Who Am I? Celebrating a mystery person born this month

Print a “Who Am I?” sign. Add a clue in the text box, print, and post on your bulletin board. Post a different clue every day or so and see who can guess the identity of the mystery person of the

month. Then plan a “Who am I?” discussion and reminiscence activity.

Do you know who I am? Here are some clues:

1. I was born August 1, 1819.

2. Both of my grandfathers were heroes of the American Revolutionary War.

3. I was raised in New York high society.

4. My father was a merchant and importer who borrowed heavily from his in-laws.

5. After my father’s death, I worked as a bank clerk and a teacher to help support my family.

6. I had hoped to gain a job as a surveyor for the Erie Canal Project but was unable to do so.

7. Despite initial success, many of my novels failed to sell.

8. I spent five years at sea working as a cabin boy and a wanderer in the Pacific.

9. I was captured by Polynesian cannibals in 1841.

10. I worked for 19 years as a customs agent in New York City.

11. After several disappointments as a novelist, I turned to poetry.

12. I married Elizabeth Shaw in 1847.

13. My novels were based off my experiences as a sailor.

14. I was close friends with fellow author Nathaniel Hawthorne.

15. I died on September 28, 1891, from a heart attack.

16. Most of my works went unappreciated until years after my death.

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17. I experienced a deep depression after my eldest son’s death by potential suicide.

18. My final novel was unpublished until 1924, which was 33 years after my death.

19. I was inspired to write my greatest work by accounts of the sinking of the whaling ship Essex.

20. My most famous work was Moby-Dick (1851), a story of a captain’s obsession with revenge.

Do you know who I am? That’s right—I’m novelist Herman Melville!

Print a copy of the pictures to pass around as you share and discuss the information in the article with your group.

Introduction

Herman Melville is considered one of the greatest American writers, with his masterwork Moby-Dick considered one of the greatest American novels. Read on to learn more about this American literary icon.

Early Life

Herman Melville was born in New York City on August 1, 1819, the third of eight children. His parents, Allan and Maria Gansevoort Melvill, were descended from heroes of the American Revolutionary War and enjoyed a place among the New York elite, especially given that Allan was a successful merchant and importer. The Melvills lived an opulent life, but it was not to last, as Allan continually spent beyond his family’s means and endlessly borrowed money to support his lavish lifestyle. Eventually, Maria’s family, the source of much of his borrowed income, pulled the plug on their financing. Allan moved the family to Albany in 1830 with the hopes of entering the fur trade but had limited success. He then suddenly became ill after a trip home from New York City in the open winter air and died in 1832, leaving his family in dire straits.

Maria took charge of the family, changing their last name from Melvill to Melville and instilling a deeply religious influence on her children. The eldest Melville brother, Gansevoort, sought to salvage his father’s fur trading business, while Herman worked as a bank clerk, studied classical literature, and eventually moved to Massachusetts to pursue work as a teacher. He found his work to be unfulfilling, however, and returned to work for Gansevoort, whose business finally collapsed, leading Melville to attend school to learn surveying with the hopes of finding a job with the newly created Erie Canal project. Sadly, this plan did not pan out for him, and he turned to his brother for advice, which led him to make a decision that would be significant for his later literary career: he became a sailor.

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Discussion Starters

• The death of Melville’s father left his family in a precarious financial situation, leading thechildren of the family to step up and work to support themselves. Did you ever have to supportyour family when you were younger? Did you have financial struggles like Melville’s family?

• Both of Melville’s grandfathers were veterans of the American Revolutionary War. Were anyof your ancestors veterans? Are you?

• Melville’s decision to become a sailor would have a profound effect on his life and stronglyinfluence his future writing. Have you ever made a decision that impacted your life inunexpected ways? What was it?

