SS+Group+5+Captain+Hook

by Jesy Feliccia, Aimee Galinski, and Jesse Rittner
 * CAPTAIN HOOK ** [[image:http://www.tgdaily.com/sites/default/files/stock/article_images/scifi/20110324b_image_b.jpg width="479" height="320" align="center"]]

__**Background Information on Piracy:**__ **The Golden Age of Piracy** The Golden Age of Piracy typically refers to the time period from the 1650s to the 1720s. It is usually divided into three periods: the buccaneering period (1650-1680), during which Anglo-French sailors in Jamaica and Tortuga attacked Spanish colonies and shipping in the Caribbean and eastern Pacific; the Pirate Round (1690s), during which pirates from Bermuda and the Americas robbed ships in the Indian Ocean and Red Sea; and the post-Spanish Succession period (1716-1726), during which sailors left unemployed after the War of the Spanish Succession became pirates in the Caribbean, the American eastern seaboard, the West African coast, and the Indian Ocean. The multitude of valuables being shipped over the ocean during this period greatly contributed to the rise of piracy, as did the absence of European navies in some areas.



**History of Blackbeard** Blackbeard was a British pirate, probably born before 1690. His real name was Edward Teach, and he served on a privateer based in Jamaica. After the war of the Spanish Succession, Teach joined a group of Caribbean pirates, and he soon became captain of his own ship. Eventually, he started calling himself Blackbeard, and he and his crew plagued the Atlantic Ocean and the Caribbean Sea from 1716 to 1718. To make himself seem more menacing, he braided his black beard and tied the braids with black ribbons. He also put burning ropes under his hat. In the fall of 1718, Alexander Spotswoood, governor of Virginia, decided to put an end to Blackbeard's reign of terror. He sent navy ships commanded by Lieutenant Robert Maynard to attack Blackbeard. Blackbeard steered his ship through a narrow channel between the beach and a sandbar, and the pursuing navy ships crashed into the sandbar. Maynard's crew through supplies overboard to lighten the ship, and it became dislodged from the sandbar.

Maynard ordered his men to hide under the deck as the ship floated toward the pirate ship. The pirates climbed aboard the seemingly abandoned ship, and a bloody battle ensued, during which one of Maynard's men slashed Blackbeard's throat. Blackbeard was decapitated and his head was suspended from the bow of Maynard's ship as a warning to other pirates.

__**Portrayal of Pirates in Mass Media:**__ **Movie List** This website provides a comprehensive list of movies about pirates.



**//Hook//** The film //Hook// tells the story of Peter Pan's return to Neverland. As an adult with a family, Peter Pan (now Peter Banning) does not remember anything about his past; however, he is forced to enter Neverland after the notorious Captain Hook kidnaps his two children, Jack and Maggie. While in Neverland, Pan runs into the new Lost Boys, mermaids, and pirates. As grows to know these individuals, Peter Pan must also rediscover who he is and figure out a way to save his children. But first, he needs to learn to fly.

In the film, the pirates are terrifying and evil, with a lust for war. They eagerly obey Captain James Hook because they fear facing the wrath of his iron hook. Hook has not aged a bit since Peter Pan originally met him and fed his arm to a crocodile; in fact, Hook clearly remembers everything about his past with Peter Pan. This pirate captain is recognizable due to his red coat, hook hand, and black wig. After kidnapping Peter Pan's children, Captain Hook attempts to convince Jack (Pan's son) to denounce his father; Hook wants Jack to become his son. Of course, Hook is still portrayed as wicked and sinister, yet also self-conscious and concerned about having "good form."

