Chapter 11
Philbrick very effectively uses several natural events as metaphorical to the sailor's experiences. Explore the parallel (metaphor) between the hawks and the tropic birds (pg. 147) and the situation which the castaways face as they grapple with survival in Chapter 11. How does their being Quaker play into the equation. Who are the hawks and who are the tropic birds? Please use the rubric to frame your answer.
After having their food supply dwindle down to nothingness, the sailors must come to a conclusion much harder than what most people will ever have to deal with.
ReplyDelete"Two months after deciding to spurn the Society Islands because, in Pollard's words, "we feared we should be devoured by cannibals," they were about to eat one of their own shipmates."
(Pg. 165)
They decided that because of their starvation, they would resort to cannibalism of their own dead crew members to survive. After this first incident, it was repeated three more times and when they were still starving because of their body's own inability to process the available calories in the meat, one of the crew members who was only 16 suggested that they cast lots.
"Then the youngest of them, sixteen-year-old Charles Ramsdell, uttered the unspeakable. They should cast lots, he said, to see who would be killed so that the rest could live."
(Pg. 174)
This shows that the true instincts of animal nature had taken hold of the crew. Throughout this time, a similar occurrence originally noticed by the crew members on an island took place. They had noticed that the hawks would take the food from the tropic birds for their own survival. The original deaths that took place when the crew first resorted to cannibalism were all that of Negroes. This in turn recreates the situation where the Negroes take the place of the tropic birds and the other members of the crew become the hawks.
Asa Kuhn 12/7/09
I agree with asa the quakers, they are peaceful pacifists trying to make a living. they were gone for about 60-70 days when they came across the island of Henderson. The island was a oasis for the crew. they had fresh water and food for about a week. the birds on the island were the tropical bird and the hawks. the hawks would beat on the tropical birds until they gave up there food. muck like the crew was resorted to. after a while, the crew was starving without food. they had people dying and decided to eat them rather than to dump them into the sea. the Quaker were resorted to cannibalism. "instead of eating there hunger pangs, there first taste of meat only increased there urge to eat." this shows that if you are as starving as them, anyone can be turned to cannibalism. "the more they ate the hungrier they became" this tells us that the more they ate the human meat they craved it even more. the people that had died and eaten were the Negroes. this made it seem like the Negroes were the birds and that the whites were the hawks. Ben Smith 12/7/2009
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ReplyDeleteThe Quakers were at the being of the book, and on the boat were pacifists. They did not believe in much violence and did not believe in killing except for in the case of the sperm whale. I believe the African Americans were the tropical birds and the whites were the hawks. I believe this because the hawks kill the tropical birds, and once you have a taste of the meat you can not stop. After the whites had, had a couple of people to feed off of the went to captain Polard and told him they were going to kill another African American. “ A few days later, the crew appeared at the captain’s door, looking for another man to kill.” ( page 172) This showed that once a person has eaten some of human flesh they can not stop, it is like a frenzy. This also showed that a terrible habit had started and looked like could not be stopped. “ They should cast lots, he said, to see who would be killed so that the rest could live.” ( page 174) This showed that once the African Americans were gone their frenzy could not be stopped and they just wanted more food. I agree with Ana that the African Americans were the tropic birds and that the whites were the hawks, there for the whites were in a much better spot to be able to survived than the African Americans were being the hunted.
ReplyDeleteNicole 12/7/09
Well, we all knew this was coming in the book, but it's still rather shocking to read it first hand. Many of us believe that in the story the Whites were the hawks and the Negroes were the tropical birds, but in reality there's no reason to compare them this way. There was no specific reason that they ate the Negroes first besides the fact that they died first, if a white crew member died first, they would have eaten them. There's really no reason debating how the Quakers were this and that and how the crew went against their beliefs. They simply ate them first, because they died first. It's as simple as that.
ReplyDeleteDylan A.M. 12/07/09
i agree with nicole. The people on these whale boats were mostly quakers who belived that violance was not good. In this situation they really had no choice in that to survive they had to eat other members of the crew. The blacks all were eaten while the whites were not. This showed that the whites were the hawks who were hunting the weaker prey which were the tropical birds. They went against their belifs but only in order to survive.
