Figurative Language In Moby Dick

Ahab, hoping to unite his crew under his desire to hunt Moby Dick, uses repetition, comparisons, and emotional appeals, along with other strategies, to convince the shipmates to pursue the white whale. Ahab knows that he needs his entire crew to be on board with chasing Moby Dick in order for it to happen. He starts by asking callback questions that relates to the single thing that the crew shares: their interest in whaling. For example, when Ahab asks “what do ye do when ye see a whale, men?” the entire crew simultaneously responds with “sing out for him.” Since the crew answered the question at the same time, Ahab knows that they are unified under him. Later, Ahab offers up a gold doubloon to the person that raises Moby Dick. He makes this offer more enticing by repeating “whosoever of ye.” By repeating that, it adds intensity and creates a sense of competition, which would undoubtedly lead into a hunting fervor, as every person will naturally desire the doubloon.
Ahab claims that it was the White Whale who “dismasted” and “razed” him, leaving him with a “dead stump” of a leg. By victimizing himself, Ahab hopes that his crew will feel pity and help him gain an eye for an eye by killing Moby Dick. Moreover, Ahab supplements this by ardently saying how he will chase the White Whale “round Good Hope,” “round the Horn,” and “round perdition’s flames.” Ahab’s parallelism here illustrates the ends to which he is willing to follow through, and by increasing the intensity of his listed locations, which includes hell itself, he instils a sense of unwavering determination into his crew. Ahab’s stark stubbornness in this subject helps to persuade his shipmates, who will most likely follow their captain’s