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Essay / Research Paper Abstract
A 3 pages essay that discusses the story of Mulan, the warrior maiden, within the context of what early Chinese poetry relates about the role of women in that culture. Bibliography lists 4 sources.
Page Count:
3 pages (~225 words per page)
File: KL9_khmulan.doc
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Unformatted sample text from the term paper:
enemy invaders. The tale of Mulan is evocative because it contrasts with the popular conception of womens traditional role in Chinese society. In order to examine the extent to which
Mulan differs from the traditional role, the nature of this role can be ascertained by consulting ancient Chinese poetry, such as the Book of Songs or the poetry of Qu
Yuan as recorded in Songs of the South. The Ospreys Cry is in the Book of Songs, which is the earliest anthology of Chinese poetry. It contains poems that
were composed from the tenth to the seventh centuries B.C. As translators Arthur Waley and Joseph Allen point out, The Ospreys Cry comes from the youngest section of the
book. The poem conveys the intense longing of a man for a noble lady who is described as beautiful in appearance as well as being an appropriate bride who is
suitable for a nobleman. The poem describes how thoughts of her disturbed the sleep of the nobleman, but, due to her shyness, his wooing was of no avail. The last
stanza indicates that once more the nobleman is making an attempt to win her heart, as the poem states that "With bells and drums we will gladden her" (line 20)(Waley/
Allen 6). This poem clearly indicates the focus of cultural focus on women that stresses their role in terms of sexual desire and marriage. The focus is squarely on
the thwarted desire and suffering of the nobleman whose courtship of the noble lady is being rejected. The clear cultural message is that this is the most significant aspect of
women, that is, how they are related to by men. Likewise, a similar emphasis on males as dominant in Chinese culture can be see in Songs of the South. In
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