Download The Shipwreck of the Essex: The History of the Fateful Expedition That Inspired Moby Dick AudioBook Free
"I changed around and found him about 100 rods [500 m or 550 back yards] directly ahead of us, coming down with twice his typical acceleration of around 24 knots (44 kilometres/h), and it made an appearance with tenfold fury and vengeance in his aspect. The browse flew everywhere about him with the continual violent thrashing of his tail. His brain about half from the water, and by doing so he came after us, and again struck the ship." (Owen Chase, First Mate aboard the Essex) Although Herman Melville was a popular copy writer during his day, he previously become typically obscure until a literary revival in the first 20th century resurrected his legacy. With the forefront of the revival was the publication that is now considered a classic around the globe, and one of the greatest American novels ever written: Moby Dick. The novel is approximately Captain Ahab hunting a whale known as Moby Dick, with a sailor known as Ishmael narrating the story. Throughout the novel Ishmael speculates after concepts such nearly as good and evil, contemporary society and religion, and by enough time the novel ends, viewers come to understand that the novel's storyline and personas (like the whale itself) are comprised of metaphors and allegories that Melville leaves for viewers to interpret for themselves. However, while Moby Dick remains a staple among students, Melville was actually influenced by a genuine report: the shipwreck of the whaleship Essex in 1820. Although it was always dangerous to focus on a whaleship, the Essex was the first known North american ship to be badly damaged by a massive sperm whale's assault, and even though whales would sink other ships in the ensuing ages, the entire ordeal came across by the team made headlines when the survivors were rescued. Once the Essex was wrecked, its team of 21 tried to endure on uninhabited islands and resorted to eager methods, including cannibalism of those who commenced to die.
