I heard someone say today that Moby Dick could be summed up in three sentences. OUCH! Melville is turning in his grave.
In actuality, folks, ANY novel can be summed up in three sentences...which is why main idea is driven so hard in FCAT. LOL! Do I think there are some chapters that could be left out? Of course! Do I still feel it is worth the read? ABSOLUTELY!
So what I want from you for this blog post is to give me little nuggets (or pearls of wisdom, if you will) that you have gained from reading the book thus far. You know - the little "lessons on life" you sneak up on (and eventually thank goodness that you did not skip over). You can also include sentences that pack a punch (in structure, rhetoric, or even literary devices). Whatever it is that may bring a smile to your face, a tear to your eye, or a hmmmm to your mind, ADD IT HERE (and include the chapter number)!
Feel free to add to this as we read the novel. I will be checking in for possible bonus points!
HAPPY READING! I am proud of you all for not backing down from the GREAT BOOK!
26 comments:
MY LITTLE PEARL OF WISDOM GLEANED FROM THE GREAT BOOK, CHAPTER 11:
"The more so, I say, because truly to enjoy bodily warmth, some small part of you must be cold...for there is no quality in this world that is not what it is merely by contrast."
Amen, Ishmael! To know true love, we have to know pain. To know success, we have had to experience failure. To be forgiven, we have to forgive. We cannot truly cherish the spring without the bitter winter...and the list goes on. Though sometimes troubling to me, the opposition, juxtaposition, and antithesis of life brings it into FOCUS!
-"But Faith, like a jackal, feeds among the tombs, and even from these dead doubts she gathers her most vital hope" (Ch. 7 The Chapel)
I thought it was powerful how he used personification as well as the actual lesson. :D
"For all men tragically great are made so through a certain morbidness. Be sure of this, O young ambition, all mortal greatness is but disease." -Ch.16
The first thing that came to mind as I read this quote was tragic heroes, and one in particular: Dr. Faustus
"But, perhaps, to be true philosophers, we mortals should be conscious of so living or so striving." -Ch.10
I thought this quote was quite powerful. We can't just philosophize about life with out living it, now, can we? Nor can we enjoy it.
"And the man that has anything bountifully laughable about him, be sure there is more in that man than you perhaps think for." -Ch.5
I always thought that most people who can make others laugh are successful at it because they're smart and therefore know much so more than how to make you laugh. You just don't see it.
I don't know, just random thoughts there. Lol.
Chapter 7
"Methinks we have hugely mistaken this matter of Life and Death.Methinks that what they call my shadow here on earth is my true substance. Methinks that in looking at things spiritual,we are to much like oysters observing the sun through the water, and thinking water the thinnest of air."
This quote made me want to reread it again until I truly grasped the meaning of it. It made me notice that what we might think is right might not always be right even though, you think you saw or heard was precise.
I liked how he made a comparison to the oyster and us human how we see, the sun through the water. That we really don't know anything because there is a greater power.
Most importantly, how "...what they call my shadow here on earth is my true substance" I think that is so deep. Our soul is so priceless that what we cant see here on earth is what really matters up in heaven.
All of this had to sink in to make me think about couple of things :)
ALL AWESOME COMMENTS! You guys make my cup runneth over! So blessed!
LAYSU - Your quote made me think about Iola Leroy. It was the shadows and darkness in their lives that gave them substance, too. Basically, they treasured the light (the good times) because they had experienced darkness (trials and tribulations). And, believe it or not, ties in with the quote I pulled from the novel!
MUCHO LOVE-O!
"Upon waking next morning about daylight, I fond Queequeg's arm thrown over me in the most loving and affectionate manner. You had almost thought I had been his wife." (Ch. 4)
-I just found this line so funny, but at the same time cute because who would have ever guessed that such a "scary" man as Queequeg would be so affectionate? Which I think is something all of us can learn from. That we should show compassion and love to all despite their appearance.
From the middle of Ch.9 up to its end, I thought was a very poignant chapter. (hey vocab. word ;D ) Simply because it touches upon a religious aspect of the novel thus far and it talks of how Jonah repents. I think that is something that all of us must learn to do.
