Use of Comparison in “Excess on the High Seas.”

Andrew Pyper makes good use of comparisons throughout the text of “Excess on the High Seas.” Pyper’s intention is to present us with a glimpse of the excesses that now characterize the building of luxury ships.  The comparison is consistently used to give us an insight into the rich world of billionaire vessels, which recently was non-existent on the High Seas. The skill can present the sharp contrast that wealth and means have been able to create in a relatively short period. We are supposed to be dazzled and
even shocked at the rate of progress happening on the High Seas; much like the world was when the Las Vegas phenomenon struck the empty deserts of Nevada.
Cruise ships are shimmering with a display, brandishing their opulence and arrogance for the world to see. It is also a testament in the thinking of man. A man can conquer the wastelands and is now concentrating on achieving the same with the oceans and other water bodies. Since time immemorial, man has had trouble defeating the water bodies, which have been unruly and rude to the efforts of man. However, new wealth has made it possible for man to come up with innovative ideas on how to conquer the water bodies. In the process, man cannot help but display the fruits of his labor for the world to see. If the High Seas could speak, they would admit that man has finally conquered and vanquished it. The author describes the sea traveler as “perfect new” and the new vessel onto which the author boards is to be distinguished from the rest of the other ships docking in the waters. In other words, this ship is exceptional and so is the accomplishment that man has achieved in designing the new cruise ship, which is just too difficult to describe without the use of comparisons.
Comparisons serve the purpose of giving us two or more other examples with which we can compare the new accomplishments in the design of the vessel. The ship, built at a cost of $600 million, is majesty to behold and fathom is a working ship and not some monument constructed by ancient civilizations for some inconceivable reason like the Stonehenge Monuments. The vessel is a testament to man’s ingenuity, and the author employs comparisons to make this point clear. Other ships have been built, no doubt, but this cruise ship is exceptional. It is unique. It is in its class.
The author compares the cruise vessel to the West Edmonton Mall. The comparison is apt because it distinguishes the ship from other ordinary ships in the docks. Just like the West Edmonton Mall, the ship can supply leisure at a rate unrivalled by other competitors. In other words, in the same way, the West Edmonton Mall has no peers when it comes to luxury shopping, the cruise ship has no peers in the industry. The food served by the chef is exquisite, despite the enormous amount of humanity thronging the cruise ship. The customers are polished and rich, much like those of West Edmonton Mall.
The services offered on the ship are exceptional and diverse as a hockey arena. People can skate on the surplus ice, and the live shows are full of glitz as they are angelic. The author says that women seem to be floating on feathers, while the men radiate light. The cruise ships casino emulate the Las Vegas party scene. Glamour and pomp define the casino area. By comparing the casino in the ship to those in Las Vegas, Pyper can create a definitive comparison that directly takes one to the glitter of Las Vegas. In other words, one does not Las Vegas while on the ship. They bring it to you.  The comparison is also designed to make the prospective customer feel that any and all the money spent on the ship during the seven-day voyage is worth it. It offers a substitute to the usual brick and mortar establishments that a person can go to in search of leisure. The ship is an equal, if not the better substitute for a life of luxury that its elite clientele is in the search.
In conclusion, it must be noted that comparisons used by the author convince a person that the ship is worth a try. Reading through the text, one takes a mental trip through the delicacies and services on offer, all the while thinking of the excesses of Las Vegas and such luxury malls as West Edmonton Mall. Pyper masterfully crafts this mental picture for the reader in a way that can present the full glamour of the cruise ship. A person planning a sea voyage would inextricably find himself or herself dreaming about a cruise on the “Excess of the High Seas.”