SWARISANSYNERGY NOTES

PT3 LITERATURE (NOVEL)

Moby Dick by Herman Melville– Novel summary | Plot | Character Traits |
Moral Values | Themes

Summary
Chapter 1: My story begins

I am Ishmael, a sailor. I want to become a whaler. I go to Nantucket one night and look for a room to
sleep. The man tells me I have to share the room with Queequeg,

When Queequeg comes back at night, I realize he is a huge, ugly and weird man. However, after
talking to him the whole night, we become good friends.

Chapter 2: We find our ship

That morning I walk around Nantucket to find a good whaling ship. I see a ship called Pequod. It
looks tall and strong. The next day, I bring Queequeg to the Pequod to see Starbuck. When the men
on the ship see Queequeg, they laugh at him. To prove his worth, Queequeg asks the men to look at
a small dead bird at the water. He tells them the bird is a whale’s eye and he throws his harpoon and
hits the bird. The men are quiet now.

Before we go to the ship, we meet an old man, Elijah. Elijah tells us that Captain Ahab is a sick man,
the DEVIL, and his men are the devil’s helpers. I think this old man is crazy, so we quickly ignore him
and leave.

One night, I hear Captain Ahab shouting to Starbuck. Suddenly, I think of Elijah’s words and wonders
if the men on the ship are devil’s helpers.

Chapter 3: Captain Ahab’s story

After three weeks staying below, Captain Ahab finally shows himself.

He shows some gold to all of us and says: I want one white whale. The first person to see this white
whale will get this gold!”
The white whale is Moby Dick.

Moby Dick takes his leg and makes him the man he is now. Captain Ahab wants to kill the white
whale and gets his revenge.

Starbuck is upset. He tells Captain Ahab that he is there for whale oil, for money, but killing a huge
white whale is too dangerous and will not bring much money for them.

Captain Ahab insists that the whale is evil and needs to be killed. He wants the whale dead! The men
drink and dance because they want to get the gold from Captain Ahab.

That night, Pip, the line cook, tells me that he hears some men staying below them. I think it’s just the
ocean and all the men are at the other end of the ship. Nobody is there.

Chapter 4: Our First Whale

Tashtego shouts as he sees the first whale. Captain Ahab comes quickly and suddenly five men come
up from below and stand by Captain Ahab.

These are Captain Ahab’s devils. Pip is right! These are the men he hears before. None of the other
men knows about the five men and what is Captain Ahab doing. We do not get to kill any whale as it
starts to turn dark and rain. When the rain stops, we cannot see the whale anymore. So we return to
the Pequod.

Chapter 5: The Albatross and The Samuel Enderby

We have now killed many whales after the first night. We cut off larger squares of fat and pull them
onto the ship. Then, we cook the fat, make oil, and put into barrels.

Oil gives us light and made us warm. Oil is our money. But captain Ahab doesn’t care about the oil.
He only thinks about Moby Dick. When he sees other ships, he will only ask:” did you see the white
whale?”
He tells the Albatross to tell people at home they will bring back the teeth of the devil whale.

Starbuck says Captain Ahab has forgotten his wife and child at home. And he tells me his wife, Mary
and his son wait for him at the beach everyday.

One day, captain Ahab meets the Samuel Enderby’s captain Boomer. Captain Boomer tells Captain
Ahab that he loses his arm to the white whale and he doesn’t want to find Moby Dick because he
wants to stay alive. Captain Ahab is angry and he chases Captain Boomer out of his ship.

Chapter 6: Moby Dick

Captain Ahab doesn’t sleep much. He only looks at his map and talks to Fedallah. Fedallah watches
the whale at night. Captain Ahab only listens to Fedallah because some whalers say he can see the
future.

One night, Fedallah sees the white whale. I run quickly and see a huge shower of water goes up. It is
a white whale and I finally understand why Fedallah only watches at night because it is easier to see
a white whale at night.

Captain Ahab tries to follow the white whale but it quickly swims under the water and we lose it.
Captain Ahab thinks the whale wants him to follow him. I am afraid of what might happen to us.

Chapter 7: Pip’s story

One of the men breaks his arm. Pip, the line cook is put to replace him. Pip has never done this and
he is scared. When they are trying to kill a whale, the whale hits the boat and Pip jumps out of the
boat. Starbuck and the men have to cut the rope to save him. They lose the whale because of that.
The same thing happens again and Stubb, another man, leaves him in the ocean. Pip is afraid and he
thinks the sharks are going to eat him.

