Action Boat Seat

A bud of mine keeps A "Snake Charmer" in both of his vehicles and his fishing boat. He uses the .410 shells most of the time but claims he fires the .45 Long Colt ammo with no problems - just not real accurate, but real effective power wise up close should it be needed. I've seen the .45 LC ammo in his SUV's console with the gun resting along side his seat. I have not seen him fire .45 LC from the .410 shotgun. He bought the three guns for $75 each at a gun show so pretty much doesn't care about them being "beat up" bouncing around in the bottom of the boat etc...

Is he handing me a load of BS or can this be done - safely?
Comments please.

I've heard of people doing it for decades, and I've seen people do it.

But I would not do it. At least I'd not use a modern +P .45 LC load in an older .410.

Think about it, you have a bore, .410" in diameter, and that constricted at the muzzle with a choke. And you add a .452" -.454" bullet. That is going to boost pressure significantly. See why I said I'd not use a +P load. No thanks.

If I want extra power from a .410 (ain't that a laugh?!) I'll use slugs or buckshot, if I can find them.

Overall, I have no respect at all for the .410 as a hunting or defensive arm. I'd much rather have a .45 caliber revolver, or a .22 LR rifle than a .410.

FWIW, some of the Snake Charmers were actually rifled and chambered to take both .45 LC and .410 shotshells. They have a .452" bore as a general rule.

2007-09-16 13:09:22 by James C

DAMEN Interceptor with 6 ULLMAN Shock mitigation Seats and Twin VOLVO Penta D6 engines, making 60 knots. This one is FAST!

National Marine Const. Co....8 feet long x 4 feet wide. Rated for a 10 hp outboard, You sit in the seat bucket and strattle the wheel with your feet on the deck....I would love to know more about it.

http://s728.photobucket.com/albums/ww283 /Troublefree/?action=view&current=bo at003.jpg

http://s728.photobucket.com/albums/ww283 /Troublefree/?action=view&current=bo at004.jpg
Thanks Joey! after looking into what you said I found that It was most likely built in the 50's. It is all fiberglass and I believe it had a 10 hp engine with a 5 gallon fuel tank under the front hood.
I took it out for a couple of hours and it is a blast, But it's back in the garage for a bigger engine and a slick paint job. I just wish I could stretch it a little. It definatley was'nt made with a 6'3 guy in mind!...........Anyways, Thanks again for the help.

tctc,

That baby is old. Your boat appears to be a flat bottomed hydroplane, and they were FAST, even with small engines!
The power that's on the boat is telling me it was more for the kids, and not serious racing. (Lucky kids!) Your boat would probably have been considered a "Class A" racer, if it would have been raced.

That Johnson outboard is old too. You can find out what year it is by going to this site and have the engines serial number ready. Then match your serial number and you'll have your model year. It will help if you know the engines HP.

http://www.marineengine.com/manuals/john son/#j10hp

I never heard of National Marine Const., but hydroplanes of that era and earlier were routinely built in peoples garages and were relatively simple to build from plywood but yours looks like fiberglass?

Here is a drawing of one called a "Cab-Over Hydro"

http://www.svensons.com/boat/?f=HydroPla nes/CabOver/cabovr_A.jpg

If you're interested in seeing the plans, here's the site:

http://www.svensons.com/boat/?p=HydroPla nes/CabOver

This boat and the plans were printed in a 1965 edition of "Popular Mechanics". Sweeeeeeeet!

http://www.popularmechanics.com/content/ imageview.cfm?img=http%3A//media.popular mechanics.com/images/tb_lead-lg-33.jpg&a mp;caption=Republished%20from%20the%20PO PULAR%20MECHANICS%201965%20issue%2C%20by %20popular%20reader%20demand.

If you're interested in seeing other old hydroplanes,and maybe someone at this site knows your boat builder, then here is a great website to start:

http://www.vintagehydroplanes.com/

2009-05-08 19:10:20 by tctc

Price: $123.53 $10.36

Zero degree tilt
Black powder coated
Boat seat swivel

I am looking to buy a new rod... My search criteria is graphite, ceramic rings, 40-60 modules, med action at least, reel seat cut out would be nice, single foot guide would be nice also. I have been stalking the Ugly stick, but was unsure... don't really know the best kind to get in either brand. I am in Southwestern AR, and I am bass, crappie and catfishing... from the Dam, lakes and rivers... Bank fishing mostly... some boat... Could someone give me some great suggestions of what theyre brand preference rod would be along these lines. My price range is about $75-$30... pretty sufficient I guess... Thanks for your input.. Yahoo.... ME

Uglystiks are great rods they last forever, I have a couple of them myself, the only drawback to them is they're very flexible especially at the tip making it harder to set the hook on a fish. Check out the St. Croix Primier Series, they build great rods and this is their more affordable line of rods, that and the uglystiks are the two best for your money within your price range, they both have flexible tips but a sensitive rod isnt too bad as long as you're only using it for freshwater.

