Ever since the establishment of cinema in the early 1900s, Hollywood has continuously recreated elements of history to reenact for its future generations. In order to clearly broadcast a specific theme or message to relay to viewers around the world, Hollywood executives tend to embellish real life events, in order to provide a “fairytale” aspect to a seemingly not so “happily- ever-after” story from history. As part of this “fairytale” aspect, Hollywood tends to delegitimize as well as provide a more disrespectful and more comical version of societies and cultures in the specific time frame that the film is being set. Through the art of story telling, the movies Mulan and Kung Fu Panda, depict the two sides of Hollywood, the falsifying and mockery making of Chinese people, their society, beliefs and true events of history and that of an accurate portrayal.
In Walt Disney Pictures’ Mulan, Disney attempts to retell the story of Chinese heroine, Hua Mulan, who is described in the Chinese poem, The Ballad of Mulan .The legend begins by telling the story an old man, who has no elder sons, who has been called up to fight in the Chinese army. Knowing that her father will likely face death, Mulan concedes to fight in his place and pretend to be a man, unbeknownest to her fellow soldiers. The movie builds off this premise as we are told the fictional account of Mulan’s life from before she took her father’s place to after.
Disney’s version of the story of Mulan, depicts Mulan as a young girl in what appears to be medieval China, who from the first scene until well into the second half of the film is shown studying and memorizing the rules by which she is expected to live. In the film as oppose to in the original story of Mulan, Mula...
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...isney does it again.’”. The Baltimore Sun. Published June 19, 1999. Accessed November 10, 2013. http://articles.baltimoresun.com/1998-06-19/features/1998170047_1_mulan-ancient-china-eddie-murphy Nancy Chen . “Panda Kung Fu’s His Way Around The World”. US China Today. Published June 20, 2008. Accessed November 10, 2013. http://www.uschina.usc.edu/w_usci/showarticle.aspx?articleID=12140&AspxAutoDetectCookieSupport=1 Maureen Fan. “‘Kung Fu Panda’ Hit’s A Sore Spot In China”. Washington Post. Published July 12, 2008. Accessed November 10, 2013. http://articles.washingtonpost.com/2008-07-12/world/36880763_1_chinese-culture-kung-fu-panda-s-kung-fu-panda Andrew Lam. “Chinese Culture and the Politics of “Kung Fu” Panda’”. One Vietnam. Published June 17, 2011. Accessed November 10, 2013.
http://talk.onevietnam.org/chinese-culture-and-the-politics-of-kung-fu-panda/
Overall, the Disney movie, Mulan, demonstrates gender roles, socialization of gender roles, and consequences of breaking the gender roles. By Mulan going to war for her father, in China, many things were at risk, life, honor, and the country of China, itself. Displaying the characteristics a man had was the only way for Mulan to survive, granted, she was not great at displaying woman characteristics in the first place. Being caught in war, as a woman, meant death, but Mulan was lucky for her bravery when saving Captain Li Shang, for he spared her life, which allowed Mulan to help save China and the emperor in the end. Even though China had very strict gender roles, Mulan broke them to save her father’s life and became the person she was meant to be.
William Shakespeare once said, “[My] honor is my life; both grow in one; take honor from me, and my life is done.” The idea is touched upon in both the book Woman Warrior by Maxine Hong Kingston as well as Disney’s Mulan were family honor is more important than anything else. Mulan was directed by Tony Bancroft and Barry Cook, and produced by Walt Disney Pictures. The film Mulan retold the story of a woman warrior who took her father’s place in battle and became a savior of China.The movie uses many elements from the original story told in the chapter “White Tigers,” but adds many modern twists in order to make the story more appealing for a newer generation. In both stories of Fa Mu Lan the elements of sacrifice, silence and voice, cultural practices of ancestor worship and filial piety, and Chinese stereotypes are present.
...sh and adore. However, next time, do not let yourself be so easily grabbed by the catchy musical numbers and seemingly revolutionary story that is told. Yes, Mulan is an unorthodox heroine who changes all the rules, but she does so by conforming to a flawed system and affecting change from the inside, under the guise of a man. In lieu of doing it as a woman, it is not as girl power filled as many of us would like to believe. She, for the most part, affects all of this change as a man. Once she’s discovered, all her hard work in the training and the relationships she’s forged are all tossed to the wind and she’s quickly relegated back to her place as a lowly woman. However, despite its flawed execution in being a girl power story, it embodies a quintessential feel-good, be true to your heart film that will leave you wanting to affect change in the world around you.
Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty, Snow White, and many other Disney movies all have one thing in common, they feature a female lead who needs a male figure to save them. However, things started to change after the release of Mulan in 1988. Movies that were only representing female leads as weak and always needed to rely on someone, started to feature females who showed off their more masculine side. Mulan was one of the first animated films that had started to dive into that, not to mention it was based on a true story, making it even more powerful. In the article “Post-Princess Models of Gender: The New Man in Pixar/Disney”, authors Ken Gillam and Shannon R. Wooden explore Pixar movies show male characters who were not afraid to show their emotions
Next, since the village is located up high in the mountains, the palace and the Kung Fu warriors training space is surrounded by nature and its beauty. Nature is a major thought in Taoism. “Manifest plainness, embrace simplicity, reduce selfishness, have few desires” (Lau Tzu). The palace is in a secluded area and a plain design that is simple just as the teachings of Lau Tzu says to have in order to be a tru...
