Never Forgotten: The Legacy of Captain James Cook 撰文及考題設計 英國文化協會教學團隊 Joel Finnestad
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1 f asked to name a famous explorer, or to think
him on the head then stabbed him to death.
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of a well-known captain, certainly “Captain
Cook” would pop into many people’s heads. Cap-
Cook’s murder was in no way a victory for the
tain James Cook, sometimes confused with Cap-
people of Hawaii. Many still considered him an
tain Hook, the antagonist of the popular Disney
important and respectable person. He was treated
movie, Peter Pan, was born in Yorkshire, England
to a proper funeral, which in Hawaii, meant disem-
in 1728, and was an explorer and cartographer in
boweling then cooking his body in order to remove
the British Royal Navy.
the skin and preserve the sacred bones.
His accomplish ments are mind blowing! He
His legacy reaches into modern times as well.
sailed around the world two times, and was the
First of all, many places are named after him, in-
first European to make contact and map out many
cluding the Polynesian Cook Islands, Cook County,
parts of the world, most notably Australia, New
Australia, Cook’s Harbour, Canada, Captain Cook
Zealand, and the Hawaiian Islands.
(the actual name of a town in Hawaii), and even a
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crater on the moon (Cook Crater)!
Captain Cook once wrote that he intended to go
The tagline f rom the famous science f iction
not only "farther than any man has been before me,
television show “Star Trek ” was taken directly
but as far as I think it is possible for a man to go.”
from one of Cook’s journals: “To boldly go where
He may, however, have gone too far when he tried
no man has gone before”. The name of the captain
to kidnap the King of Hawaii for ransom in 1779.
in the TV show, James T. Kirk, is clearly close to
Cook first arrived in Hawaii years before the
James Cook, and the name of their vessels (Cook’s
incident. Legend has it that since his ship and its
“Endeavour” and Kirk’s “Enter prise”), are also
movements resembled the Polynesian god Lono,
strikingly similar.
the locals thought he was an incarnation of the god
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ship and hold him for ransom. The villagers struck
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and worshipped him. When he returned to Keal-
While Cook is obviously a famous and celebrat-
akekua Bay on the big island of Hawaii, tensions
ed explorer, many have criticized him for the harm
arose over some thievery. Cook marched into the
his voyages brought to the people he encountered.
village and took the king, intending to return to his
Many of his crew were ill with diseases like small-
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