Only after they catch the whale, they send the Pequod to save Pip. Captain Ahab put out his hand to
save Pip and talks to Pip softly. Since then, Pip is very thankful to Captain Ahab and sees him as
God. He follows Captain Ahab everywhere he goes.

Chapter 8: Queequeg’s Coffin

Starbuck runs to Captain Ahab to tell him that the barrels are leaking and we are losing oil. To fix the
problem, we need to stop the ship. Captain Ahab doesn’t want to do it because he feels that we are
very near to Moby Dick. Starbuck tries to convince him by mentioning all the wives and children back
home, who are waiting for them to make ends meet. The oil is too important! Captain Ahab takes out
his gun and points it to Starbuck. He says: “oils is not my God! We will not stop!”

Starbuck knows he cannot win the fight but he warns Captain Ahab that he is the problem.

Later that day, captain appears and shouts for the men to stop the ship and change the barrels.
Starbuck was happy.

The next morning, Queequeg is very sick. He tells the other men to make him a coffin and says he is
going to die. He does not want to be thrown into the cold ocean. He even tries out his own coffin after
it’s done.

However, one morning, Queeequeg gets out of his bed and says he cannot die now and he goes
back to work.

Chapter 9: Captain Ahab’s Dream

One day while Fedallah is watching for sharks from eating our whales, Captain Ahab wakes up and
tells Fedallah he has the dream again. He says he saw himself died and he saw his own coffin.
Fedallah replies him by reminding him that he will not have a coffin and only a rope can kill him.
Captain asks many questions to Fedallah and he really believes what he says. He asks if he will die
before he kills the white whale and whether he will die on this trip. Confidently, Fedallah says to him
that a rope will kill him and Fedallah will die before him and shows him the way he will be killed too.
The whalers are right, Fedallah can see the future.

The next day, Captain Ahab was angry that no one finds the white whale and he throws the map into
the ocean. Everyone is shocked, especially Starbuck because without a map they cannot sail in the
sea.
Starbuck wants the ship to turn back but Captain Ahab threatens him with his harpoon. At night,
Starbuck goes into Captain Ahab’s room. Captain Ahab is asleep. I am there too. Starbuck takes
captain Ahab’s gun and looks at him. He says he can choose to kill him and then everyone can go
home. I want him to kill Captain Ahab. However, Starbuck cannot do it. He puts back the gun and
leaves the room.

Chapter 10: The Rachel

Our ship meets the Rachel, another ship that looks bad after the strong winds. Their captain, Captain
Gardiner tells Captain Ahab that he sees the white whale yesterday. Captain Gardiner tells us that
yesterday they see the white whale and he sends out a boat to go after the white whale. His men
harpoon the whale but it swims away and pulls the boat after it. They lose the boat. They try to look
for the boat but they cannot find it.

Queequeg says maybe someone on the boat is important to him. He looks very sad. Captain
Gardiner asks for Captain Ahab’s help to look for the boat as his son is on the boat. He is only twelve
years old.

Captain Ahab refuses to help him as it will delay his search for the white whale.

In the days after, Captain Ahab brings Pip to his room and asks him to stay in there no matter what
happens. After that, Captain Ahab never returns to his room. He is always out there to watch the
ocean for Moby Dick.

Chapter 11: The Fight Begins

Captain Ahab finally finds the white whale – Moby Dick. The whale is huge. Captain Ahab and the
men get on the boats. We sit for hours before the whale comes under Captain Ahab’s boat with his
mouth opened. Fedallah and the other men jump into the ocean except for Captain Ahab. he tries to
fight the whale but he cannot do much. His boat breaks and falls into the ocean. The whale swims
towards him and then disappears down into the water.

After returning to the Pequod, the men are very afraid now. Captain Ahab shows them the gold again
and offers to them if someone sees the whale first again the next time, he will get the gold. Starbuck
thinks he is crazy. Captain Ahab is determined that he will one day kill the white whale.
Chapter 12: The Second Day

Moby Dick comes again. Captain Ahab sends three boats to go after him. We try to harpoon the
whale. Some hit him and stay in his body. The ropes pull us nearer to him.

Suddenly the whale goes round and round, our boat hits the other boat. Wood and harpoons are
everywhere. We try to swim away from the whale. Then the whale hits Captain Ahab’s boat. It breaks
and the men are in the water again.

Everyone gets back to the Pequod safely, but captain Ahab has lost his whalebone leg. He has to
walk with a harpoon. He tries to motivate the men with his gold again but this time nobody dances
and shouts.

