"A captain who, from private motives, employs his vessel for another purpose from that intended by the owners, is answerable to the charge of usurpation, and his crew is morally and legally entitled to employ forceful means in wresting his command from him."
that is how I see bush and his quest to get saddam h. with the real reason being to avenge saddam's attempt on bush senior's life...but killing a ton of unsuspecting Americans to achieve his personal goal.
I live in New Bedford, Massachusetts and Moby Dick is celebrated here . It is read every year at our wonderful Whaling Museum by people taking turns , reading out loud from the book. There is a beautiful statue on our library law , of a man in a whaling skiff , in harpooning mode. My son and I were admiring it the other day and wonder When the woke will try to tear it down. Come to New Bedford Dinesh we would love to host your visit. New Bedford was The City That Lit The World, once upon a time! We are Moby Dicks city and heart of the tale. 💓
Thanks to you: I've just watched Chariots of Fire, I'm currently reading The Plague by AC, next I'll have to reread Moby Dick. Your observations are timely and spot on. Keep them coming.
You can’t say it’s the greatest American novel ever written if you didn’t actually read it… take the time to read it. I guarantee you it will be far more impactful.
Same with me. Eyesight keeps me from regular reading but I’ve found audio is even better in some ways. That said, I love military history - frustrating without maps.
Actually, Melville was inspired to write "Moby Dick" by interviewing the survivors of the whaling ship "Essex". Read "In the Heart of the Sea" by Nathaniel Philbrick. He made the novel about the hunt for the whale and the whale sinking the ship because he knew the public would be too shocked by what happened with the survivors to include it in the novel.
It was a great book. I watched a documentary on this subject and they suggested that the older whales might have attacked ships to protect their young or themselves.
My ancestors are from that area. In fact, one of them was among the original purchasers of Nantucket island. Another was on the Essex when it was wrecked.
Thanks for this Dinesh - - it’s refreshing that you dive into literature... Like many works of fiction and fantasy… Art/literature/allegory has an escapist element away from politics... But allows us to reflect upon and draw upon important themes for our lives and missions!
Pretty funny considering Dinesh is a failed and a disgraced academician. He is literally a history revisionist who lies about American history because he hates America.
It was filmed in part in New Bedford, Massachusetts where I live. The movie opened here for first viewing after a huge parade that Mr. Peck was Grand Marshall of. Our Whaling Museum is wonderful .
If we are to truly keep our culture as conservatives, then we must underscore what is good, and especially what is _exceptional._ I look forward to hearing more of these reviews of literature.
As a (reformed) English major, I have read and written on Moby Dick many times. Thanks for your succinct and insightful introduction to this great book.
@@joejones9520 Also have to play all 4 solo licks perfectly including the double stop up at the 13th fret and the 4 string pull off. I play the 1970 RAH version flawlessly at least once a week including licks it is an exercise in groove and skill.
I suppose there are different ways to interpret the story. I thought Ahab represented what nobody should aspire to be. Ahab was so obsessive, he lost any trace of happiness, he lost his humanity, he lost his sense of duty. His anger was completely misplaced. A whale just follows it nature, a whale cannot be evil. Seeking vengeance against an animal is absurd.
Agree with you, and diagree with Dinesh! Nothing to emulate here. I thought Dinesh going to liken the malevolent obsession to the Democrats' conduct the past 5 years, but he didnt go there.
First read it 30 yrs ago, wasn't ready for what was to come, and it blew me away on so many levels - but it left me behind in some key themes too .... I'm halfway through it today, and loving it as I'm really appreciating it much more now - but I know I'm going to have to read it again to really "get" it properly..... Highly recommended, but pace yourself 😊
"The three mates then see Moby Dick swim by, with Ahab's corpse plastered to his side, Ahab's dead arm flopping back and forth as the whale rolls. Hence, Ahab "beckons" to the sailors to follow him",
"Oh Captain Ahab .. you ain't got nothin' on me .. go on an swallow me .. follow me .. I'm leavin' all night home.. the water's my daughter .. I'm gonna skip like a stone" - Tom Waits - The Heart of Saturday Night. Shiver Me Timbers.
