We Begin With...The Preface.
How lucky we are to get a preface. Author Nathaniel Philbrick wrote a book called In The Heart of The Sea: The True Story of the Whaleship Essex. Sound familiar? It's 302 pages. He then condensed the book to appeal to a less technical reader, and that's Revenge of the Whale. I just checked, and it appears that Ron Howard is making a movie of the first book. I'll keep you posted!
According to one reviewer (on the first page of this book, at the bottom), this book should appeal to anyone with a sense of adventure or someone who likes historical fiction. I'm hoping that one or the other aspects, or both, will apply to you!
I want to help you understand annotation a little better. Consider it an active participation in the novel, a conversation with the author. Annotation has been around a long time, and it's not meant to slow you down, so I want to work you through the Preface with my annotations and then give you pointers for the next 3 chapters. Here's what my preface looks like (and then I'll explain):
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| My book-1st page of the Preface |
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| My book-3rd page of Preface |
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| My book-last page of Preface |
OK! Here we go! Notice that Philbrick gets us, the readers, interested by not giving away too much and by setting up the story with this one little vignette (preface=pre (before) the face---before the beginning---and vignette (a little story) about spotting this strange boat. If you look at my first page, you can see that I noted that Feb 23, 1821 was the date the boat was discovered floating in the ocean. I note that Philbrick begins with a nice, solid simile (I like that!). The simile gives the idea that the ship is meandering, not in a hurry, but apparently always on the alert. I underlined "Pacific Ocean" and the metaphor that this ocean was "a vast field of warm-blooded oil deposits known as sperm whales." What an interesting way to say that whales contained oil, which provided so many things for consumers and industrialists of the 1800s. I also noted that sperm whales are "the largest toothed whales in existence." That seems important to the story, as well as the fact that one whale weighs 60 tons! That's 120,000 pounds. Don't put me in the water! That's the equivalent of approximately 250 people!
On the first page, I also noted that the task of "transforming a dead whale into oil" included "ripping off its blubber, chopping it up, and boiling it into the high-grade oil that lit the streets and lubricated the machines of the Industrial Age." To think that all of this was done ON THE SHIP is a little mind-boggling. But note that this oil at one time kept everything going--lights, machines, progress! I'm sure you can guess what replaced whale oil...petroleum/crude oil. Once that was discovered, the whaling industry died a pretty swift death.
Notice, too, that "whalemen of the early nineteenth century" were:
- seagoing hunters
- factory workers (on the boat!)
- explorers
For over 100 years, the "headquarters of this global oil business" was in Nantucket, a little island off the coast of New England, now a lovely vacation spot with museums and trendy shopping, etc. You may have been there or have family from this area.
Philbrick then leads us back to the story from the first paragraph. The Dauphin, a Nantucket whaleship, was sailing up the western coast of South America when its lookout saw this small little boat, bobbing in the waves. Note the word "mysterious" (p. viii). It was a strangely fitted whaleboat, built up on the sides, with apparently no one steering it. In the next paragraph, Philbrick again uses the word "mysterious" to describe the boat. He is letting us know that this is NOT NORMAL!
And then---the paragraph beginning with "First they saw bones--human bones--" Ah! Note the wonderful use of dashes to grab our attention. Not just bones. No! Human bones! And notice the beginning word "First" and later "Then." This descriptive action makes us fellow "lookers" into the boat! The men--can you imagine how they looked? And to think that these men were afraid of their rescuers. This seems to describe a condition you may have heard of: post-traumatic stress syndrome (PTSD). They are afraid and are clutching these "gnawed-over bones, refusing to give them up" and note the simile here, "like two starving dogs found trapped in a pit."
On the next page (p. ix), I noted that these men will live and tell their story, a story "of a whale with the calculating vengeance of a man." What? You've probably already guessed that this true story is where Herman Melville got the idea for writing one of the greatest books of all time, Moby-Dick.