2007-04-18 19:45:15 by Sistah Flow

Durable, and Cleans Easily
Perfect for Autos, Boats, Riding Mowers, and Much More!
Like Weight, Can Take with You Anywhere

A triangle that has a 90 degree angle is a:

right triangle
left triangle
isoceles triangle
all of the above


POINT VALUE: 2.0 points



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Scientific notation which was reviewed in module one is used for which of the following reasons:

a code for the CIA
to write large numbers in a concise manner
for car manufactureres to place as decals on their vehicles
for marking only negative numbers


POINT VALUE: 2.0 points



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The following components appear on my package of hot chocolate mix:

FCAT DUDE RANCH "HOT CHOCOLATE"

Nutritional facts:
Serving Size (1 envelope)
Servings per container: 8

Amount per serving:
Calories: 25

Total fat: 0 g
Cholesterol: 0 mg
Sodium: 125 mg
Total Carbohydrates: 5 g
Sugars: 4 g
Protein: 1 g

Directions: Empty one envelope hot cocoa mix into mug. Add 6-8 fl. oz. hot water while stirring.

I have 75 containers of the mix. How many guests will I be able to serve at the campfire tonight?

300 guests
600 guests
900 guests
150 guests


POINT VALUE: 2.0 points



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The following symbol ð is approximately equivalent to:

316
3114
314
3.14


POINT VALUE: 2.0 points



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From the following chart that shows the comparison of four brand name batteries, the range for brand C would be:


Battery Life in Hours




30 because it is the midpoint
19 because it is repeated most often
19 to 36
probability of 2:1


POINT VALUE: 2.0 points



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In the following formula, V represents:



surface area
volume
vitamins
value


POINT VALUE: 2.0 points



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An hypothesis is used in the scientific method in the study of science.
Another way of expressing hypothesis might be:

an educated guess to be proven
a written examination
a conclusion supported strongly by research
Greek philosophy put into action


POINT VALUE: 2.0 points



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Read the following passage from a famous short story and answer the questions below.

The Open Boat
By Stephen Crane

A seat in this boat was not unlike a seat upon a bucking bronco, and, by the same token, a bronco is not much smaller. The craft pranced and reared, and plunged like an animal. As each wave came, and she rose for it, she seemed like a horse making at a fence outrageously high. The manner of her scramble over these walls of water is a mystic thing, and, moreover, at the top of them were ordinarily these problems in white water, the foam racing down from the summit of each wave, requiring a new leap, and a leap from the air. Then, after scornfully bumping a crest, she would slide, and race, and splash down a long incline and arrive bobbing and nodding in front of the next menace.

A singular disadvantage of the sea lies in the fact that after successfully surmounting one wave you discover that there is another behind it just as important and just as nervously anxious to do something effective in the way of swamping boats. In a ten-foot dingy, one can get an idea of the resources of the sea in the line of waves that is not probable to the average experience, which is never at sea in a dingy. As each salty wall of water approached, it shut all else from the view of the men in the boat, and it was not difficult to imagine that this particular wave was the final outburst of the ocean, the last effort of the grim water. There was a terrible grace in the move of the waves, and they came in silence, save for the snarling of the crests.

In the wan light, the faces of the men must have been gray. Their eyes must have glinted in strange ways as they gazed steadily astern. Viewed from a balcony, the whole thing would doubtlessly have been weirdly picturesque. But the men in the boat had no time to see it, and if they had had leisure there were other things to occupy their minds. The sun swung steadily up the sky, and they knew it was broad day because the color of the sea changed from slate to emerald-green, streaked with amber lights, and the foam was like tumbling snow. The process of the breaking day was unknown to them. They were aware only of this effect upon the color of the waves that rolled toward them.

In the passage, what is the time of day?


early morning
late afternoon
early evening
mid morning
midnight


POINT VALUE: 2.0 points



--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Read the following passage from a famous short story and answer the questions below.

