When I think of John Smith, I instantly think of the Disney movie character. The tall, handsome, blond-haired and blue eyed gentleman with a heart of gold. To be honest, that image is somewhat jaded. Yes, John Smith may have been a noble man but not at all what the Disney movie makes him out to be. (Obviously, Disney movies are going to be sugarcoated and sweet but that image still sticks with me to this day and I'm sure many other people share the same image!) Pocahontas is focused primarily on the romance aspect of a story, rather than the discovery of the New World.
John Smith wrote about his adventures and journeys to the New World, and shared them with the people of his homeland. In the beginning of A Description of New England, Smith believes that the New World is God's blessing and it should be taken advantage of. "If he have but the taste of virtue, and magnanimitie, what to such a mind can bee more pleasant, then planting and building a foundation for his Posteritie, gotte from the rude earth, by Gods blessing and his owne industrie, without prejudice to any?" He even goes as far to say that it is the colonists duty to colonize there and help the Native Americans there. "If hee have any graine of faith or zeale in Religion, what can hee doe lesse hurtfull to any; or more agreeable to God, than to seeke to convert those poore Salvages to know Christ, and humanitie, whose labors with discretion will triple requite thy charge and paines?" Basically, Smith is stating that the Native Americans now need the colonists to survive, although they had been surviving just fine on their own before Smith and his gang arrived. You could compare John Smith to our modern day president, George Bush. Bush invaded Iraq in 2003, against the will of many in that country. He is trying to make thier life better but maybe they don't want our help. The same could be said for Smith, thinking that it is his duty to introduce Christianity and his way of life into the Native Americans lives.
A Description of New England can pretty much be summed up as propaganda for everyone in England. Smith is telling them all of these great things about this new land to get them excited and to make them think about joining him. He states that you could pretty much live off the land and water, and be very successful. Here is an example from the text. "If a man worke but three dayes in seven, he may get more then hee can spend, unlesse he will be excessive. Now that Carpenter, Mason, Gardiner, Taylor, Smith, Sailer, Forgers, or what other, may they not make this a pretty recreation though they fish but an houre in a day, to take more then they eate in a weeke: or if they will not eate it, because there is so much better choise; yet sell it, or change it, with the fishermen, or marchants, for any thing they want."
Smith had high hopes for the New World, and made it seem like the greatest place to be at the time. There was an endless supply of land and one could potentially be more successful than they ever would have been in thier native country. He really knew his way with words and did his very best at convincing a country to follow and trust him.
