Similarities Between John Smith And Pocahontas

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The Many Theories Relating to John Smith and Pocahontas

Everybody from generation after generation knows the story about how a man by the name of John Smith and a girl by the name of Pocahontas had a very important encounter in the late year of 1607. Unfortunately, too many people believe the one story about how Pocahontas laid over him just as he was about to get killed, and then fell in love with each other and moved backed to England. This is unfortunate because there are many different theories, myths, and evidence for what actually occurred between them, and that time era. Pocahontas was the daughter of Chief Powhatan who had one of the biggest tribes at that time. They lived in Chesapeake Bay, in the southern part of Virginia. Pocahontas …show more content…

Lewis' argument states that Pocahontas moved to England after marrying John Rolfe, studied theology and spoke very good English, and became very well known and liked. At around the time she rose to fame, John Smith published his book True Relation, which had been published eight years earlier. This time, there were footnotes at the bottom of the pages that explained his capture at Chesapeake Bay in 1607. He includes some description of how he taught Pocahontas English and even taught her the love of the Bible. "...The General History of Virginia, which John completed in 1624...he expands on the theme that she rescued him at the risk of her own life." Lewis is showing us when he explains these things that Smith saw all the glory Pocahontas was receiving, and wanted to be a part of it too. He thought that by writing about how Pocahontas saved his life, he would receive attention. Another historian, Leo Lemay, states that John Smith was ritualistically killed, but had no way of knowing that, and interpreted it as him getting killed for disturbing the peace of Powhatan. Lemay also states that “No one in Smith’s day ever expressed doubt about the episode, and may persons who must have known the truth -- including John Rolfe, Pocahontas, her sister, and brother-in-law -- were in London in 1616 when Smith publicized the story in a letter to the