"The prophecy was that I should be dismembered; and--Aye! I lost this leg, I now prophecy that I will dismember my dismemberer. Now, then, be the prophet and the fulfiller pne. That's more than ye, ye great gods, ever were." (Ch. 41)
-This quote just made me go MMMMM....WOW! slap in the face for the gods.
There are more, but I shall share when I have more time to look for them. :)
Love ya,
Meli
“Besides,’ thinks I, ‘look at it once; why, the end of it, the foot part, what a small sort of end it is; whereas, if a broad footed farmer kicked me, there’s a devilish broad insult. But this insult is whittled down to a point only.’” - Chapter 31
This excerpt of chapter thirty two really did make me laugh out loud. I couldn’t help but notice how, in a sense; Stubbs is poking fun at Captain Ahab’s whale bone leg. Stubbs insists that since the lower part of Ahab’s leg is whittled down to a point, then it doesn’t really count as an insult, only a small portion of an insult. As a whole, however, this chapter taught me that sometimes you cannot take life too seriously. Stubbs could have picked a fight with Ahab over a mere kick and perhaps ended up getting in serious trouble, instead he chose to sleep on his momentary anger and come to the conclusion that a kick from Ahab is more like an honor than an insult.
“But all the things that God would have us do are hard for us to do- remember that- and hence, he oftener commands us than endeavors to persuade. And if we obey God, we must disobey ourselves; and it is in this disobeying ourselves, wherein the hardness of obeying God consists”. (Chapter 9- The Sermon)
I thought this quote was very deep. It made me think a little. I think this quote means that we should be like God. We should be obedient and have manners. We should be respectful, instead of being disrespectful. We should listen to what others have to say. We should learn from our mistakes and grow from it. Life is too short to not follow what is being told. It should be respected and not be judged.
Chapter 16 The Ship
"For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also."
This quote to me was very significant. As a matter of fact I wrote a bunch of exclamation points next to it and wrote it as my status for facebook :) What this means to me is that whatever you are good at, whatever you love, whatever is your passion (which is your treasure) there is where your heart will be. For instance, the pool is my treasure. I adore the pool it is like my home and truthfully that is where my heart is and belongs because I feel complete their. The same with your loved one, they are your treasure and when your are together you are like one because that is where your heart belongs. :) Finally, when I listen to this quote it gives me motivation to try hard at what I am best at so that I can show everybody my treasure.
-Vanessa D.
Period 1
"If we obey God, we must disobey ourselves; and it is in this disobeying ourselves, where in the hardness of God consists." Chapter 9 The Sermon
This quote was moving, inspiring, and filled with great emotion. As I read this quote I had to read it a couple of times as I grasp a deeper meaning each time I read it. Who doesn’t aspire to be a slave to Christ? As we humans lose the meaning of living and forget the reason why we are brought to this world, we begin to please ourselves, our needs, and we begin to lose are faith and goal in life. This quote means to me that, we human must constantly deny our own impulses and follow Gods word and path, and it is then that we live a fulfilled life.
"...how elastic our stiff prejudices grow when love once comes to bend them."
- Now Ishmael liked nothing better than have Queequeg smoking by him, yet before he hated when anyone smoked near him. This quote shows how love can change things, a persons likes and dislikes and even some aspects of their personality. I read this sentence and god goosebumps, because it is extremely true!
- Lizzie
* Oops, this was pg 55 Chapter 11. Nightgown.
Chapter 1- "Who ain't a slave?"
I know we have already discussed this quote in class but I just can't get enough of it. This quote has so much meaning and lessons that we apply to our everyday lives. This is true! Sometime or another we find ourselves working for someone else. Whether it be, as a child doing chores to help our parents to going to church to comply with our Heavenly father's destined path for us.
