I found the reading about John Smith to be very interesting, although it was hard to understand at sometimes. I believe that once John Smith discovered that life in Virginia was full of opportunities, he began to forget about the reasons that made him leave England. Once he was elected president of the council, he established a, "tough-minded, practical regime that stresses social order, the general welfare, and long term goals rather than the quick profit motive," which drove many of the colonists to come to Virginia in the first place. He didn't believe in all of that in England, but once he became in charge they became his ways. Smith is doing the same thing to the colonists of Virginia that he didn't like in England.
When Smith was sent back to England after being severely injured in a gunpowder explosion he began convincing the people of England to move to Virginia so they can have a better life because of the unlimited material and moral benefit. But he didn't take into account that the natives were their first.
I feel as though Smith was trying to change the natives to much, especially by trying to covert them to Christ.
As I was reading the last part of the story that talked about Pocahontas saving Smith, I couldn't help but wonder how much of that part is true because it's difficult to know which parts of Smiths life are fact or fiction. But I like to believe it's true because it's nice to see the whites and natives uniting as one.
6 comments:
You made some good points. The people of England didn't like the way the king treated them, so they moved to what they presumed was a better place. However, what they found was the same treatment in a different place. Therefore, John Smith must have lied to these people in order for them to move to the New World. Maybe all the power he had went to his head and he thought he could become a dictator!!
The section of Smith's writing where Pocahontas saves him was interesting to me too. It seemed bizarre and doubtful to me that Powhatan was prepared to brutally kill John Smith, but Pocahontas rushes in and suddenly Powhatan completely changes his mind and makes friends with Smith. Especially since we know that Pocahontas and Smith do not marry, what was it that made Powhatan change his mind if it was not their love for each other? I think that Smith should have included what Pocahontas or anyone said that explained the change of heart, as even the Disney movie did, but perhaps he did not want to diminish his heroic status by focusing on Pocahontas' or Powhatan's open-minded behavior.
I also liked what you said about Smith letting the power consume him once he got to America. His motives changed from seeking freedom to monetary gain. He says in The General Historie of Virginia that he cannot imagine “any other motive then wealth” that would lead to colonization of America.
I have to say that you bring up a great valid point about these passages. John Smith was someone that didn't care what happened to himself but he was primarily concerned about the valuable land that was in the new world and he began to convince people to go there because of the availablity of the land and the untold oppurtunities that the land will have.
It is interesting that you said you couldn't help wonder how much of the story about John Smith and Pocahontas was true. I feel the same way. We learn the story in a way that shows the colonists and native Americans getting along and helping each other and then in history classes we learn about the colonists massacring the native Americans until few remained. But this story is completely one-sided. There is never mention of a native American viewpoint. Even small details such as John Smith omitting the reason why Powhattan was going to kill him, leading the reader to believe that native Americans just wanted to kill the colonists, portrays a negative image of the native Americans as savages and killers.
I also agree that Smith was pushing the natives too far. I dont think its right for anyone to try and change the faith of another person. The fact that these are considered myths make it hard to fully believe also. disney didn't help the matter by altering history slightly with its movie.
I think you are right in noting that the more potential SMith saw in the land of the new world, the more he forgot why he came to America. I also think you are correct in saying that the romantic notion of John Smith and Pocohontas is more appealing, but it probably isn't true.
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