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fandomhigh2009-09-30 11:32 am
carpe_demon) wrote in fandomhigh2009-09-30 11:32 am
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Adventures in Literature, Wednesday, Period Three [Class Five]
Drake was dressed very piratical today in a long brown leather coat, high boots, and, of course, a hat with a feather. He was also armed with sword and pistol. Close examination would prove, however, that the sword was plastic and the pistol fired foam bullets.
"Captain Blood1," Drake said, "was written in 1922 by Rafael Sabatini, a man who buckled a whole lot of swashes. It was later made into an awesome movie starring Errol Flynn. The lead character is Dr. Peter Blood, which is a pretty ominous name for a doctor, but there you go. At the start of the novel, he lives in Bridgwater2, England, practicing medicine while a rebellion against King James II begins. Blood has been a soldier in the past and wants no part of these new battles, but he get dragged in when he treats a rebel who was wounded in battle. For this, he is arrested for treason, tossed in jail, and sentenced to death, but the King later decides to sell the rebels into slavery in the Caribbean.
"In Barbados, Blood is purchased by Colonel Bishop to work in the fields, but when his skills as a doctor become known, he is granted more freedom. When the Spanish attack the island, Blood is able to escape with some of his fellow slaves. They seize one of the Spanish ships and begin a glorious career of piracy. Along the way he teams up with the French pirate Levasseur for a time, but later duels and kills him after Levasseur tries to make off with Arabella Bishop3, niece of the man who bought Blood. While returning Arabella and her companion, Lord Willoughby, to Port Royal, Blood and his crew find it under attack by the French. Lord Willoughby begs the pirates to save the colony, and unsurprisingly they tell him to take a hike -- why would they fight for James II, the man who imprisoned and enslaved them? So Lord Willoughby lets them know that James II has been deposed, and the new rulers of England, William and Mary, have offered pardons and emancipation to those unjustly imprisoned. So the men are then thrilled to fight for their country, sneak into the harbor flying French colors, and save the colony. As a reward, Peter Blood is made governor of the colony. He also, of course, gets the girl." There was a shifty look in Karla's direction. "Or she gets him, as the case may be, because it's clear she's got the hots for him early on, but he's understandably all hung on on being owned by her uncle.
"So for today's discussion, put yourself in Dr. Peter Blood's place. Would you knowingly treat a man who was injured fighting against the ruler of your land despite wishing to remain neutral? This wasn't just a flesh wound -- the man was dying, and Blood was his only chance to survive. Would it matter if you knew the person or not? If you were unjustly imprisoned and sold into slavery, would you turn pirate as revenge, or just change your name and try to live your life quietly and unnoticed? Or would you try to clear your name, no matter how futile it seemed? Keep in mind, James II was a believer in absolute monarchy -- it was his way, or the highway."
[Syllabus | Class Roster]
1 Text of the book online - If you've read and liked The Three Musketeers, you should enjoy this as well.
2 This made me giggle. If you know where I live, you'll understand why.
3 Random trivia: in the book, it's actually Madamoiselle d'Onefoys that Blood and Levasseur fight over. In the movie, they combined her character with Arabella Bishop.
4 Yes, I'm fully aware I'm a dork.
"Captain Blood1," Drake said, "was written in 1922 by Rafael Sabatini, a man who buckled a whole lot of swashes. It was later made into an awesome movie starring Errol Flynn. The lead character is Dr. Peter Blood, which is a pretty ominous name for a doctor, but there you go. At the start of the novel, he lives in Bridgwater2, England, practicing medicine while a rebellion against King James II begins. Blood has been a soldier in the past and wants no part of these new battles, but he get dragged in when he treats a rebel who was wounded in battle. For this, he is arrested for treason, tossed in jail, and sentenced to death, but the King later decides to sell the rebels into slavery in the Caribbean.
"In Barbados, Blood is purchased by Colonel Bishop to work in the fields, but when his skills as a doctor become known, he is granted more freedom. When the Spanish attack the island, Blood is able to escape with some of his fellow slaves. They seize one of the Spanish ships and begin a glorious career of piracy. Along the way he teams up with the French pirate Levasseur for a time, but later duels and kills him after Levasseur tries to make off with Arabella Bishop3, niece of the man who bought Blood. While returning Arabella and her companion, Lord Willoughby, to Port Royal, Blood and his crew find it under attack by the French. Lord Willoughby begs the pirates to save the colony, and unsurprisingly they tell him to take a hike -- why would they fight for James II, the man who imprisoned and enslaved them? So Lord Willoughby lets them know that James II has been deposed, and the new rulers of England, William and Mary, have offered pardons and emancipation to those unjustly imprisoned. So the men are then thrilled to fight for their country, sneak into the harbor flying French colors, and save the colony. As a reward, Peter Blood is made governor of the colony. He also, of course, gets the girl." There was a shifty look in Karla's direction. "Or she gets him, as the case may be, because it's clear she's got the hots for him early on, but he's understandably all hung on on being owned by her uncle.
"So for today's discussion, put yourself in Dr. Peter Blood's place. Would you knowingly treat a man who was injured fighting against the ruler of your land despite wishing to remain neutral? This wasn't just a flesh wound -- the man was dying, and Blood was his only chance to survive. Would it matter if you knew the person or not? If you were unjustly imprisoned and sold into slavery, would you turn pirate as revenge, or just change your name and try to live your life quietly and unnoticed? Or would you try to clear your name, no matter how futile it seemed? Keep in mind, James II was a believer in absolute monarchy -- it was his way, or the highway."
[Syllabus | Class Roster]
1 Text of the book online - If you've read and liked The Three Musketeers, you should enjoy this as well.
2 This made me giggle. If you know where I live, you'll understand why.
3 Random trivia: in the book, it's actually Madamoiselle d'Onefoys that Blood and Levasseur fight over. In the movie, they combined her character with Arabella Bishop.
4 Yes, I'm fully aware I'm a dork.
Re: Class Discussion [AiL: Class Five]
Re: Class Discussion [AiL: Class Five]