4. Discuss the possible significance of moving from a merchant ship (Rights of Man) to a war ship (Bellipotent). What might Melville be suggesting with this transition?
I would think that Melville is trying to say, life is never static, you can never live your life at one location until you die. The world is changing, and as it changes, so do the people that live in it. I think that the transition from the Rights of Man to the Bellipotent means that, Billy is leaving his old life behind and starting anew, he is changing from one "profession" to another, and his carefree attitude is helping him with this transition and making it easier for him than it would for others. It could also mean that Billy is a person that won't resist what life throws his way and goes with the flow. Also, "Rights of Man" is the French declaration of freedom (from Louis XVI) while Bellipotent means "good at war", it could also mean that Billy, someone who once lived a carefree life, has now become a machine for war, and has been transformed into an evil thing for massacre.
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEju1QNJafqrNP3wSJ1iPzZqywEHkvGv6rgwWl_eCnRvDQIXgmCCfyOyiLOzOqbsdwTYn9zxsgfGo0ESSAzJgSul5BhnIuOETWc4v-91D24xNLzLOeerK4GP41J6KVaR_q7agyUOuzQ5yzE/s400/stormsea.jpg
This picture shows a ship being swept by giant waves without the slightest protest.
I agree, I think that you have summed up pretty much everything that I would have said. Good point with the definitions of the ship names, I wonder where you got those. Your picture seems to have little relevance to the rest of your post, it just is a ship and the caption is just a bare description of the image.
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