Racism in Pocahontas - 1552 Words

Racism in Pocahontas The film Pocahontas, produced by Walt Disney films, portrays the tension between the Powhatan tribe and English settlers during the establishment of Jamestown, the first permanent English settlement in the New World. In examining this film using the article Ten Quick Ways to Analyze Childrens Books for Racism and Sexism, it quickly becomes apparent that although there are forms of racism as described in the article (what will be referred to as ‘traditional media racism), the crux of the films racism is beyond blatant stereotyping and marginalization. While the white settlers clearly have a conquering ideology laced with ideas of racial superiority, this attitude is offset by Powhatans steadfast adherence†¦show more content†¦She then proceeds to sing Colors of the Wind to Smith, who is thereafter convinced of the immorality of his conquest. Once the ideas of racial superiority are no longer endorsed by Smith, they loser popularity with most of the settlers. The sett lers shift is important because it devalues the strength of the Englishmens racist ideology. Although the antagonists of Pocahontas are racist, because they are synonymous with other starkly negative qualities, there is not an overall racist message sent to viewers of the film. Furthermore, the change in adherence to racist thought undermines the value that absorbing a message would have for a child having his/her first exposure to active racism. The strongest aspects of racism are all found in relation to the fact that the history of English settlers in The New World was substantially changed by the Disney scriptwriters. The facts of what really occurred were altered to suit the Disney agenda. For example, Pocahontas would have met John Smith when she was just entering puberty, not when she was a voluptuous young woman (Warner, ). It is also factually inaccurate to portray a love story between the two characters, as John Smith and Pocahontas never fell in love (Ibid). The tw o protagonists of the film were not responsible for the mollification of tension between theirShow MoreRelatedPocahontas2222 Words   |  9 Pages Paper #1 CA 250 – TA: Alyx Pocahontas: How Normative Claims Advance Multiple Ideologies Implicit ideologies are seen in film dialogue, music, and content. Through a deeper level of interpretation, viewers can understand what is implicitly implied through a films messaging. Pocahontas, a classic Disney movie, is based on a legend that surrounds a Native American woman. Pocahontas reinforces the normative ideologies of interracialRead MoreCan You Really Paint With All the Colors of the Wind?: The Personal Effect of Ascribed Status1202 Words   |  5 Pagesback upon it), and a large, framed movie poster of Disneys Pocahontas that showed the Disney-fied versions of Pocahontas and John Smith embracing passionately. Perhaps its only natural that that poster is prominent in my memory, since the love story that Disney presented was my favorite as a child, outranked only by Gumby: The Movie in my childs mind. However, what I didnt realize as a child was the underlying implications that Pocahontas had regarding race and the status that we have accordingRead MoreThe Colonialism Of The Walt Disney Company1571 Words   |  7 Pagesrepresentation of Polynesian culture reflects the viewpoint of Polynesians and their culture. To analyze Disney’s growth, I will compare this representation with other prominent Disney movies centered around indigenous peoples prior to Moana, such as Pocahontas and Lilo and Stitch. I am answering this question to help my reader understand how, although Moana does include some colonial stereotypes, it is groundbreaking for its portrayal of indigenous people in Disney films. I also want my reader to understandRead MoreEssay on Racism in Disney Films2220 Words   |  9 Pagesthe process; have perpetuated an institutionally racist society based on harsh stereotypes. Minorities are often underrepresented, and even completely left out, of many Disney films such as Dumbo (1941), The Lion King (1994), Aladdin (1992), and Pocahontas (1995). As students enter the doors of schools, they bring with them the notion that white character s and people are superior to blacks or other minorities because that is how they are depicted in Disney films. However, is the â€Å"magical world ofRead MoreMartin Luther King, Jr.949 Words   |  4 Pagesbooks and movies made her search to find fitting and accurate role models for me difficult. In the end, I only had Disney’s Pocahontas and a series of books about Kaya, an American Girl doll. Although she wanted me to learn more about my Native American heritage, these two examples were the only ones I had of Native Americans. At around the same age, I also learned about racism at school on Martin Luther King, Jr. Day. The teachers taught us about segregation, the rights that Martin Luther King, JrRead MoreForbidden Love : The Hidden History Of Mixed Race America946 Words   |  4 Pagesof over 400 years, the author Gary Nash cites many instances of interracial relationships. This abundance of examples serves to show a contrast in America between government measures and social occurrences. A story such as that of John Rolfe and Pocahontas is used to show how [their union] could have become the beginning of an open racially intermixed United States (6). Very soon after, however, events such as those surrounding Sam Houston proved to show that interracial relationships have quicklyRead More Insensitive Portrayal of Society and Cultuer in Disney Films1538 Words   |  7 Pagesso many children and families â€Å"(17). For example, Disney emphasizes social vulnerability through the overwhelming male dominance displayed in their animated films. Faherty argues that even though there have been recent movies such as Mulan and Pocahontas, which portray strong female roles, â€Å"the quantitative disproportion of male characters in Disney animated films needs to be addressed if we expect children to be able to relate to appropriate role models† (19). Lack of females in Disney animatedRead More Racism In Animated Films Essay913 Words   |  4 PagesRacism in Animated Films While Disney animated films are the ideal family movies, it is undisclosed to many that such racism is being portrayed. Rarely do we ask about the origins and intentions of the messages we encounter through mass media; sometimes we forget that [producers] have origins or intentions at all (Lipsitz 5). The social inequality found in such popular culture can be due to several reasons. According to David Croteau and William Hoynes in Racial Crossroads, media contentRead MoreAvatar, By James Cameron1710 Words   |  7 Pagesfind a way to force the Na’Vi to leave Hometree. During this mission, Jake Sully falls in love with Neytiri, daughter of the Na’Vi chief and high priestess. This is the classic tale of the Malinche and the Spanish conquistador, Hernà ¡n Cortà ©s, or of Pocahontas and Captain John Smith. Kyla Schuller states the following: The storyline of AVATAR combines the colonialist romance narrative of a white male explorer’s union with an attractive royal native woman familiar since Malinche with a white savior/raceRead MoreEssay on Pocahontas2785 Words   |  12 PagesPocahontas Introduction [1] Disney’s Pocahontas has understandably received a lot of flak about the historically inaccurate story that is told about the legendary Pocahontas and Captain John Smith. There is a good reason for that. The movie does little that can be construed as historically accurate, yet Disney claims that was never their intent. Disney, in their previous movies, has been attacked for being racist and unsympathetic to racial minorities. Their answer was a movie whose