Hayao Miyazaki’s Princess Mononoke is a development of Japanese animation that can be seen as a romantic fable of two characters that were brought together through one cause; however, Miyazaki’s film can be seen as a Japanese cultural production. It is seen as a cultural production because it shows elements of Shinto through the Kami and the use of water for purification, as well as the female stereotype reversal that was quite dominant in the time of the Heian period. The characters in Princess Mononoke interact with the kami (gods or spirits) when they are in sacred sites or areas that assist in the contact. In Princess Mononoke, the mountain is the place where the characters make contact with the kami, which is their Shinto shrine because
The insistence of purification—both physical and spiritual—is basic to Japanese religion” (Earhart, 1982, 12). Therefore, the water that Ashitaka used to help relieve the pain that he was in from the demon because water was used a “purifying agent” (Earhart, 1982, 12). There are two cases in the film that show that water was used to heal Ashitaka provided the use of water to relieve his wound from the demon. Another time was when the spirit of the forest puts Ashitakas body in the water to heal an iron bullet wound that he suffered while bringing Princess Mononoke out of Iron Town; additionally was when Princess Mononoke drug Ashitaka through the water purify his wounds. The use of water to purify also described as one of the three distinctive characteristics of Shinto. “Shinto features a reverence for the “bright” and “pure” in all matter and thought, attempting to overcome physical pollution with rites of exorcism and bad thoughts with a “pure and bright heart” (Earhart, 1982,
In multiple instances throughout the film, female characters violate gender norms by acting as both warriors and leaders because they are adapting typically masculine traits. In the film, women are the majority of the labor force at iron town. The men are merely there to do the labor that needs the most physical power. “Americans oversimplify Japanese women as demure, submissive, and oppressed” (Kyu Hyun, 2002, 38). This quote shows that the stereotype of women in Japanese culture had been just like the western perspective where they were below men. This quote also shows that Princess Mononoke reverses the gender role from being submissive to being above men. Another quote that supports that women were not submissive says that “the young unmarried women in Japan have become a powerful group, demographically and economically” (Kyu Hyun, 2002, 39). The women who were in the upper class society of Japan had time on their hands and we know this because they had time to write literature. “Most of the canonical work from this period was produced by women of the upper social class” (Varner, 2005,
Of Water and the Spirit is more than simply an account of Malidoma's life and initiation, it is a detailed description of the worldview of a Dagara man, who is forcibly subjected to traditional Western thought for fifteen years and then returns to his home physically, at first, but spiritually only once he goes through initiation, or what the Dagara call the Baar. Malidoma's recount of his story, being very similar to the storytelling of an African Griot, uses amazing imagery that allows the listener to sincerely experience his thoughts and actions and the things he sees, hears, and feels throughout his early life up to now.
Duhkha, Buddhist clerics, and cremation rituals are the concepts of Buddhism that were mentioned in the Tale of Genji. Kami and spirits are the concepts of Shinto that were mentioned in the story. Duhkha was demonstrated in the Tale of Genji because Aoi was suffering and was near death while she was possessed by evil spirits and when she gave birth to her son. Duhkha includes Buddha’s Four Noble Truths which include the ideas that suffering exists in the world, suffering is caused by cravings and desires, and there is a way to end suffering and pain, and the Noble Eightfold Path. The Tale of Genji also mentions concepts of Buddhist clerics and cremation. The Buddhist clerics came to try to heal Aoi with poppy seeds but unfortunately it
Like in Gilgamesh and the Iliad, women help encourage and influence the protagonists to be the heroes and protectors they are meant to be. Adventures and wars
When studying gender roles in history, one will find that females are often depicted in similar ways no matter the era or region of study. Even when comparing the industrialized, early, twentieth century to today’s progressive era, there are striking similarities between female roles. We can see that over the course of the twentieth century, the qualities of loyalty and honesty have decreased in marriages due to the treatment of the two main female roles as depicted literature. The first was the role of the wife. The wife was often portrayed as a housekeeper and a nanny. Dull in appearance, there was no aesthetic beauty to this typical female. The other main role was the “other woman.” The more mysterious and promiscuous character, this woman portrayed the other part of the female population. Both of these types of characters are composites that portrayed the average, disposable female while how they were treated conveyed the general handling of females in the early, twentieth century.
Power, especially in the hands of females, can be a force for immense societal changes. Director Sciamma plays with the role of power in the lives of the four girls, predominantly in the character of Lady. Lady’s sense of control, stems from winning hand on hand fights, but the opinion of the men around her lays the foundation of this empowerment. The more fights Lady wins, the more the men appear to respect her, yet as feminist Simone de Beauvoir explains “[n]o matter how kindly, how equally men treated me when I tried to participate in politics, when it came right down to it, they had more rights, so they had more power than I did (Simone de Beauvoir - The Second Sex- ix),” the “power” Lady obtained was provisional. Lady’s power was directly tied to the opinion of the men around her, in this scene, a portion of the boys sits on stairs physically higher than Lady, invoking a sense of power hierarchy and control. The boys only valued Lady when she successfully participated in the their world of violence, but this participation came with boundaries as “[w]omen can never become fully socialized into patriarchy- which in turn causes man to fear women and leads then, on the one hand, to establish very strict boundaries between their own sex and the female sex (Feminist theory 142).” The men had never truly incorporated Lady into their group, she had just
From climbing up 700 foot cliffs, fighting off unusually large rodents, and coming back from the dead, The Princess Bride is the story of an adventure that always keeps viewers on the edge of their seats. The journey is displayed through a Romance Narrative structure that is predictable, but engaging. The structure consists of aspects prominently displayed during the movie: innocence, initiation, challenges, the Underworld, and the Return. We follow the hero Westley as he makes his way through this mission fueled by his love for a woman named Buttercup and the lengths from which he will go to be with her.