The Open Boat
By Stephen Crane

A seat in this boat was not unlike a seat upon a bucking bronco, and, by the same token, a bronco is not much smaller. The craft pranced and reared, and plunged like an animal. As each wave came, and she rose for it, she seemed like a horse making at a fence outrageously high. The manner of her scramble over these walls of water is a mystic thing, and, moreover, at the top of them were ordinarily these problems in white water, the foam racing down from the summit of each wave, requiring a new leap, and a leap from the air. Then, after scornfully bumping a crest, she would slide, and race, and splash down a long incline and arrive bobbing and nodding in front of the next menace.

A singular disadvantage of the sea lies in the fact that after successfully surmounting one wave you discover that there is another behind it just as important and just as nervously anxious to do something effective in the way of swamping boats. In a ten-foot dingy, one can get an idea of the resources of the sea in the line of waves that is not probable to the average experience, which is never at sea in a dingy. As each salty wall of water approached, it shut all else from the view of the men in the boat, and it was not difficult to imagine that this particular wave was the final outburst of the ocean, the last effort of the grim water. There was a terrible grace in the move of the waves, and they came in silence, save for the snarling of the crests.

In the wan light, the faces of the men must have been gray. Their eyes must have glinted in strange ways as they gazed steadily astern. Viewed from a balcony, the whole thing would doubtlessly have been weirdly picturesque. But the men in the boat had no time to see it, and if they had had leisure there were other things to occupy their minds. The sun swung steadily up the sky, and they knew it was broad day because the color of the sea changed from slate to emerald-green, streaked with amber lights, and the foam was like tumbling snow. The process of the breaking day was unknown to them. They were aware only of this effect upon the color of the waves that rolled toward them.

In this passage, the ocean can be best described as:

calmly smooth
filled with sharks
rolling with waves
stormy with strong winds
peaceful


POINT VALUE: 2.0 points



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Read the following passage from a famous short story and answer the questions below.

The Open Boat
By Stephen Crane

A seat in this boat was not unlike a seat upon a bucking bronco, and, by the same token, a bronco is not much smaller. The craft pranced and reared, and plunged like an animal. As each wave came, and she rose for it, she seemed like a horse making at a fence outrageously high. The manner of her scramble over these walls of water is a mystic thing, and, moreover, at the top of them were ordinarily these problems in white water, the foam racing down from the summit of each wave, requiring a new leap, and a leap from the air. Then, after scornfully bumping a crest, she would slide, and race, and splash down a long incline and arrive bobbing and nodding in front of the next menace.

A singular disadvantage of the sea lies in the fact that after successfully surmounting one wave you discover that there is another behind it just as important and just as nervously anxious to do something effective in the way of swamping boats. In a ten-foot dingy, one can get an idea of the resources of the sea in the line of waves that is not probable to the average experience, which is never at sea in a dingy. As each salty wall of water approached, it shut all else from the view of the men in the boat, and it was not difficult to imagine that this particular wave was the final outburst of the ocean, the last effort of the grim water. There was a terrible grace in the move of the waves, and they came in silence, save for the snarling of the crests.

In the wan light, the faces of the men must have been gray. Their eyes must have glinted in strange ways as they gazed steadily astern. Viewed from a balcony, the whole thing would doubtlessly have been weirdly picturesque. But the men in the boat had no time to see it, and if they had had leisure there were other things to occupy their minds. The sun swung steadily up the sky, and they knew it was broad day because the color of the sea changed from slate to emerald-green, streaked with amber lights, and the foam was like tumbling snow. The process of the breaking day was unknown to them. They were aware only of this effect upon the color of the waves that rolled toward them.

In the second paragraph, what is the best meaning for the word "swamping?"

to empty of water
to rip open
to run ashore
to overturn
to fill with water


POINT VALUE: 2.0 points



--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Read the following passage from a famous short story and answer the questions below.

The Open Boat
By Stephen Crane

A seat in this boat was not unlike a seat upon a bucking bronco, and, by the same token, a bronco is not much smaller. The craft pranced and reared, and plunged like an animal. As each wave came, and she rose for it, she seemed like a horse making at a fence outrageously high. The manner of her scramble over these walls of water is a mystic thing, and, moreover, at the top of them were ordinarily these problems in white water, the foam racing down from the summit of each wave, requiring a new leap, and a leap from the air. Then, after scornfully bumping a crest, she would slide, and race, and splash down a long incline and arrive bobbing and nodding in front of the next menace.

