Question

read this excerpt from chapter 41 of moby - dick using comprehension strategies.
if such a furious trope may stand, his special lunacy stormed his general sanity, and carried it, and turned all its concentred cannon upon its own mad mark; so that far from having lost his strength, ahab, to that one end, did now possess a thousand fold more potency than ever he had sanely brought to bear upon any one reasonable object.
what is the meaning of this excerpt?
though ahab is physically weakened, his will for revenge has strengthened him.
ahabs anger has increased his physical strength, and he is ready to fire his cannon.
ahab has always been physically strong, but his desire for revenge has weakened him.
though ahab has lost his ability to seek revenge, he still harbors anger and resentment.

Explanation:

The text states that Ahab's "special lunacy" (his obsession for revenge) "far from having lost his strength...did now possess a thousand fold more potency". This indicates that while there might be a sense of 'lunacy' (not physical weakness as in some options), his will for revenge (the 'lunacy' - his driving force) has given him more power. Option 2 misinterprets the 'cannon' as a literal one (it's a metaphor), option 3 contradicts the text (text says he gained potency), option 4 also contradicts (text says he has the potency for his'mad mark' - revenge).

Answer:

Though Ahab is physically weakened, his will for revenge has strengthened him.