Tuesday, September 22, 2009
Last of the Mohicans open blog
During the course of the next two nights, post at least three comments in regards to the film Last of the Mohicans. While a fictional tale, the film nevertheless offers a somewhat accurate portrayal of the period you are learning about. In your comments, share how the film portrayed how the relationship between the British and colonies was changing. Be specific in your examples. As always, be sure to comment on your classmates' observations
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I think the movie very clearly shows the fact that the British and colonists weren't getting along. Since the British and French were battling during the French and Indian War, colonists were bound by law to join the militia to help the British; however, it is obvious that many of them are reluctant to leave their homes and families. They seem to be reluctant because they are afraid of being killed, mainly by the Indians. During one scene of the movie, two women (I forget their names) are on their way to Albany. However, they are ferociously ambushed by Hurons. I bet this happened a lot. Because the French and Indians used guerilla tactics, it seems obvious that they would attack at unexpected times. I don’t blame the colonists for being frightened.
ReplyDeleteI feel that the movie has done a good job in portraying the shaky relationship between the colonists and Britain. It was made very clear in the one of the opening scenes that the colonists did not agree with the British. The British general was basically forcing the colonists to leave their homes to fight, even though many colonists felt extremely uncomfortable doing that. Also, many colonists were fed up with the controlling British. For example, Hawkeye said "I do not call myself subject to much at all" reffering to the Crown. Lastly, I feel that as time goes on in the movie just like in real life, the colonists relationship with the British will continue to get worse and more unstable.
ReplyDeleteTh movie portrays different groups who fairly suddenly have to deal with each other. one group of Indians deals with that by teaming up with a possible enemy,the French in order to try to force out who they obviously view as a greater threat. other Indians are already enemies with those Indians and there for reluctantly join the British side. There are obvious signs that the Indians have no problem with the colonists as individuals however as a group they are taking over their land and hurting their people. There is clearly connections between the Indians and Colonists and I think that that will be a problem.
ReplyDeleteIn the movie I was able to notice how the English generals had no respect for the colonists. When they asked the colonists to go to war they completely disregarded the safety of the colonist's families.
ReplyDeleteLast of the Mohicans is a great depiction of how the British and the colonies really interacted. The British officers talk to the colonists as though they are inferior compared to them. In the scene of the movie when the British officer asks the colonists to help fight for the British the colonists feel like they don't need to listen to the British. The British believe that they have control over the colonists but the movie shows how the colonists are breaking away from England's grasp. The movie also shows the different fighting tactics from guerilla warfare to the British tactics.
ReplyDeleteLast of the Mohicans very vividly describes the action of the French and Indain War. I the movie you are able to see the fighting tactics between the British and the Natives. Both being very different then the other. The Brithis being very formal and together only shoting at certaint times and the Natives using more guerilla warfare, that was better for the enviorment that they were in. In the one scene we saw Natives ducking behind trees and attacking while the Britished reloaded. The Natives way was more affective.
ReplyDeleteFrom the beginning of the film, it is easy to see the mistreatment of the colonies along with authoritative role of England. As stated before, the colonies were their own governing body. Nonetheless, Great Britain felt the need to assume a parental position and essentially hover over the colonies. From one perspective the colonies felt as though they were helping England out and doing them a favor by establishing colonial militias; while at the same time Great Britain believed the colonies had an obligation to fight for the homeland. Therefore, due to these contrasting opinions, it is inevitable that tensions between these two parties will continue to rise.
ReplyDeleteSimilar to what Jamelia said, Last of the Mohicans demonstrated to us the different fighting approaches of the British as well as the Native Americans. While the Native Americans seemed to have more successful methods for small sided combat, the British methods seemed to be more apparent to be successful in larger battle. Things like this were key factors when it came to war back then. Therefore it is easy to see why the British came out on top.
