Film, especially the genre of children’s film, is highly influential on society. The content and themes conveyed in children’s movies shape the future generation, whether intentionally or not. It is important to understand the messages told by these films, and how they reflect and pertain to society. Continuing our focus on Mulan, gender and female independence are vital to the plot and meaning of the movie. Mulan attempts to encourage young girls to embrace their strength and intelligence, and it attempts to reveal the triviality of gender roles. The following video explores these attempts by the creators of Mulan, while analyzing the true effect on the viewer.
The video highlights both the positive and negative views of Mulan from the perspective of gender equality. With a focus on subtext, the video explores the effect the Mulan has on its audience in relation to gender roles. In some respects, the film can seem closed minded, solidifying masculine and feminine roles. Many songs and characters continue enforcing these gender roles, and even the plot can be questioned. Would Mulan have been able to save China and prove herself as a woman, if she had not first proved herself as a man? In the same line of thinking, because she must first become a man, does Mulan glorify masculinity, while discrediting femininity? However, when the viewer delves deeper into the movie, a lot can be said about Mulan's triumphs as a feminist, equality-driven film. Even though Mulan must prove herself as a man, the audience is aware that she is a woman; a woman that is outdoing men in traditionally male acts. The movie begs the question are gender roles just roles that anyone can play, seeing as Mulan is able to perform well as a man. Additionally, Mulan ultimately is successful because of her intellect. This is a focus throughout the movie, from the chess scene during "Honor to Us All" to when Mulan saves China at the end of the film by setting off fireworks on the roof. The movie supports the idea of un-gendered success, even though Mulan was a woman and thought of as less, this did not stop her from being successful. Mulan also symbolically blurs gender roles. On a surface level, the movie can be seen as black and white, however, through its use of symbolism and irony it isn't always. The best example of this comes from Mulan fighting Shan-Yu with both a sword and a fan. The use of these symbols shows the necessity of the combination of femininity and masculinity for success.
Use the concepts and questions raised from this video as a launching point for your discussion on gender roles. Challenge your students to think critically about both the overt and underlying meaning in Mulan, and how it relates to the overall effect on the audience.
Time
1 hour
Objectives
Use Mulan to guide discussion on issues regarding feminism, gender roles, and gender equality.
Keywords
Warm-up (5 minutes)
Give the class five minutes to write down characteristic traits that they think of when they think male or female. Then have them share these ideas with each other and the class. Discuss why students wrote down certain items. What was the influence? Was there a pattern?
Discuss (10 minutes)
Have the class discuss gender roles in groups, then share with the class. In what ways is society enforcing them? How is society trying to deter from them? When are gender roles most prevalent? What are the consequences of stereotyping based upon gender? Do gender roles matter?
Video presentation (5 minutes)
Screen the video “Gender Roles in Mulan” by Jocelyn Kavanagh.
Activity (35 minutes)
Have students work in groups of four, where two members of the group discuss the positive aspects of Mulan while the other two discusses the negative aspects in relation to gender roles. Students should respond to the following questions:
The group should use a specific scene from the movie as evidence to support their claims. The students should put their thoughts into a visual presentation, via PowerPoint or some other digital presentation platform. Students should be ready to articulate their thoughts in a presentation the next day.
Closing (5 minutes)
Summarize the lesson and leave time for questions about the assignment and presentations the next day. Remind students of their upcoming presentation.
Time
1 hour
Objectives
Students will present their projects and articulate their thoughts on the use of gender roles in Mulan.
Warm-up (<5 minutes)
Remind the class their objectives in for their presentations. Answer any last minute questions before the presentations begin.
Student Presentations (55 minutes)
Have each group present their work. Allow the class to ask questions and respond to each presentation.
Suggested Rubric for Grading