I'm not sure the take-away should be be more Captain Ahab. In the moments before the final battle Ahab realizes he's ignored his family and lived a trivial life. He second guesses all of it, but then gives in to prophesy which he knows will end in his death. His unnatural obsession not only dooms him, but also dooms all others (except Moby Dick).
It is a simple story. It is an epic poem of American Whaling. The “excruciating” details are not the backstory, they are the content of the narrative, The sermon, The top hat and tattoos on dark skin, the tip of the harpoon, the chowder and the wood plane, the bench, the rope and the spermaceti. The details are The Story, Moby Dick does not even appear until the last three chapters. Ahab is the common hempen thread that splices them together. Without the details, this is not an epic story , it would be but a great one!
I heard of Dinesh D'Souza somehow, but don't know anything about him. But I thought his last comment was interesting and surprising, (paraphrase) "Ahab's fight to the end spirit is something the left has and we [the right] need more." First I didn't even know he was coming from the right. Second, as a left sympathizer, I don't really see that attitude. But if they got it, it comes from a morally righteous position that the right can never acquire.
I've read several thesis that the whole point of Moby dick was Melville's statement of his nihilistic view of man and his world as put forth in a paper by John E. Barnum. After reading the thesis, I reread Moby dick and have to say his interpretation is spot on.
What does nihilism have to do with the world's political situation? Consider the corollary of Ahab pursuing the white whale to Marxist communism pursuing utopia. Neither achieved their goal and result was total destruction.
its always been biblical where the evil strive for power to control the good and innocent people. its better to be killed by evil then to kill and become evil is why good does triumph in the end and if you are still alive on earth, its not the end. dont lose your eternal salvation in a moment of weakness to strike back at evil, rather to be a un extinguishable light to lead anyone who will follow to also be that light.
Moby Dick has features that may be interesting reading; at the least, it is not The Man fro la Mancha. Attempting to read I failed 5x, never beyond the first chapter. I returned for "They" said it was a masterpiece...story short I barely made it through Cleft notes
We were kids forced to read The Great Books in the 1960s. It was not fun and I came to a conclusion far from yours. I think the editor was Montemer J. Adler. Today kids have the internet.
Ahab is not an inspiration. Just before he is killed, he sees Moby Dick destroy the Pedquod. He would not listen to reason and lost everything. For those who don't plan on reading this book in it's entirety, I recommend reading the opening of chapter 69 down to "lost in infinite perspectives"
And his quest screws everyone else over. Ship gets wrecked, owners get no return on their investment, some crew members died, and the rest probably don't get paid. Everybody loses.
I don't believe Melville is extolling the virtues of Ahab. He might catalogue his formidable charisma but his choice is not a good choice. Raling against the inevitable horrors of the natural world gets you dragged into the abyss, as well as anyone that gets in that boat with you.
I've read it at least twice. It's been a while, now, but I don't remember it being difficult or tedious. I also have family history in that time and region, as well as in the events that inspired the story.
By the way , Homer's work isn't original . Yep , the basis of western Lit was stolen as well. The Mahabaratha is the original story . Maha = big , great etc Barat = India ( Indus )
SAY out LOUD - LOUDLY and QUICKLY: "Whale Oil Beef Hooked!" lol xo R. "In difficult times we need a NEVER SAY DIE - fight to The End attitude - WE NEED TO "BE" more like Captain Ahab, indeed Dinesh. Otherwise: "WHALE OIL BEEF HOOKED!"
Sometimes people are spot on but with others listening to them, it's equivalent to trying to teach a pig how to play chess, it's way over your head so you can't calculate it.
I just made it through chp 44.... My thoughts right now... It sucks! And I'm a very astute reader. I'm going to finish it out of sheer willpower. But i really do feel like chucking it.
"A captain who, from private motives, employs his vessel for another purpose from that intended by the owners, is answerable to the charge of usurpation, and his crew is morally and legally entitled to employ forceful means in wresting his command from him."
Copy that ; man the pitch folks and know thy enemy
that is how I see bush and his quest to get saddam h. with the real reason being to avenge saddam's attempt on bush senior's life...but killing a ton of unsuspecting Americans to achieve his personal goal.
Well said, Starbuck.
@@joejones9520 Oh you think Bush follows the story of Captain Ahab? Let me introduce you to Feanor.