Although the book is predominantly focused on males, both genders play an important role in the book. Gender roles are viewed as a universal theme because humans view each gender differently, despite the gender equality. When a little boy falls and cries, his parents scold him into acting more tough, like a man. However, it differs for girls for they are meant to be sensitive. Humans do not know why they think such way even after knowing that women are sometimes tougher than man, but they still give that kind of archetype. Men are expected to act more chivalrous, following the code of ethics. Even King Arthur secured chivalry within the people that follow him by “...bade[ing] all his knights [to] try, each in turn, to” (pg. 118) renew their vows. Whereas, women are fought for because men are expected to be more strong. Geraint wants to “ride and speak with [the dwarf himself]” (pg 193) just to fight for the damsel for she is viewed weak and she “[sobbed] bitterly” (pg 193). In that sequence, this book illustrates a lot of collective unconscious about gender
Women have not always had a rightful place in society, but have always left a mark in history. Take Beatrix Kiddo from Kill Bill for example, also known as the Bride/Black Mamba. Her assassin friends turned on her for betraying their boss Bill, in return she sets out on a quest to find them regardless of where they are in the world. She seeks her revenge for their attempt to kill her and her unborn baby, this journey ties in with the female heroic concepts because anyone would want to execute the person who did that to them. In turn, the audience is rooting for her successful massacre. At the end of volume two, The Bride finds the main man she was setting out to kill in the first place, Bill. He decides to give her an equal, fair chance to
The biological differences that set apart the male and female gender throughout any culture remain eminent. Men are perceived as the stronger and dominant gender; women play the role of the weaker. In each culture the expectation of the manner in which men and women behave are influenced by the ideals and customs of that culture. In most predominant cultures, the man undertakes the role as a leader, and the woman devotes her life to the husband. Throughout history, traditions and literature provide a template to the identities of various cultures. Sleeping Beauty’s classic tale of a beautiful princess takes a central precept that previous patriarchal archetypes dominated during the 17th Century. The archetypal perceptions of women resulted from conscious and unconscious literature influenced by male-dominated perspectives and social standards.
...e, women are the weaker of the two sexes. Women are slaves and spoils of war, if they are valued for sex they are used for sex. The universal portrayal of women causes a reevaluation of modern day gender balances by the reader.
The portrayal of women in this film gives the impression that women are fighters and not just people who need saving, Princess Leia’s image is not defined by the other men in her party (Hans Solo and Luke Skywalker), but by her own merit. In relation the image portrayed by the men in this film, Princess Leia also possess’ some of their qualities. The governance system in the Star Wars universe, called the Empire, can easily be seen as a dominant patriarchal figure in the movie, with a predominantly male presence especially in the higher rungs (people in higher command). More women are represented in the Rebel Alliance and it is in this population that Princess Leia’s image as a feminist icon really stands out and has meaning. Not only is she a prominent figure ...
Through the years, the roles within gender have been imposed by us in all kind of societies. In a lot of culture woman are seen very poorly. Woman and man in different cultures are always fighting for equality, for the rights, for freedom, and for peace. Chapter ten “Feminism And Peace” of Discovering the twentieth-century world and "Persepolis," we can see three women from different cultures outside Europe and America fighting against war, military, and nuclear weapons. In both cases, “Feminism And Peace” and “Persepolis” the message is that woman are in favor of piece, no because they are woman but because they are humans.
Throughout time and across many cultures, women have had the lowest status in society. In a patriarchal world, women have consistently been viewed as weaker and inferior to men. As a result, it is no surprise that men have found themselves in places of power and admiration. However, this does not mean that society completely neglects the impact of women; in Greek lore, women take on passive yet important roles, weaving the destinies and doom of many men and earning themselves a reputation as banes of manipulation and deception. Negative as that portrayal may seem, other societies have defined the roles of their women differently. Anglo-Saxons also flaunted the heroics of their men, as exemplified
Women have been in movies since they first started playing on the big screen, they have played an assortment of roles, the damsel in distress, the first one to die, the poor scullery maid who ends up a princess, the evil witch, etc. While some of the roles have shed bad light on women, for example being a femme fatale, other movies have set positive examples for the future generations. As time has changed, the Disney princesses have evolved with it, each princess becoming more outspoken and independent, influencing the young women of today to want to grow up to be just like them, “They enact a shift from the "princesses" of ballet to the "heroes" of sport. Heroism, egalitarianism and autonomy are slipped into the conventions of Disney princesshood” (Do Rozario, R.,C., 2004, para. 34). In Mulan the movie, Mulan saves her father by disobeying him, and taking his place in the war by doing that she ended up saving her whole country. Disney isn’t telling young women to disobey their parents; they’re showing them that while you may be a girl, you can be brave and succeed.
There are many strong women characters present in Princess Mononoke which exhibit themes of freedom and spirit.