This paper discusses Captain Ahab as a romantic hero in Herman Melville's "Moby Dick".
Analytical Essay # 52196 |
960 words (
approx. 3.8 pages ) |
2 sources |
MLA | 2004
|
$ 20.95
More information
|
New! Look inside the paper
|
Add to cart
Abstract
This paper explains that one of the ways that Melville's establishes Ahab's superiority is by naming his protagonist after a biblical king, Ahab. The author points out that Captain Ahab is the perfect example of a romantic hero because he pursues the whale that in a previous voyage had caused him to lose a leg with a murderous obsession, but he wants only information about the whereabouts of Moby Dick. The paper states that, in Ahab, the reader can see exceptional courage, endurance, strength of purpose, and admirable heroic willpower; but at the same time, he is a destructive madman who has substituted egotism and self-love for the humility and self-abnegation of a true believer.
From the Paper
"Ahab is preeminently fearless, a deep diver, a water-gazer, and a philosophical man given, to symbolic hermeneutics. The shearing off of his leg has brought home to him the problem of evil in the world, has in fact deranged him. For him Moby Dick could be merely a beast, but the creature seems to be much more than that; he may indeed be an agent of a malign power in the universe, the principle of evil itself. Captain Ahab is the dark brooding captain of the Pequod. He is portrayed as a brilliant, creative, sensitive as well as competent captain, yet the dark side of Ahab emerges in his obsession of the white whale, Moby Dick. In his mad pursuit, he does not consider anything or anybody (including his crewmembers) else important."
Tags:name, whale, obsession, courage, egotism
This paper discusses the significance of food in Kafka's "Metamorphosis".
Book Review # 95682 |
1,565 words (
approx. 6.3 pages ) |
1 source |
MLA | 2007
|
$ 30.95
More information
|
Add to cart
Abstract
In this article, the writer discusses that over the course of Franz Kafka's short story "The Metamorphosis", the central protagonist, Gregor Samsa, slowly gives up all of the characteristics that the reader might consider human, like his job, his ability to move on two feet, and also his customary appetite for his favorite foods, after he suddenly finds himself transformed into a gigantic cockroach. The writer notes that one of the most symbolically important aspects of this sudden abnegation of all human characteristics is found in Gregor's changed relationship with food. The writer also points out that food provides a metaphor for Gregor's relationship with his body, his environment, and most importantly of all, his emotional and social relationship with his family.
From the Paper
"This strength of appetite, Kafka ominously implies, might actually be an unaccustomed animal-like hunger. Then, Gregor forgets his strong sense of hunger for some time. He is worried that his supervisor at work will fire him if he cannot arrive at his job with his customary punctuality. He is concerned he will not be able to support his family because cannot arise from his bed. His father, the reader learns later in the story, has grown fat with Gregor's labor, as Gregor alone is engaging in paid labor."
"The daily rituals and rhythms of Gregor's life, pleasant and unpleasant, are taken away from him because of his physical transformation. Even his dearest family members cannot interpret his words. His movements are inhibited because of his transformation. He is reduced to scuttling around his room. His ability to survive in a basic, physical way is limited, including his ability to find food. Only his sister, who feeds him, is able to understand him on some level, when he accepts and rejects what she provides for him."
Tags:appetite, hunger, insect, metaphor
A discussion of Friedrich Nietzsche's work "The Genealogy of Morals" which evaluates the value of moral judgments according to a genealogical method.
Term Paper # 95312 |
1,534 words (
approx. 6.1 pages ) |
1 source |
MLA | 2007
|
$ 30.95
More information
|
Add to cart
Abstract
This paper explains that Nietzsche's work, "The Genealogy of Morals", questions and evaluates the value of moral judgments according to a genealogical method, which in turn investigates the origins and meanings of various moral concepts. The paper further explains that "The Genealogy of Morals" discusses ascetic ideals or asceticism, a force that dominates modern thinking and life, and that Nietzsche views this as the expression of a weak and sick will that is unable to cope with its own struggle against itself.
From the Paper
"The ascetic priest, Nietzsche writes, is the person who modifies the direction of resentment. While every suffering person instinctively look for the cause or agent of his suffering. The ascetic priest seeks living persons on whom he can unload his feelings in order to obtain relief from his mountains of resentment, revenge and similar torments. It his instinct to strike back as a merely reactive and protective measure or reflex .He needs them for emotional release and he must pretend utterly in order to produce it. He passes his guilt and vileness to others, assaults their past and present, look for what is dark and painful in these in indicating what needs to be healed. Finding cause, he blames it on others and thus keeps them forever bound to their guilt and to their need for his control (Nietzsche)."
Tags:asceticism, abnegating, priest