My example here is the gold doubloon.Old Model: Limited Gatekeeping--Ahab
In the old model, the captain is the sole gatekeeper. He tells the crew what to do and what to value (i.e., Moby Dick, the gold doubloon as payment).
New Model: Expanded Gatekeeping--The Mates (+the crew?)
Now, the model expands to include (at least) the mates. In chapter 99, each of them muse about what the value of the doubloon is to them.- Starbuck interprets God in the doubloon.
- Stubb uses an almanac of star-signs to interpret the doubloon.
- Flask just sees the doubloon as money and how many things it will buy.
The value that Ahab assigns to the doubloon isn't the same as what the crew assigns it. They all keep going after Moby Dick, but maybe they are more united in purpose than they are in motivation.
Because that's the strangest thing to think about, right? Why in the world does the crew follow Ahab when they have no personal vendetta against the white whale? What makes the journey valuable to them?
I think you're set up to write a great paper. Way to narrow your focus. My suggestion would be to keep the new model to the mates for now, and if you're in need of more words then include the crew. I think this is going to be a nice, tight paper.
ReplyDeleteThese issues will be interesting to explore. I like the ways you are tying it in to Moby Dick. It's true, what motivation does the crew glean from hunting the whale? It seems that their value lies in accomplishing a mission that they didn't fully understand when boarding the Pequod. Are there some characters who join Ahab's vision more zealously and some who still find it ludicrous? Maybe these specific characters would be good to investigate. Good thinking!
ReplyDeleteI think one key turning point with where the old model goes to the new is when Starbuck contemplates killing Ahab. He knows Ahab is crazy, and he doesn't want to listen to authority if it means leading him down a road he finds no value in, a road away from his wife and child. Isn't they why Starbuck went whaling, to provide for them? Starbuck again sort of challenges Ahab when he and Ahab share a moment talking about their families. Starbuck tries to convince Ahab to forget the quest. And Starbuck also challenges Ahab before that with the leaking barrels.
ReplyDeleteWell, in a way I guess this is related to my idea about immersion into a particular medium, except you are focusing on how immersion is regulated or attempts to be regulated. The authority of assigning meaning has passed from traditional gatekeepers into the public sphere, and people can say anything they want to about anything. Their ideas don't even have to have meaning, they can just be ideas. I'm interested to see what you say about it.
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