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Daddy's Little Princess - analytical essay [2]
A analytical essay of Pocahontas. Wishing for your feedbacks, please.
Daddy's Little Princess"You think that only because you don't know any better" says John Smith in the Disney movie Pocahontas. Though John Smith says it for what he means to say, ironically, I find it to become the central message of the movie. Through out the movie, Disney clearly shows Pocahontas as a rebellious princess - she runs off all the time - that represents our everyday teenagers, who doesn't know any better for most of the time according to the parents. Though the rebellious part is not the only thing that Pocahontas has in common with modern teenagers; she is starting out her life journey just like the majority of teens, who will from time to time find to be lost, and perhaps will never really understand what their life goals are, but the journey has to continue. Pocahontas starts out as a lovely and lively girl, but as the suddenness of life struck, she slowly becomes lost. When she was pointing to a "right" path, her rebellious nature doubted it, thus leads her on to the quest of uncertainty, which will eventually become her life journey. Come on DADDY! Tell you little girl she thinks that only because she doesn't know any better!
One can tear apart Pocahontas in several different ways, but one should not miss the rebellious nature that it represents. Pocahontas is just like our everyday teenager who disobeys his or her parents, which makes the parents think he or she doesn't any better, at least initially. The river water represents as both the path of life and the inner nature of us - smooth on the surface, but underneath, it is not steady at all. A great storm is brewing inside, waiting. Several incidences through out the movie support this such as when she would runs off on her own, jumps off the cliff, and of course be friend with John Smith. All of these example shows how rebellious she is. She does all this even after her father specifically told her not to. Also when Pocahontas is presented with two path: one smoothest possible and one full with obstacles, she chooses the unsteady path. According to the movie's ending her choice is "right", why would she choose that particular path in the first place though? If it's not the rebellious nature then what is it? She is psychic? Despite the part of she being right, and despite that she could be the a "very wise and understanding" seven year old - yes, a seven year old - rebellious must be a factor of why she chooses that path.
The other link Pocahontas shares with modern teenagers is the quest of life's uncertainties. As mentioned above that the river also represents the path of life. Just like the poem of Robert Frost, The Road Not Taken , divergence around the river bend represents uncertainties. How many of us really know where we want to go in life yet? Some might think they do but the truth is they don't. Even though Pocahontas in the movie is an animated character, she shares the same fate as us or perhaps she is "us" in the mirror. Again, several incidences in the movie support this, as well, such as when she asks grandmother Willow for advice. The advice is simply following your heart. Though it appears really easy in the movie - she can just listen to the spirits around her - it would not have been so easy in real life, nevertheless, Pocahontas can not find her way as the suddenness of life struck again. Kocoum is killed by Thomas and Smith has taken the blame. Now she faces another divergence of life as if it is all fate. She is lost. Our lives are just the same, times from times when we thought we have found the right path, a simple change as small as moving could change everything.
As the song Just around the River Bend in Pocahontas suggests: "you can't step into the water twice, since water is always changing". Thing are the same in life; the passing period never stops just like the river will always flow, and we will always change. Though we might appear as steady as the beating drum, but like the beating drum, we tend to give out loud beats of sounds, which calls out for our inner-self. Pocahontas is simply just like a everyday teenager, who has a rebellious nature and who is always lost, eagering to find the right path. Though for every decision we make maybe it's because we don't know any better but we can't be sure, since in life the only thing one can be sure is that nothing is for sure.
