Pocahontas Live Blog

Wow my man John Smith is hyped up from the start. I am talking Brandon Ingram coming to Duke as a freshman hype. We don’t see him at the start but all we hear about is what an Indian killer he is and how he has gone up against some of the most savage beings this world has to offer. Out first sight of John Smith isn’t disappointing; he is tall, strong, and good looking. His blonde hair and blue eyes make him look angelic.

Before the film I had to brace myself for how historically incorrect Pocahontas would be. I acted smartly because off the bat the film has a pretty questionable song. Sailors are singing “The Virginia Company” in a jolly way, almost celebrating the Virginia Company, a joint stock company that sought to create settlements in North America. Right from the start of the film, characters are celebrating a company that essentially were the trailblazers for the decimation of Native Americans, the largest genocide North America has ever seen.

Before we know it we get to see the acclaimed John Smith go to work. This man definitely lives up to the hype created for him. A man falls overboard in a storm, and while Governor Radcliffe orders to continue, John Smith defies those orders. John Smith ties a rope to him self and courageously dives into the stormy waters and saves the man.

It is at his point that we get our first visual of Governor Radcliff, the stereotypical Disney villain. Right off the bat I can compare Governor Radcliff to Ursula. They have very similar vibes, are very evil appearing, and wear dark purples and pinks. While Ursula is a manly female, Governor Radcliffe on the other hand is a feminine male, this can be demonstrated by the eye shadow it seems he wears.

I was most shocked by Pocahontas’ appearance. She is still a child and lives in the woods, yet she is beautiful and well put together. She looks closer to 30 than she does to being a teenager. Classic example of Disney further perpetuating the idea of a mold that women should fit. When further analyzing Pocahontas, one cant help but draw comparisons to Mulan. Both girls are adventurous and free spirited; they don’t fit the mold that society has created for them. Pocahontas’s curious spirit can be seen through the song “Just Around the Riverbend” and the scene that accompanies it. Pocahontas and Mulan both get help from friendly animals, one of which that can fly. However, their circumstances are very different. Pocahontas feels pressured to marry a warrior she doesn’t love by her father, the chief of the village. She tells her father that it would be an honor to be a source of wisdom to the village, but that is not where her heart truly lies.

I kind of draw comparisons between Governor Radcliffe and Donald Trump. Both are greedy, selfish, and entitled. Similar to how Donald Trump has been rejected and disparaged by the old money elite in New York City, Governor Radcliffe is constantly made fun of by the aristocrats and high court members of England. Governor Radcliffe sees this opportunity to get back at all those who have mocked him, very similar to Trumps run for President of the United States.