Pocahontas
is a girl who seems to have raised herself as much as she was raised by her father who had an entire tribe of people to take care of. Her greatest confidant is Grandmother Willow - the talking tree. She has one close friend and she has her animal friends (as all Disney princesses do). She seems to have reached the age where she is ready for life to begin and yet she cannot seem to figure out where her life is headed. She loves her father very much, she loves her tribe and her home and yet she is restless. She has dreams, similar to Belle, of somthing more than what she already knows. She wants to see things, do things, go places, learn new things. When Pocahontas meets John Smith she realizes that her dreams are real. That there is plenty to learn. Most importantly she learns that being true to who you are will always take you down the path that you belong on.
is a girl who seems to have raised herself as much as she was raised by her father who had an entire tribe of people to take care of. Her greatest confidant is Grandmother Willow - the talking tree. She has one close friend and she has her animal friends (as all Disney princesses do). She seems to have reached the age where she is ready for life to begin and yet she cannot seem to figure out where her life is headed. She loves her father very much, she loves her tribe and her home and yet she is restless. She has dreams, similar to Belle, of somthing more than what she already knows. She wants to see things, do things, go places, learn new things. When Pocahontas meets John Smith she realizes that her dreams are real. That there is plenty to learn. Most importantly she learns that being true to who you are will always take you down the path that you belong on.So, what can my daughter learn from Pocahontas? First and foremost my daughter can learn a genuine love and respect for the earth. Reduce, reuse, recycle gets crammed down our kids throats these days with a quick "we have to take care of the earth" message. However, very few people take the time to truly look at, notice and admire the beauty in the rock all around them. Pocahontas says, "I know that every rock, and tree and creature has a life, has a spirit, has a name.' My daughter can learn to know the life, spirit and name of everything around her from Pocahontas. She can learn to take the time to hear all the voices of the mountain and to paint with all the colors of the wind. She can learn the importance of just noticing that all of those things are there.
My daughter can learn that you should always stand up for what you believe in. Pocahontas stops a war from taking place between her people and the settlers. She runs in front of her father and demands that he not kill John Smith. She makes everyone there think about what they are doing. She makes them realize that they have no reason to fight each other. This is a very brave thing to do. It is not easy to stand up for what you believe. It is not easy to tell the world that they are wrong. Especially when the people you have to stand up to are people that you care deeply for and look up to. It is generally easier to sit by silently and let things happen. No one will be upset with you if you allow those in charge to make decisions. But the world need people willing to speak up for injustice. My daughter can learn to be someone who will always speak up when she sees something wrong happening.
She can also learn the lesson that love does not always take us where we thought it would, or even where we want it to. Pocahontas loves John Smith. She intends to marry him. However, his wound requires him to return to England. She has a duty to her people. She is the daughter of the Chief and she is needed there. I remember when I first saw that movie I was so annoyed that it ended with John Smith leaving and her staying. It is a fairy tale for goodness sake, why shouldn't it have a happy ending? But now that I am an adult and I have daughters I like the lesson that sometimes we have to think about more than our immediate impulse. Sometimes you can't just run onto the boat and say forget about everything else. Sometimes you have to consider the rest of your life and what your actions will mean - for yourself and for those around you.
loves John Smith. She intends to marry him. However, his wound requires him to return to England. She has a duty to her people. She is the daughter of the Chief and she is needed there. I remember when I first saw that movie I was so annoyed that it ended with John Smith leaving and her staying. It is a fairy tale for goodness sake, why shouldn't it have a happy ending? But now that I am an adult and I have daughters I like the lesson that sometimes we have to think about more than our immediate impulse. Sometimes you can't just run onto the boat and say forget about everything else. Sometimes you have to consider the rest of your life and what your actions will mean - for yourself and for those around you. 
| Tweet |
|
|
No comments:
Post a Comment