[note: in reading tonight came across a reference to Captain Ahab in
Herman Melville's Moby Dick which is found referenced but not defined
as an 'Ahab-complex.' having not read Moby Dick, tried to search out
the definition and it reminded me of a certain dynamic of 'place' and
of a type of leadership that the story apparently accounts for. it is
remarkable in its parallels to current events of a certain geography
and psychological pursuit of evil. if anyone has a reference for a
definition (that is, if it is an actual psychiatric diagnosis or
anything more specific) it is appreciated. brian]
0) Moby Dick // online book
http://www.princeton.edu/~batke/moby/moby-1.html
1) Moby Dick // review
by Herman Melville (1819 - 1891)
http://www.awerty.com/moby2.html
'From the start of the voyage, the crew had been puzzled by the
presence of the Persian, Fedallah, Captain Ahab's highly regarded
servant and seer. Now Fedallah prophesied that Ahab would die, but only
after he had seen two hearses for carrying the dead upon the sea, one
not constructed by human hands and the other built of wood grown in
America. Ironically, neither would be for Ahab's burial; the captain's
death, said Fedallah, would come by hemp.'
...
"commentary: 'The great white whale symbolizes evil; however, Ahab's
obsession to destroy the whale becomes an even darker manifestation of
evil.'"
2) Call me Ahab Jeremy Harding // related books
'In fact, we can fairly ascertain that sperm whales are neither stupid
nor especially aimless. In the heyday of industrial whaling, it was his
malign behaviour that signalled what we like to think of as
intelligence in the sperm whale. There was no shortage of evidence of
such behaviour. Mocha Dick, Moby Dick's real-life precursor, named
after a small island off the coast of Chile, was supposed to have
pursued a whaleboat lowered from an English whaling ship back to the
side of the vessel and thrashed at it with his tail as it was being
raised on the davits. And Melville, or rather Melville's narrator,
Ishmael, tells a story in Chapter 45 of Moby-Dick about a 'portly sperm
whale' fetching an American sloop-of-war 'such a thwack that with all
his pumps going he made straight for the nearest port to heave down and
repair.''
3) Melville's Moby Dick - the megalomanic character of Captain Ahab
http://www.9types.com/movieboard/messages/5954.html
"In Moby Dick, Melville recounts a whaling journey on which the
MONOMANICAL Captain Ahab chases Moby Dick, the gigantic white whale who
once dismembered him and thereafter became his representation of
everything EVIL in the world. Ahab brings along 30 sailors of many
different origins who unknowingly enlist to pursue his solitary CAUSE.
In the end, however, the whale defeats Ahab and takes the entire crew
(save the narrator of course) and ship to the depths of the ocean. The
key to reading this novel in relation to my comparison is Ahab's
character and how his SINGLE MINDED PURSUIT OF JUSTICE RESULTS IN
FAILURE AND LOSS OF LIVES.
"Ahab barks to his mate, "Damn the devil, Flask; do you suppose I'm
afraid of the devil? Who's afraid of him, except the old governor who
daresn't catch him and put him in double-darbies, as he deserves. . .
(Moby Dick, 373). Ahab's intrepid approach is somewhat courageous, but
still incredibly deranged. Even after he is confronted about very
personal matters, Ahab REFUSES TO STEER OFF HIS ONE WAY COURSE. HIS
DETERMINATION IS ultimately AHAB's DOWNFALL."
+++ Jan's analysis
'Ahab clearly is a powerful charismatic leader who, like Hitler,
arrogates to themselves a mission and a right to pursue retribution
against their enemies while imposing totalitarian methods of rule and
expanding his power abroad
'We can see in Ahab (and Hitler): a kinda hubris-nemesis complex; i.e.
primarily a paranoid vengeful character with strong narcissistic traits
too:
-- a destructive-constructive messianism; passionate, fanatical
-- high, moralizing ideals that justify violence; air of contempt
towards others
-- a demand for absolute power, loyalty, and attention; image of self
as demigod (of course a compensation for their collapse of self-esteem
by their disappointing interactions with reality)
-- a fierce sense of struggle that may turn self-sacrificial; their
agression runs hard in reality
'Ahab believes himself to be--and presents himself as being--a virtual
messiah or savior who is on a crusade and has a fate, destiny, or
mission that is historic, both timeless and time-changing in its
implications. All is politicized in the name of the mission and the
high principles it engages. They present themselves as holy
saint-leaders; with plans to purge the world from evil/sins (Hitler saw
the Jews of course as the evil forces to be hunted down; strong
parallel with Moby Dick!)
'Captain Ahab in Herman Melville's Moby Dick compares too with the
archetype of Satan in John Milton's Paradise Lost. Aboard ship, Ahab
imposes an "irresistible dictatorship" to go after a superpowerful
beast, Moby Dick, that had injured him physically, and in Ahab's view,
intellectually and spiritually too. This "grand, ungodly, godlike man"
fulminates like a vengeful match for any power in heaven, in hell, or
on earth. His consuming PRIDE AND RAGE FOR REVENGE against the White
Whale blaze in the great speech before his crew where he proclaims, "I
will wreak that hate upon him. . . . I'd strike the sun if it insulted
me." And while others think him mad, Ahab knows he is but
"demoniac"--and that "for this hunt my malady becomes my most desired
health." The Whale of course proves to be his nemesis.'
