Eye Patches and Earrings
an illustration of a pirate with an eyepatch and a bird on his shoulder
Photo credit: neftali/Shutterstock
The pirates who terrorized the high seas during the "golden age" of piracy (1650–1720) inspired contemporary pirate depictions.
A pirate costume typically includes a single earring and an eye patch. But did the real pirates who inspired this legendary portrayal actually wear these things?
Historians don't know for sure, but it's not an impossibility. If pirates did wear earrings and eye patches, they probably weren't just being fashionable—they were likely being practical.
The pirates who terrorized the high seas during the "golden age" of piracy (1650–1720) inspired their depictions today. But since golden-age pirate fashion was undocumented, artists mostly made it up. And their illustrations eventually became the basis for pirate styles in people's imaginations.
As for the single earring, historians say some sailors wore them for various reasons. For some, it was superstition: They thought an earring could improve their eyesight or prevent seasickness, because they believed the precious metals in the jewelry had healing powers. Others may have worn an earring as a good luck charm to prevent drowning.
The jewelry wasn't totally impractical, though. Some sailors wore earrings engraved with the name of their home port in case of unfortunate circumstances. If a sailor died at sea, the earring could be sold for currency. The earrings were worth enough to use as repayment for funeral expenses, and a bejeweled sailor could be buried back home.
There was another sensible use for hoop earrings, historians say. Pirates tasked with firing a ship's cannons could keep the wax they used for earplugs close at hand by dangling it from their earrings.
There's no reliable evidence that pirates wore eye patches. But experts say if they did, it was likely not because of eye injuries. Instead, the patches would have helped pirates do battle in low lighting conditions.
It takes a while for the human eye to adjust from brightness to darkness. Covering one eye with a patch kept it accustomed to the dark so a pirate could quickly switch the patch to the other eye and immediately be able to see in dim lighting. An episode of the television show "MythBusters" showed that keeping one eye in the dark for 30 minutes undoubtedly improved test subjects' night vision. But did golden-age pirates really wear eye patches? Well, historical records are inconclusive, so the truth remains uncertain.
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QUESTION 1 OF 4
1 / 4
Think about the article. What made an earring a practical piece of pirate jewelry?
A.Earrings worn by pirates could be used as earplugs when firing cannons.
B.Earrings worn by pirates improved the eyesight of pirates sailing at night.
C.Earrings worn by pirates prevented seasickness and eye injuries.
D.Earrings worn by pirates could be used to pay for funerals if they died at sea.
The pirates who terrorized the high seas during the "golden age" of piracy (1650–1720) inspired their depictions today. But since golden-age pirate fashion was undocumented, artists mostly made it up. And their illustrations eventually became the basis for pirate styles in people's imaginations.
Why did the author include this information?
A.To argue that depictions of pirate fashion should be discarded since artists made them up
B.To explain how pirates terrorized the high seas during the "golden age" of piracy
C.To argue that today's pirates inspired depictions of "golden age" pirates
D.To explain why historians don't really know for sure what pirates looked like
A.As for the single earring, historians say some sailors wore them for various reasons. For some, it was superstition: They thought an earring could improve their eyesight.
B.If pirates did wear earrings and eye patches, they probably weren't just being fashionable—they were likely being practical.
C.There's no reliable evidence that pirates wore eye patches. But experts say if they did, it was likely not because of eye injuries.
D.An episode of the television show "MythBusters" showed that keeping one eye in the dark for 30 minutes undoubtedly improved test subjects' night vision.
A.foolish
B.essential
C.ghastly
D.certain
1 answer