Pocahontas Argumentative Essay

Walt Disney’s film Pocahontas is not historically accurate, but there is value in creating cartoon interpretations of American history. As a child, cartoons are mostly important for your development, both physically and mentally. Fairy tales help children understand the complexity of life. These visions use various symbols to teach morals and cognitive skills. Walt’s film was based off the legends and folktales surrounding Pocahontas, it was not meant to be historical but to promote racial tolerance.

One of the things Pocahontas is most known for saving John Smith’s life. It all started when one day, the Pamunkey tribe caught a white man. The man was to be presented to Pocahontas’ father, Chief Powhatan, that night. The village prepared large feasts, and Pocahontas was thrilled to finally get the chance to see one of the mysterious outsiders who had come to their homeland. When the man was finally brought out, many villagers screamed in horror when he glanced at them, although Pocahontas didn’t understand why everyone was afraid of this man to be called “John Smith”. Pocahontas’ father declared that the handsome man with the blue eyes was to be killed! The toughest warrior poised his arms above his head with a club in hand and… Pocahontas

It is said that there are many different versions to a story. There is one persons story, then there is an other person’s story, and then, there is the truth. “Our memories change each time they are recalled. What we recall is only a facsimile of things gone by.” Dobrin, Arthur. "Your Memory Isn't What You Think It Is." (online magazine). Psychology Today. July 16, 2013. http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/am-i-right/201307/your-memory-isnt-what-you-think-it-is. Every time a story is told, it changes. From Disney movies to books, to what we tell our friends and colleagues. Sometimes the different sides to the story challenge the

Pocahontas was his favorite child and he adored her. However, Powhatan was known to display cruelty to anyone who challenged his authority. Pocahontas was a royal heiress to her peoples' attitudes, beliefs, and prejudices. It was expected that she would share in the tribes distrust of the white-skinned strangers and in her father's hatred of anyone who came to his land

As young children we are often misled to believe that the stories and movies we are exposed to are presumably based on factual history, but are in reality myths, keeping the truthful, important, and fair facts hidden. Amonute is an accurate example of learning the real events that occurred in a person’s life while the typical myth of Pocahontas saved an Englishmen from being killed by her father. In the beginning of the book we are briefly introduced to Pocahontas, the Powhatan people and the English colonists. As the book continues we follow Pocahontas when she is kidnapped, her married life, and her trip to London where she got sick because of foreign illnesses and died. Camilla Townsends “Pocahontas and the Powhatan Dilemma” wants Pocahontas’ true story to unfold because she is worthy of respect for her bravery and sacrifice and because “everyone subverted her life to satisfy their own needs to believe that the Indians loved and admired them” (Townsend, pg. xi). I also believe that the author was trying to argue that even though the Englishmen believed that the Native Americans were uncivilized and lived like savages, that instead they were wise people.

On the other hand, there are some parts of the movie “Pocahontas” that do not align with the reality of the Jamestown Colony. One historically

[1] Disney’s Pocahontas has understandably received a lot of flak about the historically inaccurate story that is told about the legendary Pocahontas and Captain John Smith. There is a good reason for that. The movie does little that can be construed as historically accurate, yet Disney claims that was never their intent. Disney, in their previous movies, has been attacked for being racist and unsympathetic to racial minorities. Their answer was a movie whose sole purpose, as stated by Disney, was to promote racial tolerance. The question is, then can a movie promote racial tolerance when the issue is built on false history, history that if told accurately would depict the exact opposite?

4. When I was growing up, Disney's Pocahontas was one of my favorite movies. While I knew that Disney's version of the story was not completely true, I never actually researched John Smith and Pocahontas to learn the truth behind the real story. So, when I read John Smith's letter to the queen this week I was surprised at some of the content. First, I did not know that Pocahontas was so young, only 12 or 13, when she met John Smith. His letter depicts that they were "friends" rather than romantically involved. So, with the idea of the romance between the two depicted by the Disney movie, that fact was bizarre to me. Something else that surprised me was that Pocahontas married John Rolfe, converted to Christianity,

Her

John Smith's tales of the Indian princess, Pocahontas, have, over time, encouraged the evolution of a great American myth. According to this myth, which is common knowledge to most Americans, Pocahontas saved Smith from being killed by her father and his warriors and then fell in love with John Smith. Some versions of the myth popular among Americans include the marriage of Smith and Pocahontas. Although no one can be sure of exactly what happened almost four-hundred years ago, most historians agree that the myth is incorrect. Pocahontas did not save John Smith's life from "savages" and never showed any affection for him. The events of her life differ greatly from the myth Americans have created.

Price also points out that “She was curious about English and she enjoyed being among them. In Smith, she had found an Englishman who would speak her language.” (Price 127) When Pocahontas as well as her people are informed that he has passed on, she leaves the English settlement for a short period of time. At this point she is treated kindly and before being married to Rolfe she is converted to Christianity. While in marriage, Pocahontas plays a significant role in saving the colony from the hands of her

These are so many influential people in the world we live in. These many people positively change the world by their actions such as putting other lives before theirs, leading the path for others, and remembering to stay kind and helpful. Pocahontas, a friendly Powhatan Indian, and a brave friend, is one of those influential people. Pocahontas is influential because of her accomplishments, legacy, and her character.

Pocahontas’s real name was Matoaka, Pocahontas was a nickname that meant ‘playful child’. John Smith was described as an abrasive, ambitious, and self-promoting mercenary soldier. They did know each other, but the question of the matter is; did Pocahontas save John Smith’s life? There is much speculation about this story. John Smith had told tall tales before of strong women arriving in the nick of time to save his life.

Famous for saving the life of John Smith, Pocahontas is a legend (Morenus). The real question is “Who was Pocahontas and was she real or just a legend for kids?” Most people have heard of Pocahontas, who was primarily linked to the English colonist through Captain John Smith (Biography). Pocahontas, whose real name was Matoaka, was a native American who became famous for helping English colonists new to America (“Pocahontas Facts”). Matoaka, the beautiful and lively daughter of Powhatan (Morenus), ruler of the land that the English named Virginia, is a name most people question because they are not familiar with it, using the nickname “Pocahontas” instead. “Pocahontas” translates into many different things including “the playful one” or “little wanton” (Pocahontas Myth).

In Camilla Townsend’s book, Pocahontas and the Powhatan Dilemma, Townsend points out that there are many historical inaccuracies and myths that are associated with the story of Pocahontas. Using historical evidence to support the story of Pocahontas, Townsend attempted to create an accurate timeline bringing the past to the present. At the same time, the Disney film Pocahontas attempted to depict Algonquian culture accurately, however, according to history, much of the material presented in the film is full of misconceptions and is historically imprecise. In fact, Disney’s Pocahontas epitomizes John Smith and