ReplyDeleteFrom the very beginning of the movie the general makes it clear that he was the one in charge and everyone else was beneath him. However, this form of authority was defeated when the indians attacked the French in battle. Because the French used proper fighting methods they were defeated. If this were a real battle in a war they would have one easily due to their form. The indians were able to succeed in using this against them because they were so packed together. The Indians were able to come out attacking from all angles. Using their biggest strength as their biggest weakness.
ReplyDeleteThis movie is doing an excellent way of portraying the rocky relationship between the British and the colonies. In the movie it really explained and showed how the war was fought. It really helped me understand what exactly happened, for example that the British were so strict with the set up of how they marched and were so stiff only shooting when they were set, whereas the Natives were all over the place killing anyone in their way.
ReplyDeleteThe British think that they are superior to the colonists. They feel that whatever they say goes. For example when one of the generals made the comment, "I thought British policies made the whole world England." This shows that the British think they are better than everyone else. Also today in the movie, the difference between the way of the British and colonists think was seen. The British believe that the colonists should put protecting the Crown and fighting in the war first, and then protecting their homes and families second. However, the colonists think the exact opposite. In addition, the British think of the Indians as lesser people, even if they are the ones fighting to help the British. The French on the other hand, think of the Indians as allies. This is another example that shows that the British think they are superior.
ReplyDeleteI definitley agree with Jem, in that the Native American tactics were way more effective than the British tactics. Because the French and the Native Americans treated each other as allies, they fought adequately and had one single plan; this became very operative; however, the British treated their Native American accomplises as people beneath them. This caused imperfections among their relationship, which caused a downfall in the British's strategies; the movie showed a perfect example of this. During one scene today, all of the British were wiped out due to the Indian's suprise attack.
ReplyDeleteCourtney makes a very good point. She said that the British feel that what ever they say, goes. They believe that the colonists are their assistants, and employees of the Queen of England. However, the problem is that the colonists were used to saluary neglect by the British. They were so comfortable with this, that when the British decided to intrude upon their land and take immediate and full control, the colonists resultantly became annoyed. What annoyed them even more was that their once prosperous towns and states, became disordered due to the war that the British were partaking in- The French and Indian War.
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ReplyDeleteSince I was late to class yesterday, I got a little confuse of what was happening at the begining. For the part that I've watched, the French was defeated because they had a too formal fighting method. Their uniforms are so fansy compare to the indians' leathers. British army became stronger with these fighters. But British treated them as subordinates instead of allies. This is one of the reasons that brought their relationship down.
ReplyDeleteI am so agree with Courtney about the relationship between the French&Indians and the British&Indians. This is a very definite example of how superior the British was.
ReplyDeleteI felt that this movie depicted the interaction between both the colonies vs. Britain, and The British vs. the French very thoroughly. However, I feel as though there are many details that seem inaccurate to history due to the need for them to make this a good movie. For example, I felt as though the British seemed overly harsh in almost every scene when in history I'm sure there was at least some reason or compassion between them and their allies.
ReplyDeleteI did however, feel as though the portrayal of the Native American was very well done. This movie depicted their part in this war very successfully. Even though some of the characters may be over-dramatized, such as Hawkeye and Magua, the groups in whole interact with their respective allies in a very realistic manner.
This movie also gives an amazing depiction of how the Native Americans used guerrilla warfare. While the British soldiers would just stand in lines and fire periodically, the Indians were able to hide and pick times when it was most effective to attack. However, the Native American's strategy was mostly only affective during small battles.When it came to the main war they where unable hold up against the British soldier's thought out strategies.
ReplyDeleteFor the opening scene, I agree with Courtney. The British believed that whatever they say is right and that the Indians must follow. They do not show even a morsel of compassion and cannot think of what it would be like to be an Indian (as in the phrase "in the other person's shoes"). Because of this, the Indians are finally realizing that they are sick of Britain's demands. This should result in independence later on, as the movie already depicts the Indian's resentment of being controlled by the British. I thought that the opening scene was very effective in showing that the British felt superior to the Indians, like the Indians were their puppets.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Brielle and Jamelia. The British were not equipped to face the Indians on their own turf(the woods) because while the British worked as one unit the Indians had the element of surprise.though it did not help the Native Americans win the major battles, they dominated the small battles.
