Peter and Naomi's Outline for Discussion on 9/24/14

Looking forward to tomorrows discussion!

1.     Poe’s portrayal of African American and Native American characters (Dirk Peters and Richard Parker).

a.     Is racism present? Examples?

b.     What do we think of the theory of Poe as a racist mocking the middle passage?

2.     The mutineers:         

a.     What are their goals, whose side are the characters on, and what are the parties involved?

b.     How does drunkenness and violence play a role in the takeover of the Grampus? Morality?

3.     What is the relationship between Arthur and Augustus?           

a.     How do the characters influence each other?

b.     Do the characters change/develop throughout the book?

4.     Adventures at sea.

a.     Why are Augustus and Arthur drawn to life at sea?

b.     How are sailors affected by superstition in the novel? Especially the ghost ship?

5.     How does Poe establish/or not establish credibility to Arthur’s narrative?

6.     What is Poe’s writing style?

a.     How is language used? Foreshadowing/metaphor and superstition?  

b.     What does the ghost ship represent?

Niesha's post on The Narrative of AGP

Superstition seems to have a huge role in this novel. Starting on page 68 we see Pym create a plan using superstition in order to defeat some of the mutineers, “By good fortune I at length hit upon the idea of working upon the superstitious terrors and guilty conscience of the mate.” In other words, Pym created a plan to dress up as Rogers (one of the mutineers who died, and body was still on board) and pretend to be a spirit who has awakened. Dirk, Augustus and Pym were desperate and were in need of a plan to try to kill off some of the men, so Pym decided to undress Roger, paint some blood over his face and stuff his body resembling Roger’s corpse. At first I laughed at this plan they had devised because I wondered to myself, who in their right mind would ever believe such a thing but then as I continued to read it was clear that these mutineers were all so crazy. Pym’s plan worked in his favor, killing off the mate, “The mate sprang up from the mattress on which he was lying, and without uttering a syllable, fell back, stone dead, upon the cabin floor, and was hurled to the leeward like a log by a heavy roll of the brig” (75).

Doing a little research of my own, I found that the mutineers seem to believe in superstition and that it comes naturally to sailors because they live in a world where they are isolated and are “at the mercy of nature and tormented psychologically by guilt” (Kathy, 2) which is clearly shown through the mate. His sudden death, and quick belief that Pym was actually Roger, proves that they don’t put meaning into seemingly meaningless things in life. They just go with the flow, believe every and anything, which benefits and helps Dirk, Augustus and Pym cut off an extra body to throw over-board.  

Nautical Superstitions - David Miller's blog post

            Something that was particularly striking in this second reading was the way in which Pym, Augustus, and Peters manage to get the drop on the Grampus’ crewmembers who sided with the first mate: By having Pym disguises himself as the corpse of a recently-deceased crewmember (Hartman Rogers, who appears to have been poisoned by the crewmembers loyal to the first mate). Poe’s obsessions with all things macabre aside (which this part of the novel unapologetically plays on), the fact that this fairly outlandish plan manages to work is a fairly accurate reflection of the very paranoid and superstitious demeanor of many sailors at the time (honest or not). During a time when traveling by sea was pretty heavily dependent on then-unpredictable factors such as weather and the structural integrity of materials like wood and twine, it was common for sailors to focus heavily on perceived “omens” that were capable of bringing good or bad fortune that could be the difference between a successful voyage and a disastrous one. A famous example of something that would bring “bad luck” upon a ship was an Albatross, especially if one kills it (as shown in the poem The Rime of the Ancient Mariner). An example of a “good luck” omen was having a cat aboard a ship. In the story, Pym describes the crewmembers as having “superstitious terrors” and “guilty consciences” (line 77), and unsurprisingly, the plan works so well that not only do the crew believe that they are indeed seeing Rogers’ ghost, but the mate himself dies of fright at the sight of the “ghost.”

