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.
Thus, while pirates have traditionally been the beloved characters of adventures and children's novels, they no longer amuse and entertain us. Instead, they commit crimes that result in death and ruined lives. Because of this, Vandergrift wonders if the tone of children's literature should change, if pirates should be portrayed as the ruthless terrorists that they are in their artistic and literary representation.
Works Cited
Beek, Aaron L. "Pirates, Leistai, Boukoloi, and Hostes Gentium of the Classical World:
The Portrayal of Pirates in Literature and the Reality of Contemporary Piratical Actions." Macalester College. 2006. Honors Projects. 26 April 2009.
This scholarly paper discusses classical piracy, the language used in connection with pirates, in addition to comparing literary pirates with contemporary pirates. The thesis of the paper is that "the pirate's role in the Classical Mediterranean was much...
The paper includes interesting information about the role of traditional pirates for comparing them to today's pirate.
Dwyer, Jim. "When the City Held Pirates in High Regard." The New York Times. 21
April 2009. 26 April 2009.
In this
newspaper article, the author takes the current case of Somali piracy to trace New York's piracy roots. He shows that New York not only allowed pirated goods in its port, but also that the British government, which ruled the U.S. At the time, engaged in piracy during the many wars between the U.S. And
France.
Page, Clarence. "Get Pirates at their Somali Roots." Chicago Tribune. 26 April 2009. 26
April 2009.
In this newspaper column, the author discusses the recent cases of piracy committed by Somalis. He gives an overview of the issue, and cites U.S. Representative Donald Payne as his primary source. Payne describes Somali pirates more like members of street gangs then literary pirates.
Vandergrift, Kay E. "Pirates in Children's Literature."
Rutgers University. n.d.
Vandergrift's Children's Literature Page. 26 April 2009.
Offering both a bibliography and links to other interesting sites, this brief article discusses the role of pirates in children's literature. The article discusses how pirates have been portrayed as romanticized lovers of
freedom, but are really criminals. The article ends with a series of implications about this connection, questioning how the
connections should be treated today and in the future.
Winfield, Nicole. "Italy cruise ship fires on Somali pirates." Google News. 26 April
2009. The Associated Press. 26 April 2009.
In this short news article, the author describes Somali Pirates' attempt to take an Italian cruise ship, which carried around 1500 passengers and crew. The attempt was thwarted when the cruise ship's security guards fired on the pirates. No one was hurt.
