Wait a second!
More handpicked essays just for you.
More handpicked essays just for you.
Mulan and how gender
Literary analysis of chinese cinderella
Mulan and how gender
Don’t take our word for it - see why 10 million students trust us with their essay needs.
“The flower that blooms in adversity is the most rare and beautiful of all,” a quote from the Disney movie, Mulan, proclaimed. Mulan’s father once told her that quote, and it inspired her to be different. Adeline and Mulan both fought for their rights and freedom while being a girl. In the novel, Chinese Cinderella, by Adeline Yen Mah, Adeline compares herself to Mulan, the female warrior. She had to fight wars, requiring courage, just as Mulan did. Adeline described about herself, “I was the female warrior Mulan.” The author, Adeline, once thought to herself, “Then they all ran out, leaving me quite alone with my silver medal, staring at my empty bowl.” (Yen Mah 11) Everyone appreciated Mulan until they discovered that she was a female, not the male they thought she was. She proved that women can be just as good as men. Adeline’s siblings were happy and proud of her until her father had complimented her. Then they stole her dinner, some dragon fruits. Girls were all unequally treated back then. Adeline’s father told her, “Continue studying hard and bring honor …show more content…
Adeline Yen Mah told, “I started to weep (...) For the last few months, I had taken the blows as they came, with stoical fortitude.” (Yen Mah 137) After everything that Adelina has suffered through, she has barely cried and has instead remained calm. She kept all her feelings to herself. Most people, after being through the situations that Adeline had, would have anxiety problems. The author claimed, “When father questioned me, I could not lie. He ordered me to lie facedown on my bed and he whipped me.” (Yen Mah 104) Adeline has always stayed strong in front of Niang and Father, even after all the terrible things that they have done to her, including whipping and hitting her. She knows that she is an unwanted child, and she learned to deal with the fact that she’s a girl, just as Mulan
Thus born The Woman Warrior, a chronicle of a Chinese American woman's personal sufferings and triumphs, of duplicities and truths, and of struggles and breakaways; a requiem for all the victims of the old culture whose soundless cries have not been heard and who died without a name, engulfed by the darkness and the silence. In her world then, at least, the failed heroine Fa Mu Lan is redeemed.
Clashing swords, miraculous survivals, pain of loss, and heroic sacrifice are all terrifying yet thrilling moments in a battle. The strong possibility of death and the frailty of human life add into the suspense of battle. Yet the reasons behind the wars, death, and suspense can be overlooked. The stories behind the warriors who have died will not be told again, but the stories of warriors still alive are what give the men strength to continue fighting against impossible odds. Ultimately, the reason of why a man would risk his life in battle is for someone, or something, he loves. Like in Gilgamesh and the Iliad, women help encourage and influence the protagonists to be the heroes and protectors they are meant to be.
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.
In the book The Woman Warrior, by Maxine Kingston, a story of a girl trapped between the culture of her family’s past and the culture currently surrounding her is presented. The girl, Maxine, enters into conflict with her mother and what can be explained as an old and traditional China. Maxine’s own beliefs are found in the newer American way of life with her attempts to assimilate to the culture, making it difficult for her to feel any relation between the two very different environments. It is through these tribulations that Maxine is a “woman warrior” coming to age as a Chinese-American.
Adeline, from the novel Chinese Cinderella, has many hardships and difficulties in her life, particularly abuse, neglect and loss. It’s clear that she never gives in and is always able to overcome these difficulties, with her determination and resilience, her optimistic and hopeful attitude, the support from loved ones and her imagination. By using these strategies, Adeline is able to push through her troubles and eventually win in the end.
Hooks, Amy. How to Be a Girl: Problems with Feminism in "Rules of the Game" and Mulan. http://www.unc.edu/~dcderosa/STUDENTPAPERS/childrenbattles/chinaamy.html.
Chinese Cinderella is a compelling autobiography by Adeline Yen Mah, a struggling child, yearning for acceptance and love in her dysfunctional family. In this novel of “a ‘secret story of an unwanted daughter”, Adeline presents her stepmother Niang, as a violent, impatient, biased, domineering and manipulative demon. Analysing the language used by the author, we can discover how effectively she does this.