Post #3 Ghost Ship, Pym's Change

On pages 100-104 Poe uses language in order to paint this intense picture of this "ghost dead ship". The words he chose add to the morbid appearance of the people aboard the ship coming their way adds intense drama. At first the ship was a lifeline, but once it arrived near them they saw it was a death trap. One of the most compelling sentences I felt was, "Of a sudden, and all at once, there came wafted over the ocean from the strange vessel a smell, a stench, such as the while world has no name for--no conception of--hellish--utterly suffocating-- insufferable, inconceivable" (101). The language in this quote just allows the reader to be right next to Pym during this situation. In reading this section the reader can almost smell the death radiating from the boat as well as visualize the tearing of skin from bodies. We as readers almost become fearful not for Poe but for ourselves as readers during this section. Poe does an excellent job of connecting the reader to his characters with his language.

As well as Poe's excellent use of language to engage the reader, his use of character development helps the reader grow a close bond with the characters. In this case, Pym has a large change from the beginning of the novel to now. Pym in the beginning seemed as if he was easily swayed to be talked into things. He felt like a weak character. For example, when Augustus wants to take out the boat when he is drunk, Pym is overcome with the excitement of Augustus that he wasn't not thinking clearly. Pym states, "I can hardly tell what possessed me, but the words were no sooner out of his mouth than I felt a thrill of the greatest excitement and pleasure, and thought his mad idea one of the most delightful and most reasonable things in the world"(8). Pym knew this was a bad idea but he was easily swayed to participate with Augustus due to his weak personality. As the story progresses we see Pym becoming more of a leader. He exhausts himself to try and get into the stateroom to acquire food (109). He even sees a change in the others for the worst that he was not expecting. He says, "Their countenances ere totally changed in character, so that i could not bring myself to believe them really the same individuals with whom I had been in company but a few days before" (109). As Pym becomes stronger he loses faith in Augustus and the other men on board because he seems them becoming weak. Pym gaining strength personally adds to our interest in him.

Pym Necessary For Their Survival

As the narrative begins Poe introduces Augustus and Pym. In the beginning we get the idea that Augustus is someone to whom Pym looks highly upon. He admires every story that Augusts tells him and in a way wants to be like him, he wants to be just as adventurous. After making the decision to join Augustus at sea, Pym depends on Augustus to survive during his imprisonment. But in the second half of the narrative we begin to get a different idea in regards to who is truly the more important and stronger character. After the ship is taken over Pym, Peter, Parker, and Augustus have to fight for their life in attempts to reach land. It is then that we can see how not only Augustus, but also Peters and Parker need Pym in order to survive.

Descriptions of the men are given, specifically that of Augustus and Peters who he says were unrecognizable. Pym on the other hand although not in the greatest shape is still the one who is better in both physical and mental state. One of the instances in which we see this is during the attempts that are made to reach the cabin. After Pym finally is able to obtain the bottle of wine he describes the effect that it has on the men which instead of being a positive one is rather negative.

“There seemed now to be no longer any room for hope, and I could perceive in the countenances of my companions that they had made up their minds to perish.” (Poe 106)

This hopelessness is what possibly had the men is the condition that they were currently in. If it were not for the hope and several attempts of survival made by Pym the men would more then likely have perished.

Credibility in The Narrative of Arthur Gordon Pym

In The Narrative of Arthur Gordon Pym of Nantucket the idea of credibility and truth are main focuses. Readers are first introduced to Pym’s overwhelming doubt in the preface of the book. In the preface, Arthur talks about the truth so much that readers begin not to believe him. I believe that the preface leads readers to doubt and that without the preface this story would appear to be a typical travel narrative. Later in the book we see narrative doubt once again, in the middle of Chapter 4. “A narrative, let me here say, in its latter portions, will be found to include incidents of a nature so entirely out of the range of human experience, and for this reason so far beyond the limits of human credulity, that I proceed in utter hopelessness of obtaining credence for all that I shall tell....” (Poe 50). This quote demonstrates,  similarly to the beginning, the weaknesses of the narrator. Pym doesn’t believe that anyone will believe his story and that he could only publish it by pretending it was fiction. Pym offers this explanation because he realizes how outrageous his story sounds. This story leaves readers on their toes, wondering what will come next, and if it will be believable or not. On the larger scale, this quote speaks to readers at the time who might have believed this travel narrative to be true.

