Dippel 1

Sydney Dippel
Professor Kendra Parker
English 113-03
23 February 2015

title
Through a courageous story of triumph and self-discovery, the characters of
Disneys Mulan examine the concept of honor and the implications it has in modern
American culture.

The concept of honor in Disneys Mulan examines the differences between how
each gender is supposed to achieve honor, which highlights the idea within American
culture that men achieve honor through force and women achieve honor through being
passive in their relationships. A song at the beginning of the movie, during which
Mulans mother and grandmother are preparing her to meet with the Matchmaker,
explains the ways that men and women can bring honor to their families and their
country. Men are socialized to think that the only way they can pursue honor is through
military means and using force. These lyrics in the song fortify that; We all must serve
our emperor who guards us from the Huns, a man by bearing arms, a girl by bearing
sons. This line clearly states the guidelines for youth to follow to bring honor to their
families. On the contrary, women are pressured to be the picture of a perfect wife, which
means they are submissive, quiet, and do what they are told. The song describes this fact
with the lyrics, A girl can bring her family great honor in one way, by striking a good
match and this could be the day. Men want girls with good taste, calm, obedient, who

Hope College 2/24/2015 2:35 PM

Comment [1]:
Dont forget a title! I would go with
something to do with honor, but i do not
know what you are thinking.

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work fast-paced. With good breeding and a tiny waist, youll bring honor to us all. The
lyrics of this song convey the cultural ideas that very clearly separate girls and boys as to
what they are expected to do. Because a large portion of American children grew up
watching Disney movies with this type of theme, we are conditioned to think this same
way, that boys are the strong and dominating ones and girls should be quiet and
submissive. This concept could be detrimental to American society because the talents
and strengths of women are being stifled in the process.

The way Mulan eventually achieves honor upsets traditional American views on

how different genders are supposed to strive for honor, which violates long-established
American gender roles. At the beginning of the movie, Mulan is struggling with the fear
of not having what it takes to be matched up with a proper suitor. She knows that her
failure to find a husband will result in her dishonoring her family, because this is the way
she is supposed to go about life. After the Matchmaker calls her a disgrace and degrades
her, Mulan decides to ignore traditional gender roles and take her fathers place in the
draft for the war. Not only is this illegal and punishable by death, Mulans actions
directly defy what American culture defines as male and female gender roles. Even after
she is exposed as a woman and shamed for what she did, Mulan exemplifies her courage
and saves China from the Huns. Although it is not the typical manner of achieving honor
for a woman, the Emperor credits Mulan with saving China and tells her she has brought
immense honor to her family. In American culture, this story implies that women can
achieve honor in ways that oppose their traditional gender roles. Because Disney movies
are marketed mostly to Americans, the story of Mulans overcoming her gender role may
inspire other young people to do what they once thought they couldnt.

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The concept of honor in Disneys Mulan compels Mulans family to measure her

worth based solely on the Matchmakers decision, which examines how parents in
American culture measure the success of their children. Throughout the beginning of the
movie, Mulans mother and grandmother are preparing her to visit the Matchmaker, with
the hope that she will walk away with a suitable husband. In their eyes, Mulans worth
lies purely in the hands of the Matchmaker, and they do not see how Mulans strength
and courage is more important than someones opinion of her. Although the extreme
example of the Matchmaker may not be present in American culture, there remains no
doubt that some parents have skewed standards of what it means for their children to be
successful. Whether that measurement is based on how well they perform in sports, what
college they attend, or how much money they end up making, the way that American
parents measure their childrens success could be harmful to their development of
confidence and self-identity. This fact may unfortunately undermine some childrens
abilities, because they are too afraid to fail so they do not even try. An inhibitor like this
could be harming the well being of individual citizens and Americas progress in general.

Mushu, motivated by honor, embarks on a dangerous journey with Mulan, which

signifies that in American culture, one should strive to achieve honor for ones family no
matter the potential harm to themselves or others. Throughout the whole movie, Mushus
goal is to earn back respect from the ancestors by helping Mulan in her quest to defeat the
Huns. Because the ancestors are putting him under such pressure to not let them down, he
internalizes the concept of honor so deeply that he will stop at virtually nothing to
achieve it. In pursuit of impressing the ancestors, he puts himself and others, including
Mulan and the cricket, in serious danger. Despite this flaw, Mushu is a funny and lovable

Hope College 2/24/2015 2:45 PM

Comment [2]:
This is a great body paragraph. I love how
you analyzed your exampled and
compared it to how American parents try
to get their kids to honor their families and
how they are disappointed when things do
not meet their expectations.

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character, so children within American culture may possibly adhere to him and his
actions. This could translate to kids who are under copious amounts of pressure to make
their parents proud that cutting others down to achieve your goal is acceptable. Children
may lose sight of what are rational and responsible decisions, so much so that they may
harm themselves and others in the process. This ideology that kids need to impress their
parents in order to be happy and successful may be harming Americans because it puts so
much pressure on kids to achieve sometimes irrational goals.

The concept of honor is Disneys Mulan forces Mulan to believe that being

matched with a suitable husband is the acceptable only way to bring honor to her family,
which mirrors the values presented to some kids as they are raised within American
culture. Her whole life, Mulan is taught that when she is of age, she will be sent to the
Matchmaker and her abilities and behavior here will determine the rest of her life. When
the time comes, Mulan struggles with this concept because she does not see herself as
having the ability to impress the Matchmaker, meaning she cannot bring honor to her
family. However, the boys in her culture are not raised to worry about finding a suitable
wife, instead they are taught that being a part of the successful military will bring honor
to their families on their behalf. In a way, this aspect of the movie reflects how some
boys and girls are raised and socialized in American culture. When girls are growing up,
they play games of cleaning house, cooking, and taking care of children. On the other
hand, boys games consist of building things, fighting with swords, and driving trucks
around. If the movies that children relate to during their childhood are consistent with
these rigid gender roles, children will continue to pursue these roles throughout their

Alec Dood 2/24/2015 10:51 PM

Comment [3]:
The concept of honor in

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lives. This mindset may create dependency that hinders girls from becoming selfsufficient, or a complex that makes boys believe the world is always their enemy.

Alec Dood 2/24/2015 10:51 PM

Comment [4]:
I think you have a great paper on your
hands. Honestly, I felt like each paragraph
had a great claim, with examples and
analyzing. What you need to make sure is
that you give an introduction that leads into
your paper by providing some sort of
context. Maybe you could lead off by
talking about failure and how we try to do
everything we can to not fail and bring
honor to our name. Then you need to
have a conclusion that leaves us with a
true message about honor. But great
work!