115 Comments
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Trent's avatar

Seaner, any chance we could get ohhh say abouuuut a month straight of your replies to emails? Please? Pretty please and a free trip to Waffle House for you, Jamie, Becca and Marigold. Oh and 1 free case of Ovaltine. Patiently awaiting your reply.

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Marilyn's avatar

Yea Trent…right there with you brother!! 👍

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Vickii of the South's avatar

Sounds good to me!

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Holly Lebed's avatar

I support this message.

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Sara Bannerman's avatar

Really, you could just read chapter 4, where Ishmael wakes up in bed next to a cuddly cannibal, and stop after that. One other chapter about skinning whales is useful, but I can just tell you how it’s done: you peel them like an orange. Done.

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Te Burt's avatar

Thank you. Now I don't have to read the dang thing.

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Julie RN's avatar

Sean, may I start out by saying that I’m from Central Illinois, not anywhere in MinneSODA. And let me also say that I would never refer to you as an idiot. Quite the contrary…I’m always trying to build you up, to make you see what a smart writer you are. and a compassionate, tender-hearted, funny guy.

One fine day you’re going to finally realize you’re the “Good Guy”…the hero in the White Cowboy Hat. Ok, so you have Red Hair…you can add Passion and Energy to your list of amazing attributes.

Love from one of your gazillion readers who feel the same 👩‍🦰❌⭕️❌⭕️

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Jan(et) Lord's avatar

I belong to Sean’s gazillion readers club too. I am right there with you Julie because I also really believe Sean is definitely a “Good Guy”. And, that white cowboy hat looks especially good on red hair. 🤗

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Patricia Dianne Gibson's avatar

There is a lot of so called classic literature that sucks. I love literature but we are all still allowed(at least for now)to have our own opinion. Some folks seem to have forgotten that and love to attack anyone different from themselves. Geez

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Susie S's avatar

..and it's usually because they have less education, I've noticed, Patricia...and you can bet $ on that. They feel the NEED to put education and the higher of it down. It makes them FEEL better. Lol 🙄..BORING

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Ron Mahn's avatar

I confess I have cheated only twice in my academic endeavor. I confess those two lapses of integrity each Lent.

One such lapse as a Lit major at OU (‘76) Boomer!!. Instead of reading “Moby Dick” I did indeed buy the book. After the first five to ten pages, I then borrowed my roommate’s “Moby Dick” Cliff Notes … based on their sterling insights, I turned in the required five page “Proof of Read” review and took the required essay test. I made Bs on both … hey it was OU in the seventies, streaking north and south oval were of far more focus and priority in our academic endeavors.

As it’s once again the season of Lent, and I still have that copy of Moby Dick, I hear once again, the prompt of penance indicative of a truly repentant and contrite heart … I also still have my roommates’ Cliff Notes ...

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Candace Parker's avatar

Even the Cliff’s Notes sucked!

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Julie RN's avatar

Surely evidence exists SOME where? that CliffsNotes save students from failing English or Literature classes!?

They were very popular and well used in high-school back in the 60’s!

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Marilyn's avatar

Yep Julie ~ cliffs notes were my buddies in high school!! 😇

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Leigh Amiot's avatar

Marilyn!

(me, too)

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Te Burt's avatar

Melville was psychic: he knew that book would be a staple for trivia pub contests. The winners are always some high-brow local twit who's read -- and remembered -- every boring book written. They always look well-rested. (I really just wanted to see how many times I could use dashes.) Nor War and Peace, Dostievsky (I can't believe I spelled that right!), or Of Mice and Men. Did read GWTW -- twice, Dune 4 times, and Dorothy Dunnett, possibly one of the best, most subtle, complex writers ever, 4 times. (It took that many to fully understand the plot!) Moon is a Harsh Mistress -- (hah!) 9 times. I'm only on page 10 of "Thinking and Destiny" -- 790 pages to go! People think I'm nuts to read something twice, but I consider it visiting with old friends. I guess my love affaire with the written word is selective. (Aren't most love affairs?)

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Te Burt's avatar

And now we know how to get from Moby Dick to love affairs in 1 paragraph!

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Al Bowers's avatar

"Moby Dick" is one of my favorite novels. It has everything you could want. A great story that is also educational, if you love the fabulous history of the now defunct whaling industry. Whale oil lit America's lamps before the production of kerosine. "Moby Dick" is a great American novel. Relax, read it, and enjoy a fabulous voyage..