Though not the focus of epic poetry, the female characters of this ancient genre play a central role, as they have a great influence on the male heroes they encounter. In a genre which idealizes manliness and heroism—that is, acts of courage, strength, and cunning— women are set in opposition to these ideals and therefore less respected. At the same time, women who attempt to take on more “masculine” roles are vilified. Here, antagonist is defined as anyone in opposition to the hero’s goals. Female agency—their free will and ability to wield power—is directly related to their role in epic poetry; that is, the more agency a female character has, the more antagonistic of a role she plays. This agency is often enacted through sexuality or supernatural
Adeline fights for respect from her family and never gives up even when all odds are against her. In the story Chinese Cinderella by Adeline Yen Mah, Adeline compares herself to the brave and courageous Mulan. For example, in the beginning of the Mulan movie, Mulan causes a huge ruckus with the other troops. This causes the other soldiers to seek revenge. Adeline has similar circumstances.
The story of Fa Mu Lan portrayed in the chapter White Tigers cleverly showcases Kingston’s expectations of the society where women are seen worthless. Within the story, Kingston provides the reader a contrast between her real life and her imagination to appeal to the reader about the frustration in her life. Furthermore, Fa Mu Lan was portrayed as a powerful warrior and at the same time a loving and caring mother. Portraying the character Fa Mu Lan with these qualities, writer was successfully able to demolish traditional Chinese beliefs about women in the society, while keeping the balance between power roles and feminine
Due to traditional stereotypes of women, literature around the world is heavily male-dominant, with few female characters outside of cliché tropes. Whenever a female character is introduced, however, the assumption is that she will be a strong lead that challenges the patriarchal values. The authors of The Thousand and One Nights and Medea use their female centered stories to prove their contrasting beliefs on the role of women not only in literature, but also in society. A story with a female main character can be seen as empowering, but this is not always the case, as seen when comparing and contrasting Medea and The Thousand and One Nights.
In movie version of Mulan as well as the book by Maxine Kingston, the elements of immolation, holding one’s tongue, respect for ancestors and parents, and stereotyping in the Chinese culture are present. All of these elements come together to create two similar stories of a woman warrior out to bestow honor upon her family. Still, for something as simple as family honor, is all the trouble of the quest for a small bit of greatness worth it?
Mulan is a young girl in China, who is trying to honor her family and ancestors by finding a husband. She was expects to be delicate, quiet, obedient, graceful, polite, and poised, none of which Mulan displayed. She showed up late to the meeting with the woman, “The Match Maker”, who picked whom Mulan would one day marry. Although they expect women in China to have a tiny waist, too small of a waist, which Mulan had, was no good. She would not be great at baring children. Mulan could not pour the tea right for the woman either. She missed the cup, spilling the tea on the table. She was not very graceful and upset “The Match Maker”, who believed Mulan would never honor her family. Mulan did not display the characteristics that the Chinese society expected a woman to have and was looked at as dishonorable to outsiders.
Adeline had compared herself to the warrior Mulan, because they were both strong females who could accomplish things on their own. They also had family who didn't believe in them. For example when Adeline said “I was no longer the lonely girl bullied by her siblings. Instead I was the female warrior Mulan, who would rescue her aunt and Ye Ye from harm.” (Yen Mah 53). This is because Adeline had started writing and it had made her feel happy and she could escape her tragic childhood. Somewhat like how Mulan ran away from he family and a life she didn't enjoy, to go and fight in a war. Also “To me writing was pure pleasure. It thrilled me to be able to escape the horrors of my daily life in such a simple way. When I wrote, I forgot that I was an unwanted daughter who had caused her mother’s death.” (Yen Mah 53). This reinforces the fact that Adeline used writing to be free of her daily life, again like how
The classic Disney movie, Mulan, is often praised as a film involving feminist empowerment, but upon closer look just the opposite appears to be true. The classic storyline includes Mulan, a young Chinese woman, taking over her fragile father’s place in the Chinese army, disguised as a man named Ping. She trains among the other soldiers, becoming one of the very best with her accompanying guardian dragon, Mushu and a cricket her grandmother gave her for luck for the matchmakers by her side. She ends up saving all of China by revealing that the Huns are back and invading the country, and is honored as a hero. This movie breaks away from the typical damsel in distress princess story by having a single woman save all of China. However, on Mulan’s journey she faced extreme female shaming, and experienced stereotypes attempting to belittle her; all