Heroism is justifiably defined as fulfilling a high purpose or attaining a noble end (http://www.m-w.com). This is the truth. When you think of a hero this is what comes to mind; someone who fufills an important purpose nobly. Being a hero has many different characteristics. To some you have to be brave, have courage and to others you have to do something out of the ordinary and show noble qualities. Captain John Smith posses some of these qualities. Smith can be considered an American hero in America or in another country because of his involvement with our country.
             Sometimes people are considered heroes when there is nothing to compare them to. In 1607 Jamestown became the first English settled colony. When you don't know anything about a situation, that new situation that you understand can be considered a brave and courageous discovery. And that was what Captain John Smith was about. He was there, when nothing else was discovered. John Smith was a writer so he communicated his hero status thru his writings and with this we can see a beginning of American Society. He was the first to document this discovery, causing people that didn't know any better to consider him an American Hero.
             The real John Smith might not be as much as a hero as they make of him on the Disney version. First of all John Smith isn't American. Maybe he was a hero to the Europeans for discovery land in America. He wasn't as well liked in real life at all. He was not shot, and didn't decide to go home because of that. He was injured and had to return home to England. Would a hero really fall in love with an eleven year old girl? Or just get up and leave a colony? Is leaving the trait of a hero? Even in the movie, when he did take a bullet for Pocahontas' father, who was the chief of their Indian tribe, he was only doing it for the girl.
             Maybe Pocahontas should be the hero. In both the movie and i...