media type="custom" key="9099744" align="center" //**The Pirates Who Don't Do Anything: A VeggieTales Movie**// //Veggie Tales// is a children's show featuring animated vegetables. The show is meant to teach children life lessons about topics such as honesty, kindness, and being happy with what one has. In //The Pirates Who Don't Do Anything//, three of the characters (Larry the Cucumber, Mr. Lunt, and Pa Grape) travel back to the 1600s where they must learn how to be pirates in order to save a royal family. In the movie, Larry the Cucumber and some of his friends sing a song called "The Pirates Who Don't Do Anything." In this song, the characters sing about being pirates that do not do anything. They list things that stereotypical pirates should do but they do not do. This song mentions many of the clichés about pirates, such as walking the plank, hoisting the sail, and swabbing the poop deck. However, in order to be humorous and amusing to children, it also pokes fun at pirates. Throughout the rest of the movie, the "real" pirates are portrayed as violent and often attack other ships. media type="custom" key="9132508" align="center" //** The Pirates of the Caribbean **// The //Pirates of the Caribbean// trilogy (with a fourth film to arrive in theaters in May) follows the story of three characters: Elizabeth Swann, William Turner, and Captain Jack Sparrow. In the film, Jack Sparrow is viewed as a strange and eccentric pirate who is actually quite intelligent and is always one step ahead of everyone else. The notorious pirate Davy Jones - captain of the //Flying Dutchman// - makes an appearance, too. As a whole, pirates are portrayed in the typical manner. They sail the seven seas, pillaging and searching for gold. They love women and drinking and gambling; they can be quite violent and always carry their pistols with them. Pirates are feared and hated by many people, especially the government. Despite all of this, pirates still uphold their own code of honor and have a sense of integrity. These characteristics can be seen when the King is about to hang those who are associated with piracy; at this point, a pirate cabin boy starts to sing “Hoist the Colours” and soon every pirate about to be hanged joins in. This song is a call to the Pirate Lords to get together and fight against the government and Davy Jones. media type="custom" key="9132640" align="center" //** Swiss Family Robinson **// In this Disney movie from 1960, the Robinson family becomes stranded on an uncharted island after being attacked by pirates. There, they are forced to learn how to survive.

In the film, the pirates are aggressive and greedy but not very intelligent. In one scene, they destroy a ship and capture its captain and cabin boy. The pirates decide to use the two for ransom, but the cabin "boy" (who is actually a girl named Bertie) is rescued by the Robinsons and leaves her grandfather - the captured captain - behind. When the pirates find the house that the Robinsons and Bertie are inhabiting on the island, the pirates plan to kidnap them all for ransom. However, the pirates are outwitted and fail when secret alarms, which were set up by the youngest Robinson boy, go off from the back of the house. The pirates are further outsmarted when the family causes them to tumble down a hill, fall into a tiger pit, or be chased off by coconut bombs. Thus, the family’s strategies and knowledge of the island defeat the pirates.

It is also interesting to note that the pirates are all of an Asian ethnicity and speak in a non-English language; they are not just a mixture of random people from different cultures.

media type="custom" key="9132730" align="center" //** Muppet Treasure Island **// //Treasure Island// is a classic tale about a boy named Jim Hawkins who goes on the adventure of a life time. In the beginning, Jim lives in an inn that his mother runs. One resident there never pays his rent, and Jim soon discovers that this renter is an ex-pirate. The pirate leaves Jim a map to his buried treasure, which is located on an island. Jim and a doctor gather a crew to go on a voyage to find the treasure. Near the end of the trip, Jim discovers that the crew he hired was all pirates. Once they reach the island, the greedy pirates decide that they want to keep the treasure for themselves. Thus, it is a race against time to see who will get the treasure and who will be left behind.

//Muppet Treasure Island// follows the same story as the original tale, but it is targeted at a younger audience. The pirates are still violent and greedy, but they also sing songs (like “Professional Pirates”). The pirates are like ordinary people, but they wear the traditional pirate garb: eye-patches, their hats, and bandanas.

media type="custom" key="9132740" align="center"

__**Captain Hook in //Peter Pan//:**__ **Inspiration for Captain Hook** This website discusses theories regarding possible influences on J.M. Barrie's creation of Captain James Hook.

