Using Pocahontas and the Powhatan Dilemma, you will need to write an essay of at
least 750 words answering ALL of the following questions using specific evidence from
the book to support your answers fully.
1) Discuss Pocahontas’ childhood. How did she fit into Powhatan’s larger family
structure? How was she perceived by the English as opposed to her own people? How
is her personality described?
2) Discuss the first settlers who came to Jamestown. What was their purpose in moving
there? What were their first interactions with Powhatan/ the Powhatan Confederacy
like? How did the colonists/ Natives make use of each other- what were each group
trying to get from the other? Would you characterize their relations as more positive or
negative during this early period? Why?
3) Discuss John Smith. Why was he so important to Jamestown? What was his
relationship like with Powhatan? What was his relationship with Pocahontas like? Did
he and Pocahontas seem to view their relationship in the same way?
4) Discuss the relationship that Pocahontas had with John Rolfe. How does he (Rolfe)
describe his feelings for her? Why does the author believe that Pocahontas wanted to
be in the marriage even though we do not have her testimony? What motivations does
Townsend think Pocahontas might have had when agreeing to marry Rolfe?
5) Why does the author believe that Pocahontas decided to go to London? What was
her experience like there? How does she show her own agency while there? Do you
think that the trip was what she and the other Natives was expecting of England? What
do you think it showed them about the English/ colonists?
6) Discuss the relationship between Opechankeno and the colonists. What drove his
anger towards them? How did this drive the decision towards the attack towards the
colonists in 1622? Would you agree that this attack was ultimately beneficial towards
the colonists? Why or why not?
In order to receive full credit, you must fulfill the following criteria.
This essay must be at least 750 words (or very close to.) For every 50 words
that you are missing, there will be a penalty of 10-points taken off of your grade
It is YOUR responsibility to give me a word count. Failure to give a word count is
a 10-point penalty off of your final essay grade. This can be on the first or last
page of the essay—just initial next to it to count as your signature
Falsifying your word count will earn the paper an automatic grade of a 0
Essays need to be typed in 12-point font and double-spaced. Failure to double-
space the paper will result in a 10-point deduction
All of the information for this paper can be found in Pocahontas and the
Powhatan Dilemma so the use of outside sources is not necessary. If you want
to use outside sources, you must tell me which sources you are getting your
information from and provide citations and a bibliography. Failure to do so will
be considered cheating and dealt with under HCC’s Academic Dishonesty Policy.
Your footnotes and bibliography will not count towards your word count for the
assignment.
