Pocahontas; Reel vs Real
Pocahontas; Reel vs Real
The Disney version of Pocahontas and the real story have many differences such as the romance, Pocahontas’ personality, and how the story ended. Disney has romanticized the tragic story of Pocahontas into not one, but two cartoons, with a target audience of children. And with deeply embedded messages into the plot of love and strength, many differences surface, showing off Disney’s ability to make a story of war, captives, and death a happy tale for children to enjoy.
In the Disney version, the plot takes on a very dominant love story between Pocahontas and John Smith. The two meet in the woods while John Smith, an explorer who came from England to the New World, is scoping out the land for savages. Pocahontas was intrigued by the new people who had encroached on her father’s territory. When their paths crossed and they met, Hollywood worked their magic and Pocahontas and John Smith fall in love. And like any good love story there were obstacles in the way of their relationships. Like Pocahontas’ father warning his people to avoid the new “white people”; Pocahontas was engaged to Kocoum; and John Smith’s crew believed that all Indians were savages. But the two overcame all the obstacles in their way. Kocoum was killed by a crew member of John Smith’s and John was captured by the Powhatan tribe and was sentenced to death. So Pocahontas saved John’s life and made peace between the colony and her tribe.
As romantic as the Disney version is, the true story takes a much less Hollywood love story route. When John Smith and Pocahontas met, they hardly would have considered “love”. According to dates and records when, or if, John and Pocahontas met a relationship would have been inappropriate due to Pocahontas age. Not to mention a white man falling in love with a “savage” was highly unheard of in that time. So the John Smith and Pocahontas love story from the Disney movie is simply a work of fiction. But in 1613, Pocahontas was captured and
The Disney version of Pocahontas and the real story have many differences such as the romance, Pocahontas’ personality, and how the story ended. Disney has romanticized the tragic story of Pocahontas into not one, but two cartoons, with a target audience of children. And with deeply embedded messages into the plot of love and strength, many differences surface, showing off Disney’s ability to make a story of war, captives, and death a happy tale for children to enjoy.
In the Disney version, the plot takes on a very dominant love story between Pocahontas and John Smith. The two meet in the woods while John Smith, an explorer who came from England to the New World, is scoping out the land for savages. Pocahontas was intrigued by the new people who had encroached on her father’s territory. When their paths crossed and they met, Hollywood worked their magic and Pocahontas and John Smith fall in love. And like any good love story there were obstacles in the way of their relationships. Like Pocahontas’ father warning his people to avoid the new “white people”; Pocahontas was engaged to Kocoum; and John Smith’s crew believed that all Indians were savages. But the two overcame all the obstacles in their way. Kocoum was killed by a crew member of John Smith’s and John was captured by the Powhatan tribe and was sentenced to death. So Pocahontas saved John’s life and made peace between the colony and her tribe.
As romantic as the Disney version is, the true story takes a much less Hollywood love story route. When John Smith and Pocahontas met, they hardly would have considered “love”. According to dates and records when, or if, John and Pocahontas met a relationship would have been inappropriate due to Pocahontas age. Not to mention a white man falling in love with a “savage” was highly unheard of in that time. So the John Smith and Pocahontas love story from the Disney movie is simply a work of fiction. But in 1613, Pocahontas was captured and