Suddenly, Captain Ahab realizes Fedallah is missing. He is not back on the Pequod. A man says he
has gone down with the rope. He is dead. Captain Ahab knows exactly what is going to happen after
this. He swears to the ocean that he will kill the white whale.

Then, I remember what Fedallah has said to Captain Ahab. “I will go first. I will show you the way. You
will follow me from this world.”

Chapter 13: The End

On the third day, when Captain Ahab sees the whale again, he asks Starbuck to watch the ship for
him while he is out fighting the whale. Starbuck tries to stop him from going but it does not work.

There is only one boat left and I am in the boat with Captain Ahab. we sit there and wait for Moby
Dick to come. When it appears, it swims towards us and hit the boat. The boat breaks and water
comes in. We try our best to get the water out.

Suddenly, we see that Fedallah’s body is stuck in the ropes around the whale’s body. We want to run
away but Captain Ahab will not let us do that. He says if we do that he will throw the harpoon at us.
After that the whale appears again and hits our boat again. I fall into the sea. Then a man realizes the
whale is going to hit the Pequod. When they see that Mody Dick is going to hit the ship, many men
quickly run away and jump from the ship, except for Queequeg.

Moby Dick hit the Pequod, A lot of water is going in to the ship. Starbuck blames Captain Ahab for
this. Captain Ahab still does not give up. He harpoons the whale below his small black eye. The
whale then pulls the rope and the men fall down in the boat. Captain Ahab tries to cut the rope but
before he can do that the rope goes around his body. It pulls him out of the boat. And then he is no
longer there.

The rope breaks, Moby Dick swims away. The men cannot find Captain Ahab. The Pequod goes
down, Queuequeg also goes down. When the ship goes down, it pulls the whaling boat with it. I think
I am going to die, but something comes up under me. It is Queuequeg’s coffin. I climb onto the coffin
and it saves me!

I stay there for two days and two nights. My mouth is very dry and my face and arms are red from the
sun. The nights are cold. A ship saved me. It is the Rachel, the ship that wants to look for their
captain’s son. However, they cannot find him. But they are kind enough to give me food, water and a
bed.
PLOT

Character Traits/Moral
Values/Messages/Themes
Examples Evidence/Evidences

1. Captain Ahab · Captain Ahab offers Gold for the Character Traits
wants revenge. crew who sees the whale first. Later
on when the crew realizes it is too
-vengeful/rude/ selfish
dangerous to find the white whale, he
threatens to kill them.
 Moral Values
· When Captain Boomer from
the Samuel Enderby refuses to
– We should not be
help Captain Ahab find Moby Dick, vengeful
Captain Ahab gets angry and
chase them out of the Pequod. – we should be forgiving

– we should not be rude

· When the oil barrels are – We should not be

leaking, Captain Ahab refuses to selfish.
stop the ship to fix the problem.
He does not care about losing the
oil and losing money.
Themes

Revenge/hatred

Character Trait

-kind

When Pip is asked to join the whalers

to go out on the boat to catch some
whales, he is too afraid that he jumps Moral Values
off the boat for a few times. Stubb
and other whalers were not happy
2. Captain Ahab – We should be kind
and they leave him in the sea. Later,
saves Pip. the Pequod and Captain Ahab rescue
Pip. Pip sees Captain Ahab as his – We should help one
God. another.

Theme

kindness

3. Captain Ahab One day, Captain Ahab is mad Character Trait

is not rational. because no one sees the white
whale. He throws the map into the
-Irrational
sea without thinking its
 Moral Value

consequences. The crew is shocked – We should be rational

because without the map they cannot
sail in the sea.

Themes

Rationality

Character Traits

-Rational/love for one

another.

4. Starbuck does One night, when Captain Ahab is Moral Values

not kill Captain sleeping in his room, Starbuck has a
Ahab even chance to kill him with a gun. – We should be rational.
though he does However, he cannot do it and he
not like him. leaves the room without killing him. – We should have love
for one another

Themes

Rationality/love and care.

5. Captain Captain Gardiner from the Rachel is Character Traits

Gardiner wants determined to find his missing son
to find his son. even though it is dangerous and they
Loving/caring
have no idea where Moby Dick is.

Moral Value

– We should love and

 care for each other.

Theme

Love and care.

Character Traits

-loving/caring/brave

6. The whalers
Even though the whalers know that Moral Values
Captain Ahab has lost one of his legs
work hard to get
to the dangerous white whale, they
money for their – We should love our
remain brave to go out and catch
families. family
more whales for the money and gold.

– We should be brave.