One possible influence could have been Captain Christopher Newport - a privateer for Queen Elizabeth I during the 1500s. Like Hook, he was involved in many battles; Newport attacked more Spanish ships and settlements than any other privateer. Newport had a connection to crocodiles since he gave two baby crocodiles to King James I as gifts. Newport also lacked a female influence throughout most of his life and replaced his right arm with a hook after losing it in a battle, just as Captain Hook does.

Another theory is that Captain James Cook (whose name is similar to Hook's) helped inspire Barrie. Cook was a navigator and explorer during the 1700s. He was killed by Hawaiian natives that attacked his ship, which is similar to how Hook dies when attacked by the Lost Boys.

A third possibility is that Captain Long John Silver from //Treasure Island// could be an inspiration. Silver has nicknames like "the Sea Cook" and "Barbecue," both of which are referenced in Peter Pan. Like Hook, Silver is an intelligent and educated gentleman, but also a ruthless pirate. Silver loses a limb (albeit his leg), as well.

Finally, Captain Ahab from //Moby Dick// could have been an influence. Hook and Ahab each have a dark countenance and eyes that glow red when angry. Both are driven by a lust for revenge, too. Just as Hook loses his arm to a crocodile, Ahab loses a leg to a whale; in the end, each man also meets his demise when consumed by the sea creature that took his limb.

**"Hook at Eton":** This speech was made by J.M. Barrie to the students at Eton College. In it, Barrie speaks about James Hook's "early days" at the school, before he became a pirate. At Eton, Hook hated water and was not very athletic; however, when he was hurt while playing football, people noticed that he "bled yellow." He enjoyed reading books, especially poetry. He was a member of the Eton Society, or Pop, which is a prestigious fraternity of the thirty leading and most intellectual individuals in the school.

One night, years after Hook had become a pirate captain, a policeman saw a strange and shadowy figure sitting on the wall of the campus where only Pops could sit. The man wore fashionable modern clothing and a silk hat, and he had long black hair and an iron hook for a hand; the officer stated that “[he was] the handsomest man I have ever seen, though, at the same time, perhaps slightly disgusting." When asked the policeman asked if the figure was or had ever been a Pop, the man denied it; Hook denied being an Etonian for the honor of the school.

**Description of Hook in the Novel** **Barrie, J[ames] M[atthew]. //Peter Pan//. London: PuffinClassics-Penguin, 2008. Print.** In physical appearance, Captain James (Jas.) Hook is rather handsome, despite being "cadaverous and blackavised" (Barrie 62). He has long, curly black hair and sad blue eyes that glow red whenever he is killing somebody. Hook's clothing is similar to that of King Charles II, and he has a cigar holder to smoke two cigars simultaneously. However, "the grimmest part of him [is] his iron claw" (Barrie 63).

Captain Hook's personality is rather complex. Despite being a ruthless and terrifying pirate, Hook is "not wholly evil" (Barrie 149). He is a good story teller and loves flowers; he also enjoys sweet music and can even play the harpsichord. Hook is courageous, and he only fears two things: his strange-colored blood, and the crocodile that ate his arm and hunts him down. The captain is egotistical, intelligent, and distinguished, and he can be polite and eloquent. Although Hook will confide in his bo'sun, Smee, he is still "of a different caste from his crew" (Barrie 62). Captain Hook relentlessly hunts down Peter Pan because he is infuriated by Pan's cockiness. Hook is obsessed with having good form, too.

James Hook's life is shrouded in mystery. In fact, this name is not even Hook's true identity; "to reveal who he really [is] would even at this date set the country in a blaze" (Barrie 157). However, it is known that Hook once attended a famous public school and became a member of Pop, an elite society there; it is due to his past there that Hook so values good form. Hook eventually takes to the sea and becomes Blackbeard's bo'sun. At some point after taking control of the //Jolly Roger//, Hook loses a fight to Peter Pan, who cuts off his right arm and feeds it to a passing crocodile. Now, that crocodile follows Hook; the only reason the beast has not succeeded in eating Hook is because it swallowed a clock, which ticks to warn Hook of the creature's presence.