A singular disadvantage of the sea lies in the fact that after successfully surmounting one wave you discover that there is another behind it just as important and just as nervously anxious to do something effective in the way of swamping boats. In a ten-foot dingy, one can get an idea of the resources of the sea in the line of waves that is not probable to the average experience, which is never at sea in a dingy. As each salty wall of water approached, it shut all else from the view of the men in the boat, and it was not difficult to imagine that this particular wave was the final outburst of the ocean, the last effort of the grim water. There was a terrible grace in the move of the waves, and they came in silence, save for the snarling of the crests.

In the wan light, the faces of the men must have been gray. Their eyes must have glinted in strange ways as they gazed steadily astern. Viewed from a balcony, the whole thing would doubtlessly have been weirdly picturesque. But the men in the boat had no time to see it, and if they had had leisure there were other things to occupy their minds. The sun swung steadily up the sky, and they knew it was broad day because the color of the sea changed from slate to emerald-green, streaked with amber lights, and the foam was like tumbling snow. The process of the breaking day was unknown to them. They were aware only of this effect upon the color of the waves that rolled toward them.

The boat is compared to a bucking bronco because:

It is smaller.
It moves the same way a bucking horse does when trying to throw its rider.
It is the same color.
It was much larger.
None of the above.


POINT VALUE: 2.0 points



--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Read the following passage from a famous short story and answer the questions below.

The Open Boat
By Stephen Crane

A seat in this boat was not unlike a seat upon a bucking bronco, and, by the same token, a bronco is not much smaller. The craft pranced and reared, and plunged like an animal. As each wave came, and she rose for it, she seemed like a horse making at a fence outrageously high. The manner of her scramble over these walls of water is a mystic thing, and, moreover, at the top of them were ordinarily these problems in white water, the foam racing down from the summit of each wave, requiring a new leap, and a leap from the air. Then, after scornfully bumping a crest, she would slide, and race, and splash down a long incline and arrive bobbing and nodding in front of the next menace.

A singular disadvantage of the sea lies in the fact that after successfully surmounting one wave you discover that there is another behind it just as important and just as nervously anxious to do something effective in the way of swamping boats. In a ten-foot dingy, one can get an idea of the resources of the sea in the line of waves that is not probable to the average experience, which is never at sea in a dingy. As each salty wall of water approached, it shut all else from the view of the men in the boat, and it was not difficult to imagine that this particular wave was the final outburst of the ocean, the last effort of the grim water. There was a terrible grace in the move of the waves, and they came in silence, save for the snarling of the crests.

In the wan light, the faces of the men must have been gray. Their eyes must have glinted in strange ways as they gazed steadily astern. Viewed from a balcony, the whole thing would doubtlessly have been weirdly picturesque. But the men in the boat had no time to see it, and if they had had leisure there were other things to occupy their minds. The sun swung steadily up the sky, and they knew it was broad day because the color of the sea changed from slate to emerald-green, streaked with amber lights, and the foam was like tumbling snow. The process of the breaking day was unknown to them. They were aware only of this effect upon the color of the waves that rolled toward them.

Which statement best describes the men's state of mind?

relaxed
suspicious
confused
fearful
confident


POINT VALUE: 2.0 points



--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Read the following passage from a famous short story and answer the questions below.

The Open Boat
By Stephen Crane

A seat in this boat was not unlike a seat upon a bucking bronco, and, by the same token, a bronco is not much smaller. The craft pranced and reared, and plunged like an animal. As each wave came, and she rose for it, she seemed like a horse making at a fence outrageously high. The manner of her scramble over these walls of water is a mystic thing, and, moreover, at the top of them were ordinarily these problems in white water, the foam racing down from the summit of each wave, requiring a new leap, and a leap from the air. Then, after scornfully bumping a crest, she would slide, and race, and splash down a long incline and arrive bobbing and nodding in front of the next menace.

A singular disadvantage of the sea lies in the fact that after successfully surmounting one wave you discover that there is another behind it just as important and just as nervously anxious to do something effective in the way of swamping boats. In a ten-foot dingy, one can get an idea of the resources of the sea in the line of waves that is not probable to the average experience, which is never at sea in a dingy. As each salty wall of water approached, it shut all else from the view of the men in the boat, and it was not difficult to imagine that this particular wave was the final outburst of the ocean, the last effort of the grim water. There was a terrible grace in the move of the waves, and they came in silence, save for the snarling of the crests.

