Which best explains why Melville refers to Captain Ahab as “supreme lord and dictator” in the first paragraph of Chapter 28 of Moby-Dick?

“Supreme lord and dictator” describes Ahab as having absolute authority aboard the ship. The phrase shows that he alone makes the decisions, rather than sharing power with the crew or relying on them to decide for him. So the best choice is that Ahab is the only decision maker on board.

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