ReplyDeleteI agree with [the other] Peter; while yes, the colonials and British soldiers had their differences, I think the writer[s] made some of the dialogue and action sequences far more melodramatic than they would have actually been (sniping with muskets? Really?). The movie does do a good job of differentiating between American culture and British culture, however, which is portrayed with the love interest; forget, for a moment, that rational people do not fall in love with strangers within a period of days -- concentrate on the way the colonist treats the woman [as opposed to the British soldier's actions, who is much more 'proper.' While this is partly due to his occupation, it is also because of Lodon society in the 18th century. The rural, agriculturally-based areas of the frontier were far less demanding that its people practice social etiquette].
ReplyDeleteFrom what we watched today, guerilla warfare tactics were extremely successful for the French. They hid behind trees on both sides of the British so that they could surround them and attack on both sides. Then, they used the scare tactic of screaming, which made the British confused and nervous as to what was going to happen. When the French ran and attacked, the British just stood still and fired at the same time. This was not successful at all because the French ran and stabbed them easily. One of the generals got stabbed and a French took out his heart! Also, the Indians fought similiarly to the French and were more successful than the British. At the end of this, most of the British died except for those who were able to escape and got on the boat with the Indians. However, the British methods would be better for a main battle whereas guerilla warfare would not be effective.
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ReplyDeleteToday we continued to see how poorly the British treated the colonists. They made them stay at the fort and who ever left would be hanged. The main character was sentenced to be hung just for helping someone escape. Following up with Jesse's comment we do see in the ambush how intense the native americans can really be. We saw how they used guerrilla warfare to take out the small British fleet. The relationship between the colonists and the British is obviously slowly deteriorating. Soon enough the revolution will form so the colonists can gain their independence.
ReplyDeleteThis movie ddepicts how the British were so hard on the Native Americans. They always had to be on top, and the Native Americans suffered from their rule. In addition to what Brielle said, I also saw a huge differece in the way the British fought and the way the Native Americans fought. The British were strictly shooting at the proper times, while the Natives just ran around killing people. So, both the British and the Native Americans should have done a better job at trying to understand and cooperate with each other.
ReplyDeleteIn today's portion of the movie, several new elements were introduced. As several people have stated above, the British demonstrated actions in belief that they were superior to the colonists. The way the British treated the colonists just went to show how highly they thought of themselves. Aside from that, more fighting took place between the Indians and the British. With the guerrilla warfare used by these Native Americans, they continued to succeed against the unprepared British. To say the least, the relationship between the British and the colonists is not improving. As the movie progresses, we will see if this relationship fluctuates at all.
ReplyDeletei feel that, the way the movie portrays how britian treated the colonists was very true, and the movie's actions definitally showed how the colonists were like slaves to the british. Also, i believe that the british's ware tactics were not very affective, being in form and what not. Where as the Natives used guerrilla warefare to suprise attact them.
ReplyDeleteI agree with both peters' on how the movie may have exaggerated the scenes a bit, with the muskets, and how dramatic those attacks were. Especially with the ripping out the heart of the father of the girls.
ReplyDeleteI agree with the point Peter makes in that a lot of the movie contains exaggeration. The purpose of this is to enhance the characters, which in terms makes for a better movie. Other than that, I believe that so far, an excellent job has been done in replicating how life was back then.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Courtney as she said, the British feel they are so much better than the colonists and she took a great example that clearly portrays the British for how they treat the colonies. The British feel that they are in charge of everyone and everyone is under British rule, when this is not true.
ReplyDeleteI also agree with Nisha and how she stated the guerrilla warfare tactics. They were very successful for the French and they seemed to figure it out after it worked after the first attack. The French also used the land wisely and were very smart. They came together and built up something stronger and more efficient to kill the British, before the British killed them.
