What is the rising action and climax to the story Moby Dick?

The rising action are the points in the plot and the description of characters that lead to suspense and to the climax. In Moby Dick, much of the book contains the rising action, starting with Captain Ahab's appearance on the deck of the Pequod to announce his intention to kill the whale who caused him to have a missing leg. The rising action also includes the part of the book in which other ships cross the Pequod's path, including the Jeroboam of Nantucket, on which a sailor announces that he is the archangel Gabriel. This man issues terrible prophecies to Captain Ahab, such as "Think, think of thy whale-boat, stoven and sunk! Beware of the horrible tail!" The crew of this other ship recount an incident in which the mate of the Jeroboam was tossed into the air and drowned when the white shadow of the whale appeared, while the boat was not harmed. Nonetheless, Captain Ahab pushes ahead in his quest to find Moby Dick. 

Later, continuing the rising action of the plot, the Pequod meets another ship called the Samuel Enderby of London, and a sailor on this ship tells Ahab the story of the loss of his arm to what he calls the "White Whale." The rising action also includes numerous mentions of the word "coffin," as Queequeg has a coffin built for him when he thinks he is dying (later the coffin becomes the way in which Ishmael is rescued from the sinking Pequod). The frequent mentions of the image of a coffin contribute to the rising action, as they foreshadow the death that is to follow for the ship's crew.

The climax to the story is Captain Ahab's final encounter with Moby Dick. This is the resolution of the rising action, as Ahab finally tries to kill the whale who is his nemesis and winds up causing the deaths of himself and all of his crew, save Ishmael.