Chapter 86 - The Tail Practice Quiz — Moby-Dick; or, The Whale
by Herman Melville — tap or click to flip
Practice Quiz: Chapter 86 - The Tail
What does Ishmael celebrate in Chapter 86 instead of the "soft eye of the antelope" or "the lovely plumage of the bird"?
A tail—specifically, the sperm whale's tail.
How large is the upper surface area of the largest sperm whale's tail?
At least fifty square feet.
How wide can the tail of a full-grown sperm whale be at its utmost expansion?
Considerably exceeding twenty feet across.
How many structural layers compose the whale's tail?
Three distinct strata: upper, middle, and lower.
What architectural structure does Ishmael compare to the tail's three-layer construction?
Old Roman walls, where thin courses of tiles alternate with stone.
What claim does Ishmael make about the relationship between strength and beauty?
Real strength never impairs beauty or harmony, but it often bestows it.
Name the three cultural examples Ishmael uses to illustrate strength bestowing beauty.
The carved Hercules, Goethe's massive chest (compared to a Roman triumphal arch), and Michelangelo's depiction of God the Father.
What are the five great motions peculiar to the whale's tail?
(1) Progression (as a fin), (2) Battle (as a mace), (3) Sweeping, (4) Lobtailing, (5) Peaking flukes.
How does the whale use its tail differently when fighting other whales versus fighting humans?
It fights other sperm whales with its head and jaw, but uses its tail chiefly and contemptuously against humans.
What sense does Ishmael believe is concentrated in the whale's tail?
The sense of touch.
To what does Ishmael compare the tail's delicacy of touch?
The daintiness of the elephant's trunk.
What is lobtailing?
When the whale playfully slaps the ocean surface with its broad tail palms, creating a thunderous concussion that resounds for miles.
What is peaking flukes?
When the whale raises its entire flukes and at least thirty feet of its body erect into the air before plunging into the deep.
What two contrasting images does Ishmael associate with the sight of peaked flukes?
Majestic Satan thrusting his claw from Hell (the Dantean mood) and whales worshipping the sunrise like Persian fire worshippers (the Isaiahan mood).
What ancient historical figure does Ishmael cite regarding elephants hailing the morning?
King Juba, who said military elephants of antiquity hailed the morning with their trunks uplifted in silence.
How does Ishmael rank the whale's tail against the elephant's trunk in power?
The elephant's trunk is "but the stalk of a lily" compared with the whale's tail, and its most direful blow is like "the playful tap of a fan."
What do some whale hunters claim about the tail's mysterious gestures?
That they are akin to Free-Mason signs and symbols, suggesting the whale intelligently converses with the world.
What famous line closes Ishmael's meditation on the tail?
"Dissect him how I may, then, I but go skin deep; I know him not, and never will."
What biblical allusion does Ishmael use to describe the whale's unknowability?
God's words to Moses: "Thou shalt see my back parts, but my face shall not be seen.”
What philosophical conclusion does Ishmael draw about the whale at the chapter's end?
That the whale is fundamentally inscrutable—if he cannot understand even the tail (the back parts), he can never comprehend the head or face.