Mocking vs Understanding and Survival - Post by Deanna Farber

While there is evidence to support that the novel is mocking the middle passage I think in a way it is trying to make the reader understand what it was like. While the African Americans waited in the dark with little food and water for months in poor conditions, after Arthur, Augustus and the other members of the crew, cant handle the lack of food after they have killed the other men on the ship. They have control over the ship and still cannot deal with the lack of resources or provide the resources for themselves. 
However, ultimately I feel this novel is more about human nature. You really see what they go through as they realize they don’t have the resources. While Arthur tries to make everyone think about the decision, they do decide to kill one of the men on board the ship in order to sustain themselves. While we may be shocked to hear about this, it is a very real situation and a definite outcome. They all probably would’ve died if they didn’t make that decision. While Arthur could’ve have just simply gone along with this being that he might’ve been more malnourished considering they drank all the wine, he tried to object. I think he probably has the most moral character of all the men. You really begin to understand how starvation can turn someone away from what they were completely when survival is at stake.

Poe's Foreshadowing in AGP

In the beginning of this novel, Pym’s narrative can be seen as reflective of the Middle Passage, as we discussed in class. In the chapters we just read, the story has only escalated in eccentricity and an overall sense of ‘what did I just read?’.  Throughout his work, Poe seems to be foreshadowing an even crazier conclusion, through the fates of the characters and the many sights they encounter.

One specific instance I consider foreshadowing occurs on page 100, when Pym, Augustus, Peters, and Parker pass the ghostly ship with the smiling captain. At first sight, the men jump with joy, thinking that they have finally been rescued and found companions. At closer look however, they realize that the smiling captain is actually a decomposing corpse, accompanied by 20-30 other dead bodies. Although the sight is ghastly, the men continue to beg them for help, which shows their desperation and despair. “We were raving with horror and despair- thoroughly mad through the anguish of our grievous disappointment” (101). Although the horror of the sight was traumatizing for the men, the true horror was in the disappointment: they got their hopes up, and these hopes quite dramatically were destroyed.

This event represents the characters’ fates throughout the rest of the novel. For instance, the characters began their journey searching for adventure and fulfillment, and in no way did they expect horrors such as death, starvation, and mutiny. When they actually are on the trip, however, the true extent of its terror is revealed, and after reading this scene, the reader is left with questions concerning if the same thing will happen to Pym. Poe has left us with several mysteries: what happened to the sailors on that ship? What will happen to Pym without Augustus and Parker?' 

Post #1: The Role of Alcoholism in The Narrative of Arthur Gordon Pym

A major theme of Poe's writing as a whole has been the struggle of alcoholism that is often found in many of his characters. In The Narrative of Arthur Gordon Pym, it runs rampant among the characters, and is highlighted in a few different ways within the first six chapters in varying degrees of intensity. In the first chapter, during the tale of Pym and Augustus' first sea outing, the two were so drunk that it almost cost them their lives. While it seems Pym was sensible enough, he didn't realize that his friend was beyond any reasonably sober state. He theorizes that he was in a extreme state of intoxication, "a state which, like madness, frequently enables the victim to imitate the outward demeanor of one in perfect possession of his senses." (Chapter 1) This particular instance was for the most part ignorance on Pym's part for trusting that Augustus was sober enough to sail the boat, but the event leads to one that that the story thus far has alluded to, the connection of alcohol to the possibility of death. This connection is seen in two other occasions during the mutiny aboard the Grampus. The first is the constant threat of the mutineers. In most instances the mutineers are referred to as drunk after they have taken the boat and Augustus feel extremely fearful of his life in case one of the mutineers decided he wasn't needed anymore. The other is during Pym's last ditch effort to survive while in his "prison" of a hold. After narrowing surviving an attack from his childhood dog, Pym has almost no will to move on. He merely has a "gill of liqueur" left to survive. (Chapter 3) In his final push to escape, he drinks the rest of his alcohol knowing that if he couldn't contact Augustus now, he would probably die.

