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Lesson 1 (from Chapter 1 - The Town-Ho's Story)

Objective

Chapter 1 - The Town-Ho's Story

Melville chooses an unusual structure for this story, relating it in the first person, as told to a group of listeners from another country. Today's objective is to analyze this structure to determine its advantages for the author.

Lesson

1. Group Discussion: What advantage does the writer receive from the fact that the listeners to this story are Peruvian and unfamiliar with terms such as "Lakeman" and "Canaller?" Why do you think he chose to set the storytelling in a foreign country instead of simply relating it? What does this setup give the author opportunities to do?

2. Partner Discussion: Why do you think Melville chose to tell the story in such a way that the listeners demand that he get a Bible and swear to its veracity? What dimension does this taking of an oath add to the story?

3. Individual Reading/Writing...

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