Melville's Narrative Analysis

What does the description of the morning—“mute and calm; everything gray”—suggest about the tone at the beginning of the excerpt?

• Cheerful

• Foreboding

• Optimistic

• Indifferent

Captain Delano’s initial reaction to the strange ship highlights which character trait?

• Cynicism

• Suspicion

• Naïve trust

• Hostility

How does Melville create irony in Captain Delano’s perception of the ship as “no wonted freebooter”?

• The ship appears damaged but is secretly wealthy.

• The ship seems peaceful but hides a violent truth.

• Delano assumes the ship is Spanish, but it is American.

• The ship is unarmed but still threatening.

What narrative point of view is used in the excerpt?

• First-person limited

• Third-person limited

• Third-person omniscient

• Second-person

The phrase “seemed fixed, and was sleeked at the surface like waved lead” is an example of which literary device?

• Simile

• Metaphor

• Alliteration

• Irony

What structural purpose does the description of the ship’s “slovenly neglect” serve?

• It foreshadows the ship’s dark history.

• It introduces a contrast with Captain Delano’s ship.

• It establishes the ship as a safe haven.

• It symbolizes the resilience of the crew.

What does the description of the ship as "a white-washed monastery after a thunderstorm" and "Ezekiel’s Valley of Dry Bones" most likely symbolize in the context of Benito Cereno?

• The ship's dual nature of spiritual purity and moral decay.
  
  
  

• The contrast between the ship's current disrepair and its former grandeur.

• The hope of revival and renewal in the ship’s journey.

• The historical significance of Spanish colonialism.

Captain Delano’s decision to offer provisions to the crew reveals which aspect of his character?

• Generosity

• Pride

• Indifference

• Strategic cunning

The narrator describes the Spanish captain as having “a dreary, spiritless look”. This description most strongly conveys what tone?

• Admiration

• Resentment

• Melancholy

• Humor

How does Melville emphasize the theme of appearances versus reality in the description of the ship’s figurehead?

• By likening it to a gallant knight.

• By noting its concealment under canvas.

• By showing it as ornately decorated.

• By describing it as radiantly clean.