Based on the novel “Moby Dick” by Herman Melville.
The book was published in 1851 and became one of the most important novels of American literature.
However, it’s much more than just a 150 year old masterpiece. The story is open to many interpretations. It can be read as a thrilling sea story or an examination of the conflict between man and nature. Depending on the point of view and with changing political atmosphere - Ahab can be seen as a Promethean hero or a forefather of the twentieth-century totalitarian dictators.
Although we worked ourselves along the many other interesting aspects and wonderful moments of the story, it was this last point of view, that interested us most. Captain Ahab is the archetype of a despot. The kind, that haunts like ghost through the history of mankind.
Just like all megalomaniacs, Ahab retains the mastery of his crew through a mixture of charisma, the generalization of his foe into the evil itself and by the temptation of a golden reward. Maybe nowadays it is sometimes a little more difficult to decide what’s right or wrong because the world has become much more complicated than it used to be in 1851. However, in the end we will all have to ask ourselves just like John Huston already did:
“Who is the monster, Ahab or the Whale?
Links
Sea Protective Orgs
Oceana
Earth Echo / The Cousteaus continue their father's legacy
Surfrider Foundation
Sea Sheperd / Conservation Society
Marine Conservation Biology Institute
NDRC / Clean Water & Oceans
The Coral Reef Alliance
The Deep Sea Conservation Coalition
The Ocean Conservancy
Guide To Ocean Friendly Sea Food
Pew Institute for Ocean Science
Census of Marine Life / Portal