Another thing to watch out for in reading/annotating is a break in the page. See the 3 dots here? Philbrick is now breaking from the narrative, the story about finding the men, to give us some historical facts that tie into the story. These men found in that strange boat connect to the sinking of the whaleship Essex by a sperm whale in 1821. He tells that, "Of the twenty men who escaped the whale-crushed ship, only eight survived." He also lets us know where he'll be getting much of his information for this book. The ship's first mate, Owen Chase, wrote a book about it (he was one of the men in that strange boat).
However, even more interesting is that in 1960, "an old notebook was found in the attic of a home in Penn Yan, New York." But it took 20 years for that notebook to make its way to a whaling expert, who pieced it all together. This notebook was the narrative of the OTHER guy in that boat, a very young (your age!) cabin boy, Thomas Nickerson. He told his version of the tragedy that that occurred in 1821, but we are only hearing about it 182 years after the fact! Not even Herman Melville knew this view of the story, as he got his second hand information from the son of Owen Chase (the first mate), his sailing mate on a whaling expedition undertaken by the two men.
Observation and writing have preserved a moment in time! I learned quite a bit from the Preface, and I'm stoked to know the story, so Chapters 1-3, here I come!
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| Sperm Whale from kootation.com |
So, here are my suggestions for annotating/reading each chapter:
CHAPTER 1: NANTUCKET
- Look at all the pictures, maps, crew, etc. Very important. Give yourself time to "look around." Reading images, charts, pictures is one mark of an advanced reader. This ability will help you in life, and especially with math and those horrid standardized tests.
- This chapter will give you background on the island of Nantucket (find it on the map--KNOW where you are!) and the whaling industry of the 19th century (1800s), as well as specific info on the Essex.
- Pay careful attention to the bottom of p. 2 and top of p. 3. Note the superstitious nature of the people. Look for the OMENS.
- Note how they outfit the vessel, what they pack and stow.
- Note that there were black sailors as well as white.
- The theme of OMENS and FATE runs throughout this chapter. Look for them.
CHAPTER 2: KNOCKDOWN
- This chapter introduces us to the crew. Find out what you can about Chase and Pollard, Nickerson and the others. What are their personalities like? Who is strongest? What is their experience level?
- Note the rituals observed on a whaling voyage (one in specific on p. 16). Observe how they were split up, who slept where. Look at the cross-section of the ship on p. 17 and annotate where each group slept (you know, draw arrows and write in the sleeping quarters).
- I think the cure for seasickness (p. 18) would make me even sicker!
- After the break on p. 19, Philbrick begins with another great simile describing the path whale ships took. Find the map on pp. 26-27 and follow p. 19 by looking at the map.
- Why is this chapter entitled KNOCKDOWN? Read the rest of the chapter to find out what happens and see it on the map as well.
CHAPTER 3: FIRST BLOOD
- What are they now short of? What are they looking for when they stop at the Azores?
- On pp. 29-33, follow the order of catching/killing a whale.
- After the break on p. 33, follow the continuing explanation of harpooning a whale. What's a "Nantucket sleigh ride"?!
- At the bottom of p. 33, Phlbrick notes that the harpoon doesn't KILL the whale. Follow along to see how the "end" comes. Look at the drawings of harpoons.
- The cutting up process, after killing the whale, begins on p. 36. Could you do this? People your age did! See the bottom for a journal of a girl who went on one of these expeditions!
- I think I should explain that they do not actually remove "sperm" from a whale. The oil and white substance is explained in this section. Note that they also value AMBERGRIS for perfume, of all things. What's ambergris?
A couple of helps for you:
1. You may want to add Google Earth to your computer, ipad, iphone or any smart phone. You can follow the voyage, look up Nantucket, the Azores, etc. It's really one of my favorite apps! Here's the link: http://www.google.com/earth/index.html.
