{"id":3003,"date":"2015-12-19T20:07:51","date_gmt":"2015-12-19T20:07:51","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/georgiawasp.com\/?p=3003"},"modified":"2015-12-28T18:02:54","modified_gmt":"2015-12-28T18:02:54","slug":"in-the-heart-of-the-sea","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/georgiawasp.com\/?p=3003","title":{"rendered":"“In the Heart of the Sea”"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"image:<\/p>\n

\u201cSperm Whales \u2013 The Chase…”<\/em><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"\"\u00a0I first read about the Essex<\/a>\u00a054 years ago. \u00a0(I was 10 or so.<\/em>)<\/p>\n

My aunt gave me a set of\u00a0American Heritage Junior\u00a0Books<\/a>. \u00a0The one I liked best was\u00a0The Story of Yankee Whaling<\/a><\/em>. \u00a0(Published in 1959<\/em>.)<\/p>\n

But that book didn’t just<\/em> include the story of the Wreck of the Essex<\/a>. (With a\u00a0POW<\/a><\/b>\u00a0– loosely translated as “angry whale”<\/em> –\u00a0ramming and sinking a ship, as shown in Ron Howard’s new\u00a0In the Heart of the Sea<\/a><\/em>.)<\/p>\n

\u00a0Yankee Whaling<\/a><\/em>\u00a0also included the gory tale of\u00a0Samuel Comstock<\/a>, star<\/em> of the “bloodiest mutiny in the history of American whaling,” on\u00a0the whale-ship\u00a0Globe<\/a>:<\/p>\n

The mutineers [in 1815] killed Captain Worth and three other officers. \u00a0Soon after William Humphries, one of the mutineers, was accused of plotting to take the ship; a\u00a0kangaroo court<\/a> of the mutineers tried him and, finding him guilty, hanged him.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Yankee Whaling<\/a>\u00a0had vivid descriptions of the mutineers hacking up some victims – mostly officers – and throwing others to the sharks. \u00a0(Just the stuff 10-year-old boys love to read<\/em>.)<\/p>\n

Which could<\/em><\/strong> mean the\u00a0Globe mutiny<\/a>\u00a0will soon be “coming to a theater near you<\/a><\/em>.” \u00a0In the meantime we have Heart of the Sea<\/a><\/em>. \u00a0That movie shows a whale sinking a ship, then “stalking” the survivors 2,000 miles across the vast Pacific. \u00a0(In a bit of Hollywood\u00a0hyperbole<\/a><\/em>.)<\/p>\n

\"InOn the other hand – in 90 days at sea, in small leaky boats and without enough food or water – the eight survivors of the Essex did things that the Globe mutineers would likely have found revolting. \u00a0(See the classic joke, re: \u00a0“the peasants are revolting<\/a><\/em>.”)<\/p>\n

There’s more on that later, but first note Garry Wills<\/a>‘ version of the\u00a0Lord’s prayer<\/a>. \u00a0His version reads, “and bring us not to the Breaking Point<\/strong><\/em>.” \u00a0(Instead of the usual “lead us not into temptation.”<\/em>)<\/p>\n

Briefly,\u00a0Heart of the Sea<\/a><\/em>\u00a0tells the story of eight men – survivors of the original crew of 21 – who got forcibly taken to their<\/em> <\/strong>breaking point, then well beyond that.<\/p>\n

Which is another way of saying the original – true – story was bad enough.<\/p>\n

The problem? \u00a0The true<\/strong> <\/em>story of eight men surviving 90 days of living hell – on the vast Pacific – is both incredibly long and incredibly boring<\/em>.\u00a0\u00a0(On film anyway.) \u00a0Which is another way of saying that amount of living\u00a0hell doesn’t translate well to<\/em><\/strong> film. \u00a0So in making the movie, Howard had to take liberties with some facts and make up others\u00a0out of whole cloth<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Despite all that, the film earned my highest compliment. \u00a0I paid three times more than usual – to see the IMAX<\/a>\u00a0version – and still<\/em>\u00a0felt like I got my money’s worth.<\/p>\n

Getting back to the Essex: \u00a0I\u00a0read the American Heritage<\/a><\/em>\u00a0version 50 years ago. \u00a0Then five or six years ago I came across the\u00a0book version of Heart of the Sea<\/a><\/em>, by Daniel Philbrick.<\/p>\n