I live in New Bedford, Massachusetts and Moby Dick is celebrated here . It is read every year at our wonderful Whaling Museum by people taking turns , reading out loud from the book. There is a beautiful statue on our library law , of a man in a whaling skiff , in harpooning mode. My son and I were admiring it the other day and wonder When the woke will try to tear it down. Come to New Bedford Dinesh we would love to host your visit. New Bedford was The City That Lit The World, once upon a time! We are Moby Dicks city and heart of the tale. 💓
dont tell em the whale was white...
@@joejones9520 :)
Dinesh doing book reviews is not what I expected. Wonder if he’ll do more.
how does it feel to wonder
Thanks to you: I've just watched Chariots of Fire, I'm currently reading The Plague by AC, next I'll have to reread Moby Dick. Your observations are timely and spot on. Keep them coming.
Be prepared for a fulfilling but really strange read.
Funny, I just finished a Moby Dick audiobook. In my opinion the greatest American novel ever written. No exaggeration. The ending is amazingly epic.
You can’t say it’s the greatest American novel ever written if you didn’t actually read it… take the time to read it. I guarantee you it will be far more impactful.
Be sure to read Huck Finn, too. Considered by many to be the greatest American novel.
Same with me. Eyesight keeps me from regular reading but I’ve found audio is even better in some ways. That said, I love military history - frustrating without maps.
@@euphegenia I have bad eyes. I hate you...
Actually, Melville was inspired to write "Moby Dick" by interviewing the survivors of the whaling ship "Essex". Read "In the Heart of the Sea" by Nathaniel Philbrick. He made the novel about the hunt for the whale and the whale sinking the ship because he knew the public would be too shocked by what happened with the survivors to include it in the novel.
It was a great book. I watched a documentary on this subject and they suggested that the older whales might have attacked ships to protect their young or themselves.
My ancestors are from that area. In fact, one of them was among the original purchasers of Nantucket island. Another was on the Essex when it was wrecked.
Ah love those old novels! Especially 19th century ones! Dostoevsky is my favorite
I have The Brothers Karamazov.
Me too! As a senior in high school I read everything he wrote, including his letters. Great, great writer!
I viewed it as a cautionary tail of becoming obsessed with a goal to the expense of all other endeavors in life .
Please do more videos about the classics. Hearing you discuss them, even for a short time, is enthralling.
Thanks for this Dinesh - - it’s refreshing that you dive into literature... Like many works of fiction and fantasy… Art/literature/allegory has an escapist element away from politics... But allows us to reflect upon and draw upon important themes for our lives and missions!
Pretty funny considering Dinesh is a failed and a disgraced academician. He is literally a history revisionist who lies about American history because he hates America.
@@UglyTruth_UglyTruth you obviously have him confused with a Democrat
@@UglyTruth_UglyTruth why does he hate America? one good reason please.
If his chest had been a canon, he would have shot his heart at it......
I didn't read the book but I loved the 50's era movie by John Huston and starring Gregory Peck as Ahab. That was a great movie.
It was filmed in part in New Bedford, Massachusetts where I live. The movie opened here for first viewing after a huge parade that Mr. Peck was Grand Marshall of. Our Whaling Museum is wonderful .
I love to read most everything except Moby Dick, wow, so wordy and boring it puts me to sleep like no other book.
So many nuggets of truth for our times
If we are to truly keep our culture as conservatives, then we must underscore what is good, and especially what is _exceptional._
I look forward to hearing more of these reviews of literature.
More Book Talks, Dinesh! I was poorly taught in College and need to catch up….
Whenever ever I hear Moby Dick for some reason Stacy Abrams always comes to mind…
Idk why but I can stop laughing at that
As a (reformed) English major, I have read and written on Moby Dick many times. Thanks for your succinct and insightful introduction to this great book.
Excellent review!
Thanks, Dinesh!
You are the best Teacher Dinesh....
Would love to see Dinesh do Jack London's works. Call of the Wild was what got me into classics as a kid
And one of the greatest drum solos of all time.
and wicked riffs! I play it almost everyday, have to tune to drop d though...most people dont know that
@@joejones9520 Also have to play all 4 solo licks perfectly including the double stop up at the 13th fret and the 4 string pull off. I play the 1970 RAH version flawlessly at least once a week including licks it is an exercise in groove and skill.