2. Here is a fascinating true journal of a whaling expedition a young girl (6) took with her family. Her father was the captain of the ship. Please go here and explore. I'd like for everyone to respond with comments, questions, and observations from the first 3 chapters of the book AND from this website. It's fascinating! Check out Laura Jernegan's story here, plus tons of interesting info about whaling, etc.
You have 2 weeks to read, explore, and post.
SO...BEFORE THE NEXT ONLINE POSTING, YOU MUST ANNOTATE YOUR BOOK FOR CHAPTERS 1-3 WITH THE INFO I'VE POSTED (ABOVE) AND POST COMMENTS AND/OR QUESTIONS ABOUT YOUR READING AND/OR THE ONLINE HELPS (GOOGLE EARTH AND LAURA JERNEGAN). Our next "meeting" will be June 17! YOUR COMMENTS SHOULD BE POSTED BEFORE JUNE 17!
If you find anything cool, please share! Feel free to post anytime!
Happy reading!
Mrs. C.
This book seems very interesting. I am not really fond of reading but this book gets me interested. I really like how the author uses similes to help us understand all the information and getting in depth with certain facts. I really appreciate you, Mrs. Collier, for putting tips to annotating because I am never really sure what information needs to be highlighted. I looked at the websites and those seems very helpful. I am looking forward to reading more in the book and talking about it with you guys.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Alex! Annotating is a personal conversation you have with the author, so no two annotations will look alike. :)
ReplyDeleteEver since I've read this book and Moby-Dick, I've become obsessed with whales and whaling. I can't think of many things that are more dangerous, and sometimes whole families went! How is that possible?!
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ReplyDeleteI remember reading in the Preface a smaller boat, known as a whaleboat, with six men aboard would set out in search of a six ton sperm whale to kill. Then a larger boat called the whaleship would come in and bring their whale aboard. The Preface also mentioned sometimes where these boats go the water is so cold if you fall in it could kill you. The book has also said the sailors have gone from the hunter to the hunted. In the Preface there was a whaleboat called the Dauphin in search for some whales and they found a whaleboat containing two men and a pile of bones between them.
ReplyDeleteThis book has really gotten me interested, and I hope that the story is just as good or better.
This true story inspired Herman Melville to write Moby-Dick, which you may have heard of?
DeleteSo far a good story, but I found it challenging trying to remember the characters. In the preface and first 3 chapters, there are at least four men by the name of Coffin. They are Zimri Coffin, Captain of Dauphin; Owen Coffin, cousin of Captain George Pollard; Absalom Coffin, Captain of Chili; and Barzillai Coffin, Captain of Atlantic. Of these men perhaps the most important one is Owen Coffin since he is a member of the crew. We know this must be a true story because in a work of fiction you would not have so many (presumably) unrelated characters with the same last name.
ReplyDeleteGood observation. Stay tuned. And--you're right. Owen Coffin is very important, in a sad way. The characters will straighten out, but that's where annotation helps!
DeleteI like this book(based on the first 40ish pages) but i agree with Matthew that I’m struggling to remember all the characters names. The book is set in earlier times so I have been looking up what some words mean( or the book says what it means) and that has helped me understand words like “lay”(share of profit). I like how all the boats have names! The names keep me interested and I remember their purpose in the book easier! In chapter two I liked how the captains speech was a ritual before setting off on the voyage. Thank you for putting some tips on what to focus on for the next three chapters that helped me focus on looking for the most important parts!
ReplyDeleteGood, Erin! Great on looking up words. YESSS! Keep a list of the characters if that helps. They will get easier to remember as you go along...and that's all I can say about THAT! :O
DeleteIn the preface, we learn that the book is taken place in 1821. A whaleship full of six men searches for a sperm whale in the western coast of South America. They plan to kill it and then transform it into oil. The headquarters for this oil business is located on a little island called Nantucket. Later comes another whaleship called the Dauphin. On February 23, the captain of the Dauphin, Zimri Coffin finds a whaleship unlike any he had ever seen. When the ship got a closer look, they found "a sight that would stay with the crew the rest of their lives." They saw two men on the wrecked ship and human bones across the floorboards between them. This story became one of the most well known disaster of the nineteenth century. Only eight survived out of twenty men who escaped the ship event.
