Mentors in In the Heart of the Sea In the face of danger certain people will emerge as mentors. The tragedy of the Essex is no exception to this occurrence as Captain George Pollard, Jr. and First Mate Owen Chase promptly prove their place as the mentors among the surviving crewmen. In the Heart of the Sea utilizes techniques such as original sources, perspective and narration to portray Pollard and Chase as mentors in an attempt to aid the reader in identifying with the crew. Firstly, a mentor is someone who trusted by others to give guidance. In the Heart of the Sea provides the reader with excerpts from the crewman's diaries and recounts of the events to show that they view Captain Pollard and First Mate Chase as advisors during trivial …show more content…
situations. An illustration of this is when the ship is initially attacked by the sperm whale; all crew members turn their attention to First Mate Chase for orders and not just because of his rank. His personality is that of a leaders and they are drawn to him during perilous events.
As stated by the cabin boy Thomas Nickerson, “Even with the whale just a stone’s throw from the Essex, Chase did not see it as a threat “His appearance and attitude gave us at first no cause for alarm.””(81) When a whale the magnitude as describe by Chase and the crew is spotted heading towards the ship you are aboard it is cause for alarm, but the men of the Essex did not frenzy due to Chase’s calm demeanor and their trust in his judgment. If they had regarded Chase as purely a first mate panic would have broke out aboard the ship, but the crew looked to Chase for guidance. In the Heart of the Sea presents this sentence to the reader because most people have never experienced a whale barreling towards their ship, but they can relate to looking up to a mentor in a distressing situation for guidance. This sentence allows the reader to grow a stronger connect with the characters and a deeper understanding of the crews dynamics. Unlike Chase, Pollard has issues converting to his new …show more content…
role as a leader, but the crew had no trouble perceiving him as a mentor. In the beginning of their voyage Pollard takes a risky move deciding not to head away from a swell, but instead straight for it; by the time he realizes the swell is going to hit them head it is too late to reroute the vessel. The crew loses its composure as the massive waves hit and water fills the boat. The ship gets blown onto its side and the hull temporarily shelters the crew from the egregious weather. Pollard uses this time of “calm” to pull the crew back together, according to Nickerson “[T]he cool and undismayed countenance of the captain, soon brought all to their sober senses.”(41) While Pollard appears to lack considerable traits of a captain his ability to be a mentor is definite; backed up by his ability to ease a crew during a merciless storm using only his calm disposition. Readers who have experienced a tragic event know that a mentor telling you to get yourself together can be very orienting and help you regain focus. When Chase and Nickerson’s crew member, Peterson, died Nickerson began thinking about the way Chase has evolved during the catastrophic events. “Nickerson called the first mate a “remarkable man” and recognized Chase’s genius for identifying hope in a seemingly hopeless situation.”(169) Nickerson’s regard and respect for Chase shows that he values him as a mentor and whole-heartedly believes he is someone to look to for advice. All things considered it is clear to see that In the Heart of the Sea employed the use of quotes from the crew's view to show that they perceive both Pollard and Chase as mentors. Accompanying the inclusion of quotes from crewmen to support Pollard and Chases roles as mentors is the mentor's thoughts. A mentor is not exclusively a person that people can look up to, they also possess unique qualities that make them regard people's well being and attempt to push people to do what is best. Captain Pollard's thoughts exhibit many characteristic of a mentor such as when the crew is being divided into the three smaller whaling boats, and the narrator writes “Feeling personally responsible for the welfare of the young Nantucketers aboard the Essex, Pollard made sure that his boat contained his eighteen-year-old cousin, Owen Coffin, and Coffin’s two boyhood friends.”(102) During the separation of the men Pollard was not simply trying to fulfill a family obligation he truly wanted the young men to have the best chance at survival, and he thought that was them being in his boat where he could watch over them. Pollard’s actions during this event are those of a mentor. To further display his mentor like qualities is the scene in the boat when the crew entertains the idea of casting lots Pollard shuts down the talk according to Nickerson Pollard “would not listen...saying to others, ’No, but if I die first you are welcome to subsist my remains.”