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Teacher’s Notes

Moby Dick

By Herman Melville

Summary

Ishmael (the narrator) wants to work on a whaling ship. He arrives in Nantucket, an island off the coast of Massachusetts, where he meets Queequeg, the son of a Maori chief in New Zealand who also wants to work on a whaling ship. The two become good friends, and sign up to work on the Pequod, a whaling ship with a one-legged captain called Ahab. After three weeks at sea, Ahab tells the crew that he wants to kill Moby Dick, the white whale that bit off his leg. He offers gold to the first man to see the whale. Everyone is happy except for Starbuck, the first mate, who thinks that Ahab is crazy. The Pequod catches and kills many whales, but Ahab cannot forget Moby Dick. One night, Fedallah, a sinister man who can tell the future, sees Moby Dick. Ahab is happy, and he orders the crew to follow the whale, but they lose it. Ahab tells Fedallah about a bad dream, and Fedallah tells him that when he dies, he will not have a coffin; he will be killed by a rope. And he, Fedallah, will die first. Ahab gets more desperate to catch the whale. He throws away the ship’s maps and threatens to kill anyone who tries to turn the ship around. Starbuck has the chance to kill Ahab, but loses his nerve. Ahab refuses to help the captain of another ship, the Rachel, look for his missing son because he learns that Moby Dick is nearby. The whale is sighted, and Ahab leads his crew out in small boats to fight the whale with harpoons, leaving Starbuck to look after the ship. The fight with Moby Dick lasts for three days. On the first day, Ahab hits the whale with his harpoon but his boat capsizes. On the second day, Ahab’s boat is capsized again, he loses his whalebone leg and Fedallah is killed. On the third day, Ahab sees Fedallah’s body tangled up in ropes on Moby Dick. Ahab hits the whale with a harpoon. Moby Dick hits the Pequod, which starts to sink. In a seemingly suicidal act, Ahab throws another harpoon at Moby Dick but gets tangled up in the rope and goes down with the whale. The ship sinks, and only Ishmael survives. He is rescued from the sea by the Rachel, whose captain is still looking for his missing son

About Herman Melville

Herman Melville (1819–1891) was born in New York. His father became bankrupt and went insane, dying when Melville was 12 years old. Melville worked as a clerk, teacher and farmhand before going to sea in search of adventure when he was 20 years old. After working as a cabin boy on a whaling ship, he joined the U.S. Navy. During this time

he had many adventures, including living briefly among the Typee cannibals in the Marquesas Islands. When he was 25, he returned to his mother’s house in the United States and began to write books based on his adventures. His first two books, Typee (1845) and Omoo (1847) were very successful. Moby Dick, was published in 1850. Although it was praised by the critics, it did not sell as well as his first two books. Melville’s later years were often difficult and unhappy. His writing reflected increasing despair and contempt for human hypocrisy. His last finished novel, The Confidence Man (1857), was a harsh satire of American life. After this he wrote only poetry and worked as a customs inspector on New York docks. However, when he died in 1891, an unfinished novel, Billy Budd, was found in his desk. When it was finally published in 1924, it was hailed by the critics as a great novel. But it is for his masterpiece, Moby Dick, that Melville is mainly remembered today.

Background and themes

Man v Nature: Moby Dick is, in many ways, a traditional adventure story about American pioneers but with a different background: instead of the American Wild West, there is the sea, and instead of the search for gold there is the hunt for Moby Dick. The central conflict in the book is between man and nature, but the battle between Ahab and the whale is open to many interpretations. For example, in John Huston’s film (1956, with Gregory Peck as Ahab), he questions which one, Ahab or the whale, is the real monster. Superstition and Myth: A stranger in Nantucket warns Ishmael and Queequeg against traveling with Ahab. Fedallah predicts his own death and that of Ahab. A large black bird takes Ahab’s hat just before the final battle with Moby Dick. There are many signs and omens that predict a tragic end. The purpose of these is to create a sense of inevitability. Contrast between civilizations: Ahab, a ‘civilized’ sea captain, has primitive delusions of grandeur. He bases his life on superstition and dreams. He is only kind to Pip, the crazy cabin boy, because Pip worships him as a god. He shows no respect or consideration for others. He is prepared to sacrifice everybody’s life in the pursuit of his own obsession. Queequeg, in contrast, is a tattooed Maori. He, too, has superstitions and is superficially primitive, but he is the most human, civilized person on the ship.