ReplyDeleteContinuing in the preface, we learn about the life of Thomas Nickerson, the Essex's cabin boy, in his old notebook. Nickerson wrote about the disaster in his notebook. Later, Nickerson's story was finally published in 1984.
So far I'm getting really interested in this book and I look forward to see what is going to happen in the next chapters! I also appreciate and thank you for helping us with the tips and notes you've gave us. :)
Good job, Ashley! I can't imagine going on a whaling ship. What a difficult, scary, freaky job. Thomas Nickerson's story is amazing. Stay tuned!
DeleteIn the preface we learned that there is a ship named the Essex and it is a whalship and their mission is to hunt down whales and collect the whales sperm and turn it into oil and then sell it, we also learned that this ship is out of south America and they have their oil business on a little island called Nantucket.
ReplyDeleteSo far I really like this book because it gives you a lot of details for example it tells you everything the crew members do everyday and what they go threw everyday on their voyage. One thing I struggled with during these first three chapters was remembering all the character’s and their roles on the ship. Many things during these chapters really surprised me for example I was really surprised at everything they had to do to catch the whales and everything they had to do to get the whales sperm, another thing that surprised me was that their were young teenagers almost my age doing this job and this surprised me because I could never imagine myself doing this. I really like this book and cant wait to see what happens during this voyage.
I can't imagine anyone doing this, let alone young people! Good post!
DeleteIn the last three chapters we learned a lot more about The Essex and some of the other whaleships. In chapter one we learned more about what some of these ships go through to get people to work on the ship and how whaling is the last job that people want. We also learned about omens. Omens to us are similar to some of the examples in the book, like dark clouds when you’re starting a long trip or when someone gets hurt at the beginning of the game. Some of the omens in this book were seeing a comet before setting out to sea, or the giant swarm of grasshoppers. People all around knew that this meant the Exess would have the worst time out at sea the next two years.
ReplyDeleteIn Chapter Two the crew on the Essex gets some up close, hands on experience with the ocean when a storm rolls in. However the crew was not only battling the ocean but they were racing another ship called the Midas. The Essex was moving at approximately 5 knots. Which is surprisingly fast for that ship. While the race was going on some ugly grey storm clouds moved in and started pouring down rain. Neither ship wanted to back down and turn away, in their mind is was a sigh of backing down. When the Exess finally got out of the storm they realized the ship was seriously damaged.
In Chapter Tree the ship begins to search for some more whaleboats to add to their very small collection. They struck out on their first stop but they were able to restock on some veggies. Their second time they found one and this boat came with an interesting story. The boat was the last one from that whaleship and the ship was nowhere to be found. The owner said that the ship hit some rocks not too far from shore and this was the only boat to make it back in one piece. However they we in need of this boat sooner than expected. They found a whale pretty close to them. Everyone was rushing to their stations and loading everything into the whaleboats. It took a little longer than it normally would because of all the green hands in the boat. No matter they still have one whale ready to make some oil out of.
Nice, Ryan. I agree with the omens part. It's hard to believe that they just kept going, when so many things went so wrong at the beginning! I would have given it up. Do you know why they measure wind speed in "knots"? If not, you should look it up and let us know. :)
DeleteThe first page of the preface has to do with the purpose of the sperm whales. The preface mentioned why they killed them. They were killed for their oil, and there was a series of steps for making the wale to oil. These were very complex, difficult steps, and it was extremely hard to kill the wale to begin with. The preface discussed how men would get on smaller boats and search for these wales. Captain Zimri Coffin was on his own voyage when he saw a small whale boat floating in the sea filled with many human bones and two barely surviving men who were in a state of shock and confusion. This leads the reader into the actual story of the sinking of the Essex. The preface finishes up with introducing Thomas Nickerson and his role to the story and the writing of the book from when he was a cabin boy, to when he contributed in writing the story. -Matthew Horner.
