Role of Race and Gender in The movie Pocahontas (Movie Review Sample)

Representations of Race and Gender
Student’s name
Institute’s name
Date Introduction
Racism is best described as an action or practice that considers a given people, race to be considered superior or inferior. It also dictates that the other member of that race should be treated as inferior. However, this is not to say that racism is a concept that has scholarly been defined. Some of the definitions have placed emphasis on the idea of personal stereotyping to be racist (Dictionary.com). Closely linked to the description in society would be gender roles. Gender roles are defined as the cultural norms that have been placed by society in defining what is considered suitable for either man or woman (Boundless). Most of the Disney produced movies clearly depict this gender role and some go as far as covering racism as a factor. One such movie would be Pocahontas, giving both traits of racism and gender roles clearly. This paper would look at the way Native Americans were portrayed in this film and analyze racist remarks mentioned against them. It also covers the stereotype of women and men as depicted in the movie.
Historically the movie has faces so many criticisms as not being accurate. It was recorded that Pocahontas was around ten years or eleven years on the arrival of English settlers in 1607 in Jamestown. However, in the movie she is fully grown woman who falls head over heels in love with Captain Smith. Critics have argued that they destroyed a human beings image to better deliver entertainment (Nunez Veronica, 2010).
Pocahontas is known to have a good Indian since she had saved the life of a white man. The predominant theme in the movie thus follows this same line of thinking that there are some good and bad Indians. Watching this movie a child is made to accept that the notion of the existence of some good and bad Indians. In this case Pocahontas being the good Indian. Captain John Smith has been documented to have been captured him and his men. They were then brought to chief Powhatan. In the movie, though, it was only Smith that was captured. The movie portrays Indians as very aggressive and violent while making the English as remodel characters that did nothing bad. This is not true since it has been recorded that they killed and disposed of many people out of their homes. It is not recorded that Smith and Pocahontas were ever romantically involved as the movie is made to look like. Historically the movie is wrongly placed as she never ended up being a leader of her people as shown in the movie. She was Christianized and was able to travel to London with her husband. She died in 1617 (Nunez Veronica, 2010).
Viewers are given the role of women in the society as being the submissive ones. They were to obey what they were told stay within the confinements of their homesteads. Pocahontas is the chiefs daughter and is no exception as she is forced into an arranged marriage. She is constantly warned of her free like life. Women were submissive and in no circumstance were they to object to the wishes of their parents. Men, on the other hand, were the providers and defenders of the community. The movie starts with the company crew of men as they aboard a ship with a belief of going to the new world that bears the promise of richness that they can take home. Notably there is no lady member of the crew since this was considered a man’s job. Back in James town the story is not different. The chief has been out to defend the community in a war that was raging in a nearby village. The women are left home to tend to the homes and take care of the children. When the Indians hear of the arrival of strange men the women are forbidden to ever leave the homesteads. The men, however, go out to defend the village killing and being killed in the process (Nunez Veronica, 2010).
The presentation of Pocahontas is in a demeanor that is very western. She is presented as this polished lady with fair skin, can converse with a white man, and is blindly committed to a white man. It gives us an image that would best be acceptable for a Whiteman’s view of these savages as the movie refers to them. It is interesting that the idea of Indian princess is stereotyped to portray a well polished westernized lady who on first encounter falls in love. Theirs is the love at first sight, a concept that would be associated with the westernized notions. This was native America and the movie apparently would not want to capture the realities of the Indians as it was and instead captures a version modified to best fit a select audience (Nunez Veronica, 2010).
The movie goes further to claim the responsibility of the offence lay with both the Native Americans and the English that invaded. How misconceptions have been twisted to bring out a picture that fits the audience they target still baffle's critics. The English forcefully entered captured killed the natives for the land so how is it that they should share the blame for the inhuman actives that took place back then. Racism is being propagated by the movie by the fact that the movie is clearly shielding the injustices that were committed by the English an...