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Why should you read “Moby Dick”? - Sascha Morrell

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TEDEd Animation

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A mountain separating two lakes. A room papered floor to ceiling with bridal satins. The lid of an immense snuffbox. These seemingly unrelated images take us on a tour of a sperm whale’s head in Herman Melville’s "Moby Dick." Though the book features pirates, typhoons, high-speed chases, and giant squid, it’s anything but a conventional seafaring adventure. Sascha Morrell digs into the classic novel.

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Some critics argue that Ishmael and Captain Ahab constitute opposing forces in the novel, with Ahab focusing inward in his single-minded obsession with revenge, while Ishmael’s is focused outward on many different subjects and points of view. Based on your understanding of the lesson, what are some other contrasts and conflicts presented in Moby-Dick?

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Meet The Creators

  • Educator Sascha Morrell
  • Director Martina Meštrović
  • Narrator Adrian Dannatt
  • Animator Martina Meštrović
  • Storyboard Artist Martina Meštrović
  • Art Director Martina Meštrović
  • Sound Designer Stephen LaRosa
  • Music Stephen LaRosa
  • Director of Production Gerta Xhelo
  • Editorial Director Alex Rosenthal
  • Producer Bethany Cutmore-Scott
  • Editorial Producer Elizabeth Cox
  • Script Editor Iseult Gillespie
  • Fact-Checker Eden Girma

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