ReplyDeleteNice, Matthew. You're right. Killing whales is not an easy process. And the ship is a mess while that process is going on. Slimy, stinky. Yuck...
ReplyDeleteI have really enjoyed reading this book. It is so cool how big the whales are, sometimes even 60 tons. It is amazing how far they sail, starting near Boston, around South America into the North Pacific Ocean. One thing that interested me is how they cut the whale while it was still alive. It was awesome how the author stressed on the smell; it was like I could smell the guts on the deck of the boat.
ReplyDeleteIt was strange how Captain Pollard and first mate Chase were so different, but they were able to make it work in a way. For example, when the boat was broken, Capt. Pollard wanted to go back to Nantucket to get it fixed, but Chase insisted on going on. I am looking forward to reading chapters four to six.
Chase appears to be the stronger leader, but the men seem to respect Pollard more, maybe because he is the captain and has a pleasing personality.
ReplyDeletePollard is described as being experienced but why would an experienced seafarer not "shorten the sail" as the squall approached? This bad decision resulted in the knockdown of the ship. Philbrick makes an interesting comment about that: "...Pollard was now flaunting his disregard of traditional seafaring wisdom." I think this may be a hint of things to come.
This author was very good at bringing me into this story. I loved the way he used his similes and metaphors to help me understand what is going on in the book. This story is very interesting, but I would never want to be on a ship at sea, especially if I'm supposed to kill a sixty ton whale! That's huge! Yet it still gives me questions like how could the men get the oil out of the such a big creature like a whale while still at sea? As big as that thing is it must have taken days but I guess not. Also, what if whaling did not take place at this point in time? It could be so much more efficient then having to rip of pieces of the whale and getting all the oil. This is such a great book and I can't wait to read on!
ReplyDeleteThe preface tells us that this story took place in 1821 in the Pacific ocean, and that capturing large whales was very difficult. It tells us the oil business is on the island of Nantucket. The whale ship, the Dauphin, made a three year voyage, and found a whaleboat. The story tells of what they find on the boat, like human bones and survivors who were delirious with thirst and hunger. This was based on the account of Thomas Nickerson, the youngest member of the ships crew.
ReplyDeleteChapters 1 through 3 have been very interesting.
ReplyDeleteIn chapter 1, we learn about Nantucket and how the city got rich off the oil that was brought in. We meet the crew of the ship and we learn about how old The Essex is and the many problems it has. Many signs occur that foreshadow trouble is coming.
In chapter 2, four days into the voyage the ship is wrecked by a huge gust of wind and rain. The ship falls on its side and crushes some of the whale boats and washed away the cookhouse and all their food. Everybody aboard was in gloomy moods but they still continued to move on and didn’t look back.
In chapter 3, they went to Cape Verdes Island where they saw and bought an extra whale ship even when it was in bad condition. They also saw the other ship bringing in 300 gallons of oil when they haven’t even got one catch. The next day they got their first catch. They harpooned the whale by stabbing it and drowning it in its own blood. They used all their materials and clothing to catch this one so they had to purchase more. Their minds were beginning to think that this was going to be a very unsuccessful voyage.
Some of the questions I had was like why did they continue to go forward after the ship was wrecked when they knew they wouldn’t be successful without all their supplies? Why did they ever even leave the port in the first place when they knew their boat had problems and weren’t fixed?
So far this book is enjoyable can’t wait to keep reading.
I have enjoyed this read so far although i find it is hard to remember all the characters. I find it helpful that the reader introduces all of the character in detail as well as the setting of the story. I like how the author uses words that we might not particularity use today for example he uses off-islanders instead foreigners. I find it amusing that the author tells us that the town Nantuchet means faraway land.
ReplyDeleteSorry for the late post but i couldnt seem to find this blog post and all the others on the webstite