The Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl was the
first of a now popular series. It romanticized pirates' legendary lust for
adventure and gold. One detail that I would like to discuss is a sub-theme that
is a little hidden within the series, the story of Captain Jack Sparrow. Jack
Sparrow can be perceived as the embodiment of piracy, both from his appearance
and from his actions.
Later in the series in Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End, the audience would discover how Jack Sparrow became branded as a
pirate. This scene was cut from the movie, but appears in the deleted scenes. In it the audience sees an interaction between
Cutler Beckett and Jack Sparrow. Cutler Beckett said, “Remarkable. The last I
saw of that ship, she was on fire. A blackened hulk sinking beneath the waves.
We had a deal, Jack. I contracted you to deliver cargo on my behalf. You chose
to liberate it.” Jack Sparrow replied, “People aren’t cargo, mate.” To which Cutler
Beckett said, “And you incurred a heavy debt to raise her up again, didn’t you?”.
This scene would have shown the audience a moral belief of Jack Sparrow and the
reason that he was branded as a pirate. It also shows how Jack Sparrow received
his debt to Davy Jones. Davy Jones raised Jack Sparrow’s ship the Wicked Wrench
from the depths of the seas in near perfect condition except the hull was permanently
charred black. This is what caused Jack Sparrow to rename the ship the Black
Pearl. For those who do not know, Jack Sparrow’s debt to Davy Jones is a
hundred souls for raising his ship. Here is where Jack Sparrow’s morals become
more important. If he was only a selfish pirate that cared only for himself and
treasure, then Jack would not have had a second thought about the 100 souls if,
in the end, his goals were still accomplished. However, Jack Sparrow is a moral
pirate that cares for people more than he would like them to believe so he
faces a huge dilemma.
Hints of Jack Sparrows good morals
are shown thought-out the series in contrast with his rough appearance. In fact,
the ironic morality of pirates expresses an aspect of free will rather than a
group of rough, greedy, raiders that would do anything to see their wants
accomplished. Truthfully, it is the government that shows a lack of morals. The
East India Trading Company branded Jack Sparrow a pirate because he refused to
do their dirty work when he liberated the slaves. This contrast of morals has romanticized
piracy and the freedom, adventure, and dangers that goes together with their
lives. At the same time, it shows the danger that a powerful government can
have if it is not held in check. Pirates are free to live and die as they
please on open sea. The government officials in contrast are greedy and forsake
the people they represent to preserve their wealth and livelihood. This shows a
bitter reality hidden beneath the adventure in the movie. A person’s rank in
life is not always expressed in their appearance and does not set their morals.
In fact, I believe that the Pirates of the Caribbean shows that any
person can have good morals or bad morals. Also it shows that the choices a person
makes defines who they are going to be in life not rank that they are born
into.
Alex:
ReplyDeleteCurious why that scene stayed on the cutting room floor. It provides a substance to the film that it honestly needs badly. Not only is it a particularly profound scene in terms of morality, but also helps flesh out the back story of a widely recognized character.
From Ms. Casady:
DeletePlease remember that your comment needs to be at least 75 words to count. Also, add your name initials so I can figure out who you are.
Alan,
ReplyDeleteYou chose an excellent scene and theme. Society does a great deal to portray the pirates as a crude and selfish group of beggars and thieves. Jack Sparrow is the prime example in the series. Morals, freedom, and anti-governmental themes are recurring in the series. I would even suggest that Elizabeth Swann is an example of a person longing to be free of the expectations of society and the governance of her freedom. She chooses to become a pirate and does so courageously. This can also be seen in the change of her attire from dresses to the typical boots, pants, and white shirt. As a pirate she upholds her morals and sense of loyalty.
Perhaps all pirate are not truly bad.
-Aly Hernandez
Zach Helmstetter-
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed the look into Jack Sparrow's character during your analysis. One thing got me thinking though and that was the comparison you made at the end speaking about government and it's control over the people as well as their freedoms and happiness. In the Pirates movies the government is almost always at odds with the main cast at some point or another. It may be worth it to delve into this point more and how Jack compares to the everyday citizen.
Alan,
ReplyDeleteConsidering that this is one of my favorite movie series of all time, I picked up the subtle hints of government tyranny. But I never picked out the idea of that people are not defined into the rank in which they were born into. Looking back, I can now see how the role of Elizabeth Swann rebelling against her aristocrat father to join the pirates. I feel as though Jack Sparrow and Elizabeth Swann are both reverse protagonist of each other as they both represent something in which does not define them. I enjoyed reading your post as you clearly put the plot and the importance of each example as it pertains to the overall progression of the story. Good job!
Please let me know who wrote this.
DeleteI really enjoyed your take on Jack Sparrow, Alan. I've always thought it was interesting how Hollywood routinely romanticizes and glorifies criminal activity. This can be seen in shows like "Son's of Anarchy" and movies like "Ocean's Eleven." It creates an interesting dynamic for the viewer. On one hand, you disagree with the criminal behavior (hopefully). But, on the other hand, you see them for more than just a criminal. This is similar to Baily's post. As a society, it is easy for us to condemn and forget those who do bad things. What is harder is to see people who do bad things as fellow humans, humans who have loved ones and can feel pain. By focusing on the bad things they have done, it makes it easier to strip them of their humanity. Characters like Jack Sparrow remind us that people are capable of doing wrong, but that doesn't make them less than human. Great job!
ReplyDelete-JJ Leath
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteI always enjoyed watching the Pirates of the Caribbean movies! Jack Sparrow was one of my favorite characters. I remember when I watched the first movie I thought he was kind of a jerk at first. However, as you pointed out, it's revealed throughout the series that he does have a heart. I enjoyed your post because it gave me insight I didn't have before. I haven't seen the deleted scenes so I didn't know the backstory to this character, but knowing it now helps to reinforce the view I had of him!
ReplyDelete-Bailey West
While I do wholeheartedly believe in your opinion of the government, I would have never thought to compare their malicious intentions to this movie. I think that this is a very profound and well thought out analysis to say the least. Society, and the government, is definitely at fault for the things that you have stated in my opinion. I have only seen a number of segments of this movie and would have not thought to make this comparison. After seeing this analysis, watching this movie in its entirety is definitely something that I plan on doing (with this analysis in mind of course.)
ReplyDelete-Kyra Moore
I saw the first few Pirates of the Caribbean movies, and I enjoyed the movies even though it glorifies a group of people who shouldn't be glorified. I liked Jack Sparrows character because he was not like the other pirates even though he looks like the rest of them. You informed me about why he is considered a pirate, I didn’t know about that before I read your post. This new info helps me understand now that he is not a bad pirate but someone who is doing the right thing but the governing body disagrees.
ReplyDelete-Carter Messner
And here I thought the reason why he avoided his debt was because he was just irresponsible as he was charming. I actually never looked at it in the light of a challenge against morality and selflessness. Which I think sort of ironic especially since the Royal Rebel called him out on being selfish that one time on the beach. I like the idea that we're supposed to love the Band of Bandits (I'm on fire today with these alliterations) but i have to admit that it's a bit that movies have played out too much. All in all, good blog post.
ReplyDelete-Dianesa Sanon
I agree when I watch the pirates of the Caribbean even though pirates are supposed to be carless, jack sparrow does show that he is not like any ordinary pirate. I love your saying that "The choices a person makes defines who they are going to be in life not rank that they are born into". I like that you define and give examples of how jack sparrow has good morals by giving us readers direct examples within the movie to relate back to. The government portion was a great part to make an argument about, it really tied into the movie and helped me better understand the underlying concept of the movie.
ReplyDelete-Montaya Mccloud