Herman Melville Flashcards
biography
1
Q
1.Where was he born and what was his childhood like ?
A
he was born in NY into a wealthy merchant family, but after his dad’s death his family faced economic problems and he had to leave school.
-he did various jobs and ended up in a whaling ship called Acushnet
- he then left the ship cuz it was too hard and spent time in the MARQUESAS ISLAND where he met the tribe TYPEES ( maybe cannibals lol ) he liked its rough
–escaped to Tahiti cuz he was a baddie and later to Hawaii where he joined a US ship and returned home
- All of tghese experiences provided material for almost his novels, specifacally his success Moby Dick
-Moby Dick is considered the closes thing US has had to a national Prose epic