ReplyDeleteWith the way the indians were positioned there was no way that the British would have been able to defeat them. As Nisha mentioned the guerrilla warfare tactics were used very well allowing their battle to be successful killing all but the few who escaped in the boat. I don't think the British knew what was coming because they seemed unaware of how disrespectful they were treating the Indians. By degrading them so much the Indians knew they had to defeat them in some way. This allowed them to plan their battles in ways they knew the British could not win.
ReplyDeleteAs almost everyone has mentioned, the fighting styles of both the Indians and the British were shown very clearly in the movie. For example, the Indians hide behind trees and blend in with their painted skin. However, the British are very easily seen because of their red coats and the horses. Also, the Indians use terror tactics such as the screams and do not stay in an orderly position. The British all stand in a line and fire when they are told, while the Indians run out from behind the bushes and attack the British in an extremely un-ordered way. The Indians tactics so far has proved to be more successful.
ReplyDeleteThe British do not have a great fighting style to defend the indians attacks. The Indians attack in a spread out ambush, when the British stay in formation. In a real battle or a war the British would win because they have better structure. However during the battles that we have seen in the movie the Indians seem to be very successful in there guerrilla war fare style. Also agreeing with what Courtney said the Indians have scare tactics as we witnessed when they all roared in the woods just before they ambushed the British fleet.
ReplyDeleteI liked how this movie was very successful in portraying the war in a way that the viewers would fully understand what was going on. One of the most important lesson in the movie, as I thought, was how the relationship of the Indians and British was deteriorating. Even if the viewer had no background knowledge (we did know about the war before watching the movie), they would probably be able to understand the events during the war and the consequences. However, I do agree with Peter that the movie was a little overdramatic, yet, that was okay because the movie didn't really skimp on revealing the French and Indian War. The movie may have portrayed a somewhat correct perspective on the war.
ReplyDeleteAs Zak stated above, the Native Americans used Guerilla tactics to overwhelm the unprepared British into defeat but only because that's exactly what they were: unprepared. It seems to be a major motif of the British; lack of preparation left the British vulnerable at their Fort, on the path in the woods on the way to the woods with the reinforcements, and on their path home during their retreat.
ReplyDeleteI did like what Pete said about how the men of different cultures (Americans vs. Brits) treat women throughout this movie. The British are raised upon the values of true social etiquette. This is probably because they are officers and thus they are of a higher social class than average infantrymen. But the colonists did not grow up with this developed social technique. They had been in the new world for decades already and as characters such as Hawkeye and the other soldiers are most likely not more than thirty years old, they were born in the colonies. This means that they never had British influence on their actions and treat women in a very different manner to that of the Englishmen.
The movie is clearly showing the unstable relationship between the colonists and the British because as the movie goes along, they both start to become more and more fed up with each other. For example, Monroe did not even listen to the advice and statements of the colonists when they asked for the release of the militia to protect their homes. He clearly viewed the colonists as expendable forces as opposed to allies while the colonists viewed the British as ignorant fools.
ReplyDeleteThe movie also clearly illustrates the dominance and success of guerilla tactics used by the indians against the British forces. As shown in the scene in the woods where the British forces are out in the open, the guerilla warfare waged by the indians was a tremendous success as they caught the British by surprise and quickly slaughtered them.
ReplyDeleteWell moving on from there fighting tactics.. as someone said above last class we got to see a glimps of how the British treated the colonies. Unlike the French who treated the Natives more like allies, the British seemed to look down upon the colonies. Leaving the colonies to feel like British is taking adavantage of them and leading them to believe the should fight on there own. :)
ReplyDeleteThe Last of Mohicans is a really graphical movie of the French-Indian War. It shows the relationship between the British and the natives in a very detail description. We can clearly see the reasons why the Indians have to rebell the British's govern later on. As everyone has brought the up the point of how British taking advantage from them.
ReplyDeleteAs Aaron brought up earlier, they were not fighting a normal war in the colonies, it was mostly guerilla tactics. It was foolish of the British to stay in formation the whole time while fighting the guerilla tactics. The British leaders should have realized that they were getting slaughtered and altered their tactics to adjust to the guerilla fighting style.