The heart of the story<\/em>\u00a0– what made Philbrick’s book different – was<\/em><\/strong> that tale of eight men in small boats, undergoing 90 days of heat, hunger and thirst. \u00a0And the book version gave that long, boring ordeal its full scope. \u00a0But a\u00a0film<\/em><\/strong> is like a shark. \u00a0It has to move – visibly – or it will “die.” \u00a0(Lose its audience. \u00a0Or to paraphrase\u00a0McLuhan<\/a><\/em>, “the format shapes the message<\/a><\/em>.”)<\/p>\n

\"\"Accordingly, in making a film<\/em>\u00a0of\u00a0Heart of the Sea<\/a><\/em>, Ron Howard came up with a workable yet eminently appealing\u00a0mix of fact and fiction. \u00a0For starters, he used the classic seafaring style<\/em>, focusing on “two quarrelling men in charge of a big ship, like Mutiny on the Bounty<\/a>” – as shown at left – “or Jaws<\/a>.” \u00a0(See “scurvy and beards<\/a>.”<\/em>)<\/p>\n

Another twist was the\u00a0flashback<\/a>: \u00a0One remaining survivor –\u00a0Thomas Nickerson<\/a>\u00a0– interviewed by\u00a0Herman Melville<\/a>\u00a0(“Moby\u00a0Dick<\/a><\/em>“)\u00a0some 30 years after Nickerson served as cabin boy on the Essex<\/em>.<\/p>\n

And “young cabin boys” raise an historical\u00a0anomaly<\/a>:<\/p>\n

\n

In 1822 \u2026 New England mothers sent their sons to kill whales in the Pacific Ocean at an age when modern<\/strong> parents would think twice about letting them have the car for a weekend.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Which brings up an early departure of fact in the film. \u00a0Melville actually interviewed Pollard<\/em>, long after he’d lost his “captaincy.” \u00a0Some three years after the Essex sank, Pollard commanded the whale-ship Two Brothers<\/a><\/i>\u00a0when it<\/em><\/strong> sank. \u00a0(Off the Frigate Shoals<\/a>.<\/em>) \u00a0So by the time he got interviewed by Melville, Pollard had been demoted to “night-watchman<\/a>”\u00a0on Nantucket Island. \u00a0(And as such considered a “nobody” to the islanders<\/em>.)<\/p>\n

And speaking of\u00a0anomalies<\/a>: \u00a0The film showed First Mate Owen Chase as the real<\/em> hero. \u00a0It also showed Pollard as both a man who owed his captaincy to\u00a0nepotism<\/a>\u00a0– connections<\/em> – and a lesser sailor than Chase. \u00a0But once the ramming happened, Pollard recommended a shorter course to a closer set of islands. \u00a0(A course that would take advantage of prevailing “tail winds<\/em>.”)<\/p>\n

But unlike the cliche “Captain Bligh,” Pollard let himself be persuaded by Chase. \u00a0So the three small boats set sail for South America – 2,000 miles away – against<\/em><\/strong> the prevailing winds. \u00a0But as Wikipedia noted: \u00a0“Herman Melville<\/a> later speculated that all would have survived had they followed Captain Pollard’s recommendation and sailed west.”<\/p>\n

(It seems Chase and the crew feared the closer islands – the Marquesas<\/a>\u00a0– were inhabited by cannibals. \u00a0Which seems highly ironic, given what actually happened later..<\/em>.)<\/p>\n

In yet another departure from fact, the real<\/em> whale didn’t stalk the boats 2,000 miles across the Pacific. \u00a0Nor did the whale\u00a0“have a moment<\/a>” with Chase, near the end of 90 days adrift. \u00a0(When Chase refused to harpoon the whale-stalker<\/em>, despite Pollard’s goading to do so.)<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

The film did<\/em> feature an accurate translation of a\u00a0“Nantucket sleighride<\/a>“,” as seen at right. \u00a0 It also showed a “flurry:” \u00a0The dying whale spraying his tormentors with a mixture of blood from his pierced lungs, along with mucus and seawater. \u00a0(In some manner of Freudian<\/em>\u00a0anointing<\/a><\/em>.)<\/p>\n

Then there were the “chockpins” worn by experienced whalers. \u00a0What the film didn’t<\/em> show: They were apparently worn to “get babes.”<\/p>\n

Then there was the matter of the boats landing on\u00a0Henderson Island. \u00a0(Not Ducie Island, as in the film.<\/em>) \u00a0Years after the wreck three skeletons were<\/em> found on Ducie Island. \u00a0They were believed to be from the lost third-of-three boats “never to be seen again,” but that was never confirmed.<\/p>\n

