Walt Disney's Pocahontas is a journey into the realm of imagination that is captivating, disturbing, and yet familiar. These realms are discovered by examining them using the keys of universal patterns, literary theories, and imagination. For the first time, Disney Productions is producing a film entirely about an adult woman, let alone a woman of color, titled Pocahontas. The animated film is supposedly based on the true story of a young Native Powhatan girl named Pocahontas who falls in love with John Smith, an English colonizer. In making this film, Disney attempts to recreate the historical events that took place in the early 17th century when Europeans settled in Jamestown, however they do not portray the story accurately. She experiences hardship when people force her to choose her path, which turns her into the worthy hero she is. He creates tranquility in his homeland by uniting the English and the Powhatan Indians. Pocahontas is in danger of being exiled from her home because she warns the English about how Chief Powanan, Pocahontas' father, is planning an attack. By examining Joseph Cambell's Monomyth and Carl Jung's Archetypes, literary theories such as postcolonialism and feminism, Northrope Frye's motif of metaphor, and Sigmund Freud's psychoanalytic critique, one finds the realms of one's divination. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essayPocahontas is the prime epitome of a hero. Joseph Cambell, an American psychologist and professor, said, “A hero is someone who has given their life to something greater than themselves,” which characterizes Pocahontas as a hero. Joseph Cambell is finally known for his world-famous book, The Hero with a Thousand Faces. Clarifies the theory of fabulous structures of the archetypal hero's journey. In his research, Cambell discovers numerous conventional patterns that trace back to hero myths, stories, and folklore around the world. Cambell states that “the standard path of the hero's mythological adventure is an enlargement of the formula represented in the rites of passage: separation-initiation-return: which might be called the nuclear unity of the monomyth”. He calls his structure, The Monomyth, which is a universal pattern of action that is in the essence of mythological tales (Campbell, Joseph). The first phase of action that seeks to separate the protagonist from the known world is when the protagonist is called on an adventure. In Pocahontas, Pocahontas's call to adventure occurs when her father, Chief Powhatan, informs her that Kocoum, a native warrior, has asked for her hand in marriage and that she must choose her own path. Pocahontas is faced with a choice: accept it or deny it. The second stage, quest refusal, is shown when the protagonist refuses to accept the call. This is seen when she denies marrying Kocoum, as she says she wants something different. The third stage of accepting the calling is depicted when Pocahontas chooses to sail the swift rivers, representing adventure and risk, rather than choosing still waters, depicting Kocoum and marriage. Pocahontas reflects on how the water is anything but stable as she enters the water, “he [father] wants me to be stable like the river… but it is not stable at all.” He is trying to bring out his inner emotions by saying that water is constantly changing and flowing. This means that life manifests change and yet life manages to continually flow. People can change accordingly, just as their decisions, desires, paths and their minds can change, whilethey continue to flow with the tides. The symbol of the Hero's aquatic journey is illustrated, representing Pocahontas' rebirth in search of herself and her true ego, her own identity in the conscious mind. The initiation phase begins with the hero entering the unknown by crossing the first threshold and this appears when Pocahontas follows her heart and sees the English ship. He tries to spy on them with his animal companions, Flit and Meeko, while having some close encounters. This is a type of psychologist Carl Jung's theory of archetypes. Archetypes are recurring universal patterns that emerge from the collective unconscious and are expressed in literary works and myths (Jung, Carl). Flit and Meeko represent Pocahontas' allies, as animals are seen as her helpers. Meeko is also seen as the trickster because his behavior causes a lot of problems for Pocahontas. Subsequently, supernatural help guides the hero to success. As Campbell says, “Just know and trust, and the ageless guardians will appear” (Campbell, Joseph). For Pocahontas, her supernatural help is her grandmother Willow, a knowing and wise willow tree who serves as her mentor. The archetype of the old, wise and mentor appears. Grandmother Willow is considered an ancient and wise presence who assists Pocahontas by showing what Pocahontas needs to complete the quest. Grandma Willow symbolizes