(175) Pollards immediate opposition to the idea of hurting one of his own even if it would benefit the others exhibits his mentor characteristics. He even goes on to tell the men that if he is to die first he is more than willing to allow them to consume his body in order to sustain themselves. This final sentence is of utmost importance as it shows Pollard giving them all that he has left, his body. Pollard is not the only one who has mentor characteristics Chase is also comprised of mentor traits. With Benjamin Lawrence and Thomas Nickerson the only surviving people on Chases boat there were not many bodies to mentor, but Chase did it despite his small crew. One afternoon Nickerson laid upon the bottom of the boat and declared that “he wished to die immediately.”(183) Chase began trying to console him “I saw that he had given up...and I attempted to speak a few words of comfort and encouragement to him.”(183) Chase was unsuccessful but nevertheless he presented qualities of a true mentor trying to comfort a pupil in distress. The situation made it impossible to console someone, but Chase gave it his best effort and this was a new face for the formerly power hungry see-going Chase. When the crew first arrives on the island both Pollard and Chase take on mentor characteristic, but unfortunately they have the opposite instincts, “Pollard had done everything he could that day to increase the health and morale of his men. Chase remained focused on the “main chance”: getting to South Africa and safety.”(139) Pollards nurturing instinct comes out as he tries to accommodate for all the men and Chases planning instinct surfaces as he begins to formulate a way to get everyone off the island as soon as possible in order to arrive at Africa’s shore before they run out of supplies. Ultimately, there is more to being a mentor than your crew viewing you as someone to turn to, you must possess qualities of protectiveness and caring which both Pollard and Chace have and In the Heart of the Sea delineates through the use of their perspective. In addition, to a mentor being someone who gives people advice they are also experienced.
In the Heart of the Sea chooses to include the actions of Pollard and Chase to reinforce the fact that they are mentors. After the sinking of the Essex the crew sets of in an attempt to find land, unfortunately Chases boat is in rather poor condition and has a leak. “Even though they were being bounced up and down by the waves, Chase and Pollard managed “to drive in a few nails, and secured [the plank], much beyond our expectations.” Soon all three boats were once again sailing south”(113) Pollard and Chases handy work owed credit to the years of experience they had from working with boats. Nickerson even referred to Chase as “their boat’s doctor”(130) later on. The captain and first mates experience extended beyond being able to repair boats in formidable situations. Both were seasoned seamen and had compiled valuable skills. “Pollard and Chase had been together aboard the Essex since 1815, when Chase, at eighteen, had signed on as a common sailor. Chase had moved quickly through the ranks. By the next voyage he was a boat steerer, and now, at only twenty-two, he was the first mate.”(30) The narrator informs the reader of Chase’s expeditious move through the ranks so they can grasp how he is not only experienced but naturally talented when it comes to the art of being a whaler. To augment Chases adroitness of being a whaler the narrator goes on to say that Joy, a mate four years
older than chase, is only second mate and that Chase did not just come by the position due to lack of a better individual. It goes without saying that In the Heart of the Sea uses excellent methods of representing Captain Pollard and First Mate Owen Chase as revered mentors through its use of references to the whalers accounts, Pollard and Chases thoughts, and narration. The overall effect of emphasizing Pollard and Chases role as mentors was giving the reader a way to associate with the crew and comprehend the execrable circumstances they faced.
A mentor is a trusted guide who shows you the way in life. Through the mentors of Pi and Antonio, they help save and point them to the right way in life. In the novel Bless Me, Ultima by Rudolfo Anaya, Ultima shows Tony that good can always overcome evil, no matter how evil it may be. Life of Pi by Yann Martel, shows that Pi can face his fears by the help of a big Bengal tiger in a small boat, and that the littlest things in life can change the course of how your destiny awaits.
...lying terrified and helpless in the water reaches back for his shipmates to save him. It shows the battle in life over a cause. One side wants to save him (shipmates) while the other side wants him to die (shark) . This parable is a message to the triumphant colonists who fought for liberty and freedom in America. It can be related back to the Tea Party when the colonists stayed together against oppression from the Parliament and won.
irresistible, urges the heart to the whale's way over the stretch of the seas.” (Line 60-66).