Throughout most of the novel, Hook is a powerful pirate who is feared and obeyed by his crew. His goal is to kill Peter Pan and the Lost Boys, and make Wendy his mother. On many occasions, Hook fails to kill Peter Pan: Pan avoids eating poisoned cake at the Mermaid's Lagoon, escapes Marooner's Rock after freeing Tiger Lily (despite serious injuries), and is saved from his poisoned medicine by Tinker Bell. After launching a surprise attack on the redskins (as opposed to following the traditional methods of warfare and waiting to be attacked), Hook captures the Lost Boys and Wendy; Hook also believes he has killed Pan by tainting his medicine. Once aboard his ship after this triumph, Hook feels alone and nervous and worries about having good form. After Peter Pan sneaks onto the ship (by mimicking the ticking of the no-longer-ticking crocodile) and begins killing pirates, Hook's men mutiny. When Hook and Pan finally face off against each other, Pan takes the lead. Hook realizes he has lost but still seeks one last success; he achieves this by tricking Pan into kicking him overboard (bad form!), before contentedly falling into the jaws of the crocodile waiting below.

**Analysis of Hook and Pan** Both Peter Pan and Captain Hook are caught in a rivalry that will not end until one or the other is dead. Pan's reason for this is relatively simple: Captain Hook is an adult and a pirate, both of which Pan hates. Initially, battling Hook is more like a game than a rivalry to Peter Pan, who often kills pirates as sport. Even when fighting Hook on Marooner's Rock, Pan is willing to lend Hook a hand so that the two are on even playing field; of course, the underhanded Hook instead bites and then stabs Pan, who is shocked by the unfairness of it all. It is not until after Captain Hook kidnaps the Lost Boys and Wendy that Pan finally becomes serious and vows, "'Hook or me this time'" (Barrie 155). Captain Hook's reason for hating Pan is also easily explained: although Pan cut off his arm, what really infuriates Hook is Pan's cockiness. As an adult, Hook loathes the fact that a child like Pan is capable of being so arrogant and sure of himself.

The relationship between Pan and Hook hints at some characteristics of an Oedipus Complex; based on the Greek figure Oedipus, this is when a boy is in love with his mother and wants to kill his father. In the novel, Wendy Darling treats the Lost Boys as children but is flirtatious with Pan and behaves as if she wants to be romantically involved with him. In turn, both Hook and Pan are willing to fight to the death, partially over who gets to have Wendy as a mother. Also, in plays, the characters of Mr. Darling and Captain Hook (two prominent adult male characters) are often played by the same actor, which emphasizes the idea of Peter Pan killing a father-figure.

In addition, it is interesting to note the views that both Peter Pan and Captain Hook have on the passage of time. Pan has no sense of time and forgets things from one moment to the next; for instance, when flying to Neverland, Pan "would come down laughing over something fearfully funny he had been saying to a star, but he had already forgotten what it was" (Barrie 48). By ignoring time and only living in the moment, Peter Pan is also able to keep a childish perspective on life and fulfill his wish of remaining a boy and never growing older. On the other hand, Captain Hook is quite concerned about the passage of time; he plans for the future and does not like to leave things to chance. The reason why Hook is so conscious of time elapsing is due to the ticktock of the crocodile that follows him. One of Hook's only fears is that the clock in the crocodile will one day stop ticking, which would allow the beast to kill Hook. In other words, Hook is aware of time but does not fear time itself; rather, like many adults, he fears the day that his time will eventually run out.

__** Captain Hook's Ship Log **__ Captain James Hook will live on forever, yet he has already been forgotten. Perhaps there is a better way to phrase such a paradox: the legend of Hook's //name// will survive for aeons; it is the truth of the //man// that will be lost to the harsh sands of time. Even so, one may still hope to catch a glimpse of who he once was. Just as the three Darling children chanced upon Hook's ship log after his death, perhaps we will be able to discover something about this tragic soul by thumbing through these pages - by taking a peek through this window of his mind.