Re: AR influence - rebelliousness


[ Follow Ups ] [ Post Followup ] [ Previous # Next ] [ Start New Thread ] [ TarBoard ]

Posted by Ed Kiser on January 22, 2009 at 16:30:40 user Kisered.

In Reply to: Re: AR influence - rebelliousness posted by Andrew Craig-Bennett on January 22, 2009 at 07:39:45:

Many times in these Ransome adventures, our "childhood friends" make references to the story, "Treasure Island". Roger uses a crutch in SD and shouts, "yo, ho, ho, and a bottle of rum." Nancy quite often says, "Shiver my timbers". They refer to their lemonade as "grog". The light from a torch is refered to as a "glim". The whole "made up" story of PD is a parallel to "Treasure Island". The Amazons' uncle is given the name, "Captain Flint" and his parrot will eventually say, "Pieces of eight." They make Uncle Jim walk the plank. The Amazons themselves are playing "Pirate" and use the Jolly Roger as their flag. Even Uncle Jim, in his previous childhood, referred to the cave in SD as "Ben Gunn's cave" and carved the name of Ben Gunn inside on its walls. In SA, chapters 10 and 22, Nancy says, "Avast there, Peggy..." In Treasure Island are also two references, saying "Avast there, ..."

We can see that Uncle Jim played at "pirate", with Benn Gunn's cave, so it can perhaps be suggested that he is the one that passed on this childhood fantasy to his nieces, so they became the Amazon Pirates. So we can see how those two might have picked up on this theme. However, early in SA, as the Swallows is heading for the island for that first time, and they see the houseboat, Titty seemes to come up with the idea of "retired Pirate" especially after seeing his parrot. This is all done independant of the Amazons, whom they have not met yet. And in Coot Club, the Death & Glories play at "Pirates" as their own group name suggests. In ML, they run into Chinese Pirates. In Coot Club, they encounter those who would want to help "save" their ship, and then claim "salvage rights". These are called river pirates. There is the story Jim tells of someone who lost his yacht to such to settle a salvage rights claim. Interesting to see that this "pirate" theme gets encountered in an assortment of places in these twelve stories.

And as for the concept of "signing articles" we have:...

In that story, "Treasure Island," Jim Hawkins has gone back to the ship and found only Israel Hands still alive there. Jim flees from attack by climbing up the mast, with Israel just below him. Jim stops him by pointing a pistol at him, and threatening him to stay away. Israel talkes it over with Jim, perhaps to make his a little less cautions, as suddenly he throws his knife at Jim, pinning his shoulder to the past, as Jim fires his pistol and kill Israel.

But in that convesation with Jim, Israel says,


"Jim," says he, "I reckon we're fouled, you and me, and
we'll have to sign articles. I'd have had you but for
that there lurch, but I don't have no luck, not I; and
I reckon I'll have to strike, which comes hard, you see,
for a master mariner to a ship's younker like you, Jim."


This is the only mention of "articles" in Treasure Island, but is in line with that practice of a crew coming on board. John apparently is just following that custom.

All the more to support my suggestion that the reading of Treasure Island should be a prerequisite to the reading of Ransome's twelve.

One should learn how to "talk like a pirate."

It is all a part of the learning experience that comes with studying "All Things Ransome."

Ed Kiser, Kentucky ("glim"? is that word still in use today?)


Follow Ups:



Post a Followup

Name:
Eel-Mail:

Existing subject (please edit appropriately) :

or is it time to start a New Thread?

Comments:

Optional Link URL:
Link Title:
Optional Image URL:

post direct to TarBoard test post first

Before posting it is necessary to be a registered user.


[ Follow Ups ] [ Post Followup ] [ TarBoard ]