Racism in Pocahontas
Racism in Pocahontas
The film Pocahontas, produced by Walt Disney films, portrays the tension between the Powhatan tribe and English settlers during the establishment of Jamestown, the first permanent English settlement in the "New World." In examining this film using the article "Ten Quick Ways to Analyze Children's Books for Racism and Sexism," it quickly becomes apparent that although there are forms of racism as described in the article (what will be referred to as traditional media racism'), the crux of the film's racism is beyond blatant stereotyping and marginalization. While the white settlers clearly have a conquering ideology laced with ideas of racial superiority, this attitude is offset by Powhatan's steadfast adherence to their culture and traditions. While the film Pocahontas has several incidents of stereotypes and tokenizing of characters, which I will describe later, the heart of the films racism lies in the scriptwriter's historical revision, which has implications in many aspects of American society. This paper will analyze racist aspects of the film, the Powhatan Tribe's response to the Anglo settlers, Disney's version of the British conquest in what is now the United States, and its political implications. Traditional media racism is found at several points in Pocahontas. The film begins by showing British sailors at port, ready to sail for what they call the "New World." This portrayal of America's "beginning" reinforces a Euro-centric perspective on history that a child (age of viewing is assumed to be pre-Kindergarten) would be receiving at his/her age. The notion of all characters identifying with whiteness by default, another form of traditional media racism, bears its head at another point in the story, when John Smith and Pocahontas meet for the first time. John Smith is standing on a rock, and the film places no particular emphasis on any aspect of his body. By contrast, Pocahontas is standing in the midst of swirling
The film Pocahontas, produced by Walt Disney films, portrays the tension between the Powhatan tribe and English settlers during the establishment of Jamestown, the first permanent English settlement in the "New World." In examining this film using the article "Ten Quick Ways to Analyze Children's Books for Racism and Sexism," it quickly becomes apparent that although there are forms of racism as described in the article (what will be referred to as traditional media racism'), the crux of the film's racism is beyond blatant stereotyping and marginalization. While the white settlers clearly have a conquering ideology laced with ideas of racial superiority, this attitude is offset by Powhatan's steadfast adherence to their culture and traditions. While the film Pocahontas has several incidents of stereotypes and tokenizing of characters, which I will describe later, the heart of the films racism lies in the scriptwriter's historical revision, which has implications in many aspects of American society. This paper will analyze racist aspects of the film, the Powhatan Tribe's response to the Anglo settlers, Disney's version of the British conquest in what is now the United States, and its political implications. Traditional media racism is found at several points in Pocahontas. The film begins by showing British sailors at port, ready to sail for what they call the "New World." This portrayal of America's "beginning" reinforces a Euro-centric perspective on history that a child (age of viewing is assumed to be pre-Kindergarten) would be receiving at his/her age. The notion of all characters identifying with whiteness by default, another form of traditional media racism, bears its head at another point in the story, when John Smith and Pocahontas meet for the first time. John Smith is standing on a rock, and the film places no particular emphasis on any aspect of his body. By contrast, Pocahontas is standing in the midst of swirling
Bibliography: Warner, Charles. The Story of Pocahontas. Date of publication unknown. . Date accessed: December 18th, 2004.