In the wan light, the faces of the men must have been gray. Their eyes must have glinted in strange ways as they gazed steadily astern. Viewed from a balcony, the whole thing would doubtlessly have been weirdly picturesque. But the men in the boat had no time to see it, and if they had had leisure there were other things to occupy their minds. The sun swung steadily up the sky, and they knew it was broad day because the color of the sea changed from slate to emerald-green, streaked with amber lights, and the foam was like tumbling snow. The process of the breaking day was unknown to them. They were aware only of this effect upon the color of the waves that rolled toward them.

The author makes use of what technique to describe the boat in the first paragraph?

humor
comparison of similar qualities
use of color
caring
laughter


POINT VALUE: 2.0 points



--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Read the following passage from a famous short story and answer the questions below.

The Open Boat
By Stephen Crane

A seat in this boat was not unlike a seat upon a bucking bronco, and, by the same token, a bronco is not much smaller. The craft pranced and reared, and plunged like an animal. As each wave came, and she rose for it, she seemed like a horse making at a fence outrageously high. The manner of her scramble over these walls of water is a mystic thing, and, moreover, at the top of them were ordinarily these problems in white water, the foam racing down from the summit of each wave, requiring a new leap, and a leap from the air. Then, after scornfully bumping a crest, she would slide, and race, and splash down a long incline and arrive bobbing and nodding in front of the next menace.

A singular disadvantage of the sea lies in the fact that after successfully surmounting one wave you discover that there is another behind it just as important and just as nervously anxious to do something effective in the way of swamping boats. In a ten-foot dingy, one can get an idea of the resources of the sea in the line of waves that is not probable to the average experience, which is never at sea in a dingy. As each salty wall of water approached, it shut all else from the view of the men in the boat, and it was not difficult to imagine that this particular wave was the final outburst of the ocean, the last effort of the grim water. There was a terrible grace in the move of the waves, and they came in silence, save for the snarling of the crests.

In the wan light, the faces of the men must have been gray. Their eyes must have glinted in strange ways as they gazed steadily astern. Viewed from a balcony, the whole thing would doubtlessly have been weirdly picturesque. But the men in the boat had no time to see it, and if they had had leisure there were other things to occupy their minds. The sun swung steadily up the sky, and they knew it was broad day because the color of the sea changed from slate to emerald-green, streaked with amber lights, and the foam was like tumbling snow. The process of the breaking day was unknown to them. They were aware only of this effect upon the color of the waves that rolled toward them.

Based on a close reading of this excerpt, the reader might conclude that:

The men are out for a pleasant afternoon's sail.
The men are fishing for a living.
The men are escaping from a deserted island.
The men are in grave danger.
The men are all friends.


POINT VALUE: 4.0 points



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Match the literary term of “author’s point of view “ to the correct definition:

the position or standpoint from which he or she addresses a topic
the author's reason for writing
the attitude that a writer takes toward a subject or character
the title of the article


POINT VALUE: 2.0 points



--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

All of the following are true except which item:

Expository writing would include lab reports, formal writing that gives factual information.
Persuasive writing would include editorials, letters to the editor, and speeches in a political campaign.
Persuasive writing would include advertisements.
Persuasive writing would not include writing arguments to convince others to agree with the author’s opinion.
Expository writing would include a summary of the instructions on how to use a manual to put together a computer case.

If you need help with your homework than it should be in homework helper section. Posting a test and trying to get the answers is nothing more than cheating. Do your studying and write your own answers. It is the only way you will learn.

2007-12-11 07:55:34 by Snow Girl

I need to write an essay on Moby Dick-Chapter 60 "The Line", using the last three paragraphs of the chapter. However, I have no idea after what the last three paragraph means, never mind what to even write about. Help on meaning and essay suggestions please? Topic is how the author conveys his meaning using language, especially syntax/figurative language.

Here is the last three paragraphs. The entire chapter can be found below via link if you need context. THANK YOU!

