When we hear the word pirate, most of us probably think of artifacts such as black sails, triangular hats, eye patches, and deadly sabers, historical figures like Edward Teach, Henry Morgan and Bartholomew Roberts, or fictional characters like Long John Silver from Robert Louis Stevenson’s classic novel, Treasure Island.

However, pirates actually exist in our time, too, although they rarely use sail ships and eye patches. Pirates today often take hostages, hoping to collect ransoms.

Keynotes about pirates can take an outset in fictional or historical figures, the piracy of our day, and many other interesting angles.