Many of the interpretations that people have developed while analyzing the book have been formed at least partially through the narrator's description of Captain Vere. Captain Edward Vere is the captain of the H.M.S. Bellipotent, which is the ship that Billy Budd is impressed into. Although portrayed as a good, strong leader by Melville, Captain Vere and his seemingly "admirable" traits are not so. These traits prove to be undesirable as the plot of the story unravels. As explained by Shaw, "Melville presents him as a man of admirable balance: brave but modest, firmly in control of his men without being overbearing..." (592). Furthermore, Melville mentions that Vere has an element of rigidity to him and that, although he is always aware of his crew's welfare, he does not tolerate any misbehavior or disciplinary infractions (Calhoun 2). Despite the portrayal of this rigidity as good, it proves to have a negative effect on Vere later in the story. According to Herman Melville, Captain Vere was an intellectual man who enjoyed reading (Melville 45). Once again, Melville portrays this trait as a good characteristic, but it proves to serve him poorly when he attempted to come to a decision regarding the death of Claggart at the hands of Billy Budd. Calhoun explains the negativity of these traits by adding that Vere's peers "detect a 'queer streak of pedantic running through him'" (Calhoun 2). He continues that this pedantic "connotes pride, narrowness, formality, and lack of imagination-- all qualities that serve Vere poorly when he is faced with a knotty ethical question" (Calhoun 2). Melville's description of Captain Edward Vere's character is not objective and is certainly open to various interpretations, including the ironist
Starting in the very beginning, the four man crew is faced with a tragic shipwreck. After the disaster had struck, Crane goes into a long great detail about the knew vessel the crew must
“The Open Boat” uses vivid metaphors to enhance both the magnificent, yet overwhelming nature of the sea. Crane successfully illustrated a situation that isolated the four men, encouraging them to use the elements of the sea that they do not understand. The four men are stranded and isolated, with no help except what they are
The captain is characterized as incompetent even at sailing a ship despite his title. The captain should have been the one to lead the castaways but his incompetence caused the island dwellers to despise him. Ten years after being marooned on the island, “the captain become a very boring person, without enough to think about, without enough to do.”(294). Trying to find a purpose to his boring life, the captain hovered around a spring, the island’s only water supply. He would tell the kanka-bono girls the kind of mood the spring was in on that day despite the fact that “The dribbling [from the spring] was in fact quite steady, and had been for thousands of years”(295). The kanka-bono girls did not speak english and therefore the captain’s attempt at humanising the spring were lost on the girls making it a completely pointless endeavor. Moreover,If not for the lack of tools on the island, the captain would have tried to improve the springs and consequently might have clogged it(296) potentially putting the life of castaways at risk. The captain was desperate to find a purpose to his mundane life on the island, so much that he was willing to put his and the island’s inhabitant 's life at risk. The captain’s attempt at accomplishing something to find a purpose in his life was useless and even
Since this bond of brotherhood is felt by all the men in the boat, but not discussed, it manifests in small ways as the men interact with each other. They are never irritated or upset with each other, no matter how tired or sore they are. Whenever one man is too tired to row, the next man takes over without complaining. When the correspondent thinks that he is the only person awake on the boat, and he sees and hears the shark in the water, the narrator says, “Nevertheless, it is true that he did not want to be alone with the thing. He wished one of his companions to awaken by chance and keep him company with it” (Crane 212).
This duality is a large component of the tension that resides in the boat. Peterson seems to be making a contrast he to encourage the already mounting tension. Combine this with the life-death aspect of the mission and incredible stress is inevitable. It is a ship mostly full of ardorous men, but the few who don't fit are harpoons in the ship's side. Pederson's film is quite intense and it has to be said that this duality in character portrayal enhances this aspect of the movie.
