jeilynhernandez

[jeilynhernandez]

Chapter 23 : the lee shore

1. Why is it that the boat is personified as a women rather than a man to better fit the predominantly male novel. For Ishmael: where is the independence at sea when you so heavily have to rely on others to ensure safety? For Melville: what is the significance of bulkington that the whole chapter is talking about him even though he plays such a Little role on the ship and thus far in the novel?

2. Ishmael throughout the novel referred to the pequod as a women and in a heavily dominated male novel this is fairly strange. Ishmael along with many of the men use the seas as an escape from the “terrors” of land whilst also leaving behind their wives and children. The boat being referred to as a women correlated with the family and women left at home. Also boats are a form of shelter used to protect which directly correlates with the maternal and nurturing nature of women and motherhood. Lastly on top of this a boat is beautiful and fragile and it is a sign of admiration and often also a inspired by someone they know and love.

[jeilynhernandez]

“They were ruled by an old squaw spirit, said to be their mother. She dwelt on the highest peak of the catskillls, and had charge of the doors of day and night to open and shut them at the proper hour”

“They were ruled by an old squaw [spirit]”

“They were ruled by an old squaw[ghost]”

The term spirit is meant to indicate the presence of a soul with no physical body, the supernatural. Here by using ghost rather than spirit establishes a more spooky and dark illustration of the mountain. While everything has a spirit, ghost, are often associated with the idea of haunting which is more closely accurate to the mountain than a spirit. The “ghost” haunts and cursed the mountain which led to Van Winkle being trapped there for 20 years.

The word spirit is important to the passage beat sue not only does it give context about the mountain but also it conveys how our narrator has a deep passion and fascination with the story even so to deny such factors about the truth of the mountain rather illustrate it in a beautiful way, which develops the draws of beauty and how they can often be misleading. The term spirit is also particularly important to the passage because it characterizes the mountain and allows to further emphasize its significance not just as a mountain but almost as a character of its own.

[jeilynhernandez]

“Every change of season, every change of weather, indeed, every hour of the day, produces some change in the magical hues and shapes of these mountain, and they are regarded by all the good wives, far and near, as perfect barometers”

“The [magical] hues and shapes…”

“The [powerful] hues and shapes…”

The term magic is used to describe a sort of supernatural power that is often associated with mystic, pleasure, and engagement. The use of magic in this sentence illustrates the mountains as beautiful and appealing to the eye. The term power, which often has negative connotations, is meant to depict a sense of superiority and hierarchy over others. The negative connotations come from this concept of an abuse of power which is indicative of concepts of overwhelm, loss of power, and also conjures up a bit of mystery surrounding the mountain.

The use of magic is crucial to the passage and to the rest of the story because it establishes an attraction for the mountains and furthers there significance beyond just mountains. As mentioned magic is meant to indicate supernatural power and is associated with many other things such as pleasure, appeal, but also here arises curiosity concerning the mountain. Irvings use of magic works to establish the significance of the mountain but also curiosity and appeal that misleads the reader to believe the mountain is far better than it actually is. Magic is also often associated with this idea of youth which connects with the text directly because while at the mountain vanwinkle falls asleep and ages 20 years.

[jeilynhernandez]

For my indigenous item I chose the infamous Oswego closet drapes that hang in every suite, dorm, quad etc. The drapes although ugly are natural to the rom and to the college as a whole and remind me so much of college living and dorm life basically the livelihood of a college student.

As my colonized piece I chose to include a picture of my actual suite and how me and my suitemates have decorated it. The once bland and empty common room is now decked out in splashed of pink, white, and gray. The vibe is cozy and welcoming just as we wanted. As we begin our livelihood in our new home where we will bond, grow close, and enjoy ourselves.