Objective:
To identify three examples of man’s inhumanity to man in Moby Dick.

Materials Needed: Moby Dick by Herman Melville and copies of the text.

Step-by-Step Process:

1. As a class, discuss the concept of “man’s inhumanity to man,” defined as the “cruelty or unfair treatment of one human being by another.”

2. Ask students to brainstorm ways in which man is cruel to one another both in their daily lives and in the context of literature.

3. Introduce students to Moby-Dick and its relevance to the concept of man’s inhumanity to man.

4. Ask students to read excerpts from the novel and identify examples of man’s inhumanity to man.

5. Have students present their examples of man’s inhumanity to man as well as their discussions as to why these examples are valid.

6. Collect student responses in a class GoogleDoc or other shared document for easy access and review.

7. As a class, review the responses and come to a consensus on three examples of man’s inhumanity to man in Moby-Dick.

Examples of Man’s Inhumanity to Man in Moby-Dick: 1. Ahab’s obsession with killing the White Whale, which resulted in several deaths among the crew. 2. Queequeg’s refusal of Starbuck’s offer of salvation, which resulted in his tragic death. 3. The shunning of Queequeg due to his race and his eventual treatment as an outcast by the crew.