It's interesting to note how close Poe brings the concepts of death and alcoholism together, considering the writer was an alcoholic himself. He was known to treat alcoholism as a disease rather than a social defect and it is very clear in other works of his, such as "The Black Cat," that Poe believes alcoholism can lead to the downfall of good men, as it can deteriorate any good in them to worst those people could be. It doesn't seem to go to that extreme in Pym's story, at least for the main characters, but it does exist in the book in the form of the possibly lunatic mutineers that don't include Dirk Peters.

(I must apologize for the lack of page numbers. As I have the digital versions of most of the books, my page numbers seem to be somewhat off from the rest of the class and would be useless to others.)

Post #3- Alyssa DiFlora

For this post, I want to analyze the idea of Edgar Allen Poe as a racist Western white man. When we ended the class discussion idea, Dr. Ross brought up an interesting stereotype about Poe saying that some people thought that Poe was a racist. From my reading of Poe's novel, "The Narrative of Arthur Gordon Pym of Nantucket", I think that Poe is not a racist. He is not mocking slavery, as he is just trying to personify the horror of being trapped on a ship with many limited resources and tons and tons of people. It is a very interesting narrative being that it is from a white man's perspective. As I explained in class, I feel that this work of Poe stands out because it is not a generic slave narrative. It is from the perspective of a white man take a simple glimpse at the life of a African slave during that time period. I think that the purpose of Poe writing this narrative was to explain to the whites what slave-life was like in order to make them understand what slavery truly was, rather than having the people shrug it off like it was nothing. As we discussed in class, the narrative also appropriate the "white man" during the time period.

With this concept of Poe and racism discussed during class, I decided to do some research and found this article ( http://www.deathandtaxesmag.com/34372/edgar-allan-poes-true-horror-racism/ ). According to the article, Though the cook and company are eventually overthrown, more blatantly skewed black characters soon appear, and they resemble a woefully familiar stereotype." (Belonsky, 1). In the reading, Pym and the other survivors are picked up by another ship and they end up in a location surrounding the island, only to find "savages". In the reading Poe also mentions that they are the only white men of the island and called the inhabitants of the island, wretches. 

With all of this being said, as a reader of the 20th century, I can understand how people of the time period felt that Poe was a racist. Personally, I feel that Poe used this language to create a image in the readers' minds in order to convey the condition and living of the time period for the slaves. The evidence that I found was very interesting and I am glad that I can share this discovery with the class.

Blog Post #3: The Narrative of Arthur Gordon Pym- Amanda Allen

What I think is interesting in The Narrative of Arthur Gordon Pym of Nantucket by Edgar Allan Poe is the character Dirk Peters. In the first six chapters Peters to me is just another character. He wasn’t really doing much, but yet he was being talking about a lot by Poe. We knew that he was on the Cook’s side: “The party of the mate was gaining ground. Jim Bonner belonged to the cook’s gang, of which Peters was a partisan” (59). But then he joins over to Augustus’s side: “Peters had a long conversation this day with Augustus, and told him that two of his gang, Greely and Allen, had gone over to the mate, and were resolved to turn pirates” (59). Peters is now telling Augustus information about Cook’s men and is almost playing both sides.  Later on when things are getting worse, Peters is not with Augustus and helping them take over the villains. When they begin to attack, Peters is the one who being to kill the men and he is the one making the moves. I think this to be unusual because he was at one point on their side. The men were even impressed with his strength and ability (71).  If I were the men on Augustus’s side, I would use Peters as an asset, but I would keep my guard up around him. I have a feeling that he is up to no good based on what I have read so far. I would not trust him.   

Erin's post on The Narrative of Arthur Gordon Pym

            Our first impression of Arthur is definitely one of vulnerability, apprehension, and fear.  He follows after Augustus like a puppy dog and is deemed useless when Augustus loses control of the boat, due to his drunken state.  In this opening scene, Arthur relies too heavily on his comrade, which ultimately leads to their downfall and necessary rescue.  Arthur is not strong enough for the both of them.  However, after this instance, Arthur is set on the idea of travel.

