ENGL1061

Professor Tuba Geyikler

Zehra Selin Tunca
Midterm Assignment

Captain John Smith: A visionary and pioneer for American Colonization

As an English Colonist who settled in Jamestown (first permanent colony), Captain John
Smith narrates his journeys and adventures in The Generall Historie of Virginia, New
England, and The Summer Isles. His mission was to make contact in the pursuit of trade with
Natives resulted in his capture, then his release, and the events that occurred between Indies.
In the narrative, the author John Smith depicts a new beginning for himself and his people
which interferes with the old living of the Indies. He narrates the contrast between two ways
of living, two societies, two worlds, two cultures in the pursuit of exchanging trade, religion,
and culture first by force then in peace which creates the complicated cultural identity, made
of English and Indian.

John Smith, a soldier, adventurer, geographer, a self-made man of action, took part in the
voyages of the Elizabethan Period to the New World. In these early days of the English
colonization of America, he was involved with the Virginia Company arrived in Jamestown
in 1609, and was appointed as a governor of the colony. Besides the usefulness of his maps,
reports used by colonists who came to the New World, he wrote travel narratives to reflect
the early American History of colonizing the New Land to help the new settlers grasp the
fertility and bountifulness of the limitless, virgin lands. However, many historians still debate
whether the stories told in his narratives, especially the love story with Pocohantas, is fact or
fiction. Smith's historical writing, full of doubtful accounts of the settlement of Virginia can
be considered as the starting point of American History, in one way or another. His vision,
imaginative experience, his 3rd person narration, his knight-errantry spirit engraved in his
seeing and living the New Land, makes us (the reader) also live through this suspenseful,
dramatic story. All his colorful imagery of Indian fights in canoes, chases in the forest; Indian
rituals, dances, feasts give us a feeling that not only these Indians are 'savages', they also have
their own way of living, traditions; of course, they felt threatened by the newcomers, and they
attacked in their own way to protect their land and people. Captain Smith uses derogatory
vocabulary to refer to the Indians who kept him captive. He calls them devils that utter
"hellish notes and screeches". He usually portrays them as black-colored, and monstrous.
Throughout the narrative, he calls them savages. He describes their psychical appearance in
red paint or decorating their bodies with feathers, animal skins, chains, beads, shells, copper.
He somehow communicates with them, probably through the guide he used as a shield, but
mostly he describes the Natives as shouting, loud creatures. He mentions their demeanor as
volatile and unpredictable. In one scene, we see Indians attacking him, killing his men, and in
the next scene, we read interference of Chief's daughter save him from execution, they
become friends, and he is treated as a 'valued' guest. They feed him, shelter him, and keep
him alive. The dualistic, unpredictable nature of the Indians is used to show that Captain
Smith and the invaders believe Native Americans were lesser people. He sees them not as
whole human beings but refers to them as a tool (he uses the guide as a shield not to be
killed.) He mentions how he uses a compass to amaze and impress Indies with European
science and technology. Here, Smith tries to gather Indians like a group of curious children,
imposing superiority of himself and his people with that compass. Smith's portrayal of Indies
reinforces the idea that the new settlers, Europeans, hold a dominant position, and the Natives
are much simpler, more naive as opposed to his earlier view of their savage nature. There is a
quote in the narrative " After this day brought him a bag of gunpowder which they carefully
preserved till the next Spring, to plant as they did their corn" here, he mocks Indians as they
would plant gunpowder like corn. It's important to understand the skills Natives used to have
planting crops, especially corns, which they were good at because they were familiar with the
land and the climate. Ironically, Jamestown colonists were starving because they didn't know
the environment enough to grow anything. So naivety (lack of knowledge) can be interpreted
for both parties as Indians can be naive to the technology whereas the colonists are naive to
nature. Seemingly, the land they thought they knew, they had every right to own and govern
(Manifest Destiny) was foreign to them. Another quote points out the perspective of Captain
Smith's seeing Indians as monsters mirror back at him how they also see him as a monster.
"Here, more than two hundred of those grim courtiers stood wondering at him, as he had been
a monster.'' As the line suggests, Smith looks at two hundred Natives as monsters while two
hundred Natives look back at him as a monstrous creature emphasizing the alienation
between settlers and the natives, and the foreignness of each other. Another comparison he
makes between the Indies and his people, as he suggests the skillfulness of the Indian Chief
as he quotes: "For the King, himself will make his robes, shoes, bows, arrows, pots; plant,
haunt or do anything as well as the rest", he reveals Native Americans as self-reliant people.
On the contrary, he criticizes English society as he writes: "Then who would live at home
idly (or think in himself any worth to live) only to eat, drink, sleep, and so die? By
consuming carelessly?" referring to his society as idle whereas he mentions Chief as a self-
sufficient and industrious human. This contradiction also gives us dualistic feelings of Smith
reflects the Natives as skillful, industrious, and productive, while he criticizes Englishmen as
idle and consuming. Another contradiction of his narrative is the repetition of the savage and
devil to describe the natives' hostile manner because they attack with bows, arrows, and
clubs, then he quotes: "He showed Rawhunt, Powhatan's trusty servant, two demi-
culverings .. when they did see him discharge them... the poor savages ran away half dead
with fear.'' Demi-culverings, the light-weight transportable cannons, Smith was trading away
with Indies but they ran away because they were afraid of the appearance, noise of the
cannonballs. Here the gunpowder, cannonballs, guns used by English settlers in contrast with
the use of arrows, bows, clubs by Indians show the fight between them never had a
fairground in terms of the arms used in the battles. The destruction from a cannonball can be
much more damaging, fatal than the destruction of a bow. So this war between Indies and
Europeans shows who the real 'savages' are. Smith's use of 'half dead with fear' also indicates
the Indians have no motive of killing others rather than protecting themselves. Regarding
Pocohantas's part, it was written seven years after her death, we can suspect Smith's story can
be imaginative. Fact or fiction, Pocahantas's part gives us a feeling that Pocohanta's tribe and
colonists can be friends although they have their unique differences. ''Pocahontas with her
attendants brought him so much provision that saved many of their lives, that else for all this
had starved with hunger. '' This quote suggests that Pocahantas not only helped to save
Smith's life but also fed the colonists who were starving to death. This shows the humane part
of the Powhatan tribe and also their trustworthiness. As some historians think Pocahanta's
love story is fictional, we should give credit to Smith because he would have never written
such benevolent passages for Natives if he hadn't felt a bond or if natives were a real threat to
the colonists. Pocohantas being an emissary between her tribe and the colonists can be
interpreted as a peaceful union. The maps and the writings of Smith were produced to lead
the colonists to the new world for their safe and sound settlement. His narrative also is critical
to the survival of the colonists which also depends on the assistance of the Native Americans.
The importance of his narration to describe the culture of Native's opened a door to
understanding and interacting with Indians.

