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Morgan Wheeler

Mr. A

Poem Analysis

October 4, 2016

The Maldive Shark

The Maldive Shark is a poem written in 1881 by Herman Melville. He is an American

poet. He is now most recognized by his book Moby Dick that was published in 1854. He also

wrote many other books and short stories such as The Piazza Tales and The Confidence Man.

Herman Melville uses a strenuous vocabulary that can make the poem hard to

understand. He used words such as phlegmatical, meaning dull or boring and dotard to describe

the shark, but in this poem he did not personify the shark. He, instead, uses different forms of

figurative language such as alteration. Herman Melville used an ABCB rhyme scheme

throughout the poem.

The shark mentioned in the poem was described outside of most stereotypes that are

attached to being a shark. Sharks are seen as merciless and vicious murderers of the sea; however

in this poem the shark was described as a dotard, phlegmatical, and a pale sot meaning poor boy.

The author talks of the shark as if the it is depressed. I found this interesting because it made me

feel bad for the shark, which is an uncommon emotion felt during any kind of art concerning

sharks.

The poem continues to speak of the shark but now in relation to the pilot-fish. The

symbiotic relationship between the pilot-fish and the shark is called mutualism. This means both

the shark and pilot-fish benefit from something the other is doing. The pilot-fish act as the eyes

for the shark surrounding it and leading it to food as well as away from danger, which keeps the
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shark healthy and alive. The shark acts is a safe haven to the fish, and they use them to hide

when predators come around. This is similar to the book I read in middle school called Freak the

Mighty by Rodman Philbrick. Max can be compared to the shark and Freak to the pilot-fish. In

the book Freak was crippled and relied on Max to help him get around and feel stronger. Max

needed Freak to tutor him so he wouldn't fail his classes. Max is compared to the shark and Freak

is to the pilot-fish.

This poem was so different than any other poem we did in class or that I personally read

or wrote. The poem was still powerful without it being about love or betrayal. The Maldive

Shark was a great poem.