The New World: Andrew Ours

 The New World is a film about the settlement of Jamestown, the encounter with the Powhattan Indians, and the love story between Pocahontas and English settlers John Smith and John Rolfe.  The most profound motif I found in this film is the transformation that takes place both physically and emotionally in the film. When Pocahontas saves John Smith from being killed by her father Chief Powhattan, I believe that it was due to curiosity of the new English settlers, rather than due to love between the two that has been depicted in the Disney Pocahontas film. The princess’s curiosity for English culture forced her to become an outcast to her tribe and her homeland. When John Rolfe met her, she fell in love and became his husband. The shift of the Powhattan princess from being immersed in Native culture to English is also seen in the land. Jamestown marked the first permanent English colony in the New World. The Native Americans helped the English survive in this new and strange land, but slowly Europeans took over and conquered the Native land. I always like bringing films to the real world, and one question I asked myself while watching this film is about the relations between culture and how cultures can coexist, especially in the United States. The United States is a very unique country because of the culmination of cultures and how it has served as a beacon of hope to immigrants all over the world. When people from other cultures come to the United States it is very hard to assimilate to the culture of the United States while also remembering the heritage and background of where you came from. I believe people should find a balance between becoming a part of the United States while celebrating where you came from. 

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