Smith's fullest account of experiences in America, even though engraved by the romantic
glitter of fable-like Pocohantas story, the idea of America was not another vast field for a
knightly play for heroism. America was a land of opportunity where Europeans could finally
create a new social order. It was a place for those who refused idly sit at home, eat, and die; it
was a place for the industrious who lacked and wanted a fortune for themselves and dreamed
of prosperity. America was their 'Promised Land', the land which would bring them good
fortune, a chance for enlightened society. Smith gave a vision of a new beginning, new
opportunities as he suggested in the lines "unknown, erecting Townes, peopling countries,
informing the ignorant, reforming things unjust, teaching virtue..."

Unlike Spaniards in Peru and Mexico who had found gold and silver, he eternalized America,
not by material things but by its greatness and full of opportunities. He suggested he found a
land with the most fortunate, a land of unlimited opportunities. He wrote about a magnificent
dream of America that overwhelmed thousands of Englishmen and urged them to travel to the
New World. I believe his narration from a 3rd person point of view also adds spice to the
occurring events, either real or imaginary, as Smith shows himself like a "god" and as if he is
looking down to watch himself and the Natives, detaches himself from the narrative. This
point of view may also indicate Smith's detachment from Anglo-Saxon culture, English
monarchy, and his past experience here and there away from America, and creates a feeling
of (attachment to) a new observation towards new experiences, occurrences in the New Land
with endeavors with Pocohantas confederacy, and Native tribes. Another reason for the third-
person narration can be explained by his feeling of arrogancy and superiority in the New
World. His approach also reinforces the idea of old habits of English living must be
abandoned, and a new way of living must be adopted within America's nature, weather, and
inhabitants. This also indicates there is no more English Identity. Smith suggests a more
complicated identity that will give English settlers both privileges and also difficulties of
adopting a newborn identity: American Identity.
 Captain Smith's role as a bridge between both colonists and Indians is undeniable, and his
contribution to colonization was much greater than being an emissary for both. His gathered
information about the natural history and geography of both New England and Virginia to
promote colonization provided a remarkable record. Smith’s map of the Chesapeake Bay
added great knowledge of the coast and made the journeys easier for the voyagers and their
settlement. After being cast out of the leadership of Jamestown, and looking for a new place
in the Americas, Smith joined an expedition and reached the waters of Chesapeake Bay.
What he saw sparked his imagination because he was a visionary. He could envision British
settlements living along rivers, surviving on the rich fisheries, hunting, and running farmland.
He began to model colonization in his mind. His primary purpose in describing Indian culture
was to aid the English to settle among Indians and defend themselves against their resistance.
He even gives information on the population of fighting men and armors in one of his
writings. He intentionally details agriculture for a strong purpose to give knowledge of crops,
climate, and techniques used by Natives to help colonists in their early years if they failed to
plant their own successfully. Captain Smith's work is very impressive if we consider the
maps, reports, and books brought so many Englishmen to a new land in the hope for more of
what they had in their mainland. His works serve as historical texts which bring the early
colonization into the light, and it also served as a survival handbook for the ancestors of
today's Americans.