Quote: “I will have no man in my boat,” said Starbuck, “who is not afraid of a whale.” pg. 156
Review: Moby-Dick is a classic American epic, and happens to be the first epic I’ve read in full. It was incredibly interesting, thought-provoking, and left me feeling proud and accomplished for having read and annotated the work. However, I fear some of the depictions of crew members have aged incredibly poorly, which (as an American) leaves room for reflection on our country’s history and a critique of the inhumane language that is used to discriminate against different ethnic groups within the work. I find that classic literature is not only a great way to study storytelling but to engage with and interrogate our past as a society. This reflection is an important part of continued growth. The story itself is one of the most dynamic and fascinating literary works I’ve read. Yes, the whale anatomy can get a bit slow; however, I’ve found that doing a bit of personal research, really diving into the experience of annotating, and being curious about the work is the best cure to this phenomenon.