knowledge because she is depicted as a tree. When Pocahontas asks Grandma Willow for advice, she replies, “All around you are spirits, child. They live in the earth, in the water, in the sky. If you listen, they will guide you.” Pocahontas uses advice by listening to her surroundings with her heart to understand what the spirits are telling her. Next, Pocahontas enters the belly of the whale, a phase of the hero's journey called the preparation or rebirth phase, when she spies on the English men once again and is captured by one of them, named John Smith. Things cannot go back to the way they were, as John Smith finds it. Gradually, the meeting with the goddess phase appears as Pocahontas interacts with John Smith instead of choosing to run away and falls in love with him. Roads of trials are depicted when the hero foresees a series of trials that will make him stronger. This is seen when Pocahontas persistently disobeys her father, Chief Powatan, to follow her own path. One of the English settlers named Thomas discovers that John is with Pocahontas and follows them. But then Pocahontas and John are captured by Kococum and try to attack John. Frightened by this, Thomas shoots Kocoum. Her father and the natives decide to fight the English men because of their actions and Pocahontas tries to convince her father to reconsider his thoughts about the men. The archetypal woman of character is shown when Pocahontas' friend Nakoma tries to stop her from going with John Smith and does not support her (Jung, Carl). The transformation of Pocahontas tries to save John Smith when he is captured and sentenced to death by the natives. The apotheosis is shown when she is injured because Thomas kills Kocoum and John is captured. He feels that everything would have been fine if the two had never met. When John is about to be killed, Pocahontas defends the English and saves John Smith by rebelling against her father. Later, atonement with the father is illustrated when Chief Powatan and Pocahontas reconcile with each other and understand each other's mistakes. Additionally, Pocahontas gets the final advantage when the Powatan chief shows the peace sign to the English men after saving John's life. Peace is created when they decide not to fight. Subsequently, the crossing of the threshold of return is depicted when the English and the natives live in peace seeing the possibility of getting along with each other.Pocahontas becomes master of both worlds when she achieves a balance between the English and the natives, as they can get along and is loved by both. Pocahontas returns with the elixir and has the freedom to live freely choosing her own path. Through Joseph Cambell's Monomyth and CarlJung's archetypes: Pocahontas' reigns can be examined explicitly. When you use different theories to analyze the work, you can discover the truth about the kingdoms. Pocahontas displays hints of postcolonialism and feminism. Postcolonialism is the political and social supremacy and domination of the land and its citizens by a foreign power. It also addresses issues of power, economics, religion and culture. “Savages, savages!”, the English colonizers shout when they see the Native Americans. This exemplifies the tensions of postcolonialism present in the film. Disney tries to romanticize Native American life in this film. Disney does not portray the story accurately and tries to rewrite the story making it seem like a magically romantic fairy tale, but in reality it is a story of tragedy and heartbreak. The true story of Pocahontas is about a 10-year-old Native girl who is kidnapped, raped, and presumably killed by English colonizers. Disney tends to glorify their way of life and their interactions with English men, while trying to create a sketchy romance between a white man and a native woman. The real Pocahontas wanted nothing to do with the men who were invading and stealing her territory and culture. But Pocahontas' animated life has been sensationalized and romanticized. In the film, when the British break in, Radcliff, the governor says to John Smith, "I'm counting on you... to make sure those dirty heathens don't interrupt our mission." The English look to Eurocentrism, the belief that Europeans are superior to any other culture. Eurocentric prejudice defines Native Americans as other, objectifying and dehumanizing the tribe in order to oppress, dominate, and take over their land. The English conceive of the Powhatan tribe as intrinsically foreign and alien to themselves. They marginalize them and characterize their differences as flaws, thus making the English superior to the natives. The colonists characterize the natives as others because they do not have advanced technology and knowledge. And so, settlers have the advantage of colonizing Native American land. As Radicliff hunts for gold, he says, “This is a land I can claim, a land I