Mandatory ethics is the level of functioning where the counselor is abiding by the basic “do’s and don’ts” of professional counseling. These are definitive codes that will protect a counselor from legal action and professional censure. All mental health professionals will be held accountable by the minimum standards set by state licensure boards and courts of law. Issues addressed by the Code of Conduct of the American Psychological Association (APA) include, but are not limited to, competence, human relations, confidentiality and fees. (American Psychological Association, 2002)
In the case study of Gwen, there is one major problem presented. That problem is whether it is ethical for a supervisor to counsel his supervisee. I think that Gwen is going through the grieving process after learning about her mother’s condition and is in a vulnerable spot. She feels like she cannot continue her work with hospice patients because of personal feelings. Ken thinks that Gwen is a great therapist and does not want to see her give up. He also feels like he would be the most effective person to give Gwen counseling, because of their trusting relationship. I think that this would be a bad idea and could cross professional boundaries. The Ethical Guidelines for Counseling Supervisors strongly suggest against a supervisor entering in a psychotherapeutic relationship with supervisees. It is important to limit the possibilities of a dual relationship. Dual relationships can easily become unethical and present problems or possible harm to the client, which in this case is the supervisee. They can also create dependency or have unfavorable symbolic meanings. I also do not think it was a good idea that the counseling happened in the supervision sessions. This time should be spent on improving knowledge and helping clients. Spending most of the supervisor sessions working on personal problems could potentially harm the progress and well-being of the supervisee’s clients. My reaction to Ken blending the roles of supervisor and counselor is that it was not a good, professional, decision. He has entered a dual relationship with Gwen that could potentially cause harm to her or create a conflict of interest. Since Ken is Gwen’s supervisor, he has more power over the relationship than Gwen does. This power can easily be abused by Ken...
582). Ethical decision making is defined as “The process of choosing between actions based on a system of beliefs and values” (Black, 2014, p. 347). The nurse handling the ethical problem must first identify that there is in fact a problem. The second step is to acquire all of the required information related to the current situation. The third step is to come up with multiple choices and options to solve the ethical problem. The fourth step is to actually pick one of the choices utilizing sound ethical judgement. The fifth step would be to enact the made decision. The final step in the process is to reassess your decision and look for effectiveness and
In the Disney film Mulan, the character for Mulan plays an important part to support the example of a woman not satisfied with her state of being and subordinated position in society and therefore, takes action to show others her true capabilities and qualities. This prototype is scarcely depicted in today’s cartoons and films so that children rarely identify with this image. “Mulan” helps to promote this role model of an intelligent woman and could be the first step in breaking gender constraints. In addition, it might teach children that they have to find their own state of happiness rather than trying desperately to fulfill society’s expectations.
The film Hero depicts one of the most culturally rich and diverse country, China. China is one of the largest countries in the world with the long profound history. It is also the most diverse country in terms of language, religion, rituals, traditions, and beliefs. The film Hero has an unusual movie theme, it repeats similar events through flashbacks and with different outcomes. The tale is about the nameless warrior and the triumph of Qin’s idea of unifying China. The king invites the warrior to honor him for defeating his three most dangerous enemies, who are often proclaimed as the unbeatable warriors. The film is a cultural description of Chinese traditions. It has expanded my understanding of Chinese culture by portraying the spectacular
This model identifies five moral principles which are: justice, autonomy, beneficence, non-maleficence, and fidelity. These fundamental guidelines are used to clarify issues that involve any given situation. Ethical guidelines may not address all situations, but will allow a counselor to explore ethical dilemmas and conflicting issues. Counselors are responsible to encourage clients to make their own appropriate decisions and to act on their own values. Two important things to consider when counseling client are: autonomous encouragement helps clients understand how their decisions and values that may or may not receive within the context of the society; they live in or may impinge on the rights of others (Kitchener,
Mulan tells that the story of brave Mulan. Mulan did not want her elderly father to fight in the war, so she disguised as a man and joined in her father 's army. Finally, Mulan defeated the Huns and Shan Yu (leader of the Huns) with her partners in barracks. This Disney film portrays the conflict perspective, feminism, and symbolic interaction perspective.
“Ethics provide the tools to develop essential ethical decision-making skills” (Icheku, 2011, p. 13). It is defined as “the branch of moral philosophy that determines what is right (ethical) and wrong (unethical)” (Icheku, 2011, p. 20). Social workers are regularly confronted with ethical dilemmas in their practice and are forced to apply ethical principles and theories while engaging in practical decision-making. Ethics, however, do not always provide practical solutions to dilemmas. Albeit, social workers have to routinely consider their ethical standards and framework, values and morals within every situation. As a social worker Ryan (of given scenario) faces an ethical decision as a result of the ethical dilemma to which he is confronted. In certain conditions, ethical dilemmas occur when “an individual, called the “agent,” must make a decision about which course of action is best” (Grobman, 2012). Ryan has to decide whether the children of Sudanese parents should be removed from their ho...
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
Cheng, Nien. Life and Death in Shanghai. New York, New York: The Penguin Group, 1986.