... drastic measures in the fight for survival. Nathaniel Philbrick uses little-known documents-including a long-lost account written by the ship's cabin boy-and penetrating details about whaling and the Nantucket community to reveal the chilling events surrounding this epic maritime disaster. An intense and mesmerizing read ... is a gripping read. It is written with compassion and with attention to detail; the author has done his research, as 50 pages of Notes would indicate. I was particularly impressed with the passages of the book relating to the aftermath of the Essex disaster, as he fo...

• Word Count: 2188
• Approx Pages: 9

... a continuing conflict in America (Parker 55). Melville's characters Queequeg, Tashtego, Daggoo, Pip, and Fedallah are all of nonwhite decent, being from either oriental, black, or a mixture of many different cultures. Ishmael befriends the cannibal Queequeg which was a shock to many townspeople to see such different people as friends. The ... frightened because of his tattooed body and his worship ritual. However, in the following chapters, even though he mentions Queequeg as a "savage" he notes the civilized ethics of the individual such as the way he takes time to shave, even though i...

• Word Count: 2135
• Approx Pages: 9
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: High School