In your own words, explain Ishmael’s comparison between the mat-weaving process and the relationship between Fate, chance, and free will. …

What is an affidavit? In what sense is this chapter an affidavit? There are a number of ominous tales about …

How does this chapter add suspense to the novel? To what mysterious event from earlier in the book does it …

List examples of whiteness as a good thing and whiteness as a bad thing that Melville includes in this chapter. …

Summarize the reasons for the Sperm Whale’s reputation, in general. Why are stories of Moby-Dick’s omnipresence and immortality significant? What …

What is the tone of the chapter beginning? How does it change? What does the weather signify in this chapter? …

How might this chapter title also by symbolic? How might it relate to its immediate predecessor? What do you learn …

According to Ahab’s first sentence in the chapter, what does he leave behind him? How does that relate to Moby-Dick? …

This is the first of several chapters presented in dramatic (play-like) style. What does Melville accomplish by changing this way? …

What is the mast-head? Is it different on various sorts of ships? To what landed things does Ishmael compare the …