The last of three days fighting Moby Dick, the ship is destroyed and Captain Ahab is dragged to his watery grave. All are lost, save one. In the movie, it's even more dramatic with the white whale surfacing with Ahab still harpooned to his side. The moral of the story - don't mess with something that outweighs you by ten tons.

Tomorrow, the Epilogue.

Oh, lonely death on lonely life! Oh, now I feel my topmost greatness lies in my topmost grief. Ho, ho! from all your furthest bounds, pour ye now in, ye bold billows of my whole foregone life, and top this one piled comber of my death! Towards thee I roll, thou all-destroying but unconquering whale; to the last I grapple with thee; from hell's heart I stab at thee; for hate's sake I spit my last breath at thee. Sink all coffins and all hearses to one common pool! and since neither can be mine, let me then tow to pieces, while still chasing thee, though tied to thee, thou damned whale! Thus, I give up the spear!"

The harpoon was darted; the stricken whale flew forward; with igniting velocity the line ran through the groove; - ran foul. Ahab stooped to clear it; he did clear it; but the flying turn caught him round the neck, and voicelessly as Turkish mutes bowstring their victim, he was shot out of the boat, ere the crew knew he was gone. Next instant, the heavy eye-splice in the rope's final end flew out of the stark-empty tub, knocked down an oarsman, and smiting the sea, disappeared in its depths.

Herman Melville

In the movie, they changed the wording some, but this is a great scene with Gregory Peck as Captain Ahab. It's when you first see that Ahab is a bit crazed and that the white whale Moby Dick has driven Ahab quite literally mad; he's one brick shy of a load, the elevator no longer goes to the top floor, the lights are on but nobodys home.

Tomorrow, my third favorite passage from Moby Dick, then the Epilogue.

"Captain Ahab," said Starbuck, I have heard of Moby Dick - but it was not Moby Dick that took off thy leg?"

"Who told thee that?" cried Ahab; then pausing, "Aye, Starbuck; aye, my hearties all round; it was Moby Dick that dismasted me; Moby Dick that brought me to this dead stump I stand on now. Aye, aye," he shouted with a terrific, loud, animal sob, like that of a heart-stricken moose; "Aye, aye! it was that accursed white whale that razeed me; made a poor pegging lubber of me for ever and a day!" Then tossing both arms, with measureless imprecations he shouted out: "Aye, aye! and I'll chase him round Good Hope, and round the horn, and round the norway maelstrom, and round perdition's flames before I give him up. And this is what ye have shipped for, men! to chase that white whale on both sides of land, and over all sides of earth, till he spouts black blood and rolls fin out. What say ye, men, will ye splice hands on it, now? I think ye do look brave."

Herman Melville

I love this passage from Moby Dick. Probably one of the best starts to any novel, ever. It describes a certain mood precisely and elegantly and captures ones interest immediately.

Tomorrow, my second favorite passage from Moby Dick, if I can find it.

Call me Ishmael. Some years ago - never mind how long precisely - having little or no money in my purse, and nothing particular to interest me on shore, I thought I would sail about a little and see the watery part of the world. It is a way I have of driving off the spleen, and regulating the circulation. Whenever I find myself growing grim about the mouth; whenever it is a damp, drizzly November in my soul; whenever I find myself involuntarily pausing before coffin warehouses, and bringing up the rear of every funeral I meet; and especially whenever my hypos get such an upper hand of me, that it requires a strong moral principle to prevent me from deliberately stepping into the street, and methodically knocking people's hats off - then, I account it high time to get to sea as soon as I can. This is my substitute for pistol and ball. With a philosophical flourish Cato throws himself upon his sword; I quietly take to the ship. There is nothing surprising in this. If they but knew it, almost all men in their degree, some time or other, cherish very nearly the same feelings towards the ocean with me.

Herman Melville

When I was at the theater on Sunday afternoon, I saw a great saying on the t-shirt of a young girl. It said "Easily Amused". I couldn't help but smile. She was only about 12, but even at that age there are a lot of kids who seemed bored. With cable TV and the Internet and thousands of songs that can be downloaded for free, I think that a lot of kids have lost their imaginations. Of course, I'm problaby reading too much into her t-shirt. For all I know, it could be the name of a band or a TV show and not the confession of a persons temperament. Still, I like it.

I saw "Under the Tuscan Sun" with Diane Lane. I mean that she was in the movie. I didn't actually see it with her. Although, she would make an outstanding date. The film was one of the best that I have seen this year. I don't know if it has a chance at an Oscar, but her performance is worthy. I really liked the ending where she got what she asked for without really knowing it.