Disney Princess Series: Pocahontas

Helloooooooooo.
I mean, I wanted to write a post once a week, and I guess I have time to do that, but even still I wasn't planning on really doing this today, but I'm in a super writer mood right now and I need to write SOMETHING. Which has been hard lately because, as many of you already know, I finished Story 2's second draft, so it is on hold until after the mission, and finished Story 1's FINAL draft, so it is on hold until I get started actually working toward publication. Yay for middle grade literature!
I haven't been doing much the past week because I have been pretty sick the past few days. I have gotten to see the choir sing quite a few times and do stuff with my mom and see Jacob's dance show and go out with Morgan and stuff like that. Plus Emily and Josh just came into town for Christmas so we're super hyped! I went in to see the chamber singers (but in all actuality I came because my Alto Illuminati sister Alex was going to be there) yesterday and then Morgan said she was going to try on Little Shop of Horrors costumes (Just in case I haven't bragged about this to you guys yet, she's playing Audrey) so I was like "CAN I COME" and so I got to do that with her and talk to her and Mr. Calkins about the show and Morgan's costumes for 5ever, and I got to help Morgan sing a little bit (Bless her and her patient soul) and talk to her and after that I was on a character high so I tried writing some verse or whatever but nothing was coming out so here I am, writing a blog post I probably don't even feel good enough for but I need to express some sort of creativity somewhere. AH.
(To be so honest sorry if my writing isn't even coherent right now. We're gonna blame it on the illness, whether or not that's actually what it is.)
Okay, so today we're adding another installment to the Disney Princess Series. And this is honestly immensely fitting, because in history this semester we were learning about Pocahontas, and a lot of it was kind of based on a comparison to the Disney film, and how inaccurate that movie is. Which made me irrationally angry.
And I guess what they were saying was legitimate, because a lot of them didn't know the true story of Pocahontas. But even still, I was getting a little tired of the Disney hate.
When I watch Pocahontas, I'm not doing it to get a history lesson. I'm doing it because I love Disney and Alan Menken and Disney Princess. If you've graduated high school and you don't know the true story of Pocahontas, I'm not blaming you, but I do think your history teachers were pretty bad. They don't have to explain the entire story to you, but they should probably say, "Yeah, so if you've seen the Disney movie, none of that was real. They weren't in love and she didn't save him, she actually ends up living with the colonists and moving to London and it's a lot more complicated than all of that." I know that people probably have more of a problem with this because it's a thing that really happened, as opposed to all the other fairy tales they've modified, but I'm still okay with watching a Disney film just to enjoy a Disney film, whether it's based on true events or not.
That's what you need to keep in mind when you read the following. We're aware that we're not talking about real events; we are talking about the fictional character Pocahontas and not the real person.
I first saw Pocahontas either senior year or junior year, I can't remember which. It was honestly a shame that I hadn't seen it, because I'm really big Disney fan and almost a bigger Alan Menken fan and I absolutely love the Disney Princesses, but I hadn't seen that film, and I knew that was a necessity. My mom had told me that she was super disappointed when it came out because it was like they didn't even try, and I know what she's talking about. The animation is pretty low-quality, and not because it's older. Beauty and the Beast came out in 1991 and is an animation masterpiece. Pocahontas came out four years later and is way worse. Definitely not up to Disney's standard at the time. But I still liked it. I think (even for being low-quality) it was a pretty movie and I think Pocahontas is an even prettier character.
That was the initial main reason I liked the film. I think Pocahontas is beautiful.
Maybe because according to the blessed personality blog post by Oh My Disney, Pocahontas is identified as INFJ, which is the personality of your favorite stereotypical teen blogger. She is quiet yet bold and totally wise. In my own opinion, this is the best kind of person to be. I've found it's important not to talk unless you have something to say, because if you just talk to talk, people stop listening really fast, so when something actually is important no one is listening. Pocahontas is smart.
I was honestly in love with Pocahontas within the first few minutes of seeing her because she is so fun. Her ability to be so carefree due to her connection with the world and nature is the most admirable thing to me. Maybe it's because I've never been able to be that relaxed a day in my life, but Pocahontas is genuinely here for a good time. She's not here for uptight guys like Kocoum. (They actually spell movie Kocoum's name different from real Kocoom, which is pretty weird.)  But because she has love for her family and the people she still feels pressured into marrying him.
The answer to all your problems is following your heart, sis!
After that conflict is established, we meet the mediocre John Smith. However, Pocahontas is down to listen to him even though the other Natives are not. This is a plus to Pocahontas's quiet nature; she is willing to listen to others. She's so thoughtful and kind! However, she quickly realizes that John is not as quick to listen as she is. And she tells. Him. Off.
In a pretty kind way, but also super straightforward. Hold on, we gotta quote this directly. How utterly powerful are these lyrics?
"You think I'm an ignorant savage
And you've been so many places I guess it must be so
But still I cannot see if the savage one is me.
How can there be so much that you don't know?
You don't know."
Thank you for the wise words, Stephen Schwartz.
As Lisa Cimorelli would put it, Pocahontas hits him over the head with the frying pan of truth. She says that she understands what he's saying, but he won't take any time to realize that she's not the only one that needs to be educated. She willingly learns about his version of the world but he will not learn about hers. Truth and honesty is such a powerful thing, people! I can't say it enough.
And once she tells him this, John is suddenly willing to listen, and thanks to the honesty of Pocahontas he is able to see the beauty in her world.
Between this point and the end, there is a lot of falling in love and a lot of angst between the English and the Natives. What we're going to care about now is Pocahontas's boldness and her ability to stay true to herself, shown in three different examples.
The first example is when Kocoum catches Pocahontas and John totally making out and he gets super mad, right? That one random English guy, Thomas, sees Kocoum and John fighting and so he shoots Kocoum. And KILLS HIM.
Which, even after everything, makes Pocahontas totally mad. It's not that she wants to marry Kocoum, it's that she still cared about his well-being and hates violence and is, I don't know, a good person.
Fun fact: Morgan hates Romeo and Juliet. (Which is something I simply can't get behind, but that's okay.) One of the many reasons she hates it is how quickly she thinks Juliet gets over the fact that Romeo killed her cousin, Tybalt. Pocahontas doesn't do that. Kocoum is one of her people, and his death isn't just fine. She's pretty upset for a minute. She's not throwing that away for anyone.
The second example occurs as things start to go downhill from there super fast. The English and the Natives are both super mad at each other and about to viciously attack one another, including the Natives preparing to kill John. But our dear friend Pocahontas runs to the rescue and throws herself over John and doesn't let him die. She saves the day! She's the example of peace.
Imagine that. Imagine standing up for your enemy in front of all of your people. Imagine doing so against your father. Imagine potentially risking your life for someone you care about. How brave and awesome is Pocahontas?
The third example is after everything neatly wraps itself up. In short, John Smith and the other English people are going back to England. Pocahontas has a choice.
But honestly, was it ever really a choice?
Because yeah, Pocahontas loved John Smith enough to teach him what she knew and be his friend and save him from a violent death.
But she loved where she lived and who she lived with way more.
Her life pretty drastically changed in a short period of time, but something good that happened to her wasn't enough for her to let go of everything beautiful she already had. She doesn't go with him. She loves where she is. I don't know, I just find it so powerful that she doesn't go. And it was probably a little tragic, but leaving her home would've been disastrously painful. She stays where she wants to be.
Pocahontas always does what she wants. She follows her heart.
As should you.
Thanks and much love.
--Lizzo