I suppose there are different ways to interpret the story. I thought Ahab represented what nobody should aspire to be. Ahab was so obsessive, he lost any trace of happiness, he lost his humanity, he lost his sense of duty. His anger was completely misplaced. A whale just follows it nature, a whale cannot be evil. Seeking vengeance against an animal is absurd.
Agree with you, and diagree with Dinesh! Nothing to emulate here. I thought Dinesh going to liken the malevolent obsession to the Democrats' conduct the past 5 years, but he didnt go there.
The book is biblical in scale and resonance.
First read it 30 yrs ago, wasn't ready for what was to come, and it blew me away on so many levels - but it left me behind in some key themes too .... I'm halfway through it today, and loving it as I'm really appreciating it much more now - but I know I'm going to have to read it again to really "get" it properly..... Highly recommended, but pace yourself 😊
Thank you for putting this out
If one doesn't read fiction, they will become a person that doesn't understand people... and, in turn, will not know when they are being lied to.
Need to make this a weekly topic, Dinesh... Maybe do a book summary/commentary on a different book each week or a couple times a month?
"The three mates then see Moby Dick swim by, with Ahab's corpse plastered to his side, Ahab's dead arm flopping back and forth as the whale rolls. Hence, Ahab "beckons" to the sailors to follow him",
Excellent summation, point. And so right.
"Oh Captain Ahab .. you ain't got nothin' on me .. go on an swallow me .. follow me .. I'm leavin' all night home.. the water's my daughter .. I'm gonna skip like a stone" - Tom Waits - The Heart of Saturday Night. Shiver Me Timbers.
I always knew there was more to you than a position you take on a political issue.
Better done than Cliff's Notes. I mean really good. I wish you would have included Queequeg. I am going to dig that book out and read it again.
More!
really appreciate this review & exploring the main characters. Call me Ishmael, those names Ahab, wow just that part is awesome.
I'm not sure the take-away should be be more Captain Ahab. In the moments before the final battle Ahab realizes he's ignored his family and lived a trivial life. He second guesses all of it, but then gives in to prophesy which he knows will end in his death. His unnatural obsession not only dooms him, but also dooms all others (except Moby Dick).
It is a simple story. It is an epic poem of American Whaling. The “excruciating” details are not the backstory, they are the content of the narrative, The sermon, The top hat and tattoos on dark skin, the tip of the harpoon, the chowder and the wood plane, the bench, the rope and the spermaceti. The details are The Story, Moby Dick does not even appear until the last three chapters. Ahab is the common hempen thread that splices them together. Without the details, this is not an epic story , it would be but a great one!
I heard of Dinesh D'Souza somehow, but don't know anything about him. But I thought his last comment was interesting and surprising, (paraphrase) "Ahab's fight to the end spirit is something the left has and we [the right] need more." First I didn't even know he was coming from the right. Second, as a left sympathizer, I don't really see that attitude. But if they got it, it comes from a morally righteous position that the right can never acquire.
I never get the underlying messages...thank god for the internet
The thing I like about Moby Dick is that there's no complicated symbolism. It's just a guy who hates a whale.
One of my favorites
I've read several thesis that the whole point of Moby dick was Melville's statement of his nihilistic view of man and his world as put forth in a paper by John E. Barnum.
After reading the thesis, I reread Moby dick and have to say his interpretation is spot on.
What does nihilism have to do with the world's political situation? Consider the corollary of Ahab pursuing the white whale to Marxist communism pursuing utopia. Neither achieved their goal and result was total destruction.
Moby Dick was a great read, highly recommend. 👍🏼
We need to fight smarter not harder against a real enemy!
Oh come on! It ended badly for Ahab. And how many more positive things he could have done with his life.
I only know of this classic is the fierce persecution of this Bayena, very violent I can see how the man fights when he wants something to win or lose
Maybe a little
More Ishmael with strength of Moby Dick! Ahab met his comeuppance - rightfully
Star Trek II The Wrath of Khan was inspired by Moby Dick. "KHAAAAANNNN!!!!!!"
Excellent video!
Please do more book reviews!