Themes

Love and care/ bravery

7. The Rachel When Ishmael is stranded in the Character Traits

saves Ishmael. middle of the sea for two days and
two nights. The Rachel finds him
-loving/caring
while searching for their missing boat.
Captain Boomer is kind enough to
give Ishmael food and drink to keep
him alive.
Moral Values

– We should love one

another

– We should be caring
 Themes

Love and care/ bravery

Novel Moby Dick : Question + Answer (Form 3 English

Novel) (1)

Novel Moby Dick : Question + Answer (Form 3 English Novel) (1)

Question (1) :

Based on one of the novels above, write about one of the themes in the story.Provide
evidence from the text to support your response.

Answer :

One of the themes in the novel ‘Moby Dick’ is revenge. This theme is clear through the
actions of the main character, Captain Ahab. He is obsessed with killing Moby Dick, a
great white sperm whale. His need for revenge intensifies as the story progresses. Moby
Dick bit off his leg and Captain Ahab wants to kill it for revenge. He shows no concern
for the lives of his crew members. He takes them on a whaling expedition which ends
with them fighting for their lives against Moby Dick. The captain shows no sympathy
for others. He does not want to help Captain Gardiner look for his missing son because
he wants to keep on the trail of Moby Dick. His desire for revenge makes him act
unreasonably. He throws his maps into the ocean and even threatens to throw a
harpoon at any of his men who tries to turn the Pequod around so they can go home.

Question (2) :

Based on the novel, write about a character whom you find impressive. Give
reasons for your answer and support your answer with close reference to the text.

Answer :

The story, Moby Dick tells of the adventures of the whaling crew of the whaling ship,
Pequod, under the command of Captain Ahab. The story portrays a few characters and
the character I find impressive is Captain Ahab, He may have the wrong notion that
revenge on Moby Dick is sweet but he does show strong character traits.

Captain Ahab has been in the whaling business for more than forty years. This itself
shows consistency of character, that is he can hold on to such a demanding job for such
a long time. To control a crew of whalers also requires strength of character physically
and mentally. Another character trait which I find impressive in Captain Ahab is his
determination. On one of his trips, he has an unhappy brush with a white whale named
Moby Dick and this resulted in the captain losing one of his legs. From then onwards,
Captain is determined to take revenge on Moby Dick either by hurting it or taking its
life. This character trait is impressive if it is used for a good purpose. For Captain Ahab,
this determination is to take revenge on Moby Dick. It is not an appropriate thing to do
regardless the reasons for his situation.
Captain Ahab goes to the extent of insisting that the crew of Pequod think along the
same line as him – to get rid of Moby Dick. He bribes them with offers of gold and also
threatens to get rid of them in the middle of the sea if they do not listen to his orders.
Unfortunately, in the battle with Moby Dick, the whole crew and Captain Ahab are
destroyed by the whale.

The character traits if of determination is good as it shows strength of character but

used in the wrong way, it can generate unhappy consequences. The character does
show admirable character traits but they are not put to good use.

Novel Moby Dick : Question + Answer (Form 3 English

Novel) (2)

Novel Moby Dick : Question + Answer (Form 3 English Novel) (2)

Question (3) :

Based on the novel, write about two moral lessons you have learnt from the
novel. Support your answer with close reference to the text.

Answer :

The novel, Moby Dick tells of the whaling ship, the Pequod trip in the Pacific Ocean to
hunt for whales but specifically for Moby Dick, the white whale. Captain Ahab is
determined to take his revenge on Moby Dick for the loss of one of his legs and destroy
it. The story teaches a few moral lessons and one of the lessons I have learnt is that
team spirit and mutual support are essentials for the success of group work. Another
lesson I have learnt is that leadership must lead by example and put the interest of the
group first before his own.
The crew of the whaling ship, Pequod under Captain Ahab understands that whaling is
their livelihood and the captain is duty bound to set his priorities right. They catch
whales, extract the oil and then put for home. Under such circumstances the crew
expect to work as a team with good team spirit and mutual support. Whaling is not an
easy job and it is important for the whalers to have a common and mutual spirit for the
benefit and safety of all. However, while the rest of the crew of Pequod have the same
mutual spirit, Captain Ahab does not share the crew’s feelings and spirit as a team.

Captain Ahab as captain of the Pequod should provide strong leadership and set good
examples. First and foremost, he should give priority to the safety of his crew.
Unfortunately, Captain Ahab falls short of good leadership from the aspect of the
crew’s safety. He is bent on taking revenge on Moby Dick and his whaling trips are
clouded by his personal feelings so much so that he ignores the welfare of the crew
members and forgets the reasons why they are whalers. In the ensuing battle between
the captain and Moby Dick, the whole crew including the captain except the narrator
are destroyed.