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Teacher’s Notes

Communicative activites

The following teacher-led activities cover the same sections of text as the exercises at the back of the Reader, and supplement those exercises. For supplementary exercises covering shorter sections of the book, see the photocopiable Student’s Activities pages of this Factsheet. These are primarily for use with class Readers but, with the exception of discussion and pair/group work questions, can also be used by students working alone in a self-access centre.
ACTIVITIES BEFORE READING THE BOOK

1 Ask students to work in groups. Tell them to look at the picture on the front cover. Ask them what’s happening. How do the men feel, and why?
2 Ask students to discuss these questions in pairs.

(a) Do these words describe a good or a bad ship’s captain? Why?
afraid evil friendly kind old strong wild

(b) Why do people kill whales? Is it a good or bad

thing? Why? (c) Someone pays you £50,000 to work for a year on a

whaling ship. Do you want the job? Why/why not? (d) How was killing whales more dangerous 100 years ago than today?

ACTIVITIES AFTER READING A SECTION Chapters 1–3 1 Put students into pairs. Ask them to have this conversation. Student A: You are Queequeg. You want to leave home and work on a whaling ship. Tell your father why.

Student B: You are Queequeg’s father. You want your son to stay at home. Tell him why.

2 Class discussion. (a) Will Ishmael and Queequeg be happy on the

Pequod ? Why/why not? (b) Who is right, Captain Ahab or Starbuck? Why?

Student B: You are Ishmael. You want to go out in the boat with Queequeg, not Fedallah. Tell Starbuck why.

2 Put students into groups to discuss these questions. (a) Why is Starbuck angry with Pip? Is he right? Why/

why not? (b) Who is the most important man on the ship – Ishmael, Starbuck or Queequeg? Why?
Chapters 9–10

1 Put students into groups of three. They are sailors on the Pequod. Ask them to have this conversation. Student A: You think Ahab is a bad captain. You want to

kill him. Say why. Student B: You don’t like Captain Ahab, but you think

that it is wrong to kill him. Say why. Student C: You think that Ahab is a good captain. You want him to stay. Say why. 2 Put students into groups to discuss this question. How do these people feel? Why? (a) Captain Ahab, after his conversation with Fedallah. (b) Starbuck, in the bad weather. (c) Captain Ahab, in the bad weather. (d) Starbuck, after he leaves Captain Ahab’s room. (e) Captain Gardiner, when he leaves Captain Ahab. (f) Captain Ahab and Fedallah, when they watch the

ocean. (g) Captain Ahab, when the bird takes his hat. (h) The whalers, when the bird takes Captain Ahab’s hat.

3 Class discussion. Will the story have a happy or sad ending? Why?
Chapters 11–13

Put students into small groups to discuss these questions. (a) How are these important in this section?

birds Captain Ahab’s whalebone leg ropes a coffin Captain Gardiner’s son

(b) Who do you feel sorry for? Who don’t you feel sorry for? Why?
Chapters 4–6

Put students into groups to discuss these questions. (a) Why are these things important to whalers?

sharks oil barrels harpoons maps the weather (b) Some say that Fedallah can see the future. Is it possible to see the future, do you think? Would you like to know your future? Why/why not?

(c) Why is Captain Ahab angry with Captain Boomer? Who is right? Why?
Chapters 7–8

1 Put students into pairs. Ask them to have this conversation. Student A: You are Starbuck. You want Ishmael to go out in a small whaling boat with Fedallah. Tell him why.
ACTIVITIES AFTER READING THE BOOK

Put students into small groups to discuss these questions. (a) Many things happen in this story to warn people

about the future. What are they? (b) What lessons can we learn from this story?