And finally, the film ended with two popular\u00a0tropes<\/a>. \u00a0 One was that of\u00a0corrupt\u00a0businessmen<\/a>, in the form of a “board of inquiry.” \u00a0The\u00a0money-grubbing businessmen on the Nantucket board were shown arm-twisting Chase and Pollard to say the Essex ran aground, and that the missing crew-members drowned. \u00a0(They were afraid of higher insurance rates<\/em>.)<\/p>\n

A “board of inquiry” that apparently never took place, or at least not in that way.<\/p>\n

The other was the\u00a0look into the future<\/a>\u00a0trope. \u00a0The film ended with Nickerson and Melville parting ways after the all-night session of drinking, recalling and writing. \u00a0Nickerson told Melville – with faint disbelief – of a “new” discovery of oil, in the ground, somewhere in Pennsylvania…<\/p>\n

Which led to the cartoon “whale celebration” below..<\/p>\n

* \u00a0 * \u00a0 * \u00a0 *<\/p>\n

All in all,\u00a0Heart of the Sea<\/a>\u00a0<\/em>is a film well worth seeing. \u00a0For those who’d love<\/em> to get a feel for the pure adventure, “such as befell early and heroic voyagers…” \u00a0And especially<\/em><\/strong> for those who’d love to get a feel for being “alone, alone, all all alone, alone on the wide, wide sea<\/a>…”<\/p>\n

* \u00a0 * \u00a0 * \u00a0 *<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Whales “celebrating the discovery” of oil in Pennsylvania…<\/em><\/p>\n

* \u00a0 * \u00a0 * \u00a0 *<\/p>\n

The upper image is courtesy of\u00a0Artifact Article: Sperm Whaling: The Chase<\/a><\/em>:<\/p>\n

\n

Three whale ships can be seen in the background, while two whaleboats are in the foreground.\u00a0 In the whaleboats, boatsteerers are seen with their harpoons raised.\u00a0 As they chase the whale, one can image that the call \u201cthar She blows!<\/a>\u201d was sounded, as several whales can be seen spouting as they surface.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

The illustration was by\u00a0Benjamin Russell<\/a>, born into a\u00a0family<\/a>\u00a0of whaling merchants. \u00a0He started work in the office of a whaling agent in New Bedford, MA<\/a>, but “showed more aptitude for drawing than business, often to the displeasure of his superiors.” \u00a0He later spent four years on the whale ship Kutusoff<\/a>. \u00a0There his “acute observational sensitivity” resulted in sketches with “impeccable detail…\u00a0\u00a0Russell\u2019s images were rendered with mastered accuracy rather than artistic intention.”\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

See also\u00a0Benjamin Russell: Whaleman-Artist, Entrepreneur | New Bedford<\/a><\/em>.<\/p>\n

For more on the sources used in this post, see the notes below.<\/em><\/p>\n

The “Story of Yankee Whaling” image is courtesy of\u00a0American Heritage Junior Library | Series | LibraryThing<\/a><\/em>. \u00a0See also<\/em>\u00a0American Heritage Junior Library | eBay<\/a><\/em>,\u00a0where the book is available individually for $1.95, or as part of a set of seven, for $21.00. \u00a0For more on the author, see below.<\/em><\/p>\n

Re: Samuel Comstock. \u00a0See also\u00a0Globe (1815 whaleship) – Wikipedia<\/a><\/em>, and\u00a0Helter-Skelter on the High Seas – NYTimes.com<\/a>. \u00a0The latter was a review of two books said to “unravel the saga of the bloodiest mutiny in the history of American whaling.” \u00a0Comstock was said to be “a keen ladies’ man,” to wit: \u00a0He possessed a “superabundance of something which the fair sex seemed to consider a very agreeable substitute.” \u00a0(For affection.) \u00a0Also this note, as previously noted:<\/em><\/p>\n

\n

In 1822 … New England mothers sent their sons to kill whales in the Pacific Ocean at an age when modern parents would think twice about letting them have the car for a weekend.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Re: “coming to a theater near you.” \u00a0See also\u00a0In a World – TV Tropes<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n

Re: “Your majesty, the peasants are revolting!” \u00a0“They certainly are!” \u00a0See also\u00a0Count de Money \/ “The People Are Revolting” – YouTube<\/a>, and\/or\u00a0Ambiguity – Simple English Wikipedia<\/a>, which noted the “British<\/a> comedian<\/a> Ronnie Barker<\/a> said that he loved the English language<\/a> because there are so many jokes you can make using ambiguity.”<\/em><\/p>\n

