Sophia Ahdoot
July 17, 2017
APUSH ESSAY
The Walt Disney film, Pocahontas, by Eric Goldberg introduces contradicting ideas from the two articles, “The Indians’ New World: The Catawba Experience” by James H. Merrel and “The Labor Problem at Jamestown, 1607-18” by Edmund S. Morgan. Though it enchanted and awed millions, the movie Pocahontas creates a fictional interoperation of actual history, rather truly addressing the real conflicts Native Americans were forced to face. As peace between John Smith and the Native Americans composedly ends the movie, the article expresses otherwise, explaining a contrary outcome. When compared, the film greatly contrasts and overpasses factual issues presented in the articles, such as the …show more content…
Instead Indians felt as if they had “their world stolen and another put in its place” (Merrell 564). With no escape path, Indians were forced to endure the horrific disaster in which the movie paints as a celebration. Throughout the film, no scene or character ever narrated the role of the austerity of bacteria and how it later resulted in epidemics and diseases, that swept the Native American people. With the movie never mentioning the severity of disease, Indians were left unmentioned when being killed by the masses, by the pathogens introduced by the English foreigners. Their extensive isolation “from the rest of the world and therefore lacking immunity to pathogens introduced by the intruders, the devastation was even more severe” (Merrrell 543). While Pocahontas portrayed voluminous and happy life among the Indians, Merrell claims opposite results of the entering of John Smith and the Englishmen. With Indian heritage and culture disappearing as “the leaving of familiar territories was the necessity of abandoning customary relationships” life as a Native American was the complete contrary then how the movie perceived to be (Merrell 546). As disease continued to advance, Native American villages and tribes were forced to scatter, eventually obliterating ancient traditions and seek alien …show more content…
The articles depicted the disembarking of the English settlers for the sole purpose of enslaving Native Americans and force them into labor, so they can “be made to work in the heat of the day, when Englishmen would not” (Morgan 600). On the contrary, the Englishmen were to be looked as awestruck men in search for gold and the elimination of the Native American people. This scene is once again counters Morgan’s claim when the article explained “Captain John Smith thought it better to exploit than exterminate the Indians” (Morgan 600). John Smith only motive was to attempt to solve the unemployment and slothfulness attitude to Jamestown. While English settlers had no desire of terminating the Indians, the film twists its storyline to present it like
July 17, 2017
APUSH ESSAY
The Walt Disney film, Pocahontas, by Eric Goldberg introduces contradicting ideas from the two articles, “The Indians’ New World: The Catawba Experience” by James H. Merrel and “The Labor Problem at Jamestown, 1607-18” by Edmund S. Morgan. Though it enchanted and awed millions, the movie Pocahontas creates a fictional interoperation of actual history, rather truly addressing the real conflicts Native Americans were forced to face. As peace between John Smith and the Native Americans composedly ends the movie, the article expresses otherwise, explaining a contrary outcome. When compared, the film greatly contrasts and overpasses factual issues presented in the articles, such as the …show more content…
Instead Indians felt as if they had “their world stolen and another put in its place” (Merrell 564). With no escape path, Indians were forced to endure the horrific disaster in which the movie paints as a celebration. Throughout the film, no scene or character ever narrated the role of the austerity of bacteria and how it later resulted in epidemics and diseases, that swept the Native American people. With the movie never mentioning the severity of disease, Indians were left unmentioned when being killed by the masses, by the pathogens introduced by the English foreigners. Their extensive isolation “from the rest of the world and therefore lacking immunity to pathogens introduced by the intruders, the devastation was even more severe” (Merrrell 543). While Pocahontas portrayed voluminous and happy life among the Indians, Merrell claims opposite results of the entering of John Smith and the Englishmen. With Indian heritage and culture disappearing as “the leaving of familiar territories was the necessity of abandoning customary relationships” life as a Native American was the complete contrary then how the movie perceived to be (Merrell 546). As disease continued to advance, Native American villages and tribes were forced to scatter, eventually obliterating ancient traditions and seek alien …show more content…
The articles depicted the disembarking of the English settlers for the sole purpose of enslaving Native Americans and force them into labor, so they can “be made to work in the heat of the day, when Englishmen would not” (Morgan 600). On the contrary, the Englishmen were to be looked as awestruck men in search for gold and the elimination of the Native American people. This scene is once again counters Morgan’s claim when the article explained “Captain John Smith thought it better to exploit than exterminate the Indians” (Morgan 600). John Smith only motive was to attempt to solve the unemployment and slothfulness attitude to Jamestown. While English settlers had no desire of terminating the Indians, the film twists its storyline to present it like