Love you
Melissa Period 2
Hi, all! I am so proud of you for delving into the book, finding meaning, and drawing parallels to your lives. Keep 'em coming! As Ahab searches steadfastly for the whale, we too must not cease our search for the message of Moby :o)
“ Glimpses do ye seem to see of that mortally intolerable truth; that all deep, earnest thinking is but the intrepid effort of the soul to keep the open independence of her sea; while the wildest winds of heaven and earth conspire to cast her on the treacherous slavish shore? Chapter 22 (pg. 89)
I love this quote because it is talking about things and people that try hard to keep you on shore (Not letting you do what you are capable of doing) while you and your spirit can do much much more. In example, parents take time to understand that at some point they have to let go and let us fly on our own, but some parents, like mine, would do anything to try and keep you here with them. My mom has offered buying me a brand new car, any car, buying me anything I want just so that I decided not to go away for college. In this situation my mom would be the wildest winds and I would be that fearless effort that Ishmael happens to mention.
Adisney
Period#1
"All that most maddens and torments; all that stirs up the lees of things; all truth with malice in it; all that cracks the sinews and cakes the brain; all the subtle demonisms of life and thought; all evil, to crazy Ahab, were visibly personified, and made practically assailable in Moby Dick. He piled upon the whale’s white hump the sum of all the general rage and hate felt by his whole race from Adam down; and then, as if his chest had been a mortar, he burst his hot heart’s shell upon it."
Chapter 41
I liked this quote very much for a two reasons. The first is the obvious use of parallel construction. The second is how this construction adds a powerful depth to the already insightful look at Ahab's clearly fanatic obsession with killing Moby Dick and taking revenge. Overall, this is one of my favorite excerpts thus far.
Chapter 41 pg. 155
Human madness is oftentimes a cunning and most feline thing. When you think it fled, it may have but become transfigured into some still subtler(alliteration) form.
I liked this quote because I know this can happen, you can get hurt or betrayed that it makes you feel crazy. When time passes you think it over but then it comes out again in a different way.
"Better sleep with a sober cannibal than a drunken Christian." Chapter 3. Page 32.
Out of all the excerpts from the novel this quote had the largest impact on me. It is short on paper, but when read this quote arises a multitude of thoughts that the shortness of it does not even matter. It only took the words "drunken Christian", to make me realize that one who knows he is lying and is aware that God is not oblivious to this fact, but pays no mind to it can be a very cunning individual. It's not even the fact about sleeping with a sober or drunk person. It is the fact that the drunken Christian should not be Drunk. If that person is putting up a mask to seem like a good individual, but is not one, then whats the good of that? I'd rather go to sleep with someone who shows their true colors on the outside and does not hide it in the inside. Only because I will know what to expect from that person. If a person wears a mask I will not know what to expect and therefore will be fooled into believing false information about this person. Letting my guard down with a drunken Christian is the worst mistake I would ever make. There is no way of knowing what is actually going through this individuals mind. You know what they say "it's whats on the inside that counts".
"With greedy ears I learned the history of that murderous monster against whom I and all the others had taken our oaths of violence and revenge." chapter 41
While reading Moby Dick, this bits and pieces are fitting together. The book has taught me not to;
*judge
*be courageous and heart warming.
*brave
*never assume
The quote is similar to my life or world, because we are all non-virgins when we once learn what was never beyond the front door, they feel ashamed. It teaches me because my life experiences always have a big mishap. good or bad. Therefore, showing that life rapes our ears with the revolution and past that haunts us our american people today. But, maybe that way that don't commit a second world war. Who knows, maybe this book is yelling out something......nothing.
Chapter 29:
"Damn me, but all things are queer come to think of 'em."
-Second Mate Stubb
Oh, how this is so true! Reminds me of how impossible it is to imagine the size of the universe, or the origin of words, or the concept of time. There are so many mysteries in the world that one cannot even hope to see them solved during a lifetime.
And well, I just love the word "queer". :P
Ali S, Per 2
"Because a laugh's the wisest, easisest answer to all that's queer; and come what will, one comfort's always left - that unfailing comfort is, it's all predestined." This is something I truly believe in even if I dont always follow. What is going to happen is going to happen so don't waste your time being scared. Follow your heart and soar, try your best and just laugh when things don't come out exactly how you predicted. Its a life you are living so enjoy it while you can. :D
Stephanie Reyes Period 1
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