Many times, things are not what they seem. Deception is often used to advertise things in a different light and distorts historical content and real facts. An example of this is when Disney inaccurately portrays the real lives of historical characters like Mulan and Pocahontas. In the film Mulan, based on the "Ballad of Mulan", Disney inaccurately portrays her life causing many inconsistencies. In the film, Mulan is depicted as weak and inexperienced with weapons and horseback riding. It was said, however, that the "real" Mulan practiced with many weapons and methods of warfare. As stated in an article in The Epoch Times, “Mulan's father…raised Mulan as a boy. She... practiced martial arts, archery and fencing with her father... enjoyed reading her father's manuals on military strategy." This would demonstrate that, contrary to the Disney version, which depicts a young Mulan as weak and hopeless, she was actually a fierce warrior who could carry herself into battle. Additionally, the real Mulan also rode horses and shot arrows, unlike the incompetent Mulan depicted in the "We Are Men" scene from the Disney movie portrays Mulan as inexperienced and inadequate upon her entry into the camp, the real Mulan was extremely skilled in the art of war and extremely capable of holding her ground another way Disney portrays Mulan inaccurately is by saying she was a daughter unique in her family. Mulan's father is asked to enlist, Disney shows that Mulan is outraged by the idea, knowing that her father will truly die in vain this time, and as his only daughter she must make this sacrifice for her father. However, while Mulan made this sacrifice to save her father, Mulan really had... a middle ground... to many prominent historians, taking their original stories and manipulating them into crowd-pleasing versions. . This shows that Disney inaccurately portrays the real lives of historical characters, such as Mulan and Pocahontas. However, even though most people are commonly familiar with inaccurate versions of these characters, it's worth knowing the real story. Works Cited Custalow, Linwood, and Angela L. Daniel. The True Story of Pocahontas: The Other Side of the Story. Golden, CO: Fulcrum Pub., 2007. Print.Shen, Teresa, and Gisela Sommer. "The Legend of Mulan." The Epoch Times August 31, 2011: page n. The Times of the Era. Network. November 21, 2013. Mossiker, Francesca. Pocahontas: the life and the legend. New York: Knopf, 1976. Print.Rountree, Helen C. Pocahontas Powhatan Opechancanough: Three Indian Lives Changed of Jamestown. Charlottesville: University of Virginia, 2005. Print.