can tame.” The script is written in a way where the English men are depicted as heroes due to their desire to "help" the Powhatans, but in reality ruins the lives of the natives. They justify their actions by educating them, imperializing them, and perfecting their cultures, but this erosion creates the genocide of Native Americans. As settlers arrive, they describe the Powahatan territory as a New World, where they can discipline its people and use their resources to prosper. The film shows indigenous peoples as "savages", "dirty heathens" and "Indians". When Pocahontas first meets John Smith, she says, "We will show your people how to use this land properly" (Gabriel and Erick). John Smith says he will help the natives by teaching them how to use their land properly and how to get the most out of it. He also says that savage is just a term to describe uncivilized people. John tries to convince Pocahontas of the ideology that civilization is an accepted and appropriate way of life. Below, feminism is the ideology that women and men should be equal. In Pocahontas, Pocahontas' father tells her that she must marry another native named Kocoum because a husband makes a woman.The image of the public and private spheres is confirmed when native men go on adventures and hunt animals, while women have to stay at home to take care of children and do housework. The gender roles of femininity and masculinity are shown when the women of the tribe are expected to stay in the village and not speak until spoken to, and when the men are allowed to express their opinions and chase them out of the villages. Pocahontas is subaltern as she is a colonized woman being marginalized. The point of view of these criticisms helps to understand the truth about a work of literary art. Pocahontas is a film that truly connects the attribution of souls to their surroundings. Northrope Frye, a Canadian literary theorist, said, “Nature is within art as its content, not without as its model.” Pocahontas touches on the foundations of animism, the belief that everything has a spirit or soul including animals, mountains and rivers. Motive for Metaphor by Northrope Frye discusses the study of literature and the exposition of human experience. Distinguishes between how people use literature objectively and practically, while using their imagination. Frye divides languages ​​into three levels: language of consciousness or awareness, which states that science accepts all observations without modification; Practical language of applied arts and sciences, where science and art intertwine to create action-based modifications; and Language of the imagination, in which language supports the potential ability to establish reasonable representations of human experiences. The motive of the metaphor is to form and create a balance of relationships between spiritual experiences and superficial worlds. The depiction of spirituality and imagination is present in Pocahontas' culture and their beliefs of animism and cosmocentrism. This is significant because Pocahontas and her native tribe seek to work with the land in a way that respects it and cares for all customs, lands, and waters. The natives try to improve the standard of the community by bringing a spiritual change. On the other hand, the colonizers, Radicliff and his men, try to conquer and take over the land, which completely contradicts the beliefs and opinions of the Powhatan tribe. This demonstrates the great importance of spirituality in a world where indigenous spirituality is preserved and appreciated. The film also corresponds to the cosmocentric vision, the belief that the natural state of the universe must be preserved and guarded. This is important because Pocahontas addresses the survival of indigenous cultures and how it should be maintained and enhanced. Pocahontas sings to John Smith, "But I know that every rock and tree and creature has a life, has a spirit, has a name" (Gabriel and Erick). The word animism is important to animals, as Pocahontas has her animal companions, Flit and Meeko. Flit is a friendly but stubborn hummingbird who is curious about the world around him, while Meeko is a childish and mischievous raccoon who finds pleasure in stealing other people's food. Both are distinctly different with their own unique personalities and peculiar behaviors. Pocahontas' animal companions all have a life, a spirit, and a name, just as she claims. Animals depicted in the film can be used as symbols, for example Meeko represents the settlers and Flit represents the Powhatan tribe. This is because just as Meeko steals food without giving it much thought, settlers steal and raid the land without considering its citizens. And just like Flit, he is disturbed when Meeko steals his food and annoys him, the Powhatan tribe is disturbed by the settlers. The connection between inner experiences and worlds.”