Literary pirates versus modern-day piracy

¶ … pirates vs. modern day

The Implications Of Real And Literary Piracy

The theater comes alive when Jack Sparrow lights up the screen, wielding his sword and staggering around his ship. The rough seas, mysterious curses, and action-packed adventures of Pirates of the Caribbean and other literary pirate tails is why we love them, the same way Western culture loves superheroes, fire fighters, Harry Potter, and the Transporter. Even real pirates, not just those who make their appearances in the cannon of literature and in folklore, have traditionally been accepted by the American people in historical contexts. For instance, Dwyer writes that New York was traditionally a safe haven for Pirates. According to Dwyer "piracy was a leading economic development tool in [New York's] competition with the ports of Boston and Philadelphia." In the 1600s, the area that would become the United States actually engaged in piracy itself. During Britain's repeated wars with France, both countries would engage pirate ships, called privateers, to pillage the other side's ships. Of course, the privateers also plundered other ships, and New York's port agreed to accept the stolen goods (Dwyer). Even with their rich history of an appreciation for literary pirates and involvement in piracy themselves, today's concept piracy has a much different flavor than the piracy of history. Beek suggests that, during the classical period, cultural issues greatly influenced what was considered piracy and what was not, suggesting that pirates were not always the hardened criminals that they are today. Recently, pirates have been making the news as more than characters of box-office blowout movies. Instead of fighting for love and a carefree life, they have been attacking ships for monetary gain, ships containing civilian crews and military personnel, causing death and destruction. Thus, today, the glorified characters of piracy no longer amuse us, instead they fill our hearts with sorrow and compassion for those who have been victimized and terrorized by their brutal acts.

Children and adults, alike, have been long enamored with pirates like Captain Hook, Black Beard, and Long John Silver. Although these pirates were often portrayed as villains, "they are the epitome of freedom and adventure" (Vandergrift). Vandergrift remarks that children can easily dress up like pirates with patches over their eyes, hats, and peg legs, pretending to be those adventurous characters. Thus, it was the adventurous nature of the pirates that caused Westerners to become so interested in them -- not the fact that they were criminals. Further, it is easy to see literary pirates in a Robin Hood-like fashion, taking from the dull society in order to live more meaningful lives. This is especially clear in the popular Pirates of the Caribbean movies, where the conventional society is portrayed as unreasonable, staunch, and boring compared to the pirate life of adventure, love, and self-expression. Still, Vandergrift remarks, "Although entertainment media have romanticized swashbuckling pirates, it is important to remember that piracy is a crime of terrorism."

In his April 26 column in the Chicago Tribune, Clarence Page agrees with Vandergrift when he writes, "They're not making pirates like they used to," a sentiment that describes the Western attitude toward modern piracy. Today, most have realized this difference -- understanding that pricy is not synonymous with a life of adventure, but is, instead, a dangerous activity that costs real people their lives -- a complex crime unlike any other. This can be best seen through one of the recent cases of piracy on the high seas. When Somali pirates captured a merchant ship, U.S. Navy SEALS were required to intervene -- they shot three pirates and captured one more, a boy who looked young enough to still enjoy dressing up like a traditional pirate (Page). In this case, the reader can clearly see that piracy is not a romantic, adventurous life, but a dangerous activity that cost the lives of three men and will most likely be the ruin of the captured teenager's life. An even more recent case of piracy, which occurred when a cruise ship was captured off the coast of Somalia, suggests the violence of piracy. Armed security personnel on the cruise ship traded fire with the pirates, who fled. Though no one was hurt, trading gunshots at sea was probably not what the passengers of the cruise ship had in mind when they signed up for the vacation (Winfield). It would not be surprising if the passengers and crew of the ship were forever scared by this frightening experience. These two incidents show that piracy today is not the piracy of literature; instead, it is a dangerous crime for both perpetrator and victim.