Herman Melville

Benito Cereno by Herman Melville A Classic Slave Insurrection Story Off the coast of Chile on one gray day in 1799, the sky filled with shadows "foreshadowing deeper shadows to come," captain Amasa Delano of the Bachelor's Delight, a Massachusetts sealer and trading ship, sees the Spanish vessel San Dominick in seeming distress. With some supplies he steps in his boat "The Rover" and boards the San Dominick, which carries a cargo of slaves, including women and children. He notes the figurehead, which is mostly concealed by a tarpaulin revealing only the inscription: "Follow your leaders and the fate of the slaves' master, Alexandro Aranda, who Cereno claims took fever aboard the ship and died. He sends his men back to bring more food and water, and stays aboard in the company of its Spanish captain, Don Benito Cereno and his Senegalese servant Babo who never leaves him alone. Don Benito

Nos cuenta la historia de un peculiar copista que trabaja en una oficina de Wall Street. Un d a, de repente, deja de escribir ampar ndose en su famosa f rmula: "Preferir a no hacerlo".

En sjöman, som vill att vi kallar honom Ismael (vi får aldrig veta hans riktiga namn), kommer en iskall vinterkväll till värdshuset Valfisken i New Bedford. Några lediga rum finns dessvärre inte, och Ismael tvingas välja mellan att tillbringa natten utomhus eller att dela säng med en tatuerad kannibal, harpuneraren Queequeg. Ismael väljer efter stor vånda att sova med Queequeg, och till hans stora förvåning blir de snabbt bästa vänner. Ismael och Queequeg gör sällskap till Nantucket och bestämmer sig för att ge sig ut på valfångstresa tillsammans. Skeppet de mönstrar på heter Pequod. Fartygets oinskränkte härskare är kapten Ahab, vars ena ben blivit avslitet av Moby Dick, en jättelik vit kaskelot. Efter att under lång tid dolt sig för besättningen i sin kajuta träder Ahab en morgon fram och avslöjar att syftet med resan inte är det sedvanliga: att döda så många valar som möjligt. Nej, det är endast en val som måste dö: den vita valen, Moby Dick. Den hämndlystne Ahab är beredd att satsa allt i kampen mot sin fiende. Pequods resa är från och med nu en färd mot undergång eller seger, hämnd eller död. Moby Dick av Herman Melville är det stora amerikanska nationaleposet, ett mästerverk vars skiftande berättartekniker, hisnande perspektiv och profetiska prosa ger en läsupplevelse som både är tidlös och chockerande, modern och uråldrig, undflyende och djupt meningsfull. Historien om kapten Ahab och Moby Dick är berättelsen om en kamp som aldrig upphör, den mellan människa och natur, mellan Gud och Satan, mellan tro och vetenskap.

Corr a el a o 1799, cuando el capit n Amasa Delano, de Duxbury (Massachusetts), al mando de un gran velero mercante, ancl con un valioso cargamento en la ensenada de Santa Mar a, una isla peque a, desierta y deshabitada.

Ever Felt Alone, Surrounded by People...? Bartleby the Scrivener explores the theme of isolation in American life and the workplace through actual physical loneliness and mental loneliness. Although all of the characters at the office are related by being co-workers, Bartleby is the only one whose name is known to us and seems serious, as the rest of characters have odd nicknames, such as "Nippers" or "Turkey." This excludes him from being normal in the workplace. Bartleby's former job was at the "Dead Letter Office" that received mail with nowhere to go, representing the isolation of communication that Bartleby had at both places of work, being that he was given a separate work area for himself at the lawyer's office. Bartleby begins to never leave the office, but repeats what he does all day long, copying, staring, and repeating his famous words of "I would prefer not to," leading readers to have another image of the repetition that leads to isolation on Wall Street and the American workplace.

Sometimes we kill the whale. Sometimes the whaling kills us. When Ishmael joins the crew of the Pequod he is told of the danger he faces, but he still longs for the adventure that whale-hunting brings. As the ship travels the globe looking for its prey, Ishmael realises that there is more to their mission than oil, blubber and riches. Captain Ahab is a man consumed by obsession, but will he ever find the elusive Moby Dick? This tale beautifully depicts the power and mystery of the magnificent whale, and the trials of those who seek to harm him. TreeTops Greatest Stories offers children some of the worlds best-loved tales in a collection of timeless classics. Top children's authors and talented illustrators work together to bring to life our literary heritage for a new generation, engaging and delighting children. The books are carefully levelled, making it easy to match every child to the right book. Each book contains inside cover notes to help children explore the content, supporting their reading development. Teaching notes on Oxford Owl offer cross-curricular links and activities to support guided reading, writing, speaking and listening.