Cultural Analysis Of Mulan

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.

The text Lessons for Women by Ban Zhao “served as an advice manual for women in China until the twentieth century.” This text was meant to give advice to young women, specifically her daughters, and guide them through life and marriage. She wrote it upon her deathbed at a time when her daughters were ready to be married. Lessons for Women is a text that conforms to the strict gender roles of Confucian society, within those roles it works as a tool to position women in the best place possible and subtlety provides meaningful advice to allow women to thrive as best they can under the gender roles of society.

In 1998 Disney released the action packed movie Mulan. Mulan is strong female lead that doesn’t fit the typical dainty Disney princess. How could it not be feminist? Hidden (or not so hidden) throughout the film, Mulan is littered with traditional gender stereotypes. Based on the premise, songs and other comments, I have determined that on the surface Mulan seems to be feminist, but underneath it is filled with damaging ideas to men and women.

Though the !Kung people are an equal society their beliefs on how a women should get married can be considered at somewhat controlling. Women in the !Kung society are often married young. During her teen years it is expected for the !Kung girls to get married to an older man who will be able to provide for his in laws. With no say in who she will be marrying the girl is basically forced to be with this man who her parents believe can take

Mulan is an animated film that was released in 1998 from Disney during third wave feminism, which features an Asian woman protagonist. She is a Disney princess, but at first glance you wouldn’t think so. Mulan is introduced as a clumsy tomboy who did not think she would ever bring honor to her family. In order to accomplish said honor, she would have to by being the perfect bride, in accordance with the matchmaker. The film has a great amount of feminist ideals, however, it doesn’t leave out stereotypical gender roles and several examples of overdetermined ideologies. Patriarchy is very prevalent in this film, from the woman characters positions, down to the songs they sing throughout the film, patriarchy is a theme that cannot be missed. This paper will discuss how feminine and masculine stereotypes are conveyed in the film, how gender stereotypes are portrayed, and of the patriarchal themes included in the film.

Mulan’s character is a unique Disney heroin that had not yet been portrayed before 1990’s. Most characters had the damisel in distress storyline, such as Beauty and the Beast and Cinderella. The femininities movement was beginning to make its way in children 's literature and films. No longer were parents wanting the submissive, passive stereotypical female example for their young children. Mulan is a strong, powerful character that overcomes the gender stereotypes of young females. The actual telling of

Fa Mulan is a Chinese female character who is known for her story of joining the Chinese army under the disguise of a man. The Disney movie version is one that tells of her hero’s journey that is somewhat similar to the story of the true Hua Mulan who is based from an old Chinese poem. In both versions of her story she goes through the full hero’s journey that Campbell writes about which includes her departure, initiation, trials, temptations and her return (Shaw). Along with the main parts of the journey, there are also small sections that make up the different parts of her journey.

In Mulan, there are a number of times where there is a constant enforcement of male and female stereotypes. The first song, “Honor To Us All” reads “A girl can bring her family great honor in one way...and serve her emperor, by striking a good match” (6:09-9:06), and when Mulan’s true gender is revealed in front of the other soldiers and general, she is told that “there was something wrong with her, [because] she is a woman!” (1:00:26). In fact, when she arrives at the Imperial City to warn her friends of the enemy’s arrival, her own sidekick Mushu reminds her that nobody is going to listen to her because she is “a girl again” (1:08:28). Throughout the film, there is a hidden message that regardless of what Mulan has achieved, women are going

Mulan risks shaming her family because she is not as physically strong as the other males at the camp, and may be kicked out or discovered. She transforms once again and trains her hardest to keep up with the men. Once she can her and her fellow soldiers are sent out, as part of her growth in this part of the movie goes from willing to do anything for her family to her fellow soldiers as well. She risks her lives and saves many in return. She grows from being clumsy and different, to become this strong powerful force to be reckoned with.

The original history of Mulan’s story came from a traditional song in the North Wei Dynasty. It was called “The Ballad of Mulan.” The aboriginal transcription of “The Ballad of Mulan” comes from the 6th century.

The legend of Mulan, the Chinese woman warrior, was first presented in an annonomous poem called “the Ballad of Mulan” which dated back the 6th sentury Tang Dynansty. The poem was written in five segments; each one represents Mulan’s origin, experience in the battlefield, and also sense of obedience to her family. The legend lives on as it is passed from one generation to other generation through diverse versions such as storytelling, poem, and movies. Ultimately, the ballad takes on a new form when it was adapted into a 1998 Disney animated feature. This is the first time Disney has drawn on an Asian

A terrible crime has been committed in Captain Li Shang’s army. One of Captain Shang’s warriors was identified as a woman that was disguised as a man. Her fake name was Ping, but her real name is Mulan. This act is unethical by the principles of Confucianism, which state that woman should stay home and do housework while men go out. Mulan’s excuse was that she had replaced her father’s place in war to keep him safe. Unfortunately, we could not execute her on the spot because she had saved Captain Shang’s life. In our culture, the man is the core of the family. He gets the children educated, he cares for them, and he gets them married. A woman’s role is to get married and become a mother to give honor to the family. Mulan’s behavior is unacceptable

Mulan is loaded with references towards religion and the profound sense of being particularly some the conventions, practices, and estimations of East Asian religions. A reoccurring religious subject that is consistently referenced in the film includes repeating supplication to and specify of, the Fa family's progenitors. In the start of the movie Mulan, her dad, her mom, and her grandma are all either straightforwardly imploring or allude to petitioning their predecessors on events. In the film, the precursors are seen springing up as phantom life figures who examine how to give Mulan direction when she leaves for the armed force. A profound sense of being and religion are additionally delineated through the characters Yao and Chien-Po, who

Mulan, in fact, has more in common with male Disney leads than the female Disney leads. Mulan is a thinker. She 's resourceful, like Aladdin. She is quick to act, like Eric (from The little Mermaid.) And she sacrifices herself for the sake of others, like Hercules. She also speaks her mind, even in a culture that does not allow such a thing. She doesn 't waste time pining about "will I ever

Another way to analyze gender in Mulan is to examine society 's expectations of female versus male roles. In Mulan, it is apparent that society has different expectations for each gender and the roles they should play. Before she meets with the matchmaker, Mulan recites the characteristics the Chinese society believes makes a perfect woman, "quiet and demure, graceful, polite, delicate, refined, poised"(Mulan). Mulan is accused of bringing dishonor to her