"Let's get down to business...to defeat the Huns." Every time I see the classic film Mulan, I cannot help but sing every word to every song as I root for the heroine to overcome the war and restraints in her culture and "bring honor to us all." She is one tough Disney princess.
One of the main reasons I love this movie is the unique culture is portrays. Mulan paints a glimpse of history and the Chinese way of life and customs such as matchmakers, praying to ancestors, men fighting in war, eating on the floor as a family, and the value of honor. Even the animation hints at Chinese artwork and architecture. Despite its genre as an animated family film, Mulan follows several powerful points on the left side of the power of movies chart. Mulan serves as a fearless and self-sacrificing role model, and the film addresses sexism and gender stereotypes and the nightmare of war. It also emphasizes the hope that one person can truly make a difference in the world.
Cultures give the world color. Exploring them through films, books, and especially travel and meeting new people increases our knowledge about life and about ourselves. Intercultural communication is key to learning about others' perspectives and histories. One of my suite mates is from Panama, and when she first came to Henderson last year, she spoke only some English. I wish I had learned Spanish, so I could communicate with her more at the time. I cannot imagine moving to and attending school in a different country where people speak a completely different language, and the experience made me realize that I often take my own language for granted. Amazingly, she became fluent in English by the end of the semester. The brain possesses an amazing capacity to learn languages.
Traveling to France and Italy last summer also served as a humbling experience. I will never forget stepping off the train in Paris and feeling overwhelmed by the jumble of letters on signs and the gibberish spoken by the natives. I took French in high school and remembered a handful of words, but fluency in that language would have greatly enhanced my trip there. As a future teacher, I believe other languages and cultures should be introduced to all children at a young age and emphasized throughout the education system. Children need to learn tolerance, communication skills, and the ability to view the world from various perspectives.
Like Mulan, we must bravely break out of our comfort zones, embrace our uniqueness and the uniqueness of others, and make the world even more colorful.
Oh man, when we went to China we sang the "I'll make a man out of you" song sooooo many times lol I love that movie!
ReplyDeleteYour roommate sounds like she was very brave. I too couldn't imagine going to school in a country that I didn't speak the language! That's very impressive of her that she caught on to our language so quickly. We have a girl in the art department whose parents are from Laos. She began learning English when she was 11. Sometimes her English is still pretty choppy, but she speaks it more fluently than her family does.
I can't tell you too much that I LOVE reading your blog posts. You always perfectly get across and give examples of what we are writing about this week. I thought you chose a great example. Mulan is a wonderful movie and you choose great connections to intercultural communications.
ReplyDeleteIt would be so intimidating going to another country or area where I did not know that language very well. It sounds like your roommate was very brave and wanted to take the chance.