ReplyDeleteBoth Peters bring up a very interesting point when talking about how the differences in the men. How they treat the women deeply explains how far apart they are and have been raised. This difference shows how different their cultures are and how their beliefs are very different. I'm not sure they would have attempted to kill the two girls if they had the same morals. The men were much more proper and took care of them before worrying about themselves.
ReplyDeleteAs a lot of other people have already noted, guerilla warfare completely destroyed the colonial/British army (the soldiers were particularly inept at melee combat, but keeping in formations was simply an outdated strategy -- no matter how 'gentlemanly' it was); even today British soldiers are extremely disciplined, but not because of their stuborness to evolve an archaic fighting style. People are hesitant to change when they're doing well, and England was doing better than anyone else. They should have realized military innovation would be required to stay on top of the world; they technically 'won' the French & Indian war, but by the end of it had lost nearly twice as many soldiers as the opposing side (5,000-6,000 French/Indians, 11,000+ British/Americans). If not for their extreme numbers and [somewhat forced] American support, this would have been a disaster for the English-speaking countries.
ReplyDeleteJamelia bring up a good point. The French were much more respectful when it came to their alliances as they saw their allies as or acted as equals while the British saw the colonies and Native Americans as second class citizens. This led to a malicious barrier between the supposed allies which showed a lack of strategy by the British. This was one of the many examples where the French were more strategically advanced than the British.
ReplyDeleteAs stated before by a majority of the responses, the varying fighting styles of the war proved have a significant impact. Simply enough there were two fighting tactics exemplified; guerilla warfare and traditional war. Moreover, it is interesting to take note of the ones whom adopted each technique. While the British and French were using the traditional warfare strategy, the colonist and Indians were practicing guerilla warfare. It almost seems as though when the colonist came to the New World not only were their social identities morphed but also their warfare. Essentially, the leaders of the Old World-British and French- fought with the traditional tactics while the members of the New World-Indians and colonist-practiced guerilla warfare.
ReplyDeleteCourtney mentioned the terror tactics used by the Indians and how successful they proved to be, which I completely agree with. In fighting, psychological warfare can be just as successful as brute force and for sure the Indians mastered the usage of terror tactics along with guerilla warfare. The British and French had never seen anything like this and clearly had no defense against it.
ReplyDeleteThe movie depicts the what the war was like vividly. The arrogance and condescending tone alone of the British to the colonists was evident. It was clear the British were unwelcome by the colonists, as well as the the British had no respect for the colonists. The movie shows the terrain hosted the war and how the Native Americans used that to their advantage. Guerrilla warfare seemed to make mince meat out of the British's traditional style with formations making them a big red bulls eye. The French showed more respect to their allies, contrasting from the tension from the British.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Peter Fi's comment. There is a fine line between the cultures that is clearly distinguished in the movie. Women's role and place in society can be seen as how to the soldier and colonist treat the woman. The British did indeed have a much more proper and formal, as stated by few that would contribute to the British culture and The fact that they are soldiers, high ranked ones at that. Colonist live in a very different environment where such the formal behavior wasn't enforced.
ReplyDeleteI agree very much with CJ. The British did assume an authoritative role as he put it. They felt a need to take charge for the benefit of their homeland. The British did linger and look over the colonies for a long and frustrating period. There was confusion as to the roles the colonies should play. The British expected the colonies to do so, where as they Colonists did of free will. As CJ said, this was a recipe for the tensions that pursued and leaded to major conflicts.
ReplyDeleteIt amazed me that at the end of the movie, that poor girl ended up jumping off a cliff and killing herself. The war had so much of an effect on her that she just couldn't handle it anymore. Her friends and family spent so much time and effort fighting and she had to be in the midst of it all. I'm sure the war had that effect on many people. That's probably one thing that both the British and the Native Americans felt equally guilty about.
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