Re: “breaking point.” \u00a0<\/em>See Garry Wills\u2019 \u00a0What the Gospels Meant<\/a><\/em>, Viking Press (2008), at page 87; found in Part II, \u201cMatthew,\u201d Chapter 5, \u201cSermon on the Mount:\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

Our Father of the heavens, your title be honored \u2026 and bring us not to the Breaking Point, but wrest us from the Evil One. \u00a0 \u00a0<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

The usual translation in the Lord\u2019s Prayer<\/a> is – as noted – \u201cAnd lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.\u201d\u00a0 See Wikipedia<\/a>. \u00a0My life experience tells me the term \u201cbreaking point\u201d is more accurate and appropriate. \u00a0See also\u00a0The True Test of Faith<\/a><\/em>, in my other blog.<\/em><\/p>\n

The “whale’s eye” image is courtesy of\u00a0In the Heart of the Sea (film) – Wikipedia<\/a>. \u00a0See also\u00a0In the Heart of the Sea (book)\u00a0– Wikipedia<\/a>, which included this on the author’s sources:<\/em><\/p>\n

Philbrick utilizes an account written by Thomas Nickerson<\/a>, who was a teenage cabin boy<\/a> on board the Essex<\/i> and wrote about the experience in his old age; \u00a0his account was lost until 1960 but was not authenticated until 1980 before being published, abridged, in 1984. \u00a0The book also utilizes the better known account of Owen Chase<\/a>, the ship’s first mate<\/a>, which was published soon after the ordeal.<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Re:<\/em>\u00a0Marshall McLuhan<\/a><\/em>\u00a0and<\/em> \u201cthe format shapes the message<\/a><\/em>.\u201d \u00a0The\u00a0Rotten Tomatoes<\/a>\u00a0review said the “admirably old-fashioned” film-story boasted “thoughtful storytelling to match its visual panache, even if it can’t claim the depth or epic sweep to which it so clearly aspires.” \u00a0My theory is that neither the depth nor epic sweep of the true story could have been adequately translated to film.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

The “Bounty” image is courtesy of\u00a0Mutiny on the Bounty – Wikipedia<\/a><\/em>. \u00a0The caption: “Fletcher Christian<\/a> and the mutineers seize HMS Bounty on 28 April 1789. Engraving by Hablot Knight Browne<\/a>, 1841.”<\/em><\/p>\n

Re: The “whale-stalking.”<\/em>\u00a0 Wikipedia said that after ramming the Essex\u00a0\u2013 twice \u2013 the whale \u201cfinally disengaged its head from the shattered timbers<\/a> and swam off, never to be seen again.\u201d \u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

Re: “have a moment.” \u00a0An allusion to the 1984 film,\u00a0Moscow on the Hudson (1984)<\/a>:\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

Vladimir Ivanoff<\/a>: [confronting a stranger following him down the street] \u00a0FBI?\u00a0\u00a0 Gay Man on Street<\/a>: \u00a0FBI? \u00a0No.\u00a0\u00a0 Vladimir Ivanoff<\/a>: \u00a0KGB?\u00a0\u00a0 Gay Man on Street<\/a>: \u00a0No. \u00a0G-A-Y.\u00a0\u00a0 Vladimir Ivanoff<\/a>: Gay? \u00a0Oh, no, no.\u00a0\u00a0 Gay Man on Street<\/a>: \u00a0Sorry. \u00a0You have a nice face. \u00a0I thought we had a “moment” back there.<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

The “Nantucket sleigh ride<\/a>” image is courtesy of\u00a0jrusselljinishiangallery.com\/pages\/sticker-pages<\/a><\/em>.<\/p>\n

Re: the number of survivors and their length of time at sea. \u00a0It took 90 days for the Owen Chase boat to be rescued, with three\u00a0survivors. \u00a0It took 95 days for the Pollard boat to be rescued, at a different location, with two survivors. \u00a0The three original boats were separated in a storm, and the boat headed by Obed Hendricks – “boatsteerer” – was never seen again. \u00a0Wikipedia: “<\/em>A whaleboat was later found washed up on Ducie Island, just east of Henderson Island, with the skeletons of three people inside… \u00a0[S]<\/em>uspected to be Obed Hendricks’ missing boat, the remains were never positively identified.” \u00a0Thus the eight survivors, including\u00a0<\/em>the three who stayed on Henderson Island.<\/em><\/p>\n

Re: \u00a0“Look into the future” trope. \u00a0It’s actually known as Externally Validated Prophecy<\/a>: \u00a0“When a character makes a prediction about the future which is not fulfilled in the work, yet an audience aware of history knows will be fulfilled.”<\/em><\/p>\n

