use and function of language in pirates of the caribbean 1 & 2?

Question

This question is mainly for English majors. I am doing a research paper on the above topic. I am using disney's pirates of the Caribbean moives : The Curse of the Black Pear, & Dead Man's Chest [starring Johnny Depp, Orlando Bloom, Keira Knightley] as an example to support different aspects of the use and function of language and I need some ideas for a thesis statement. Any hints on examples on use and functions of language greatly appreciated.

Thanks in advance

Answer 1

What a fun paper! I absolutely love your topic!

I don't teach in the field of English, but here's what comes to mind.

The pirates speak "pirate," and the non-pirates don't. So language (and the use thereof) establishes identity. But at the end of The Curse, Will Turner is CALLED a pirate by Elizabeth Swann, yet his language does not change. (Or did it?)

So maybe your thesis statement could have something to do with the function of language in establishing identity, and the falsity (or truth?) of Will's "changed" identity. Depending on what you decide to argue, you could formulate a thesis statement about either the rigidity or fluidity of language in establishing identity.

There's also the song "A Pirate's Life for Me." In teaching Captain Jack Sparrow this song, Elizabeth brings a ludic (playful) element to the notion of piratic identity. Her song (presumably a child's song) is llearned and later adopted by Captain Jack, but is it adopted uncritically? Does he sing it "seriously" as a statement of identity, or does he deploy it as a meta-commentary on the relationship between pirates and non-pirates? A thesis statement, again, depending on your argument, could interrogate how language functions between insider and outsider communities, and how a meeting between Self and Other is mediated by ludic language.

I haven't yet seen Dead Man's Chest. Arrrrrr.

Best wishes to you!