--
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Herman Melville's Moby Dick which is found referenced but not defined
as an 'Ahab-complex.' having not read Moby Dick, tried to search out
the definition and it reminded me of a certain dynamic of 'place' and
of a type of leadership that the story apparently accounts for. it is
remarkable in its parallels to current events of a certain geography
and psychological pursuit of evil. if anyone has a reference for a
definition (that is, if it is an actual psychiatric diagnosis or
anything more specific) it is appreciated. brian]
0) Moby Dick // online book
http://www.princeton.edu/~batke/moby/moby-1.html
1) Moby Dick // review
by Herman Melville (1819 - 1891)
http://www.awerty.com/moby2.html
'From the start of the voyage, the crew had been puzzled by the
presence of the Persian, Fedallah, Captain Ahab's highly regarded
servant and seer. Now Fedallah prophesied that Ahab would die, but only
after he had seen two hearses for carrying the dead upon the sea, one
not constructed by human hands and the other built of wood grown in
America. Ironically, neither would be for Ahab's burial; the captain's
death, said Fedallah, would come by hemp.'
...
"commentary: 'The great white whale symbolizes evil; however, Ahab's
obsession to destroy the whale becomes an even darker manifestation of
evil.'"
2) Call me Ahab Jeremy Harding // related books
'In fact, we can fairly ascertain that sperm whales are neither stupid
nor especially aimless. In the heyday of industrial whaling, it was his
malign behaviour that signalled what we like to think of as
intelligence in the sperm whale. There was no shortage of evidence of
such behaviour. Mocha Dick, Moby Dick's real-life precursor, named
after a small island off the coast of Chile, was supposed to have
pursued a whaleboat lowered from an English whaling ship back to the
side of the vessel and thrashed at it with his tail as it was being
raised on the davits. And Melville, or rather Melville's narrator,
Ishmael, tells a story in Chapter 45 of Moby-Dick about a 'portly sperm
whale' fetching an American sloop-of-war 'such a thwack that with all
his pumps going he made straight for the nearest port to heave down and
repair.''
3) Melville's Moby Dick - the megalomanic character of Captain Ahab
http://www.9types.com/movieboard/messages/5954.html
"In Moby Dick, Melville recounts a whaling journey on which the
MONOMANICAL Captain Ahab chases Moby Dick, the gigantic white whale who
once dismembered him and thereafter became his representation of
everything EVIL in the world. Ahab brings along 30 sailors of many
different origins who unknowingly enlist to pursue his solitary CAUSE.
In the end, however, the whale defeats Ahab and takes the entire crew
(save the narrator of course) and ship to the depths of the ocean. The
key to reading this novel in relation to my comparison is Ahab's
character and how his SINGLE MINDED PURSUIT OF JUSTICE RESULTS IN
FAILURE AND LOSS OF LIVES.
"Ahab barks to his mate, "Damn the devil, Flask; do you suppose I'm
afraid of the devil? Who's afraid of him, except the old governor who
daresn't catch him and put him in double-darbies, as he deserves. . .
(Moby Dick, 373). Ahab's intrepid approach is somewhat courageous, but
still incredibly deranged. Even after he is confronted about very
personal matters, Ahab REFUSES TO STEER OFF HIS ONE WAY COURSE. HIS
DETERMINATION IS ultimately AHAB's DOWNFALL."
+++ Jan's analysis
'Ahab clearly is a powerful charismatic leader who, like Hitler,
arrogates to themselves a mission and a right to pursue retribution
against their enemies while imposing totalitarian methods of rule and
expanding his power abroad
'We can see in Ahab (and Hitler): a kinda hubris-nemesis complex; i.e.
primarily a paranoid vengeful character with strong narcissistic traits
too:
-- a destructive-constructive messianism; passionate, fanatical
-- high, moralizing ideals that justify violence; air of contempt
towards others
-- a demand for absolute power, loyalty, and attention; image of self
as demigod (of course a compensation for their collapse of self-esteem
by their disappointing interactions with reality)
-- a fierce sense of struggle that may turn self-sacrificial; their
agression runs hard in reality
'Ahab believes himself to be--and presents himself as being--a virtual
messiah or savior who is on a crusade and has a fate, destiny, or
mission that is historic, both timeless and time-changing in its
implications. All is politicized in the name of the mission and the
high principles it engages. They present themselves as holy
saint-leaders; with plans to purge the world from evil/sins (Hitler saw
the Jews of course as the evil forces to be hunted down; strong
parallel with Moby Dick!)
'Captain Ahab in Herman Melville's Moby Dick compares too with the
archetype of Satan in John Milton's Paradise Lost. Aboard ship, Ahab
imposes an "irresistible dictatorship" to go after a superpowerful
beast, Moby Dick, that had injured him physically, and in Ahab's view,
intellectually and spiritually too. This "grand, ungodly, godlike man"
fulminates like a vengeful match for any power in heaven, in hell, or
on earth. His consuming PRIDE AND RAGE FOR REVENGE against the White
Whale blaze in the great speech before his crew where he proclaims, "I
will wreak that hate upon him. . . . I'd strike the sun if it insulted
me." And while others think him mad, Ahab knows he is but
"demoniac"--and that "for this hunt my malady becomes my most desired
health." The Whale of course proves to be his nemesis.'
--
The Design-L list for art and architecture, since 1992...
To subscribe, send mailto:design-l-subscribe-request@xxxxxxxxxxxxx.
To signoff, send mailto:design-l-unsubscribe-request@xxxxxxxxxxxxx.
Visit archives: http://lists.psu.edu/archives/design-l.html