Moby Dick Further Study Questions - Macmillan Readers

Further Study Questions Answer key Upper
The crew of a whaling ship and their various tasks
The crew of a whaling ship was made up of a number of different members. Some crew members were
responsible for sailing the ship; some also rowed the smaller whaling boats. Each whaling boat had its
own crew, with its own captain and a harpooner. There were carpenters to repair any damage to the
boats and to build barrels to hold the oil as well as other wooden objects, and there were blacksmiths
who made the harpoons and the other weapons. Although there were many levels of command – chief
mates, second mates, third mates, and so on – the whole crew worked closely together, sharing the
tasks and living together in very close quarters (close together). One of the most important tasks was
that of the lookouts who climbed the ship’s masts to keep a lookout for whales. The same men who
hunted the whales were responsible for collecting and storing the oil.
2 Working on a whaling ship in the 19 th century
This is a subjective question and there is no right or wrong answer. Here is an example of what you
might write in answer to this question.
It would have been a very hard life. Ships would set sail on three-year voyages, making only very
brief stops to restock. Life onboard was uncomfortable and dangerous. Crews sailed in all kinds of
conditions, and faced storms and pirates as well as the dangers of whaling. Men and whaling boats
were often lost in the hunt and if you didn’t die in an accident there was the possibility of dying of a
tropical disease. However, it could be very profitable if the whaling went well.
revenge
3 Ahab’s lust for revenge
Do you think it is understandable for Ahab to want revenge?
Considering the loss of his leg, it is possible to argue that Ahab’s desire for revenge on Moby Dick is
understandable. However, whilst this may be a reason for his revenge, it is not an excuse. We would
never consider the idea of revenge on an animal to be reasonable, as his lust for retribution is not
justifiable or rational – even if Moby Dick were a human being, the fact is that Ahab has hunted him,
several times, and that the whale is acting to defend itself, not to punish its hunters. Ahab himself
does not explain the reasons for his feelings so we can only speculate as to his reasoning. Perhaps it is
Ahab’s pride that has been wounded; Ahab tells Starbuck that he has been whaling for 40 years – we
can speculate that this may be the first whale that had succeeded in fighting back?
What price does Ahab pay for his revenge?
His own death, the death of his crew and the sinking of his ship.
What does Ahab’s obsession with Moby Dick tell us about the nature of revenge?
That it is destructive and that we can never know what the consequences might be.
Macmillan Readers Moby Dick 10
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