A Deeper Look into
the San Dominick
HERMAN MELVILLE’S, “BENITO CERENO”
VERNON YOUNG
EN 3414-02
MS. DOWNEY
16 APRIL 2014
SUMMARY

Herman Melville’s “Benito Cereno” and the meaning of Power,
based on the ambiguous signs onboard the San Dominick

Deconstructive critical theory applied

Binary opposition: Powerful versus Powerless

Thesis: Throughout the San Dominick journey many suspicious acts occur
presenting ambiguities behind the language and actions displayed on the ship.
These ambiguities offer insight to the role of power amongst different cultures.
The Search for Sources

Google (Advanced Search)

MLA Bibliography

JSTOR

Herman Melville’s, Billy Budd, Sailor and Selected Tales

Project Muse
Sources Found
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“Benito Cereno” actual text

Jacques Derrida “Structure, Sign, and Play in the Discourse of the
Human Science”

James Kavanagh “‘That Hive of Subtlety’: ‘Benito Cereno’ as
Ideological Critique”

Laura Barrett “Light and Baffling”: Uncanny Punning in Melville’s
Benito Cereno
The Impact of Sources

Each source is used to provide evidence and support throughout
my research

Sources provide additional avenue interpretations of the meaning
of signs throughout research of the Power onboard the San
Dominick

Sources will add further depth to research analysis
Annotated Bibliography

Derrida, Jacques “Structure, Sign, and Play in the Discourse of the Human Science”.
Writing and Difference, trans. Alan Bass. London: Routledge, pp 278-294. Derrida in his
essay, argues that there is no center in the structure of language. Derrida supports his
argument by introducing the language known as bricolage, and how bricolage offers
infinite meaning of language. Bricolage is defined as “the means at hand”, According to
Derrida, language has no one clear meaning and understanding, and instead allows for
endless meaning based on one’s own interpretation.
Annotated Bibliography cont.

Kavanagh, James H. “‘That Hive of Subtlety’: ‘Benito Cereno’ as Ideological
Critique,” Bucknell Review 1984. In this analysis by Kavanagh, he contrasts the
actual occurrence of Benito Cereno text and the point of view from Delano’s
impretation through his Journey on the San Dominick. Kavanagh supports his
analysis by reflecting on the events onboard the San Dominick and Delano’s
perception of those same events, to show the lack of knowledge displayed by
Delano.