Moby Dick by Herman Melville (Mohamed M.)

Dear Herman Melville,

This book scared me the first time I saw it because it was a little over 600 pages long, but I’ve heard the title of your book being mentioned many times, and I wanted to know what it was about and why it was so popular. Now, after I’ve read it, I understand why it’s so popular.

This book has many lessons from the beginning to the end. For example, at the beginning, Ishmael, the protagonist, was repulsed by Queequeg’s appearance and habits. Ishmael then realizes that Queequeg is a good and generous person and they become best friends. I learned that one can’t judge people by the way they look because one doesn’t know if that person could become a good friend.

Something important I learned was that I should be grateful for what I have like Boomer, the captain who lost an arm but was happy because he survived his encounter with the enormous whale.

“’Ahab never thinks,’” he says aloud, ‘he only feels, feels, feels; . . . to think's audacity. God only has that right and privilege.’” When I read this part it really made think. Thanks to this book I know that if I want to achieve a goal I can’t just do what my feelings tell me to do because they could be influenced by so many things; instead I should use my head and reason. I also learned that I should listen to people’s recommendations and that too much pride isn’t going to take me anywhere. I know this is how people are because we are always trying to get what we want, but we have to know our limits or else we will be fighting against things we don’t understand.

Sincerely,

Mohamed Martino