The first character that we are introduced to is R. Walton. He is on a ship with many deck hands and crewmembers, but in his letter to Margaret, his sister, he states, "I have no friend. Even when I am glowing with the enthusiasm of success, there will be none to participate my joy; if I am assailed by disappointment, no one will endeavor to sustain to me dejection." Although Walton has a boat full of men, he still feels lonely and friendless, and wishes he had a male companion to sympathize with him. Perhaps the reason that he feels this way is that he is looking for a different type of friend than what these tough sailors can offer. "I spoke of my (Walton) desire of finding a friend, of my thirst for a more intimate sympathy with a fellow mind than had ever fallen to my lot."
...held him in the sea that swirled him out and safely over the boat to water in which he could touch. The surviving men were thankful to have survived, but learned that they really had no control over their lives. One of the most important lessons the correspondent took from the experience was, “… that “in the ignorance of the grave-edge” every man is in the same boat, which is not much more substantial than the ten-foot open dinghy on a rough sea” (Buitenhuis, web). Having survived the experience the cook, the correspondent, and the captain each believed that they could be interpreters for the sea. Crane gave each man a voice in “The Open Boat” that is uniquely theirs, but at the same time shared a common bond and struggle with nature for survival. It is up to each man (mankind) to find our own place in the universe and be open to the lessons that life can teach us.
In the story "The Open Boat," by Stephen Crane, Crane uses many literary techniques to convey the stories overall theme. The story is centered on four men: a cook, a correspondent, Billie, an oiler who is the only character named in the story, and a captain. They are stranded in a lifeboat in stormy seas just off the coast of Florida, just after their ship has sunk. Although they can eventually see the shore, the waves are so big that it is too dangerous to try to take the boat in to land. Instead, the men are forced to take the boat further out to sea, where the waves are not quite as big and dangerous. They spend the night in the lifeboat and take turns rowing and then resting. In the morning, the men are weak and exhausted. The captain decides that they must try to take the lifeboat as close to shore as possible and then be ready to swim when the surf inevitably turns the boat over and throws the men into the cold sea. As they get closer to land a big wave comes and all the men are thrown into the sea. The lifeboat turns over and the four men must swim into shore. There are rescuers waiting on shore who help the men out of the water. Strangely, as the cook, captain and correspondent reach the shore safely and are helped out of the water, they discover that, somehow, the oiler has drowned after being smashed in the surf by a huge wave. (255-270) “The Open Boat’s” main theme deals with a character’s seemingly insignificant life struggle against nature’s indifference. Crane expresses this theme through a suspenseful tone, creative point of view, and a mix of irony.
Before Greek mythology, the term mentor had its origin in Homer's Odyssey when Odysseus gave Mentor, an insightful and scholarly man, the duty of sustaining and instructing his child, Telemachus. Mentor stayed behind to instruct Telemachus while Odysseus went off to fight the Trojan war. This education included every part of Telemachus’ life. Anderson and Shannon (1988) conclude from The Odyssey that modeling is a standard and style of behavior constituted a central quality of mentoring and that mentoring was intentional, nurturing, insightful, and supportive.
Therefore, the incessant troubles arising from human conditions often bring about unpredictable crises as "shipwrecks are apropos of nothing. " The tiny "open boat", which characters desperately cling to, signifies the weak, helpless, and vulnerable conditions of human life since it is deprived of other protection due to the shipwreck. The "open boat" also accentuates the "open suggestion of hopelessness" amid the wild waves of life. The crew of the boat perceive their precarious fate as "preposterous" and "absurd" so much so that they can feel the "tragic" aspect and "coldness of the water. " At this point, the question of why they are forced to be "dragged away" and to "nibble the sacred cheese of life" raises a meaningful issue over life itself.
...Conclusion, the Captain identifies with Leggatt because they both have similar physical characteristic traits, and Leggatt psychologically completes the Captain. The Captain and Leggatt both share similar feelings, and come from the same social class. The two are almost identical in looks, close in age, and isolated on their ships. Leggatt gives the Captain characteristic traits that the Captain needs. Decisiveness and confidence is what the Captain lacked. Now with the help of Leggatt, the Captain gained these traits that were needed in order to succeed as a captain.