Word list

It will be useful for your students to know the new words found on page 45 of the Reader. They are practised in the ‘Before you read’ sections at the back of the book. (The definitions are based on those in the Longman Active Study Dictionary.)
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Published and distributed by Pearson Longman Factsheet written by Chris Rice

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Student’s Activities

Moby Dick

By Herman Melville

These activities can be done alone or with one or more other students. Pair/group only activities are marked*.
ACTIVITIES BEFORE READING THE BOOK

Look at the Word List at the back of the book. Then look at the pictures in the book. In which pictures can you see: (a) a whale? (b) a harpoon? (c) a whalebone leg? (d) people rowing? (e) a barrel? (f) a captain?

ACTIVITIES WHILE READING THE BOOK Chapters 1–3

1 Underline the right words. (a) Queequeg comes / does not come from a whaling

family. (b) Queequeg / Captain Ahab can see the future. (c) Captain Ahab is busy / sick. (d) The whalers laugh / shout at Queequeg. (e) The men are noisy / quiet after Queequeg throws

his harpoon. (f) Captain Ahab has only one arm / leg. (g) Starbuck wants to find Moby Dick / other whales. (h) Ishmael / Pip can hear a strange sound.
2 Put the words in the sentences.

afraid angry crazy excited happy interesting strange tired

(a) Ishmael is

Nantucket. (b) Elijah gives Ishmael a (c) Ishmael is (d) Starbuck is never (e) The men on the Pequod are (f) Captain Ahab is

his men. (g) The men are

talks to them. (h) Starbuck thinks that Captain Ahab’s plan is
when he arrives in

look. after he talks to Elijah.
when he talks to
after Captain Ahab
Chapters 4–6

1 Who (a) wears a strange white hat and has almost no teeth? (b) always shouts but is never angry? (c) is the captain of Ishmael’s small boat?

(d) is not married? (e) does not want to help Captain Ahab? (f) does not sleep well? (g) stays away from the other whalers? (h) sees the white whale first? 2 Does Captain Ahab do these things? Write yes (Y) or no (N) (a) He goes out in a small boat. (b) He tries to kill Stubb. (c) He thinks about money. (d) He talks to the captain of the Albatross. (e) He thinks about his family. (f) He smiles when he meets Captain Bloomer. (g) He only talks to Fedallah. (h) He smiles when he sees the whale.
Chapters 7–8

Why … (a) are the men angry with Pip? (b) is Captain Ahab kind to Pip? (c) does Starbuck thank Captain Ahab?

What … (d) catches Pip when he jumps out of the boat? (e) is Pip afraid of in the water? (f) does Queequeg want?

Who … (g) sees the hand of God? (h) wants the ship to stop? (i) is very sick?
Chapters 9–10

1 When do these things happen? Number them 1–8. (a) Ishmael wants Starbuck to shoot Captain Ahab. (b) Captain Ahab brings Pip to his room. (c) Captain Ahab throws his maps into the ocean. (d) Captain Gardiner asks Captain Ahab for help. (e) Captain Ahab has a bad dream. (f) Captain Ahab loses his hat. (g) The men fight sharks. 2 Are these sentences about the whalers right (R) or wrong (W)? (a) They put lights on the end of their harpoons. (b) They think that Captain Ahab is dangerous. (c) They tell Captain Ahab to forget the white whale. (d) They try to kill Captain Ahab. (e) They hear the calls of dead sailors. (f) They look for Captain Gardiner’s son. (g) Some of them laugh when Captain Ahab loses his hat.

