Title - Moby Dick, or The Whale Author: Melville, Herman Publisher: Penguin Print Synopsis Authors Purpose Genre The classic story of a madman pursuing an unholy war against a creature as vast and dangerous and unknowable as the sea itself. Persuade Classics RDQ (Reading Difficulty Quotient) Accelerated Reader Lexile Find at 5245 7+ 1210 Amazon RDQ based on a maximum of 3000 words Levels are suggested levels based on RDQ, not official levels Sentences Total Words Different Words Max Word/Sent 116 Total # of Words 3690 # of Different Words 1268 Ave Word/.Sent 21 Hi Freq occurs 2635 71.4% # of Hi freq words 419 33% % of Long Sentences 60.6 Low Freq occurs 516 14% # of Low freq words 434 34.2% Subjective Criteria Illustrations: No support Dialog: Multiple speakers Dialog: Broken dialogue Dialog: Unlabeled Speaker Vocabulary: Many difficult words Language: Colorful, figurative Sentences: Many Long Complex Text structure: Difficult Inferences: Several Implications Complexity: Many different ideas Concepts: Abstract/Complex Social Chapters Sequence of Events: Mostly chronological Mature concepts: Mature thinking required with many distinctly unusual experiences Features Character traits Complex character relationships Integral Setting - Historical Complex plot First Person Unusual use of vocabulary Topics Whales Challenges Death Ships *Feelings, Behaviors Mental Illness Low Frequency Words abandon abominate aboriginal account adventurous affghanistan aloft amazingly anxious archangel asphaltic assure astern athirst atmosphere avenues awe barbarous barques belted bitingly boisterous bowsprit brigs broiling bulwarks burnt cajoling candidates canoes carries cataract cheeriest chinks circulation circumambulate circumstances climes cobblestones comedies commerce commodore commonalty compasses conceits concernment conclude congealed connexion conservatories considerable consign constant content contested contrary copestone coral crannies crucifix cunningly curbstone curiosity czar decoction deity deliberate deliberately delusion destined dilapidated disappointed discriminating disguises dismal distinction dotings doubtless drawn dreamiest dreary drizzly drowned dubious duly earnestly egyptians element embark emigrant employs enchanting entailed equator ere euroclydon everlasting extant extensive extreme extremest fancied farces fates fervent fiery flinty flourish fore forecastle forlorn fowl fowls freewill frosted funeral further gable gabriel gazers general genteel glare glazier glitters glory gnashing gomorrah gradually grapnels grasp greeks halting hardicanutes harpoon harpoons healthy hob hollow honour honourable hooded horror hypos ibis idolatrous ignoring ills image imported improvements indignity induced inducements infallibly inferred infliction influences inlanders inmates inmost inquire instance instinct insular interior interlude invest invisible invitingly involuntarily ishmael isles jove judging judgmatically judgment judiciously keen knocking knowing laden landscape landsmen lath lazarus leagues lengthwise leviathan lilies lint lodge lodges lodgings loitering loomings lording lungs magnetic magnificent maketh managers manhatto manhattoes marvellous marvels mast maxim mazy meadow meanwhile meditation methodically minded miserable moluccas monied monopolising moored moral mortal motives muttered mysterious mystical nailed nameless nantucket narcissus nevertheless niagara nigh noble northern obey observest occurred ominous orchard oriental original orion orphans ourselves overlapping overwhelming paced pacific pacing packet palsied parliament particles particular particularly passage passenger passengers patagonian patched pausing pavement pedestrian peer penalties pent peppered perceive perdition performances performing perils persians phantom philosophical physical pier pistol plaster pleasant plight plunged poet portentous possess poverty prairies preacher's precisely presented presently presidency president prevalent previous principle privilege proceeding processions programme projections promptly proved providence public pulpit pure purpose purse pyramids quarrelsome quitting randolphs reasonest recall redder reefs region regulating related remorseless rensselaers repeatedly representing requires respectable respectfully resulting reverentially reveries rigging robust romantic roused royal sabbath saco sailor sailors sashless satisfaction schoolmaster schooners seaward seemingly seneca sentinels separate service shadiest shepherd's shiverings shouldering silken sloop smelt smoky social society soles solo soul spar spiles spleen spouter spurs stoics stranded stricken striving substitute suffice sumatra supplied surely surf surrounds surveillance sword tatters tennessee tepid terms testament thence thieves thither thou thrust toils tomb tophet tormented tormenting towards tranced transition trials tribulations tyre unbiased uncomfortable undeliverable ungraspable universal universe urbane vain various vibration violate virtue voyage wailing warehouses waterward wears weary wedded weighed whalemen wharves whatsoever whereas wherefore whitehall wholesome wisdom wrapper wretched writer yonder zephyr