In " The Generall Historie Of Virginia" John Smith tells the narrative of his capture by local Native Americans. In class we discussed reasons why John Smith may have used the third person to describe the events he was involved in. One of the conclusions that we came up with was that by using the third person John Smith put himself above the actions that occurred. After thinking about it for a bit I think that Smith used the third person to make his narrative stronger. The third person establishes Smith a main character in his own story rather than a participant. By becoming a character in his story he increases the excitement and intensity of what is happening rather than just describing it first hand. John Smith essentially turn an account of life in Virginia from an anecdote into a tall tale.
I also thought to look at this tale from the perspective of a regular person in England during this time period. I thought that the story that John Smith told would be considered a very interesting and thrilling narrative. To someone whose daily existence consisted of a monotonous task the story that Smith told would probably be their ultimate expression of an adrenaline rush. It seems that John Smith might have really been the first man to sell the new World in England. When I thought about it, John smith was the ultimate marketer. Selling the New world as a place of adventure: whose curiosity wouldn't get the best of them.
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6 comments:
HI Kyle, I think you have drawn some valid conclusions about Smith'spiece. Well said. I also wanted to let you know I viewed your post! Erin
I agree. It is very strange that he would have chosen to write in the third person, but after reading it, not exactly a surprise. The reader is able to see that John Smith is very full of himself, and writing in this style really emphasizes it. I think it seems that he really craves the spotlight, and telling the story in the third person makes it more interesting, and maybe to him, more thrilling to tell.
I agree with you, it is strange that John Smith tells part of the story in third person. But I also agree that he does this for a reason, for himself and his ego. I think he does this to play himself as a hero so that more people will come over to the new world with him, which I believe he wants so that he can have the control and power over something.
Kyle, I like what you said about John Smith using the third person to make himself a main character in an exciting tale of adventure in the New World. While in class we all talked about how arrogant this made Smith look, maybe to the British who read it at the time it helped them to forget that John Smith was actually a character in his own story, making it sound like a third person account and thus more credible. I thought you hit the nail on the head with this entry and anything more I would say would be redundant.
Hi Kyle, Interesting perspective. I think sometimes we forget that there were those who did read his works for entertainment, perhaps. I think you are also correct in saying that in writing the second piece in the third person, Smith seems to strenghten his narrative. It does make him seem more like a character in a novel. I am glad you picked up on this.
I enjoyed reading your take on John Smith's pieces of writing for you believe that he is merely trying to sell this new country to others. In a way, this does not make him cocky or arrogant necessarily, but a salesman who is trying to fulfill the demands of his "job". I found this to be an interesting and valid point, for it shed new light on John Smith's writings, and caused me to view them in a different fashion than I had before.
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