Colors of The Wind

Pocahontas - Colors of the Wind

       In the film Pocahontas we can see 'Romanticism' represented in the song "Colors of the Wind." In this scene of the movie the Native American princess, Pocahontas, explains the beauties of nature to John Smith, a European, after he accidentally reveals his prejudices towards Native Americans. Throughout the song, we see the ideas of beauty and simplicity represented.

       Not only is the visual footage aesthetically pleasing during the song, but the words Pocahontas uses throughout the song describe nature as beautiful and simple. She takes Smith on a journey through nature and shows him the ways/beliefs of her people. By "walking the footsteps of a stranger," she takes him from his world of measuring things by what their worth to her world, one of simplicity, being in-tune with nature, and one of basking in the natural riches of the world. As viewers we are challenged by the song to step outside of our complicated lives and step back into the simple "state of nature."

       Through the song and the rest of the movie we are offered a "theory of politics." Pocahontas shows us the tribal, simple, and primitive nature of her people. They strip away the materialism present in the European culture of the film and rely on nature and its riches to provide for themselves. The song and film imply how people should live, like her people, without explicitly saying so. Pocahontas tries to bring together the two different worlds, but ultimately the viewers are lead to believe that the Native American way of living is better than the European way. The Europeans are presented as "bad," or "evil," and motivated by greed. On the other hand, the Native American's are presented as peaceful beings who are trying to defend themselves and what is theirs. We see these ideas represented hrough another song in the film, Savages.

Pocahontas - Savages

       This film is said to emulate the theory of Jean Jacques Rousseau's "Noble Savage" and "State of Nature." He believes man is a "noble savage" in a state of nature. The noble savage being "natural man," untouched by the corrupting influences of society and the state of nature being a place of original innocence, marked by natural goodness, self-sufficiency, freedom, and self-love. Rousseau believes that this noble savage is corrupted and made miserable by processes leading to society and by conditions of "modern"society, such as material possessions. If we look at Rousseau's theory we can see how this fits into the film and the songs. The Native Americans lifestyle somewhat represents the state of nature and the people, specifically Pocahontas, represent the noble savage. The Europeans represent what happens when the state of nature is corrupted. While the Native Americans represent natural self-love, amour-soi, the Europeans represent prideful self-love, amour-propre. We can understand Rousseau's theory of the noble savage and the state of nature through this quote, 

       "Let us conclude that, wandering in the forest, without industry, without speech, without dwelling,       

       without war, without relationships, with no need for his fellow men… savage man, subject to few 

       passions and self-sufficient, had only the sentiments and enlightenment appropriate to that state; he 

       felt only his true needs, took notice of only what he believed he had an interest in seeing; and that 

       his intelligence made no more progress than his vanity. If by chance he made some discovery, he 

       was all the less able to communicate it to others because he did not even know his own children,

       Arts perished with its inventor.  There was neither education nor progress… man remained ever a 

       child."

       The similarities between Pocahontas, Avatar, and the Rousseau's ideas of the state of nature and the noble savage all represent what romanticism should be- simple, beautiful, and equal.