            He sees the joy and exhilaration that Augustus gets from travel, so it is clear to Arthur that he needs to follow Augustus aboard the Grampus.  Despite the lack of support from his family, Arthur is able to use deceit and cunning tactics to secure his place aboard the ship.  He does not question his comrade once, nor does he dispute anything that Augustus suggests. 

            During his incarceration, Arthur goes several days without seeing light or Augustus.  He runs low on food and water, but not once does he doubt his friend or condemn him to hell.  He endures the harsh treatments, while constantly making excuses for Augustus’s absence.  If put into a situation such as this, most people would grow mad and insane, while possibly growing a strong hatred for the person that placed him or her into a position such as this.  However, Arthur makes the most of the situation and uses as much resources as possible, while also remaining quiet and hidden.  In this instance, we see Arthur grow stronger, both physically and mentally.  He is not willing to give up on himself, Tiger, nor Augustus.  He has come a long way from the helpless man aboard the Ariel. 

            Once Augustus finishes telling his story, Arthur states to the reader, “I had never reason to doubt the sincerity of his friendship” (Poe 51).  Even after such a horrific experience in captivity, Arthur leaves it all behind and stands by his friend once again.  He even feels remorse for the cruelty Augustus had to endure. 

            When Arthur goes back into hiding, he does not argue or complain to Augustus; he willingly enters the new spot.  We see an even stronger Arthur begin to form, as he lies awake watching Dirk Peters and the men in control of the brig. 

            In the following passage, Arthur’s intelligence and bravery is best exemplified:

            “I began to entertain hopes, that through the instrumentality of Peters we may finally be enabled to regain possession of the brig, and this idea I mentioned to Augustus as soon as I found an opportunity.  He thought the matter possible.”

(Poe 67)

            Instead of staying hidden and keeping to himself, Arthur begins to suggest ideas and strategies for gaining control once again.  He shows no sign of fear, nor does he quiver at the possible danger that they remain in.  Arthur is beginning to show signs of the bravery that is so evident within Augustus.  It may be a bit unconventional, but Augustus is bringing about the best version of his friend and breaking down necessary walls that once held Arthur concealed from the rest of the world. 

Blog Post #3: The Frontier on Land and at Sea

In the beginning of the novel The Narrative of Arthur Gordon Pym of Nantucket excitement about Arthur’s adventure at sea is a main theme. This idea parallels the pioneering spirit of early American westward expansion in the 19^th century.  This maritime “frontier” is part of the “Atlantic Frontier” discussed in the presentation on the Frontier Thesis by Frederick Jackson Turner. This sea frontier was imbibed with the same spirit of adventure and the promise of a fortune as the farming, mining, trading and other “land based” frontier in 19^th century America. Poe describes Arthur’s feelings toward the sea even after being in a shipwreck as an “ardent longing for the wild adventures incident to the life of a navigator.” (pg. 18) This sentiment is shared by pioneers in early America as they moved west to places unknown. Expeditions, like that of Lewis and Clark, explored the new territory in the same way as nautical expeditions did.

            The promise of fortune linked with exploration of new territories was especially pertinent because of the whaling industry which offered romance and adventure at sea and grew into its golden age in the 1800’s (1).  In Cooper’s The Pioneers utilization of natural resources for monetary gain is a main theme. Using fish, silver ore, and lumber are all discussed and the financial gains associated with their procurement. The whaling tradition out of Nantucket that Poe’s narrative stems from was focused on the same procurement of natural resources from unexploited territory; namely whales.  The issue of wastefulness and greed that Leatherstocking speaks of in The Pioneers is a foreshadowing message for the land frontier but also the sea frontier; the whaling industry would eventually greatly deplete the whale stock by the 1860’s (1).