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Student’s Activities
Chapters 11–13

1 When do these people die? Number them 1–5 (a) Queequeg (b) Captain Ahab (c) Starbuck and Pip (d) The men in the boat (e) Fedallah

2 What is the right answer? (a) Captain Ahab talks to about his family. (1) Ishmael (2) Fedallah (3) Starbuck

(b) Ishmael thinks that Moby Dick is . (1) beautiful (2) ugly (3) afraid

(c) The whalers are when they cannot find Fedallah. (1) interested (2) happy (3) not sad

(d) On the third day, there is/are whaling boat(s) on the Pequod. (1) one (2) two (3) three

(e) The whale’s body feels . (1) warm (2) cold (3) soft

(f) Captain Ahab dies . (1) with a rope around his body (2) when the Pequod goes down (3) in the whale’s mouth

(g) Ishmael is in the water for two … . (1) hours (2) days (3) weeks

3 Which of these words is not about Captain Ahab in these chapters?
afraid angry excited kind sad strong tired
ACTIVITIES AFTER READING THE BOOK

1 *Discuss these questions. Work in pairs. (a) Are you glad that the whale does not die? Why/

why not? (b) Is Captain Ahab a completely bad man? What is good about him? 2 You are Captain Gardiner. You think that Captain Ahab is a bad captain. You want him to lose his job. Write a letter to Captain Ahab’s whaling company and tell them why.
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Penguin Readers Answer Key Moby Dick

Answers to Book Activities  1 Open answers

2 (a) sail – ocean   (b) death – die   (c) dream – sleep   (d) star – sky   (e) gold – rich

3 (a) a whale   (b) Captain Ahab hates Moby Dick  because he lost a leg in a fight  with it.     (c) a young sailor   (d) Possible answer: Ishmael feels  excited because this is Ishmael’s  first whaling trip.   (e) Open answers  4 (a) 4
(b) 7
(c) 5
(d) 6
(e) 1
(f)  3
(g) 2

5 (a) Queequeg – a whaler from     Kokovoko. He is ugly. He never

goes home.   (b) Elijah – an old sailor. He sailed  with Ahab. He thinks that Ahab is  the Devil.

(c) Starbuck – a sailor. He never  smiles. He thinks that Ahab’s plan  is crazy.

(d) Stubb – a sailor. He is happy and  tells funny stories.

(e) Bildad, Tashtego, etc. – sailors.  They come from different  countries and tell interesting  stories.

(f)  Pip – the little cook boy. He hears  men below them.

6 (a) It is tall and strong with dark     wood from many years on the wild

oceans.   (b) He is sick.   (c) It is dangerous. The work is hard.  You are away from home for many  years.   (d) He wants to see the world.   (e) The men cannot sleep because  Captain Ahab walks up and down  all night.

(f)  Starbuck does not want to look  for Moby Dick because he will not  make any money.

(g) Ishmael thinks that Pip can hear  the ocean, not the sound of men.
7  Open answers

8 (a) W    (b) R    (c) R    (d) W    (e) W    (f)  W  9 (a) Ishmael – the whalers with dark     faces and long black hair   (b) Starbuck – Ahab’s family   (c) Ishmael – he has not got a family

to go home to.   (d) Captain Ahab – Captain Boomer   (e) the whalers – Fedallah   (f)  Starbuck – Captain Ahab 10 (a) ... they do not want the sharks to     eat the whale meat.   (b) … he only wants to catch Moby

Dick.   (c) … it is easy to see a white whale

in the dark.   (d) … Fedallah can see the future.  (e) … he wants to follow the white  whale.
11–12 Open answers

13 (a) broke (b) jumps (c) leaves (d) thinks (e) stop (f) does (g) die (h) feels

14 Possible answers:   (a) Stubb wants to teach Pip a     lesson.   (b) Pip was in the ocean for too long.   (c) Because Pip thinks that he is God.   (d) Because he knows that Starbuck

is right.   (e) Because he is very sick.
15–16 Open answers

17 (a)  … they do not want the sharks to     eat the whale meat.   (b) … because he has a bad dream.   (c) … because he wants to know the

future .   (d) … because the wind is strong and

dangerous.   (e) … because his boy was on it.   (f)  … because he has no time.  18 (a) Fedallah tells Ahab that a rope     will kill him.    (b) Ahab throws his maps into the

ocean.    (c) Starbuck almost shoots Ahab

when he is asleep.    (d) Ahab tells Pip to stay in his room.    (e) A bird flies away with Ahab’s hat. 19 (a) Ishmael understands why Ahab     talks to Fedallah.    (b) Because he thinks that Ahab will  kill everybody with his dangerous  plan.
20 Open answers