Re: “pure dispassionate adventure.” \u00a0 The quote is from Robert Louis Stevenson’s <\/em>Travels with a Donkey in the C\u00e9vennes<\/a><\/em>. \u00a0See also\u00a0Donkey travel \u2013 and sluts<\/a><\/em>\u00a0and\u00a0\u201cPity the fool<\/a>” from my other blog.<\/em><\/p>\n

The lower image is courtesy of\u00a0Sperm whaling – Wikipedia<\/a>, including the caption: “An 1861 cartoon showing sperm whales celebrating the discovery of new petroleum wells in Pennsylvania. \u00a0The proliferation of mineral oils reduced demand for their species’ oil.” \u00a0 The caption in the\u00a0cartoon itself: \u00a0“Grand ball given by the whales in honor of the discovery of the oil wells in Pennsylvania.”<\/em><\/p>\n

* \u00a0 * \u00a0 * \u00a0 *<\/p>\n

Sources used for this post – or worth more reading: \u00a0Heart of the Sea (film) \u2013 Wikipedia<\/a>,\u00a0Essex (whaleship) \u2013 Wikipedia<\/a>,\u00a0<\/em>History of whaling \u2013 Wikipedia<\/a>,\u00a0Girl on a Whaleship \u2013 Images<\/a>,\u00a0Essex explained<\/a><\/em>,\u00a0and a review: \u00a0“Heart of the Sea” \u2013 Apollo 13 with scurvy and beards<\/a>:<\/em><\/p>\n

There was rumored to exist a secret society of young women on the island whose members vowed to wed only men who had already killed a whale. \u00a0To help these young women identify them as hunters, boatsteerers wore chockpins (small oak pins used to secure the harpoon line in the bow groove of a whaleboat) on their lapels.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

See\u00a0The Real Story Behind \u201cIn the Heart of the Sea<\/a>,” which also included this:<\/em><\/p>\n

The harpoon did not kill the whale. It was the equivalent of a fishhook. \u00a0After letting the whale exhaust itself, the men began to haul themselves, inch by inch, to within stabbing distance of the whale. \u00a0Taking up the 12-foot-long killing lance, the man at the bow probed for a group of coiled arteries near the whale\u2019s lungs with a violent churning motion. \u00a0When the lance finally plunged into its target, the whale would begin to choke on its own blood, its spout transformed into a 15-foot geyser of gore that prompted the men to shout, \u201cChimney\u2019s afire!\u201d As the blood rained down on them, they took up the oars and backed furiously away, then paused to observe as the whale went into what was known as its \u201cflurry.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

The site also noted that Melville interviewed Captain Pollard for his later book, Moby Dick<\/strong>, not Nickerson. \u00a0After a second failed whaling voyage, Pollard became the town\u2019s night watchman; \u201cTo the islanders he was a nobody\u2026\u201d \u00a0For a lengthy account and history see the New York Times<\/a>\u00a0review.<\/em><\/p>\n

A final note:<\/em> \u00a0The American Heritage Yankee Whaling<\/a>\u00a0was written by\u00a0Irwin Shapiro<\/a>\u00a0(1911\u20131981), an “American writer and translator of over 40 books, mostly for children and about\u00a0Americana<\/a>:”<\/em><\/p>\n

After an initial foray into writing radical literature that encompassed his last year as a communist, Shapiro turned to children’s books… \u00a0He published many titles for Golden Books<\/a>[, including one thought to be] a coded message about the imprisonment of American spy Isaiah Oggins<\/a> in the GULAG<\/a>… \u00a0The Library of Congress holds 44 titles in his name.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

See Wikipedia<\/a>, and also\u00a0Irony\u00a0… Literary Devices<\/a><\/em>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

\u201cSperm Whales \u2013 The Chase…”   \u00a0I first read about the Essex\u00a054 years ago. \u00a0(I was 10 or so.) My aunt gave me a set of\u00a0American Heritage Junior\u00a0Books. \u00a0The one I liked best was\u00a0The Story of Yankee Whaling. \u00a0(Published in 1959.) But that book didn’t just include the story of the Wreck of the Essex. […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[2],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/georgiawasp.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3003"}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/georgiawasp.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/georgiawasp.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/georgiawasp.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/georgiawasp.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=3003"}],"version-history":[{"count":116,"href":"http:\/\/georgiawasp.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3003\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3126,"href":"http:\/\/georgiawasp.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3003\/revisions\/3126"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/georgiawasp.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=3003"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/georgiawasp.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=3003"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/georgiawasp.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=3003"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}