Fa Mulan Thesis

Empress Wu Zetian, the only woman to rule China, ruled during the Tang dynasty, but exerted cruel and malicious methods to gain power. She was born with the name Wu Zhao into a wealthy family and learned to write, read, and play music. Because of her beauty and intelligence, Wu became Emperor Tsung’s fifth favorite concubine, or

Mulan, a tale of adventure and honor, is not only an engaging film to watch, but it also contains an amazing amount of historical accuracy concerning religions in China. The film Mulan is historically accurate in its portrayal of Daoist ideas, the expected behavior of women according to Confucianism, and Confucian relationships.

In the movie, Mulan, she is caught between having to stay at home and become a wife, which is her proper role in society or go fight in a war in her father’s name. After a while, they discovered that she had been a woman the whole time. I feel like they were more angry that she was a woman and fought better than most of the men there. They kicked her out, of course, and later saved them and the emperor, but was still shunned. Chi-Fu told Shang, “Tis a woman. She will never be worth anything.” This shows that Chi-Fu wants her to be a woman, just like he thought she should be. He even admitted that she would not be worth anything or be a impacting role in society. This shows even if she did risk

Part One- What I found interesting in The Talented Women of the Zhang Family is the cultural and gender differences the Han and the Hakka during the Taiping Rebellion. The Hakka people considered everyone as equal, while the Han has very different expectations and standards for male and female. For instance, footbinding serves a standard of beauty for the Han women, while “Hakka female leaders forcibly unbound the feet of captive Han Chinese women” (Mann, 7). The Han people hold traditional culture doesn’t allow female to continue study after they entered their teen years. For example Zhang Qi, forbidden his daughter to every make a poem in public because he believes one of women’s virtue is to not have a talent since a lady has no saying

As its title would suggest, Chi Li is the main character of this myth. She lives in “the ancient kingdom of Yueh” (WM 331), in Chiang Lo County (WM 331). At the beginning of this myth, life is anything but peaceful for “the people of Chiang Lo County” (WM 331). They are living in constant fear of a serpent who lives “in a cave that was located on a high pass between the towering peaks of the Yung Mountains” (WM 331). Certain people who live in the county have tried and failed to end the serpent’s reign of terror (WM 331). Now, they believe that their only option is to concede and give the serpent the sacrifice he requests (WM 331).

Mulan is a Disney animated film that takes place in ancient China during Han Dynasty War. Mulan is a young girl in China, the only child of her honored family who struggles to find her identity and meaning in society. While Mulan is a lovable, spirited girl who doesn’t fit in with Chinese tradition because she speaks her mind and follow her heart. Being a girl who experience culture, gender role, and self-image demonstrated what a non- tradition person will do to bring honor to her love one’s and the family.

Maxine Kingston in “The Women Warrior” presents a traditional Chinese society that anticipates women not to decide what is best for them all by themselves. Kingston creates a woman who goes beyond this ritual culture constraint and who take up

The theme of “voiceless woman” throughout the book “the woman warrior” is of great importance. Maxine Kingston narrates several stories in which gives clear examples on how woman in her family are diminished and silenced by Chinese culture. The author not only provides a voice for herself but also for other women in her family and in her community that did not had the opportunity to speak out and tell their stories.

We will look at Wu Zetian, the first female ruler in China, was born in 624. Per parents were rich and of noble families, besides the straighter end results of her move violently to expand and uphold ultimate power, Wu's leadership resulted in significant consequences about social class in Chinese culture and in relation to circumstances hold up for Taoism, Buddhism, education, and writing. Wu Zetian also had a colossal impact leading the sculptures at the Qianling Mausoleum of the Longmen Grottoes and the "Wordless Stele", on top of the building of some most important constructions and bronze castings that do not continue to exist. Hatshepsut, on the other hand, was born in the 18th Dynasty (a powerful group or family that maintains its position for a considerable time) recognized the trade system that had been distressed at some point in the Hyksos profession of Egypt all through the Second Intermediate Period, thus building the riches of the

Maxine Hong Kingston’s novel The Woman Warrior is a series of narrations, vividly recalling stories she has heard throughout her life. These stories clearly depict the oppression of woman in Chinese society. Even though women in Chinese Society traditionally might be considered subservient to men, Kingston viewed them in a different light. She sees women as being equivalent to men, both strong and courageous.

I chose this topic because I view women as the backbone to the development or a nation, therefore the Chinese woman is paramount in one of the world’s great civilizations. The role of women in Chinese culture has changed over the years. When we consider the position that women held in ancient Chinese society we find that they have come a long way to be where they are today.

As Mulan’s father is enlisted to fight in the war, Mulan rebels against her gender role and speaks out on the drafting of her injured father who would unquestionably die to protect his country. Noticeably having crossed a line, she is shamed for her outburst and is now determined more than ever to bring her family honor. Mulan sets off to fight under her family’s name portraying the male role of a man named Ping. Under this role, Mulan begins to find her true identity, which is not necessarily that of a man, but of a single individual who is strong-minded and brave. As she prepares for war, Mulan leaves behind a flower pin from her hair and this flower reoccurs throughout the film. The flower represents her leaving behind this societal view of femininity as she

In the movie, “Mulan” the gender stereotyping is different than in the movie, “The Lion King.” Although she is portrayed as a strong female she still needs a man in her life. Giroux states, “Mulan may be an independent, strong-willed young woman, but the ultimate payoff for her bravery comes in the form of catching the handsome son of a general” (Greene 582). This teaches that young girls should strive to be beautiful so they can find a handsome man that will want to be with them. Men, on the

"When warring tribes fought over food or men during our first beginnings, those women were undoubtedly in combat…women warriors [later in history] were not considered so unusual…Joan of Arc and Bodecia fought as warriors. Women fought in the Civil War alongside their buddies, only to be found out once they were slain in battle" (Culture & Society)

We need to understand that the filial piety presented in the movie with the one in the original legend is different, because in the movie Disney portrayed back the filial piety based on American people’s understanding and stereotypes on Confucianism. In this way Mulan described as a free individual who does not want to be bounded by the strict rules of Confucianism. Although, most of the time Mulan expresses her refusal to Confucianism, she still represents the value of filial piety to her father by disguising herself as a man warrior and taking her father’s duty in a war. In this sense, Disney tried to show Mulan’s dutiful character by bringing out Mulan’s “manly” and rebellious personality. However, in order to strengthen Mulan’s head-strong personality, Disney deliberately lessened the value of obedience and replaced it with Mulan’s pursuit of identity. In this sense, Mulan is described as being confused of her real identity. She is given two difficult choices between fulfilling her role as a potential wife or listening to her own calling (She wants to find her own love without the interference of other people, including her parents). Moreover, the Ballad never explicitly tell the relationship between Mulan and her parents; but everyone can assume that Mulan does not have “a close relationship” with her parents unlike the one depicted in the Disney’s version. Because in filial