Comment

My comment on another blog can be found here.

Response 1

This is my first response. (Yay?)

Question 4

The names of the two ships have quite different meanings; Rights of Man refers to freedom to do whatever one likes and to be safe from harm. Bellipotent means the power of war, referring to the fact that it is a warship and that it's goals are destruction and glory. Melville could be demonstration how Billy's former life could be changing from one of freedom and peace to following orders and war.

http://www.sonofthesouth.net/leefoundation/civil-war/1861/may/loading-war-ship.jpg

This picture show the loading of a warship, in preparation for battle. It demonstrates the change that will occur in billy's life, from one of calm to one of rush.

Question 5

I believe that this implies that while he may be a nice, good looking person, he is quite innocent and perhaps not even very clever. Also, this could mean that he is the type of person who does not use trickery or speak any meaning beyond the literal one, a straight forward person.