Yimou Zhang's 1991 film Raise the Red Lantern (Da hong deng long gao gua) offers a stunning peek at a unique segment of Chinese culture. Set in 1920s Northern China, Raise the Red Lantern is based on the novel Wives and Concubines by SU Tong. The story focuses on nineteen-year-old Songlian (played by Li Gong), who is cajoled into marrying a wealthy householder to become his fourth wife. Songlian is educated, but she dropped out of college following her father's death. Afterwards, her life becomes wrought with restrictions and sadness. Thus one of the primary themes of Raise the Red Lantern is the role of women in turn of the century Chinese culture. Although the status of...
The film is laced with dialogue that reveals ingrained misogyny within Chinese culture; the concubines unquestioningly accept their roles. However, until several decades ago, American women were also more inclined to do the same. In fact, a focus on 1920s American home life would reveal a similar subordination of women, who were not encouraged to work or go to college except to find a husband. Raise the Red Lantern also reveals the emphasis on ritual and custom in Chinese culture, at least within the depicted household. American society, both in the 1920s and today, is far more secular than the world portrayed in the movie. Raise the Red Lantern offers the viewer insight into some aspects of Chinese culture, which many Westerners will find shocking. However, there are surprising similarities between Chinese and American ideologies.
Arranged Marriages The social custom and institution of arranged marriages makes up a large part of the history of marriage and society. However the custom has been criticized and often condemned in the contemporary Western world. Many people see arranged marriages as unethical and as a deprivation of human rights and of the right to free choice of life partner. However, this view is sometimes contradicted by many modern youths from
Arranged Marriages v. Traditional Dating: Which Method Results in the most Successful Union? According to Yumiko Asano, success in marriage is characterized by longevity, financial stability, compatibility and a strong commitment on the part of both the man and the woman to keep the union together. Yumiko Asano also asserts that successful marriages arise more frequently from using a matchmaker than the traditional dating method as preferred by the majority of Americans.
ARRANGED MARRIAGES IN INDIA VS. AMERICAN TRADITIONAL MARRIAGE Arranged marriages are common in South Asian communities and India is thus no exception. People with traditional bend of mind hesitate to even mention any other form of marriage and for them, love-based marriages are a threat to family honor and values since it involves dating and pre-marital mingling. In India, youth whether educated or illiterate, modern or traditional, religious or not are
Marriage is a social institution with strong political overtones. The institution has created and enforced gender norms throughout every human society in all historical eras. Therefore, one of the reasons marriage works is because it is often strictly enforced with social codes. Marriage is only now starting to fall out of favor, and is being viewed more and more as an option rather than as an expectation. Yet there are
2. Should marriage be a path to citizenship for an American citizen's alien spouse, children, siblings, or parents? Discuss the pros and cons of prioritizing family reunification in our immigration policies. Marriage should certainly be a path towards American citizenship. People should be free to determine their spouse and this choice should not be restricted to any geographic area. It is often the case that love knows no boundaries. Individuals should
Marriage and Dating in the Middle Ages Throughout the ages the ideals a marriage is based on have greatly fluctuated. Whereas the practice of arranged marriages isn't common in the Western world, during the Middle Ages, marriages were often arranged on the basis of land ownership, or the acquiring of power and wealth. Dating in the Middle Ages was practically an obsolete step in the higher classes. Classes were not allowed to
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