Pocahontas Research Paper

I’ve known about Pocahontas ever since I was a little girl. I used to sit in front of the TV and watch it over and over again until I finally got bored. I think the directors, Eric Goldberg and Mike Gabriel, did a wonderful job on putting this movie together. Pocahontas is a Disney animated film about romance between a young American Indian woman, Pocahontas, (Irene Bedard) and Capt. John Smith (Mel Gibson), who journeyed to the New World with other settlers to begin fresh lives. Her father, Chief Powhatan, disapproves of their relationship and wants her to marry a native warrior. Meanwhile, Smith's fellow Englishmen hope to rob the Native Americans of their gold. This movie deals with Peopling because Pocahontas and John Smith journeyed to the New World together, or immigrated, changing the world today. Pocahontas is possibly the reason that settlers survived; she brought them food, supplies, and warned them of possible ambuscades. She learned
enough English a year as well. John Smith stated that Pocahontas saved "this colonie from death, famine and utter confusion". That can also be classified under America in the World, Politics and Power, and Ideas, Beliefs, and Culture in AP US History, it helped shape America. Pocahontas is a young Indian princess that is compelled by the outsiders to the world, the white men.
They had come on large ships and created a colony, ransacking the countryside for gold. The inadequate relationship between the natives and the Europeans degenerating, Pocahontas begins to fall in love with John Smith, one of the head white men. She educates John about the living spirit in all things, the wind, the water, and the rocks. A war is soon to break out between the rivaling cultures; Smith and Pocahontas are required to determine what their allegiances are. I think this movie focuses more on the theme Peopling, movement and migration of different populations, relationships between people and the environment they settled in. It’s also how changes in migration and population patterns affected American life. Pocahontas and Smith affected American life now by affecting the society; showing that the whites and reds could be equal and get along. She was kind to the English and helped end the feuding between
others. The main characters in Pocahontas are as follows: Pocahontas, John Smith, Grandmother Willow, Flit (hummingbird) Kocoum (Native American warrior who was allegedly supposed to marry Pocahontas; became the next Powhatan Chief) Kekata (the village medicine man; advisor to Chief Powhatan) Nakoma (best friends with Pocahontas), Meeko (Pocahontas’ pet racoon) Wiggins (Governor Ratcliffe’s manservant), Governor Ratcliffe (greedy, villain, main antagonist), and Chief Powhatan (Pocahontas’ father). This is a story about a group of individuals (Indians) trying to find peace and land. The marriage of Pocahontas and John helped bring peace between the Native Americans and the colonists. She was allegedly destined to marry Kocoum stated by her father, Powhatan. One scene that is particularly important is the scene when Pocahontas saves John Smith. This scene is important to the use of history in the movie because it is adapted from the historical legend of Pocahontas and John Smith, and it is the only scene in the movie that bears historical relevance. It demonstrates the importance of racial tolerance by showing strengths and weaknesses in both characters. By making neither character the sole initiator in this scene, there is no favoritism towards one culture or the other. Disney also uses symbolism in the surrounding environment and music to help support this point. Overall, I think that the movie is fairly accurate. It captures the spirit of Pocahontas and her people, and the spirit of the early days of Jamestown. Both James Fort and Powhatan village life are portrayed authentically. London, the Virginia wilderness, and the ship Susan Constant were carefully researched. John Ratcliffe was actually in charge of the colony when John Smith was captured and released by Powhatan. Lastly, John Smith wrote that he was saved from execution by Powhatan, when Pocahontas threw herself between Smith's head and the stone clubs of the Indians. Anything else in my opinion is pure fiction. Pocahontas is a 1995 American animated musical romance-drama film. This movie is the first animated Disney film to be based on a real historic character, the known history, and the folklore and legend that surrounds the Native American woman Pocahontas. This film was directed by Mike Gabriel and Eric Goldberg and produced by James Pentecost and produced during a period known as the Disney Renaissance. Many people argue that it is historically inaccurate and that the majority of it is fiction. I do believe, however, that the film is about as accurate as it can get. I think Disney did a wonderful job trying to portray this particular time period. Pocahontas was one of Disney’s first movies that I fell in love with. I would recommend this movie to anyone of any age. Not only is it romantic, sad, and unique, but it is also historically accurate (in some cases). I would rate this movie a 7.5/10. It’s definitely worth the view, however, you cannot solely rely on this one movie in particular to give you all of the information that you need. Obviously Disney changed certain parts of the story in order to attract more viewers and make more money. Even though this movie is pretty historical I believe that it is more of an entertainment purpose. It’s a Disney movie, it’s a cartoon, and it’s changed slightly to attract more viewers and make it more interesting. I believe that this movie is mostly for younger children or teenagers and wasn’t really intended for just historical purposes. Yes, it contains some historical evidence, but I still believe that it’s only for children to enjoy watching. It was their way of including facts into a wonderful film.