Section One: Herman Melville's whakapapa

Herman Melville is an American author who lived from 1819 to 1891. One of his most famous novels is Moby Dick which is the story of the hunt for the Great White Whale. Melville worked on whaling vessels which were big business in the 19th century. Melville, since his death, has become known as one of the greatest American writers.

Pick at LEAST THREE of these sources and be able to write about what motivated Herman Melville to write his stories.

Section Two: Important Context for Herman Melville

Two important things need to be understood before reading Moby Dick - the life of a whaler and the class structures of the 19th century. These two things heavily shaped how Melville put together his story. Find out about them below.

Section Three: Close reading Moby Dick

Read Moby Dick for the first time. As you do, complete this task:

1. Character map - on a piece A3, write down each of the characters as you come across them. Draw arrows between the characters to denote their relationships and add in adjectives that describe each character and at least one quote for each characters.

After completing your first reading of Moby Dick, complete these tasks to set you up for a close analysis.

1. Audience positioning. Write down five words that describe how you feel after reading this book. For example, sad, happy. These adjectives will become your tools for discussing the impact on the audience. So always keep them in front of you.

2. Figure out of the theme. What's this story about? To do this, work through these questions:

   1. Who's the main protagonist?

   2. What challenges do they face?

   3. How do they face these challenges?

   4. How do they change over the course of the narrative?

   5. What main ideas are thrown up by the adventures of the protagonist and what do you learn about these ideas?

3. Some big questions to consider about 1984 (Source: ThoughtCo.)

1. Why does the novel's narrator begin his story with "Call me Ishmael"?

2. How does Ishmael's relationship to Queequeg change from the time they meet to the sailing of the Pequod?

3. Why does Melville include stage directions in some chapters (e.g., "The Quarter-Deck")?

4. Why does Ahab pursue Moby Dick so single-mindedly?

5. Why does Melville have Fedallah offer a prophesy that Ahab interprets in his favor, but which turns out otherwise?

6. Why does Starbuck decide against killing Ahab, despite believing that it is the only way to "survive to hug his wife and child again"? Why does Starbuck fail to convince Ahab to give up his pursuit of Moby Dick ("The Symphony")?

7. Why does Ahab offer the doubloon to the first member of the crew to spot Moby Dick?

8. Why does Ishmael digress from his story to meditate on the meaning of whiteness ("The Whiteness of the Whale")?

9. Why does Melville begin the novel by adhering to the conventions and limitations of a first-person narrator, but violate them later?

10. Why is Ishmael so concerned with past efforts to represent whales, in writing as well as other media, and the extent to which these efforts have succeeded or failed?

11. Why does Ishmael include in his story so many details about life and work aboard a whaling ship?

12. Does the novel support or undermine Ishmael's contention that "some certain significance lurks in all things, else all things are little worth"?

13. Why does the coffin prepared for Queequeg become Ishmael's life buoy once the Pequod sinks?

14. Who or what is primarily responsible for the destruction of the Pequod and, except for Ishmael, her crew?"

15. Why does the Rachel rescue Ishmael?

16. How has his experience aboard the Pequod affected Ishmael?

17. On what basis should we determine the point at which ambition turns into obsession?

18. Is knowledge always at least partly harmful, either in its application or the cost of acquiring it?

19. What is the significance of the whale? What do you think Melville intends in developing such a vicious antagonism between Ahab and the whale?

20. How does the presence of Queequeg, particularly his status as a "savage," inform the novel? How does Melville depict this cultural clash?

21. How does whaling as an industry function metaphorically throughout the novel? Where does man fit in in this scenario?

22. Melville explores the divide between evil and virtue, justice and vengeance throughout the novel. What, ultimately, is his conclusion? What is Ahab's?

23. What do you think of the role, if any, played by religion in the novel? Do you think religious conventions are replaced or subverted in some way? Discuss.

24. Discuss the role of women in the novel. What does their conspicuous absence mean in the overall context of the novel?

4. Think about which chapter you remember best. It is now time to reread this chapter, thinking about these things as you go:

• 1. What is the title of the chapter?

  2. Who is the main protagonist of this chapter? What are they doing, thinking about, reacting to?

  3. Identify TEN main quotes from this chapter - note these and justify why you have chosen each one.

  4. Identify language features that the author employs in this chapter and explain why you think she used it.

Resources to help you analyse the story

Section Four: Some other takes on Moby Dick - stretching your thinking

It's important to stretch your thinking on your book by reading some other people's interpretations of it. Have a read of these reviews and interpretations and then complete these questions:

• What do your reviews say about your text?

• What do the reviews say about the theme and characters?

• What do the reviews say about why the book was written?

• What questions do you start to think about as you read these reviews?

Section Five: Research

Below are the Level Two and Three research options. Work with your teacher to ensure that you are on the right pathway.

Level Two Research

Level Two research asks you to pull an issue out of your text and learn more about it so that it increases your understanding of your text. Click this link to find out what you need to do.

Level Three Unit Standard Written Texts Research

Level Three Unit Standard research asks you to use articles and book reviews to learn more about the author and what they are writing about so that it increases your understanding of your text. Click this link to find out what you need to do.

Level Three Achievement Standard Critical Texts Research

We are now going to stretch our thinking of the text by engaging in critical text research. What this means is that we read how experts have interpreted, understood and thought about the text so that we can understand better ourselves. Below are some critical texts that relate to this text and to understand what the research project is asking you to do (as well as how to do it), click here.

The following are critical texts that relate to Tu. Some will have a direct link, naming the novel directly, and others will be linked by the insight they provide about the background or motivation of the author to write her story.

In no way should you read all of these, cover to cover. You need to be more strategic; look at the titles, read the contents page to pick which sections of the book are best to read, skim and scan to identify sections of chapters that you need to read closely and take notes from - look for keywords from your questions, use subheadings to identify relevant sections.

Not all of these critical texts will answer your questions; so look for the ones that do. Pick three to four to read and take notes from.

Also, if you find that you aren't answering one of your questions, and/or your reading is taking you in a new and unexpected direction, simply change your questions and hypothesis in line with what you are reading - this is what research is; learning and changing what you think as you learn more.

• Andrew Del Banco. (2005). Melville: His world and work. Alfred A. Knopf: New York.

• Ernest E. Leisy. (1953). Fatalism in Moby Dick.

• Henry Nash Smith. (1953). The Image of Society in Moby Dick

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