Did pirate utopias exist, and if so, were they pleasant?
I want you in your papers to consider two different kinds of truth. On the one hand, pirates had complicated motives, and freedom and independence may have been important factors (alongside poverty) in their choice to become pirates. They may well have had political goals. On the other hand, they stole stuff, and they were probably not the most honest people you would ever encounter. The best papers will evaluate both sides of the issue -- both pirate as a free person and pirate as a criminal -- and come to a conclusion based on evidence.