Pocahontas Research Paper

It is thought that the Virginia Indians played a role in the location and survival of Jamestown. The English were in Powhatan 's territory, and the island had a natural defense from their enemies making it the safest place to be, even if it was not a geographically ideal location. Powhatan was considered one of the most powerful chiefs claiming to have over a hundred children. Powhatan died in 1618 and his brother, Opechancanough led an attack on the English in 1622 and 1644. Pocahontas would befriend John Smith and marry John Rolfe in 1613 resulting in a temporary peace between the Virginia Indians and the

She includes accounts from John Smith, other colonists, and certain native people. Even though there are no documents that were written by Pocahontas herself, there are still works that other people have written about her life. John Smith wrote about his travels and his interactions with Powhatan. He talks about how he was captured and how he made a relationship with Powhatan for the better. “For those who have liked the story, though, it may come as welcome news that there is a broad consensus among experts that Powhatan probably did in some way ritually adopt John Smith” (55-56). Even though it was believed that some of what he wrote was fake, like how Pocahontas saved him from being clubbed in the head, he still had other documents that were not falsified. Townsend states, “But in general, how true were the “true travels”? Did anyone who read them then really expect them or even want them to be true? No, at least not literally true” (54). Many people in London were very fascinated by Pocahontas, they were fascinated with the fact that she was an Indian and that she converted to Christianity. No one actually has anything documented about how Pocahontas felt. No one knows if she ever loved John Smith or how she felt about moving to London with John Rolfe. Everything is based on how other people perceived how she acted or how she felt.

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 born in 1595, with the given name of Matoaka and later got the nickname Pocahontas. She has been known as the favorite daughter of the powerful Powhatan Chief but she is also famous in history for contributing greatly toward the survival of the Jamestown colony. When the English colonists settled in Jamestown in 1607, there became tension between the Colonists and the Powhatan Indians. During the 1600s, the leader of the Colonists, Captain John Smith was caught by the Powhatan’s men. It has been said that Pocahontas saved Smith’s life and has had great influence on early relationships between the colonists and Indians. During Pocahontas’s life, she has faced many tragedies but triumphs have also played a role in her time.

Pocahontas was captured by Samuel Argall and during her captivity she became pregnant. The father was a mystery, but she was supposed to be marrying me. We got married on April 5, 1614 and then her baby was born on January 30, 1615. We were blessed with thousands of acres of land from Pocahontas’ father, Chief Powhatan. My wife, our baby, and I traveled to England on the ship, Treasurer, in 1616. Pocahontas was soon addressed by the name, Princess Pocahontas, because she was so widely respected. While in England, we visited Queen Anne and King James I. While in London, Pocahontas met John Smith who she thought was dead. We stayed and toured England for several months, and on our trip back home Pocahontas became very ill and died. I returned back to Virginia while Thomas, our son, stayed in England. I soon married the daughter of a colonist. Her name was Jane Pierce. Soon after we married, we had a daughter and named her Elizabeth. My house was on my tobacco plantation, and it was attacked by stupid Native Indians. I honestly don’t know why they hate me so much. It’s devastating. There, I was left stranded with no help, just lying in the grass. It’s my time to go…

[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?

Implicit ideologies are seen in film dialogue, music, and content. Through a deeper level of interpretation, viewers can understand what is implicitly implied through a films messaging. Pocahontas, a classic Disney movie, is based on a legend that surrounds a Native American woman. Pocahontas reinforces the normative ideologies of interracial relationships, the misinterpretation of Native Americans, and gender stereotypes in an effort to appeal to children of all ages and teach them morals.

In the article Pocahontas: Comparing the Disney image with Historical Evidence by Margaret Golden states through the article that we as Americans have the responsibility to teach our children what is factual and not factual in the Hollywood movies.

Faith: Good afternoon, I’m Faith Conover, and you are listening to “TWS”, that’s “Things Worth Sharing”. Today we have with us Rebecca Rolfe, wife of John Rolfe, or better known as Pocahontas. I’d like to thank you for being here today, Rebecca.

Pocahontas' relationship with the animals is part of a Disney tradition. The transformation of wild animals into equivalents of pets and accessories is supported in the Disney film by the assumed notion of a fascinating, enchanted world within which all life forms are connected. For example, in the enchanted scene: "Color of The Wind," Pocahontas picks up the bear cub, which enhances the harmony with nature. Native Peoples lived in much closer propinquity to the nonhuman world than the explorers ever would. Thomas Slaughter, in Exploring Lewis and Clark (2004), confirms this idea when he states: "Those, who used bows and arrows . . .

John Smith and Pocahontas did, in fact, meet and they did develop a kindly relationship. It is said that his love for her is what helped her negotiate the release of two Indian prisoners that John Smith had caught and he stated that “not only for feature, countenance, and proportion,” she “much exceeded any of the rest of Powhatan's people.” [4] It

I believe that Pocahontas felt empowered and embraced her role as Englishman wife. During the early stages of her life, I like to think that she might have felt forced into the culture she was a slave of, she was ultimately captured and imprisoned by the English. It wasn’t until some time later when she met John Rolfe, and slowly began to fall in love with him, while starting to adopt the English Christian culture. In 1616 she and her husband sailed back to England with their child, there she was given the name Lady Rebecca (her Christian name) that was sanctioned in the English court. It wasn’t only a year later that Lady Rebecca (Pocahontas) fell ill with European diseases and smallpox later to be pronounced dead. Pocahontas did not have

Pocahontas. Americans know her as the beautiful, Indian woman who fell in love with the white settler John Smith and then threw her body upon the poor white captive to protect him from being brutally executed by her own savage tribe. The magical world of Walt Disney came out with their own movie version several years ago portraying Pocahontas as a tan, sexy Barbie doll figure and John Smith as a blond-haired, blue-eyed muscular Ken doll. Although Disney attempts to instill racial tolerance, inter-racial friendship, and nonviolent resolutions in Pocahontas, they contribute to the inaccurate Indian woman stereotype that has evolved from such stories. While it can be argued that Disney has

The “Pocahontas Myth” this story I believe is was seem to have some sort of accuracy. It takes up some of the details that were not said in the “Generall History of Virginia”. For example in the Pocahontas myth they stated how Pocahontas was a nickname that stood for “ meaning "the naughty one" or "spoiled child".” Throughout the stories that have been told she was portrayed as the free spirited one or curious about life. Not only does the myth tells us about who pocahontas was it told her us more about her life and what went on after the “capture” of John smith.

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