents a Cape Horner in a great hurricane and a exasperated whale inhaling himself upon the three mast- heads
What according to Father Mapple, constitutes true repentance?
The story of Jonah shows sinful men how Amittai was in willful disobedience of the command of God.
What is Ishmael's final point in defense of the whaling industry?
There is dignity in whaling and the honor you gain.
What reason does Ishmael give for New Bedford's prosperity?
They have the best weddings, in the summer the town is sweet, and the woman are beautiful
What is the name of Queequeg's idol?
Yojo
Looking around the common room, Ishmael is able to guess at how long each man has been ashore. How?
You could tell how sun-burned they were
