Summary Of Richard Phillips A Captain's Duty

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A Captain 's worst nightmare: being taken hostage. Richard Phillips wrote A captain’s Duty: Somali Pirates, Navy SEALs, and Dangerous Days at Sea to explain to a mature audience about the crisis of modern day piracy and the haunted experience that he endured. Terrifying and captivating, Richard Phillips’ autobiography is a book that is impossible to put down. An autobiography with one of the most important life lessons teaches advanced readers to, under any circumstances, never give up hope and never lose faith. “I’m gonna stick. Especially if you try to push me” (Phillips 37). This was the Captain’s motto. Living by this since his youth helped him persevere in his tear-jerking adventure. As Captain of the Maersk Alabama, Phillips learns that he must prepare for the worst, intruding pirate infested waters. Unfortunately, the worst happened: Somali Pirates had gained access to the cargo ship. Fortunately, he and his crew handled the situation brilliantly. When events start to …show more content…

Being enthralled with this book is an easy task to achieve. When his brother told him about the Massachusetts Maritime Academy, a military academy, Phillip’s was far from interested. His brother told him it was not a real military academy, which later convinced Phillips’ to attend. “The instructors screamed at us as they herded us into a barbershop to get our heads shaved . . . I had to give it to my brother. He’d gotten me good” (Phillips 41). A dry sense of humor is portrayed through Phillips’ picturesque writing style which makes the novel thrilling. The addition of suspense and humor together is perfect. “I gave him a look. ‘More fuel? Where are you headed-- Disney World?’ He laughed. The pirates were back on their element-- the water” (Phillips 168). Wanting to put the book down out of fear, but needing to know more about Phillips’ life-threatening journey keeps the audience with their hands glued to the novel for hours on