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Allegory
Definition of Alliteration
Alliteration is a figure of speech in which the same sound repeats in a group of words, such as the “b” sound in: “Bob brought the box of bricks to... read full definition
Alliteration is a figure of speech in which the same sound repeats in a group of words, such as the “b” sound in: “Bob brought... read full definition
Alliteration is a figure of speech in which the same sound repeats in a group of words, such as the... read full definition
Key Examples in Moby-Dick
Chapter 58: Brit
Explanation and Analysis:
When describing how whales feed, Melville uses a simile that compares the process to mowers cutting grass:
As morning mowers, who side by side slowly and seethingly advance their scythes through the long wet grass of marshy meads; even so these monsters swam, making a strange, grassy, cutting sound; and leaving behind them endless swaths of blue upon the yellow sea.
Related Themes:
Chapter 94: A Squeeze of the Hand
Explanation and Analysis—A Squeeze of the Hand:
In the passage describing the shipmates’ squeezing of the sperm, Melville uses alliteration to emphasize the sensorial element of the process. Ishmael describes the pleasure he is overcome with when squeezing the sperm:
Unlock with LitCharts A+Squeeze! squeeze! squeeze! all the morning long; I squeezed that sperm till I myself almost melted into it; I squeezed that sperm till a strange sort of insanity came over me; and I found myself unwittingly squeezing my co-laborers’ hands in it, mistaking their hands for the gentle globules. Such an abounding, affectionate, friendly, loving feeling did this avocation beget; that at last I was continually squeezing their hands, and looking up into their eyes sentimentally.
