Moby+Dick+Readings

ASSIGNMENT FOR DECEMBER 4th:
Well, if you haven't figured out from the names of the characters and the blatant acknowledgement of religious affiliations and churches in the scenery, religion is quite a "loud" topic in this novel. In consideration of Chapter 9, I'd like you all to read The Book of Jonah:

. (please excuse the incorrect indent--wikispace doesn't have a tab ruler)
=== It's not a very long book, and, like most of King James' Bible, it's very straightforward in plot. Before you do read, check out [|some background on the Book of Jonah] --what it is, where it's from, etc. Then, after you've read both, go to the discussion of this page and respond to one of these three questions. Reveal the number of the question you've chosen in your response: ===

Option 1: How are Jonah’s thoughts presented here? Does the author directly tell us what he thinks or does he/she use some indirect method? Could we debate why Jonah does what he does? What would be two sides of the debate?

Option 2: What is the most developed (detailed, reflective, specific, dramatic, etc.) part of this book? (Please divide it up yourself; i.e. when G_d commands Jonah; when Jonah’s on the ship, etc.). If the composer of this piece developed this part more than any other, it must be important. What do you see as its importance?

Option 3: What acts can be attributed to G_d in this book? What motivates Him to act in these ways? Based on these actions, how can you characterize G_d? Does this agree with the concepts of G_d from Catholicism, Judaism, or Islam (all three include The Book of Jonah in their holy texts)? Remember, we’re not questioning those concepts, just the presentation of the deity in this particular passage.

I assume real-life tales of redemption at sea were pretty common at this time. Think about it—more people involved in the fishing/sailing industry on long trips without our maritime navigational system… If you lived near or in a fishing-based town, I’m sure you would’ve heard about at least one miraculous fishing disaster, its survivors forever changed by the experience. A popular hymn originated in just such a story. Check it out. Reflect in discussion (optional, not graded, but fun).
 * WHEN YOU'RE FINISHED THAT, CHECK THIS OUT**

Rogers, Al. "[|Amazing Grace: The Story of John Newton.]" //Away Here in Texas//. July-Aug. 1996. // Reprinted at // //Sacred Harp Singing in Texas//. Web. 22 Nov. 2010. .

Assignment for December 15th: Minstrelsy
MacLowry, Randall. "American Experience | Stephen Foster | Special Features: Blackface Minstrelsy." PBS: Public Broadcasting Service. Ed. Joe Salleres. Web. 01 Dec. 2010. .

Today, you’ll be familiarizing yourself with Minstrelsy, a deplorable form of entertainment in the 19th Century. I plan on discussing Minstrelsy and all of its relevance on the proceeding Tuesday. Therefore, you have this class period to prepare for that discussion. In order to do so, I would like you to take notes on Minstrelsy based on the links on this web page: [|Historians on Minstrelsy]. Familiarize yourselves with the questions below, then click on each link and read what the historians have to say about it. I expect to see interesting details noted down as well as working responses to the question below.

– What exactly is Minstrelsy? If you attended a Minstrel show, what would you see? Based on the what the historians say or your own general perception, how can this form of entertainment be racist? – In what ways did the historians interviewed conflict? Did the agreements/disagreements among historians coincide with the perceived race of the historians? – Do we have anything like Minstrelsy in today’s forms of entertainment? Might there be Minstrelsy applied to other ethnicities (whites included)? – When presenting different races and ethnicities in Moby Dick, does Melville ever fall victim to the kinds of perceptions that fueled events like Minstrel shows? What should we look for in order to analyze whether he does? What distinguishes a simple depiction of a character from minstrelsy?

WHALING ARTICLE
I came across [|this article] last year. It's about a whale that was found with a very old harpoon in it. These are some amazing creatures. this source also give a brief history of Whaling. Below is the work cited entry for it:

Dolan, Eric J. "A Glimpse into Whaling History" //The Boston Globe// [Boston] 6 July 2007. //Boston.com//. Web. 05 Dec. 2010. .

TYPEE
Passages from //Typee.// These are all prefaced and organized here.

THE PEQUOT
I also found [|this great website all about the Pequot]. This is the Native American nation that was the influence for the Pequod's name. Notice in my citation that I have left the opening blank. That is because whatever page you use on this website should go in quotes as the opening to your work cited entry. //“ .” Mashantucket Pequot Museum and Research Center//. Mashantucket Museum and Research Center, n.d. Web. 02 Jan. 2013. < http://www.pequotmuseum.org/>

=**AN annotated version of the novel:**= Here's that annotated text: [|ANNOTATED MOBY DICK] We all have copies, this is the most helpful version I've found--because of the annotations. In the annotations, you'll find links to pictures of some of the sailing equipment mentioned and other helpful information particular to Melville and the time period. DO NOT USE THIS TO COMPLETE THE READINGS. You’ll see just how abridged our version is. Instead, if you’d like to see what annotations are available for something we read, you must use the chapter title, not the chapter number. ENJOY!