Good work
its always been biblical where the evil strive for power to control the good and innocent people. its better to be killed by evil then to kill and become evil is why good does triumph in the end and if you are still alive on earth, its not the end. dont lose your eternal salvation in a moment of weakness to strike back at evil, rather to be a un extinguishable light to lead anyone who will follow to also be that light.
Moby Dick has features that may be interesting reading; at the least, it is not The Man fro la Mancha. Attempting to read I failed 5x, never beyond the first chapter. I returned for "They" said it was a masterpiece...story short I barely made it through Cleft notes
We were kids forced to read The Great Books in the 1960s. It was not fun and I came to a conclusion far from yours. I think the editor was Montemer J. Adler. Today kids have the internet.
This is an Amateurish high school type review. I almost laughed 😅 watching it.
What about the opening line of Proust enormous work ?
Ahab is not an inspiration. Just before he is killed, he sees Moby Dick destroy the Pedquod. He would not listen to reason and lost everything.
For those who don't plan on reading this book in it's entirety, I recommend reading the opening of chapter 69 down to "lost in infinite perspectives"
Comment for the algorithm.
Oh you ruined the ending DINESH!!!
I'm surprised they haven't canceled Moby Dick, after all he's White.
Moby Dick is based on the story of the Essex, a whaling vessel that was rammed and sunk by a massive bull sperm whale.
I liken democrats to that famous character who swore an oath to lie, cheat, steal or kill for food.
I don't think we want to emulate Ahab. He's possessed by hatred against God and Nature to the point of his ruin.
And his quest screws everyone else over. Ship gets wrecked, owners get no return on their investment, some crew members died, and the rest probably don't get paid. Everybody loses.
No spoiler alert?
I don't believe Melville is extolling the virtues of Ahab. He might catalogue his formidable charisma but his choice is not a good choice. Raling against the inevitable horrors of the natural world gets you dragged into the abyss, as well as anyone that gets in that boat with you.
All hands🇺🇸
Spoiler alert
You want us to behave like a madman?
But I'm not chasing whales .....we need a real taste of purpose in America
First of all I doubt if anybody here has read the book. It is one of the most tedious books I've ever read. I do not recommend it.
Isn’t it pretty good if you skip the technical whaling stuff?
I've read it at least twice. It's been a while, now, but I don't remember it being difficult or tedious. I also have family history in that time and region, as well as in the events that inspired the story.
By the way , Homer's work isn't original . Yep , the basis of western Lit was stolen as well.
The Mahabaratha is the original story .
Maha = big , great etc
Barat = India ( Indus )
This is funny given this guy worships the orange haired Ahab.
😎🇺🇸
Can you copy your UA-cam Channel over at odysee? I like your show and think it would do well over there.
Agamemnon is far more entertaining than your abbreviation
SAY out LOUD - LOUDLY and QUICKLY: "Whale Oil Beef Hooked!" lol xo R. "In difficult times we need a NEVER SAY DIE - fight to The End attitude - WE NEED TO "BE" more like Captain Ahab, indeed Dinesh. Otherwise: "WHALE OIL BEEF HOOKED!"
Wow. This is a stunningly bad take. He’s encouraging people to be more like Ahab! He has utterly missed the point.
Not a classic. A ton of excess verbiage to drown in. Melville was in serious need of an editor.
Ayn Raynd
Aldous Huxley
George Orwell
Don’t forget that some pigs are more equal than other pigs!
And….
2+2=5
27th
Wow, Dinesh D'Souza finally has a good opinion about something. Stopped clock and all that.
Sometimes people are spot on but with others listening to them, it's equivalent to trying to teach a pig how to play chess,
it's way over your head so you can't calculate it.
You really got a kick out of this book?
I found it ne of the most boring reads EVER! A nasty spoiled sea captain, wanting revenge on an animal?
Deep!
boycott black rifle coffee company
Why?
@@theresalero7039
Cuz people here are racist. Haven't you noticed?
@@UglyTruth_UglyTruth bs
@@willagillis7752
Which party waves the Confederate flags?
I just made it through chp 44.... My thoughts right now... It sucks! And I'm a very astute reader. I'm going to finish it out of sheer willpower. But i really do feel like chucking it.