Double Entry Diary
Sections I-III
Pirate Diary: The Journal of Jake Carpenter
| Quotes | Responses |
| Quote: “Then he took me to the ship’s waist and showed me the ‘piss-dale.’ This is a lead trough that drains into the sea.” (p. 17) | I found this interesting and revolting at the same time. I guess I should have suspected this before hand; however, I would have had second thoughts about swimming in the ocean after learning this? |
| Quote: “Today we arrived at a small island to careen the ship—that is scraping from her bottom the barnacles and weed that slow our progress through the water.” (p. 36) | Connection: I know that ships/boats still do this to this day, however, I never knew why. I wonder if pirate ships ever got marooned somewhere because of the tide residing and never came back? |
| Effect: “Noah is in the habit of leaning against the deck rail and smoking a pipe of tobacco. He always chooses the same spot for this relaxation. Today, as he rested there, the rail gave way and he plunged overboard.” (p. 43) | Cause: Ben had severed the railing with the missing Dutch saw. Thus: Seeking revenge for Noah becoming captain of the ship. |
What If You Met A Pirate?
| Quotes | Responses |
| Effect: “. . . it was legal to ‘press’ new sailors—to kidnap men walking down the street or sitting in a tavern.” (p.6) | Cause: “Because England needed a large navy.” (p. 6) Thus: England’s early version of a “draft.” |
| Quote: “False flags disguised a pirate vessel. Pirates might fly a flag of a peaceful nation. They would hide men below as they sailed sweetly up to the prize.” (p. 20) | Connection: This reminded me of what happened to the Greyhound in, Pirate Diary: The Journal of Jake Carpenter, where the pirates ambushed Captain Nick. I wonder why the enemy ships never caught on to these techniques that pirates used? |
| Quote: “Going to the bathroom wasn’t difficult for pirate in calm weather. They went to the head—the front of the ship—where they sat, perched over the water, on a bench with holes (called the seat of ease). In rough weather, they used buckets.” (p. 15) | Connections: This reminded me of Jake in the, Pirate Diary: The Journal of Jake Carpenter, when he had to relieve himself. However, these two books differ in the description and name of the area that sailors did their “business.” |
Section IV (p. 56-57 & p. 28-29)
1. Who were the colonists?
There were residents of Britain that came to settle in America for different reasons, whether it was for religion freedom or free/cheap farmland. They were independent-minded people with strong ideas.
2. What are the Navigation Acts?
To make sure that Britain shared in the thirteen colonies’ success, the government in London taxed and controlled the colonists’ trade. A series of laws, called the Navigation Acts, forced the colonists to trade only with England, using English ships with English crews.
3. How did the colonists feel about Navigation Acts?
Colonial people did not like the Navigation Acts because the laws forced them to accept low prices for the goods they produced. Many colonists chose to ignore these unpopular laws.
4. Who were freebooters?
Pirates in the colonial days of North America were not like the buccaneers. They had influential friends ashore, and they provided an important service. These pirates are called freebooters. They were mostly smugglers, supplying untaxed goods to grateful settlers on the coast of America.
5. Describe the relationship between the colonists and the pirates.
The colonists welcomed pirates because the pirates were able to smuggle goods to them and buy the goods without the high taxes that England was charging. In addition, pirates bought goods from the colonists as well.
(p. 58-61 & p. 24-27)
1. What did you learn about the different kinds of pirates?
I learned that there were several different kinds of pirates. They all had different reasons for their piracies, such as letters of marquee, revenge, and religion reasons. They also had different ways of dealing with their piracies, such as giving their plunders to the queen/government, using plunders to buy supplies, and the way they treated their captives (civilized or cruelty).
2. Out of all the pirates mentioned in this section, which ones do you find most interesting? Please explain why.
I have three pirates that stand out the most. First, Blackbeard because of the ways he invented to make himself to look intimidating and even though he had a bad reputation, he was more likely to free his captives than to kill them. The other two are Anne Bonny and Mary Read, because of the simple fact that they were women. They defied the odds and seeked out adventure, strong-willed and go-getters just like women should be.