ReplyDeletepetra callo 12-7-09
Asa, i can't agree with you more! The men on the boat had their own pecking (hahaha) order. As the birds and hawks (pg 147) have their way of feeding, so do the Essex crew. I can't imagine how hard this act of cannibalism would be for the person (Pollard)committing them. Cutting up someone that you have been traveling with for an extended period of time is just and unspeakable action to partake in. The Negroes have definitely become the tropical bird and the white people have definitely become the hawks BUT I also believe that there is a more deeper order inside the Caucasians. Pollard and Chase are probably at the top though they have a distinct difference in their beliefs. At the bottom are the men who do not speak up much (like William Bond). It is kind of amusing that most of these men are of the Quaker religion. To be at peace with all humanity, not to kill and to love each other. Though they are not killing one another (yet) they still are committing acts that everyone knows are looked down upon. In other cases, shipwrecked men were asked if they had taken part in these "actions" (Pg 165). Obviously, these men are committing crimes against their religion.
ReplyDeleteHunter 12/07/09
I agree with Dylan, Cannibalism was bound to happen between these starving men. They had very little food and were starving to death. The Hawks were the white people and the tropical birds were the people who died. I can see most people saying that the Black people were the tropical bird, but really it was anyone who died I mean if Captain Pollard died that he would be eaten not just the Negroes. But no matter who they eat they are still going against there Quaker beliefs. They say they are pacifists even if they are devouring a dead human being. I can understand why but it still goes so against there beliefs.It still does not feel like it helps them because it says "instead of eating there hunger pangs, there first taste of meat only increased there urge to eat"(pg. 166). After awhile though they craved meat so they actually asked Pollard if they could kill another living human being “ A few days later, the crew appeared at the captain’s door, looking for another man to kill”(pg.172).Just eating humans for survival, but to continue by asking to kill someone to eat them is just so far against there own beliefs.
ReplyDelete-Jamie Gates 12/7/09
I agree with
ReplyDeleteThe Quaker were a peaceful society, and their religion is build upon being equal and being pacifists. After 60 days of starvation, the crew is beginning to suffer even more. They are running out of rations, and they have lost 2 crew members.
A decision was made, and that decision was against everything they stand for, but it could keep them alive. They indulged into cannabalism, and when the firsdt black person died they ate him. Later on another black person died, so they also ate him.
The blacks began to feel the like they had become the hunted, and the white had become the hunters. I find this unhumane, and I truly believe that if I was in that position, I would would never agree to do such a thing.
I agree with Asa*
ReplyDeleteWhen the sailors arrive on Henderson Island, they find the place a refuge from the terrible ocean threats. While on the island they notice that there is an abundance of fat island birds. They collect lots of food and feed it to their baby birds. These birds are attacked by hawks, who steal their food and feed it to their children starving the island bird babies. This is a situation of predator and the prey, this situation accrued again when food supplies on the boat depleted. Cannibalism became a necessary action. The first to be eaten was Lawson Thomas on January 20th(p 165,166). It was recommended by low level crew members that they eat the crew member to save themselves. After contemplation Pollard decided that it was a good idea to eat the dead shipmate. From that point three other black sailors died with in a span of eight days. Shorter, Sheppard, and Reed all dies because they were black and did not receive the nourishment of the white sailors(p 179). On one hand this is interpreted as a survival of the strongest where the whites eat the blacks who are lower on the food chain. But on the other hand it is fate and chance that make the shipmates eat the black crewmembers. If a white where to have died between the black sailors he would have been eaten. Also when the lots are drawn there is no black n the lot and Owen Coffin a young white sailor is elected to be eaten. This shows that any body can be a target of dinner but it is up to chance. I agree with Jamie because he has a good point about the religion.
ReplyDeleteChristopher Lindberg 12/8/09
On p. 147 it says that the "as the birds and hawks have their way of feeding", is showing which is the weaker more voneralble bird (the trapical bird).
ReplyDeletepetra callo 12-8-09
Well,anyone who died became the hunted.It wasn't necessarily the Negros.They just happened to die first becasue they were less healthy as it clearly states on page 161."Once a starving body exhausts it's reserves of fat,it begins consuming muscle,a process which soon results in the deteeration of internal organs,and eventually,death.The blacks initially lower amount of body fat meant that they began living off muscle tissue before the whites."It pretty much became the survival of the fittest.
ReplyDeleteAnaastasia Wilkins