WHAT REDBURN SAW IN LAUNCELOTT`S-HEY

“WHAT REDBURN SAW IN LAUNCELOTT’S-HEY”
by Herman Melville
NAME _________________
“When romantics looked at the individual, they saw hope; but when Gothic writers looked at the
individual, they saw potential evil.”
Anti-Transcendentalists “examined the human heart under various conditions of fear, greed, vanity,
mistrust, and betrayal.”
1. What remarks in the first three paragraphs express Redburn’s feelings for the unfortunate
family? _______________________________________________________________
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2. List the people to whom he turns for help and the way in which each responds.
Person
Response
A.
B.
C.
D.
E.
F.
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3. Why does Redburn regret giving food to the family? ____________________________
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4. What thought does Redburn hesitantly confess after he has brought water and food to the
dying woman and children? ________________________________________________
5. Why does he fail to act on this thought? ______________________________________
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6. In what way does the allusion to Lazarus offer a parallel to Redburn’s situation?
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7. How does this experience change Redburn? Describe the qualities, actions, and attitudes that
the young sailor initially displays. What characteristics does he display at the end of the
selection? _______________________________________________________________
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8. How does Melville’s choice of narrator affect the tone of this story? ________________
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