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Pocahontas And The Powhatan Summary

602 Words3 Pages

What would you do for fame? Throughout history the hunger to be known and recognized has driven humans to deceive, cheat and create a web of lies to climb their way up the social hierarchy. From great kings to poor peasants even to the people that are in our lives today everyone seeks, has sought, and will continue to look for some form of glory and unachievable immortality through fame. The desire for notoriety that is embedded in all humans is the same desire that caused Captain John Smith to belie and fabricate the story of his first encounter with Pocahontas and the Powhatan indians.
When John Smith first recounts his encounter with the Native Americans he describes them as a kind hospitable people. “ He welcomed me with such good words… assuring me his friendship” (True). At the time of writing “True Relation” Smith had not motive or incentive for lying. With only sixty-four colonist in the new world there was no social …show more content…

A story that sounded more fanciful. A story with a plot. A story that had a hero and a villain. A story that was a lie… In John Smith’s new tale he depicts the natives as a foul and villainous people, and Pocahontas as a brave heroine. He claimed that the Powhatan Indians had taken him hostage and attempted to smash his head, but “Pocahontas the king’s dearest daughter, when no entreaty could prevail, got his head in her arms, and… saved him from death” (General). This story is much more intriguing than the one prior to it. Definitely something that someone would consider footnote worthy when writing about the first account, so why did Smith wait sixteen years later to tell the alleged truth? The reason is that sixteen years later he was back in the security of England where it was not only safe for him to lie but also beneficial of him to do so. After the death of Pocahontas it was more than easy for Smith to lie about what really happened and gain

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