As Queequeg and I are now fairly embarked in this business of whaling; and as this business of whaling has somehow come to be regarded among landsmen as a rather unpoetical and disreputable pursuit; therefore, I am all anxiety to convince ye, ye landsmen, of the injustice hereby done to us hunters of whales.
In the first place, it may be deemed almost superfluous to establish the fact, that among people at large, the business of whaling is not accounted on a level with what are called the liberal professions. If a stranger were introduced into any miscellaneous metropolitan society, it would but slightly advance the general opinion of his merits, were he presented to the company as a harpooneer, say; and if in emulation of the naval officers he should append the initials S.W.F. (Sperm Whale Fishery) to his visting card, such a procedure would be deemed preeminently presuming and ridiculous.
Doubtless one leading reason why the world declines honoring us whalemen, is this: they think that, at best, our vocation amounts to a butchering sort of business; and that when actively engaged therein, we are surrounded by all manner of defilements. Butchers we are, that is true. But butchers, also, and butchers of the bloodiest badge have been all Martial Commanders whom the world invariably delights to honor. And as for the matter of the alleged uncleanliness of our business, ye shall soon be initiated into certain facts hitherto pretty generally unknown, and which, upon the whole, will triumphantly plant the sperm whale-ship at least among the cleanliest things of this tidy earth. But even granting the charge in question to be true; what disordered slippery decks of a whale-ship are comparable to the unspeakable carrion of those battle-fields from which so many soldiers return to drink in all ladies' plaudits? And if the idea of peril so much enhances the popular conceit of the soldier's profession; let me assure ye that many a veteran who has freely marched up to a battery, would quickly recoil at the apparition of the sperm whale's vast tail, fanning into eddies the air over his head. For what are the comprehensible terrors of man compared with the interlinked terrors and wonders of God!
And here is the start of Ishmael's defense of the occupation of whaling. Now, these days, whaling is pretty much an extinct profession, unnecessary even. The human race has found replacements for the commodities that used to be supplied by whaling ships. Thus, whaling in the modern world is viewed as bloody, barbaric, and harmful--a viewpoint that Ishmael is trying to dispel.
It doesn't help that so many whales have been hunted to the point of near extinction. The sperm whale itself, while on the endangered species list, is one of the more abundant whales on the planet. Estimates range from two hundred thousand to 1.5 million living sperm whales in the world's oceans. That's a lot of blubber. But I would venture a guess that if I went to a party, and Ishmael walked in and started waxing eloquent on the whaling profession, he would probably be laughed at, shunned, or attacked.
I frequently face the same problem when I mention that I teach at a university. Never mind that I'm contingent faculty. The prevailing belief is that, if you teach on the college level, you are wealthy and have a great deal of leisure time to write and travel and stock your wine cellar (because all university professors are into wines). Of course, nothing could be farther from the truth in my case.
Thanks to the current powers-that-be in Washington, D. C., public school teachers somehow fall under this same false umbrella of privileged suspicion. I can't tell you how many times I've been a part of a conversation that goes something like this:
"So what does Tom do for a living?"
"Oh, he teaches seventh grade science."
"Well, he's all set then."
"No, he really underpaid."
"Yeah, but he gets his summers off."
Teachers have to do continuing education. It's a requirement to maintain their teaching credentials. They usually do this during the summer months. There's new curriculum to plan. Classrooms to organize. Training to participate in. If I don't teach in the summer, I'm preparing for the classes I will teach come August. Selecting textbooks. Writing syllabuses. Creating Web content. I'm always teaching, even when I'm not.
So, don't ever think that teachers have it easy. They're not in it for the money. Or prestige. Or summer vacation. Teachers are dedicated public servants who deserve respect and thanks. More money wouldn't be bad, either.
Saint Marty is thankful for all the teachers he's ever known in his life.
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