The crew and the captain approach the situation with different frames of mind. There is
no mutual team spirit and support in addition to a selfish leadership. So, the lessons I
have learnt is that team spirit, mutual support and strong leadership are essential
ingredients for situations that involve groups of people or teams.

Question (4) :

Based on the novel, explain what you like or dislike about the story. Would you
recommend the story to your friends? Support your answer with close reference to the
text.

Answer :
The story, Moby Dick tells of the whaling ship, Pequod’s whaling trip in the Pacific
Ocean. The Pequod is under Captain Ahab who leads the ship into a whaling trip but it
is more for the purpose of catching Moby Dick than for commercial gains.

I like and dislike the story from different aspects. The story tells of the activities
involved in whaling as a livelihood. I find that interesting and yet sad that people have
to work so hard and at risk just to earn a livelihood. Another reason I do not like the
story is because whaling is a threat to the whale population. It results in depletion of
the whales which has now become an endangered species.

I like the story for the character traits the main character portrays. Captain Ahab is out
for revenge on Moby Dick. He shows patience and determination and uses the whaling
trips to try and catch Moby Dick. These are good character traits but to make them into
an obsession distorts the traits and turn the person into an evil man. His determination
knows no bounds and he goes all out including bribing and threatening the crew to get
what he wants.

Novel Moby Dick : Question + Answer (Form 3 English

Novel) (3)

Novel Moby Dick : Question + Answer (Form 3 English Novel) (3)

Question (5) :

Based on the novel, write about how the character or characters gained
and faced new experiences. Support your answer with close reference to the text.

Answer :
The novel, Moby Dick tells of the whaling ship, the Pequod’s trip in the Pacific Ocean to
hunt for whales but specifically for Moby Dick, the white whale. Captain Ahab is
determined to take his revenge on Moby Dick for the loss of one of his legs. He wants to
destroy it.

The narrator, Ishmael is a sailor and he has worked on different ships. He loves the
ocean which he knows is sometimes dangerous but never boring. He feels sad when he
is not in a ship. So, he decides to become a whaler although he knows that it is a
dangerous work. He does this because he wants to see exciting new places and the
whales. This is his first new experience. He signs up with the Pequod under Captain
Ahab. He meets Queequeg and becomes good friends with him. He meets some good
and interesting crew members but not the captain until three weeks later. Captain Ahab
offers gold to the first person who sights Moby Dick. Ishmael is attracted to the gold.

Ishmael’s first meeting with a whale comes one night when Fedallah sights it. Ishmael
goes into a small boat with Starbuck as the captain. He is excited and hopes they can
catch it. However, the whale gets away. Later, Ishmael experiences catching whales and
extracting fat for oil from them. Finally, they sight Moby Dick or rather Moby Dick
turns up and tempts Captain Ahab to capture it. They lose the fight with Moby Dick and
the captain and the crew except Ishmael are destroyed in the fight. Ishmael loses a
friend for the first time but he is lucky that Queequeg’s coffin saves his life.

The narrator has an interesting first whaling trip with the Pequod. He reflects on his
time here and realises he is very lucky to be alive. They had fought with Moby Dick and
many lost their lives because of one man’s hatred for a whale. The Rachel, another
whaling ship looked for a lost boy because of the man’s love for his son. This is the
narrator’s first time experience of how man can be so revengeful or loving and caring.

Question (6) :
Based on the novel, do you like the ending of the story? Why? Provide evidence
from the text to support your response.

Answer :

I like the ending of the novel Moby Dick because the moral of the story teaches us that
vengeance does not pay. This is the case of Captain Ahab who spends ‘three years’
hunting the whale, Moby Dick. The whale had taken his leg and he is now hunting it ‘to
the end of this world’. Finally, after three days, he has an encounter with the ‘most
dangerous animal’ in the Pacific Ocean where he lost his leg years ago. In the ensuing
battle, Moby Dick out manoeuvres Captain Ahab, a man with ‘forty years of hard work’,
and drags him down to his watery grave still entangled in the ropes. I like the ending
because it also gives me a sense of justice for Captain Ahab’s men who no longer have
to endure the tyrannical ways of their captain.

I would recommend the story to my friends as I would like them to

understand how good character traits can be misapplied and can lead to bad
consequences. Determination brings success but gaining it at the expense of
others around you is not right.