21 (a) 2nd   (b) 2nd   (c) 1st   (d) 3rd   (e) 2nd   (f)  1st   (g) 3rd   (h) 2nd   (i)  3rd
22–30 Open answers

Answers to Factsheet Activities Communicative activities ACTIVITIESBEFOREREADINGTHEBOOK 1–2  Open answers ACTIVITIESBEFOREREADINGASECTION Chapters 1–3
1–2 Open answers Chapters 4–6

(a) Sharks try to eat the whalemeat.     Whalers get oil from whales.     They keep the oil in barrels.     They kill whales with harpoons.     They need maps when they sail

across oceans.     Bad weather makes their job hard  and dangerous.

(b)–(c) Sharks try to eat the whalemeat. Chapters 7–8  1  Open answers

2  (a) Starbuck is angry because Pip     thinks that Captain Ahab is God.   (b)  Open answers

Chapters 9–10  1  Open answers

2  Possible answers:   (a)  afraid / He is happy that he will kill

Moby Dick before he dies.   (b)   afraid / He thinks the bad weather

comes from God.   (c)  angry / He will fight it.   (d)  angry / Captain Ahab’s plan is

dangerous for everybody   (e)  angry / Captain Ahab does not

help him look for his son.   (f)  quiet and afraid / They are

thinking about their future.   (g)  angry / Some men are laughing at

him.     (h)  Some think that it is funny. Some  are afraid. It means that bad  things will happen.

3  Open answers Chapters 11–13

(a)  Birds show that Moby Dick is near.     Captain Ahab loses his  whalebone leg when he fights  Moby Dick.

Ropes kill Fedallah and Captain  Ahab.

Ishmael climbs onto Queequeg’s  coffin after the Pequod goes  down. It saves his life.     Captain Gardiner’s men     think that Ishmael is     their captain’s lost son.
(b)  Open answers
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ACTIVITIES AFTER READING THE BOOK   (a)  Elijah says that Ahab is the Devil /  Queequeg and Fedallah can see  the future / Ahab’s dream / the  bird takes Ahab’s hat / the bad  weather
(b)  Open answers

ACTIVITIESBEFOREREADINGTHEBOOK   (a)  pages 19, 31   (b)  page 11
(c)  page 7
(d)  page 19
(e)  page 7   (f)  pages 7, 11, 15, 25, 31
ACTIVITIES WHILE READING THE BOOK

1   (a) does not come   (b)  Queequeg   (c)  sick   (d)  laugh   (e)  quiet   (f)  leg   (g)  other whales   (h)  Pip  2  (a) tired   (b)  strange   (c)  afraid   (d)  happy   (e)  interesting   (f)  angry   (g)  excited   (h)  crazy
Chapters 4–6

1   (a) Fedallah   (b)  Stubb   (c)  Starbuck   (d)  Ishmael   (e)  Captain Boomer   (f)  Captain Ahab   (g)  Fedallah   (h)  Fedallah 2  (a) N   (b) N   (c) N   (d) Y   (e) N   (f)  Y   (g) Y   (h) Y
Chapters 7–8

(a)  They lose the whale because of

him.   (b)  Pip thinks that Captain Ahab is

God.   (c)  Captain Ahab stops the ship and

changes the barrels.   (d)  a harpoon rope   (e)  sharks   (f)  a coffin   (g)  Pip   (h)  Starbuck   (i)  Queequeg
Chapters 9–10

1   (a) 4
(b)  6
(c)  3
(d)  5
(e)  2
(f)  7
(g)  1
2  (a) R   (b) R   (c) W   (d) W   (e) W   (f)  W   (g) R
Chapters 11–13

1   (a) 2
(b) 3
(c)  4
(d)  1
2  (a) Starbuck   (b) beautiful   (c) not sad   (d) one   (e) cold   (f)  with a rope around his body   (g) days
3  afraid
ACTIVITIES AFTER READING THE BOOK
1–3  Open answers
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Published and distributed by Pearson Longman