The story of Pocahontas has been taught in United States history books for hundreds of years. Although she was, in fact, the daughter of an exceptionally important Native American chief, she is most famous for saving the life of the accomplished English explorer, John Smith. However, Pocahontas wouldn’t be nearly as famous to children (especially those in my generation) if it were not for the Disney movie that was made about her 20 years ago in 1995 along with the sequel that was released three years later.
The Disney version of Pocahontas 's story tells a Romeo & Juliet style tale of a spirited and courageous young woman who, against all odds, falls in love with an Englishmen and saves his life, consequently soothing relations between the natives and settlers. It is inarguable that the movie is riddled with historical inaccuracies like the completely fabricated romance, the age, and the innocent nature of the most of the conflict. To what extent that story was fictionalized and whether or not the inaccuracies are damaging to the young audience is still up for debate. …show more content…
Firstly, Pocahontas was just a nickname meaning “playful one” for the girl, whose real name was Matoaka. More importantly, Pocahontas would have been only 11 or 12 years old by the time she and John Smith met for the first time. In reality, John Smith was probably more similar to an older brother/mentor type figure to Pocahontas at best. This means that the love story between Pocahontas between the two was completely and utterly
The Disney version of Pocahontas 's story tells a Romeo & Juliet style tale of a spirited and courageous young woman who, against all odds, falls in love with an Englishmen and saves his life, consequently soothing relations between the natives and settlers. It is inarguable that the movie is riddled with historical inaccuracies like the completely fabricated romance, the age, and the innocent nature of the most of the conflict. To what extent that story was fictionalized and whether or not the inaccuracies are damaging to the young audience is still up for debate. …show more content…
Firstly, Pocahontas was just a nickname meaning “playful one” for the girl, whose real name was Matoaka. More importantly, Pocahontas would have been only 11 or 12 years old by the time she and John Smith met for the first time. In reality, John Smith was probably more similar to an older brother/mentor type figure to Pocahontas at best. This means that the love story between Pocahontas between the two was completely and utterly