For this post, I would like to do some brainstorming and some proposing. I am most interested in talking about crowdsourcing and maybe looking at ways the ideas of collaborative creativity are manifested in Moby Dick. I would love suggestions or feedback, especially if you have any ideas about more connections I can bring in. I hope it’s easy enough to follow; my brainstorming methods tend to turn into ever-changing, question-ridden outlines.
Potential working thesis: Crowdsourcing is a valuable way to employ creativity from others in an effort to reach a common goal. Captain Ahab "crowdsources" his search for Moby Dick to his crew and any other person with whom he comes into contact.
Potential ideas to explore:
- Ahab as a complex character.
- Show reliance on prosthetic leg [Anyone have a good quote about the leg?]
- Leg = loss of limb, loss of pride, loss of part of self, loss of rationality (in terms of ability to move forward and ability to think well-roundedly instead of on one goal only)
- Leg = absence of function
- Leg = source of desire for revenge
- Show his reliance on others
- Show his reliance on Pip
- Reliance on Pip as an extension of himself?
- “Thou touchest my inmost centre, boy; thou art tied to me by cords woven of my heartstrings” (462).
- “”Now, then, Pip, we’ll talk this over; I do suck most wondrous philosophies from thee!” (467).
- “No, no, no! ye have not a whole body, sir; do ye but use poor me for your one lost leg; only tread upon me, sir; I ask no more, so I remain a part of ye” (471).
- Show reliance on the crew
- The crew actually runs the ship→ without it, Ahab could not fulfil his quest
- Ahab makes the crew vow to find Moby Dick→ uniting in a common goal (first step in crowdsourcing)
- “Come, Ahab’s compliments to ye; come and see if ye can swerve me. Swerve me? ye cannot swerve me, else ye swerve yourselves! man has ye there. Swerve me? The path to my fixed purpose is laid with iron rails, whereon my soul is grooved to run. Over unsounded gorges, through the rifled hearts of mountains, under torrents’ beds, unerringly I rush! Naught’s an obstacle, naught’s an angle to the iron way!”
- Cetology chapters as collaborative creativity? Blacksmith and carpenter chapters as collaborative creativity?
- Ahab enlists help from other ships to find Moby Dick. When others try to employ Ahab, he refuses (if it is not in line with his common goal)
- Captain of The Rachel trying to find his son
- What does this say about Ahab? What conclusions does it draw about those unwilling to participate in crowdsourcing? Does it have to do with the common goal?
- Does his failure result because of a failure to be an active participant in the whaling world? Is he diminished somehow by refusing to help anyone who is not focused on his goal?
- Relate to crowdsourcing: how do we find willing participants? Does the investment of participants make a difference?
My goal is that as I start working through these questions, I will make more connections and build on some of the observations I have made.
I like how your ideas get larger (from the prosthetic leg to Pip to the crew to other ships). I think there might be some way to tie that movement into the meaning of the paper. Perhaps each of these "sizes" corresponds to different goals, similar to crowdsourcing (sometimes the crowd is everyone; sometimes it just includes a crowd of experts)?
ReplyDeleteTalking about Ahab's leg would be interesting but it seems like a bit of a stretch for this topic and this length of a paper. I would focus more on how he relies on the crew and on other ships to help him in his quest, maybe specifically the other vessels.
ReplyDeleteI think a key question to this topic is What is the difference between crowdsourcing and traditional labor? What is the culture of a group working together to crowdsource a particular project as opposed to a group ordered or told to work on a project? I think that question will help you distinguish when and where actual crowdsourcing happens in the book and how its different than just orders and regular old work.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Paul. It could be interesting to look at some of the characteristics of the individuals again, since we get all that info in the book! Could give you some insight into why Ahab perhaps crowdsourced from them in particular, or if as Paul said, it was just a job spot that needed filling. I'm writing on a very similar topic, so it'll be interesting to see what we find!
ReplyDeleteThe gold offered was really not much money compared to the danger of facing Moby Dick. Maybe you would want to take the stance that crowd sourcing is not very rewarding and may even be a timesuck for the individuals involved.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Paul. Be careful not to differentiate between crowdsourcing and more traditional kinds of labor. Crowdsourcing requires some kind of open call, not a captive crew, and depends upon technologies that enable widespread and rapid communication. Crowdsourcing also relies upon the goodwill and volunteer labor of those who do it. I see lots of opposites to crowdsourcing in Moby Dick. That doesn't mean you can't look at the issue of drawing upon crowds. I see that more in terms of the whaling industry as a whole, which drew from so many countries. Ahab was more like a ham-fisted CEO than a digital entrepreneur.
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