From Sailing to Writing

Melville enlisted as a cabin boy on a merchant ship to England in 1839. He then took another sailing job in 1841 aboard a whaling ship, the Achuset. This would serve as the beginning of a wild three-year adventure in which Melville and a fellow sailor deserted the crew in Polynesia, only to be captured by cannibals. Though treated well, Melville was eventually able to escape aboard another ship but was jailed for joining the crew in a mutiny.

He spent the next several years wandering the Pacific, working odd jobs and accumulating experiences that would serve as the basis for his later works. He eventually wound up in Hawaii and joined the U.S. Navy, finding his way to Boston in 1844, more than three years after he had first embarked.

Having returned to his family, Melville regaled them with wild tales of his adventures at sea and at their urging, decided to put his stories to paper. His first novel, Typee (1846), was based in part on his time among the Polynesian cannibals, as well as his own imagined embellishments. The novel was a runaway success, spawning a sequel, 1847’s Omoo.

That same year, Melville married Elizabeth Shaw, the daughter of the Chief Justice of Massachusetts. He continued to write, churning out seafaring adventure novels based on his time at sea. He enjoyed tremendous success and became close friends with fellow writer Nathaniel Hawthorne, whom he met in 1850. This would be the same year that Melville first mentioned his work on what would become his most critically acclaimed and enduring novel, Moby-Dick (1851).

Discussion Starters

• Melville believed his time living among Polynesian islanders allowed him a unique outsider’sperspective on Western culture. Have you ever experienced a culture other than the one yougrew up in? What did it make you think about your own culture?

• Melville and Hawthorne became close friends very quickly, with the notoriously work-drivenHawthorne even allowing Melville to spend several days with him when he would have beenwriting. Have you made any close friends through your career? Did you keep up the friendship?

• Have you ever considered writing about your experiences? Have you had any adventureslike Melville?

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Moby-Dick to Poetry and Later Life

In 1851, Melville completed what would become his most famous work. Inspired by accounts of the whaling ship Essex from 1820, the novel was a tale of adventure, obsession, and the triumphs and failures of the human spirit. Moby-Dick was not initially well received, with critics citing the extravagant and over-imaginative nature of the story as its downfall. The novel sold poorly and greatly hurt Melville’s ambitions as a novelist.

After his subsequent novels performed poorly as well, Melville all but gave up on writing prose, attempting to support his family through lecturing and poetry, but eventually was forced to take a job as a customs agent for New York City, working for 19 years and maintaining a spotless reputation as the only honest man in a wildly corrupt institution. Melville also continued to write but failed to achieve any success and was driven into a deep depression.

Melville’s customs job was a tremendous relief to his family, as he experienced terrible mood swings, especially after the death by possible suicide of his eldest son, Malcolm. Eventually, Melville was able to retire in 1885 thanks to his wife’s wise management of money and inheritance of several legacies from deceased family members.

Melville’s stories then experienced a sudden resurgence of popularity in England, prompting him to begin writing again. He worked on his final novel, Billy Budd, Sailor, until his death from a heart attack on September 28, 1891, leaving the work unfinished and undiscovered until 1919, leading to a posthumous publishing in 1924.

By the 1920s, critics had returned to Melville’s work and viewed it with a much more favorable eye. Today, Melville is considered one of the greatest American writers, with his masterwork Moby-Dick regarded as one of the greatest novels of all time.

Discussion Starters

• Eventually considered Melville’s masterwork, Moby-Dick was not held in esteem until yearsafter his death. Have you ever changed your initial opinion about a book or other work of art?What led to the change?

• Have you ever had a career setback like Melville? How were you able to cope?

• Melville experienced a deep depression after the death of his eldest son. Have you everexperienced a family tragedy like that? How did it affect you?

Additional Activities

Set up a viewing of In the Heart of the Sea (2015), a film that tells the story of Melville seeking information about the whaling ship Essex before writing Moby-Dick.

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©ActivityConnection.com – Herman Melville (Pictures)

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Celebra'ng  a mystery person  born this  month