A report on Moby Dick

1、 A report on Moby DickI. Author: Herman Melville ( 1819 1891 )American novelist and poet. He didnt receive deserved respect while living, until 1920s whose works and talent ideas were gradually researched and recognized widely and then he became a respectable and adoring statue in the American liter

2、ature corridor.Melville born in New York, whose grandfather was a Scottish nobleman, father was an importer, and mother was descended from a rich old Dutch family, was a strict calvinist.In 1830, his father went bankrupt and died before long, and then the means of the family was declining. He used t

3、o be a bank clerk, a shop assistant, a farm worker, and a primary school teacher, but his nature of adventure-loving made him determine to experience on the sea. Melville ended his sea life with hardships, thrills, interests and began his literary creation career in 1844.The pen held,the seven years

4、 life accumulation at the sea and thoughts erupted like fountain. In July ,1851, after 16 months writing, a novel came out, Moby Dick, which made him occupy an eternal space in world literature history.The book was criticized mostly then because its profound thoughts and superior consciousness were

5、against orthodox christian ideas.In his novels, individual tragedies dominated them with pessimistic and gloomy hue and mysticism. He regarded the world in sorrowful mood, thinking there is no God and life is of little importance and meaningless.But as so, the western society of 20th century full of

6、 despair feelings realized the charm and greatness of his works.Here are some of his main works: Typee (1846), Omoo (1847), Redburn (1849), Mardi (1849), White Jacket (1850), Israel Potter (1855), The Confidence Man (1857), The Piazz Tales (1856). II. The Summary Moby Dick condenses the authors expe

7、rience at the sea, an appealing whale fishing adventurous story, which tells us a nightmare about the conflict between man and nature. Once it starts, a disappointed teacher named Ismael decides to escape from everything and pursues new life on the sea. He becomes a sailor in a whale fishing ship Pe

8、qoud. The captain of it is Ahab, one of whose legs was bitten off by Moby Dick, a white whale , during a whale fishing. Moby Dick is a mysterious and legendary cachalot. He often makes whale fishers lose their arms or legs even die and the ship break down, so he becomes the devil the whale fishers a

9、fraid of. The anger and great animosity to Moby Dick make Ahab lose his rationality, and he becomes a paranoia who doesnt listen to others advice and only wants to revenge disregarding everything. He leads the crew to sail around the world, fishing whales and looking for Moby Dick at the same time.

10、Though wind , waves and many dangers, he eventually encounters the white whale. In three days chasing, the white whale is beaten, but Ahab, Pequod and the sailors on the boat sink into the sea with Moby Dick at last. Only Ismael left alive tells the tragic story .The last three chapters are the high

11、 tide of the story and describe the intense chase after and fight with the white whale. The first day, Ahab finds Moby Dick .In chasing, Moby Dick nips the boat put down from the ship into two parts and Ahab falls into water. The second day, Ahab finds him again and pierces the whale with harpoon ,

12、but the white whale crashes two boats into pieces and Ahabs boat is threw too. The third day, it is a sunny morning. Ahab finds Moby Dick at the calm surface of the sea. Ahab hits him again with harpoon, and when he is dying, he pulls the ship with all people on it down. They sink together.III. The

13、comments Moby Dick not only tells a whale fishing story, but also carries the history of whaling out and introduces the whaling knowledge, and is a whale fishing encyclopedia. But why this novel is immortal and triggers broad research and comment are its profound ideas and ample symbols and metaphor

14、s. We can see it from a lot of perspectives and get various understanding.Its not only the nightmare about the conflict between man and nature. Melville thinks nature and world contain contradictions and the ambiguity of the good and the evil. In Moby Dick, the author gives a good picture of the bou

15、ndless sea embodying the contradiction with remarkable language power. Sometimes the peace of the countryside hangs over it, while sometimes the dashing of billows show the irresistible destructive power. And the white whale carries within itself the contradiction of the nature. I think it contains

16、the eternal symbol of nature with the good and the evil.In three days chasing, I feel the ambiguity of the white whale in authors description. Before Captain Ahab and sailors attacks, Moby Dick swims at the calm sea quietly, and then a musical rippling playfully accompanying the shade.and on either

17、hand bright bubbles arose and danced by his side.at intervals on of the cloud of soft-toes fowls hovering, and to and fro skimming like a canopy over fish How stately and solemn it is! Let me think the picture of the God appearing. It is the good aspect of the white whale with some character of God.

18、 But,once he is attacked, he heaves the sea into mountainous waves.That mouth like a huge scissor nips the boat into two.It shows the evil aspect of destructive power.However, the Captain Ahab only see this aspect. For him, Moby Dick represents the evil power of the world. He shouts that he will conquer Moby Dick with more hatred and evil. The tragedy of the Captain is the tragedy of a s