John Smith

John Smith was really something else. In some ways he was more than I expected and a lot less than what I envisioned. I was surprised to find that he was an incredibly ambitious man, having become a soldier and fought for several countries. I got the impression that he carried a Jack-of-all-trades persona; It's easy to see why of person of his character and experience would be a valuable asset in colonizing the new world.
But as I read on it was clear that his heroic, brave personification of himself was flawed. I, mean, it sounded like his crew mates were ready to toss their good buddy, Smith, overboard before they even reached Jamestown. The introduction said he was a stubborn, temperamental man that could be a bit of a brute, but I figured I would try to keep an open mind as I read his work. I think you can tell a lot about a person's character in their writing, especially when its about their life.
My conclusion in the end was that he was not only obnoxious, but incredibly vain. He never seemed to portray himself in a negative light-but who would, really? He also had the tendency to push the blame on his comrades when something went wrong, while making himself seem like the selfless leader. In one part he writes that he would set a good example for all by fairness in all matters, scheduling tasks for everyone, and taking on the greatest and most difficult tasks himself. I have my doubts of how much of this is true. At the very end, I was impressed with his approach and the pitch he gave to encourage people to come over to the new world; I found it to be rather compelling and skillful. Say what you like about his bed-side manners, the guy knew how to get a job done, which might have been is one and perhaps only redeeming quality.