Brain Teasers
Rising Through the Ranks
Riddle
Riddles are little poems or phrases that pose a question that needs answering. Riddles frequently rhyme, but this is not a requirement.Riddle
Some considered me a god,
so great and powerful;
but a god from the heavens I was not.
I was a Captain of the powder-days;
a Commander and surveyor too.
A navigator of many seas,
a visitor to the southern world;
and to the north I ventured.
Whilst the distant lands were unknown to many,
I charted them so true.
But one fateful day on a faraway shore,
my life was painfully extinguished.
Some call me a genius of the matter of fact;
a systematic, professional and complete humanitarian.
In reality, I was one who simply lived out my dream, accepting little on faith.
Who am I?
so great and powerful;
but a god from the heavens I was not.
I was a Captain of the powder-days;
a Commander and surveyor too.
A navigator of many seas,
a visitor to the southern world;
and to the north I ventured.
Whilst the distant lands were unknown to many,
I charted them so true.
But one fateful day on a faraway shore,
my life was painfully extinguished.
Some call me a genius of the matter of fact;
a systematic, professional and complete humanitarian.
In reality, I was one who simply lived out my dream, accepting little on faith.
Who am I?
Answer
Captain James Cook (1728-1779)Cook made three famous voyages through both the Southern and Northern oceans between 1769-1779, charting lands including Hawaii, New Zealand and the east coast of Australia. He rose through the ranks of the British Navy solely on his own efforts during a time when rank usually came by payment. Cook died tragically on the island of Hawaii in 1779 at the hands of those who considered him a god. His humanity was apparent in his concern for the health of his crews and his efforts to fight off scurvy and other diseases. In his relations with indigenous peoples he was essentially a creature of his time, carrying to the Pacific a compassionate version of British concepts of justice, which he endeavoured to adapt to new circumstances.
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