The Damsel Of Distress And The Knight s Shining Armor ...

The Damsel in Distress and the Knight in Shining Armor: Gender Roles in Disney Movies â€Å"How about a girls who’s got a brain, who always speaks her mind?† (Bancroft and Cook 00:43:30-00:43:40). This was Mulan’s (Mulan (1998)) response to her fellow soldiers’ desires for women who are beautiful, will cook for them, and will worship them. The men brush off Mulan’s suggestion without thinking, but what do objectifying comments like this being included in a children’s movie say about society? Movies play an important role in shaping the beliefs of children, because they are susceptible to the ideas to which they are exposed as they mature. It is the responsibility of movie producers, like the Walt Disney Company, to create characters and†¦show more content†¦It is alright to want to want to find a â€Å"prince,† but it should not overtake a young girl’s desire for her own successful future. On the other side of the s pectrum, young boys watching these tropes are affected as well. When the prince swoops in to save the princess, he is also â€Å"[claiming] the spotlight† that is not his (Leek 5). There are many instances, such as Cinderella, Snow White, and Sleeping Beauty in which the movie is titled after female characters, â€Å"yet it is men who are thrust into the role of heroes† (5). Even the movie â€Å"Beauty and the Beast [1991] devolves into a battle between two male characters while Belle helplessly awaits the outcome† (5). Young boys seeing all of these heroic princes may lead to them believing they are entitled to the spotlight over girls. This promotes inequality between men and women in society. The imbalance of the two extremes may be attributed to the other personality traits female and male characters are given. The characteristics given the the females and males of Disney movies reinforce gender roles for how each gender should behave. Many of the Di sney heroines share the common traits of being docile, obedient, weak, nurturing, and domestic. For example, Snow White â€Å"finds a shelter in a dusty and dishevelled cottage and immediately feels compelled to clean it from top to bottom (since theShow MoreRelatedSummary Of The Twelfth Century By Marie De France s Lanval1524 Words   |  7 Pagesthe day when things are going horrible for the female. The knight in shining armor, for example, always saves the lady. This is shown in fairytales like Cinderella, written in the 17th century and Rapunzel, written in the 19th century. No matter what the problem is, the man has to save the day or else he is not a man. In Marie de France’s Lanval, written in the twelfth century, the witty lai satirically challenges the stereotypical roles of women. Evidently, every story does not contend male dominanceRead MoreFairytales : The Way Of The Society And Mainstream Pop Culture1457 Words   |  6 Pagesfemales in them are not accurat e. Women are often seen as damsels-in-distress who wait for a brave knight in shining armor to come rescue them and live happily ever after. Men are often described as handsome heroes ready to save the day. How is this proper representation on what women and men roles are? In the majority of fairytales the way gender roles are displayed it fosters up an image that women are inferior to men. Traditional gender role stereotypes in fairytales negatively impact young childrenRead MoreGoblin Market and Bloody Chamber1213 Words   |  4 Pagesas pornographic objects whose solitary purpose is to be a man’s appealing possession. Evidently, the objectification of women impacted the way each author constructed their texts. Feminist movements aiming to undermine these rigid female and male roles are prominent in the time period of both literary works. Both Christina Rossetti and Angela Carter use strange worlds to differentiate from the typical fairy tale’s predictable conclusio n and instead make a statement through the use of a female heroineRead MoreChivalry Is Not Dead : Chivalry1781 Words   |  8 Pagesthat chivalry is changed for the better. The problem people have with modern day chivalry is its correlation with their definition of â€Å"chivalry†... which is...according to Webster’s dictionary, â€Å"Gallantry, courtesy and honor. The noble qualities a knight was supposed to have, such as courage and a readiness to help the weak. † This is a precise definition for sure, however; it leaves some unanswered questions. â€Å"How can I demonstrate chivalry today? Why should I be chivalrous?† â€Å"Who are â€Å"the weak?†

Mid Summer Nights Dream Essay Example For Students

Mid Summer Nights Dream Essay In Shakespeares, MIDSUMMER NIGHTS DREAM, he wrote about a tragedy that he turned into a comedy. He did this to show his audience how stupid humans can act upon their emotions. There are three plots that tie together with one main situation. There is Hermia and Lysander, two star crossed lovers that cant be together. Hermias father wants her to marry Demetrius who Hermias bestfriend Helena loves. Demetrius loves Hermia and trys to pursue her. Then there is Oberon and Titania the King and Queen of the fairies. Oberon is jealous of Titania because she has an Indian boy that shes spending all her time with. He wants the baby and they have a quarrel about it. So as revenge he gets his servant Puck, a fairy, to put a potion in her eyes to distract her when Oberon steals her baby. But this potion made her fall inlove with the first living thing she saw which cooincidently was a jack ass. At first Oberon was amused but then he realized he didnt like how her attention was on the jack ass and not him. Last but not least is a group of dorky guys who are making a play for the first time. Their play is about a tragic love story that ends up in the death of both the lovers because they couldnt be together. The fairies and these clowns that are making the play are very essential for the main plot of Hermia and Lysander and their problems, because it shows how people really act and how their effects are showed in the play. The fairies are essential to the main plot because without Puck there wouldnt have been a comedy at all. Even though he brought confusion to Hermia and Helena about how Lysander and Demetrius both all of the sudden fall inlove with Hermia, at the end Oberon fixed the situation so everyone would be happy. The clowns are also needed because the play they are acting out shows if two lovers cant have each other the way they do, they act on emotions instead of logic and reality, they would take dramatic actions. This play within the play was suppose to show how if you try to keep people away from each other when they dont want to be separated they will do something to act upon your rule. Just like Lysander and Hermia running away to be together against her fathers wishes. Without this play, Theseus would have never seen it and talked to Hermias father to change his mind and allowing his daughter to marry Lysander. What Shakespeare is trying to tell his audience is that if you try to stop lovers from being with one another, theyll find another way or do something terrible. Without these subplots in the play there would be no happy ending for everyone. Category: English