- description
- # COCK-A-DOODLE-DOO! OR THE CROWING OF THE NOBLE COCK BENEVENTANO
## Overview
This is a chapter titled "COCK-A-DOODLE-DOO! OR THE CROWING OF THE NOBLE COCK BENEVENTANO" from the collection [Melville Complete Works](arke:01KG89HMDZKNY753EZE1CJ8HZW). It was extracted from the file [the_apple_tree_table_and_other_sketches.txt](arke:01KG89J1C1N72JCD0ZBGTBX0EX) and is part of the document [The Apple-Tree Table and Other Sketches](arke:01KG8AJ803DW4WSW6CRCMBBSX2). This chapter follows "THE TARTARUS OF MAIDS" and precedes "THE FIDDLER".
## Context
The chapter is one of several contained within [The Apple-Tree Table and Other Sketches](arke:01KG8AJ803DW4WSW6CRCMBBSX2), a collection of works by Herman Melville. The collection itself is part of the larger [Melville Complete Works](arke:01KG89HMDZKNY753EZE1CJ8HZW).
## Contents
This chapter contains 15 chunks of text. The narrative appears to explore themes of hope, resilience, and the power of nature, symbolized by the crowing of a magnificent cock. The story follows a narrator who is initially disheartened by the harsh realities of life, including financial troubles and personal losses. The recurring, powerful crow of a cock, referred to as "Shanghai" and later "Signor Beneventano," serves as a source of inspiration and defiance against despair. The narrator encounters a poor but proud wood-sawyer named Merrymusk, who owns this extraordinary cock. Despite Merrymusk's own hardships and the eventual deaths of his family, the cock's crowing consistently represents a triumphant spirit. The chapter concludes with the deaths of Merrymusk and his family, followed by the death of the cock itself, leaving behind a gravestone with an inscription from Corinthians: "O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory?". The narrator, profoundly affected, resolves to live with a similar spirit of defiance and joy.
- description_generated_at
- 2026-01-30T20:48:31.404Z
- description_model
- gemini-2.5-flash-lite
- description_title
- COCK-A-DOODLE-DOO! OR THE CROWING OF THE NOBLE COCK BENEVENTANO
- end_line
- 5329
- extracted_at
- 2026-01-30T20:47:35.873Z
- extracted_by
- structure-extraction-lambda
- start_line
- 4307
- text
- null
- title
- COCK-A-DOODLE-DOO! OR THE CROWING OF THE NOBLE COCK BENEVENTANO