Thus the whale-line folds the whole boat in its complicated coils, twisting and writhing around it in almost every direction. All the oarsmen are involved in its perilous contortions; so that to the timid eye of the landsman, they seem as Indian jugglers, with the deadliest snakes sportively festooning their limbs. Nor can any son of mortal woman, for the first time, seat himself amid those hempen intricacies, and while straining his utmost at the oar, bethink him that at any unknown instant the harpoon may be darted, and all these horrible contortions be put in play like ringed lightnings; he cannot be thus circumstanced without a shudder that makes the very marrow in his bones to quiver in him like a shaken jelly. Yet habit—strange thing! what cannot habit accomplish?—Gayer sallies, more merry mirth, better jokes, and brighter repartees, you never heard over your mahogany, than you will hear over the half-inch white cedar of the whaleboat, when thus hung in hangman’s nooses; and, like the six burghers of Calais before King Edward, the six men composing the crew pull into the jaws of death, with a halter around every neck, as you may say.
Perhaps a very little thought will now enable you to account for those repeated whaling disasters—some few of which are casually chronicled—of this man or that man being taken out of the boat by the line, and lost. For, when the line is darting out, to be seated then in the boat, is like being seated in the midst of the manifold whizzings of a steam-engine in full play, when every flying beam, and shaft, and wheel, is grazing you. It is worse; for you cannot sit motionless in the heart of these perils, because the boat is rocking like a cradle, and you are pitched one way and the other, without the slightest warning; and only by a certain self-adjusting buoyancy and simultaneousness of volition and action, can you escape being made a Mazeppa of, and run away with where the all-seeing sun himself could never pierce you out.
Again: as the profound calm which only apparently precedes and prophesies of the storm, is perhaps more awful than the storm itself; for, indeed, the calm is but the wrapper and envelope of the storm; and contains it in itself, as the seemingly harmless rifle holds the fatal powder, and the ball, and the explosion; so the graceful repose of the line, as it silently serpentines about the oarsmen before being brought into actual play— this is a thing which carries more of true terror than any other aspect of this dangerous affair. But why say more? All men live enveloped in whale-lines. All are born with halters round their necks; but it is only when caught in the swift, sudden turn of death, that mortals realize the silent, subtle, everpresent perils of life. And if you be a philosopher, though seated in the whale-boat, you would not at heart feel one whit more of terror, than though seated before your evening fire with a poker, and not a harpoon, by your side.

Chapter60:
http://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Moby-Dick/ Chapter_60

I'm not sure how much or how little you know about the book or the setting, so I'll just go into as much detail as I can. You have to realize that in this chapter, Ishmael is sitting in the whale boat with some other crewmen. He is not on the larger ship, but in a smaller boat with the harpoon and line. The line is a rope made of hemp and it is tied to the harpoon. The other end of the line is tied to the little whaling boat. When the harpooner throws the harpoon at a whale, the whale will then be diving and swimming underwater to escape. As the whale swims away, the line, which has been coiled up at the bottom of the boat, will go whizzing out at high speed until there is no more slack and the whale begins pulling the boat after it. When the line goes flying out like this, it is very dangerous for the men in the boat- if they get caught in the line, they will at best be injured by the rope or, more likely, pulled underwater with it. SPOILER: This is what happens to Captain Ahab at the end of the book. Once the line has gone out entirely, the ship is then violently pulled along the whale's path as it tries to escape. The whale is not actually killed until it tires out and surfaces again, where the whalers can then kill it, using a longer weapon called a lance. If a whale had a lot of endurance, the crewmen could be towed along in this little boat for hours. The dangers were innumerable- the line going out posed a hazard, the thrashing of the boat on the water as the whale pulls you along could injure or throw men overboard, the whale could turn and attack the whaling boat, and also a whale could pull a little whaling boat far away from the ship and out to sea, never to be seen again. Ishmael is describing the deadly chaos that occurs on these whaling boats and the effort it takes to not be injured. He compares it to sitting inside of a steam engine with all of its perfectly times mechanisms, except that at least in a steam engine you can find a safe spot and stay perfectly still, but in a whaling boat, you have to synchronize your motions with that of the bobbing whaling boat and whizzing line. He realizes that all of the men on this boat live with metaphorical whale lines (or nooses) around their necks at all times. Remember that they only lower these little whale boats when someone sees a whale, so while sitting in the boat even before harpooning a whale, the harpoonist is standing ready to dart it into a whale at a moment's notice. Even at that time, though, just knowing that at any moment the harpoonist could dart a whale and start the chaos and danger is almost MORE frightening than the actual event itself. The calm before the storm is eerie because you know the danger that is just ahead despite the deceitful conditions at the present time. This is the "envelope" that contains the "explosion" that Ishmael refers to. Ishmael realizes that though we are all born with the constant threat of disaster ("halters round their necks"), it isn't until disaster actually strikes that you realize those dangers are always present, at every moment, even if it seems calm.

That's all I'm saying. Do your own homework!

2010-02-16 19:06:36 by Chad