The frontier at sea is also similar to the Western frontier in that there is uncertainty of laws and rules. In Poe’s novel the whaling ship Grampus experiences a mutiny leading to the clash of normal nautical laws on a whaling ship and the new “rules” or lack thereof by the mutineers (Ch.4). After the mutiny governance is maintained through violence and killing off of dissenting individuals aboard the vessel. Laws on the high seas were often difficult to enforce because of the distance from judicial infrastructure that was located on shore. In The Pioneers, Marmaduke is able to punish Leatherstocking for brandishing a weapon against an officer of the law, on the Grampus there is no recourse for violence, or law-breaking (no court, judges, jury, or officers to enforce laws).

Work Cited:

1. http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/americanexperience/features/introduction/whaling-intro/

Post 2 - "A Walk at Sunset"

In class Friday, we mainly discussed Sigourney’s “Indian Names.” Although we did not discuss Bryant’s “A Walk at Sunset,” there were some points in it that I found very interesting. Bryant’s poem is about the speaker going on a walk at sunset, obviously, and during the walk the speaker thinks about Native Americans and the impact they had on the land. The speaker ultimately concludes that the Natives are all but gone, supporting the “Vanishing Indian” theory. While a lot of literature and history portrays Native Americans as noble people who respected nature and only took what they needed, I interpret Bryant’s poem as saying that Native Americans, just like white settlers, disrespected nature.

I get this notion from Bryant’s 6^th stanza. This stanza reads

For ages, on the silent forests here/Thy beams did fall, before the red man came/To dwell beneath them; in their shade the deer/Fed, and feared not the arrow’s deadly aim/Nor tree was felled, in all that world of woods/Save by the beaver’s tooth, or winds, or rush of floods.

In this stanza, the speaker describes the forests as silent before the red man, or Native Americans came. North America was totally undisturbed before Natives discovered it. Even though white settlers may have taken advantage of nature, Natives were doing that well before them. Bryant also says that deer fed and did not have to fear being shot and killed by Native Americans. While it is often viewed that Native Americans respected nature completely, they too disturbed the peaceful, silent order of nature.

This is not a popular view about Native Americans. They are often viewed as very respectful people. Bryant, however, is not wrong to say that nature was disturbed by them. Indeed it was because there were no human inhabitants of North America before them. It is a view that I have never seen from anyone but Bryant, so it is interesting to read.

How Time Affects Memory in "The Narrative of Arthur Gordon Pym of Nantucket" - Post 2

There is something to be said about memory, and interestingly enough, the memory of Arthur Gordon Pym shows a lot about his character and human character in general within “The Narrative of Arthur Gordon Pym of Nantucket”. Pym suffers from a traumatic ordeal which he recounts during chapter one, right on the onset of the book, and not one chapter later, he has this sudden urge to go out to sea again. But why is that? Why would he want to go out to sea after he admits that “I was resuscitated from a state bordering very nearly upon death (and after every other means had been tried in vain for three hours and a half)” (16)? Such an experience would normally drive one away from what caused the event in the first place.

Yet, for one reason or another, Pym ends up devising a plan to set sail once again. His feelings in the matter, instead of fear, are that he “never experienced a more ardent longing for the wind adventures incident to the life of a navigator than within a week after our miraculous deliverance” (18). He explains this turnaround as such: “The short period proved amply long enough to erase from my memory the shadows, and bring out in vivid light all the pleasurably exciting points of colour, all the picturesqueness of the late perilous accident” (18). I find all this interesting because it can be related to many people's memories today. After a while experiencing an event, it either fades to nonexistance or strengthens considerably. An example that can be likened to Pym's is when, say Person A has a huge argument with Person B, and they resolve to no longer be friends. After a time, the two people still hate each other, and can still strongly recall the hatred they felt in the heat of the moment – however, they would be hard pressed to remember the argument that caused their falling out in the first place.

That's sort of what I'm saying. Pym's want for adventure after a terrible incident shows how selective our memory is: how it chooses to remember some things and forget others. To be honest, I wouldn't be surprised if after Pym's whole adventure with nearly dying of thirst in the brig that he would want to go out to sea again, given some time to dull the terrible memory.