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M Drake's avatar

Nope, I’m good. But while reading your response, I got a flash of the answer to the banning natural gas. And a new show called “Environmental nuts VS PETA”! Now THAT I’d watch!

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Susie S's avatar

Talk about a bunch-o-nuts!!

PETA

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Helena Angell's avatar

I wish the whaling industry truly was defunct...not yet 💔

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MAM's avatar

Instead of making students read unnecessary [four-letter curse word starting with S], why don't teachers and professors choose more uplifting books to read? I lucked out in college. I never had to read Moby Dick, and never took the time to read it. It seemed like a story I wasn't at all interested in and evidently nobody else is, either. I learned with my very first English essay in college that my grammar was "100 percent better than the average freshman," but I had "nothing to say." Maybe I should have undertaken a 1000-page book at that point. Whadya think? Thanks, Sean, for the chuckles and the great put down of the pretentious English teacher.

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Amy Jensen's avatar

When I was about 45 I thought I may have missed out on something by never having read "Moby Dick." I put it on my Christmas list as an affordable gift option for one of my children. My eldest son gifted it to me, and I set out to read it over the next year. Every night that year when getting into bed I pulled out the book and read. It usually put me to sleep within three pages. It was very helpful as a sleep aide. After reading the book I was glad to have finished it. Reading it again may add additional depth of understanding as rereading often does.

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Wanda Bush's avatar

You did well. I didn’t make it far before I grabbed a copy of the children’s version.

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Vickii of the South's avatar

I did the same. Thank goodness. it wasn't required of me during school.

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Helena Angell's avatar

Whaa? There's a children's version? Yikes does it leave the brutality out of the story?

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Wanda Bush's avatar

It softens the brutality. I have read several Great Illustrated Classic versions of several literature classic novels, because I wanted to know what the book was about, but I didn’t want to spend my time reading something I wasn’t very interested in reading. Although these were designed for children, after reading Oliver Twist, The Three Musketeers, and several others, I found very few appropriate for my young children. But as an adult, it was a nice way to catch up on the classics.

Sure, you cannot beat the original adult versions of A Tale of Two Cities, or Anna Karenina, still, if you want a shortened version, children versions are helpful and easy reads.

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Susanne Lambert's avatar

Sean, I am 76 years old and have never read Moby Dick. For sure won’t waste my precious time with it. I read to feed my heart, mind and soul. I recently finished your book, Kinfolk, which is the BEST book of fiction I’ve ever read in my life!!!!! I’m reading all your books now. Been meaning to let you know, and this seemed like a good time. Keep writing!!!! God bless you Sean.

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M Drake's avatar

Sean, you are no idiot and someone who has to write just to tell you that is a psychopath. I was never made to read that book and now I’m thankful. We got to pick which classics we wanted to read and I chose Leaves of Grass. Also a depressing story. The classics all seem to be depressing to me. As my long lost daddy use to say, “Real Life is hard enough, who wants waste their time reading about it!”❤️

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Donna R's avatar

I’ve made it to the ripe old age of 60 and never read this book, not that there was any chance of me doing it any time soon but thanks for letting me know it isn’t a ‘necessary’ read and it never really was!!!!🤣🤣🤣🤣

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Denise Robson's avatar

Sean, you are a master at writing the perfect response to those who are so disgusted by an article you wrote. They could just not read it, right? But no, they have an opinion that usually sounds mean and critical. Those types need to learn it’s ok to disagree and move on. Your response gave me a good laugh. I hope you publish a book of all the wonderful responses you have written to the opinionated readers out there. I think they’re hilarious.

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Linda Hubbard's avatar

❤️💕

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Paul McCutchen's avatar

Camping this weekend

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Linda Hubbard's avatar

We were tent campers many, many years ago! 💕

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Paul McCutchen's avatar

We started with tents then a pop up now we have hybrid. Beds fold down from the ends

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Susie S's avatar

Reading boring sh.. to tent camping ....in less than a few sentences. Lol. Love it

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Don Gardner's avatar

I did not read Moby Dick in any of my high school or college English classes, so I want to thank all my teachers. However, years later, I decided I would read some of the classics which I missed in my school days and I chose Moby Dick. It truly blows!

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Marilyn's avatar

Don…pls tell us how you really feel!!😂🤣😂

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