Stereotypes and Power in M. Butterfly

654 Words2 Pages

Cynthia Heredia Prof. Moore English 1B 9/12/17 Reading Critique “Orientals will always submit to a greater force,” (Hwang Henry David. “M. Butterfly”. Penguin Group, 1988.), a line that was said to Toulon by Gallimard in the play. This one simple line was created on stereotypes. Throughout the entire play, we see these stereotypical messages in the things that these characters say and the way they act. As quoted in the first line, Gallimard is letting Toulon know that the he believes that the Vietnamese will surrender to the Americans because they are Orientals and believes that all people in the east are weak and unable to stand up for themselves. That is not the only time in the play where a stereotype is bluntly represented. During …show more content…

I believe that it will encourage people to think that is okay for everyone to express their own stereotypes about others, thus not really making it a serious matter and will lead to more biases being created and the message not being taken seriously. There are going to be those people who exploit stereotypes and will have excuses like, “well if they said this about me , i can say that about them”. Again, i do not believe that it is okay to fight racism or stereotypes with even more negativity, but unfortunately, a lot of people use it in order to get their points across. The example i`m going to talk about may offend a lot of people because at one point it offended me and it kind of still does even know i know that it just seen as a joke to most people. There is a video on YouTube known infamously as, The Mexican Song. The video is just some dude literally doing a cover of a song but instead of singing the original lyrics, he sings nothing but terrible stereotypes about Mexican people and people of Latin descent. If you look through the comments, a lot of people including some latinos, are calling this video funny and are saying that it's okay for this video to have been posted because it was only for humor purposes. What they are not realizing is that encouraging them to post such a video and allowing our community to be made out to be a joke is just

Show More
Related

  • Stereotype And Reversal In Euripedes: Article Analysis

    153 Words  | 1 Pages

    Shirley Barlow centralizes her article, Stereotype and Reversal in Euripedes’ Medea, on the idea that Medea goes back and forth between the normal social stereotypes of a Greek man and woman. Medea holds very heroic qualities, qualities of which are supposed to belong to a man. Barlow makes a point in the article that even though Medea is exposed to the same environment and circumstances, the way in which she thinks and carries out action is completely different than that of a normal Greek woman. While trying to convince the reader of Medea’s unusual heroic characteristics, Barlow points out that she Medea also holds the feelings of a mother who has love for her children. Barlow

    Read More

  • Stereotypes In A League Of Their Own

    903 Words  | 2 Pages

    The film “A League of Their Own,” depicts a fictionalized tale of the All American Girls Professional Baseball League. This league was started during World War II when many of the Major Leagues Biggest stars were drafted to the war. MLB owners decided to start this league with hopes of making money while the men were overseas fighting. Traditional stereotypes of women in sports were already in force before the league even begins. One of the scouts letts Dottie, one of the films main characters she is the perfect combination of looks as well as talent. The scout even rejects one potential player because she is not as pretty as the league is looking for even though she is a great baseball player. The player, Marla’s father said if she was a boy she would be playing for the Yankee’s. Eventually Mara’s father is able to convince the scout to take Marla to try outs because he raised her on his own after her mother died. Her father says it is his fault his daughter is a tomboy. In this case the film reinforces the traditional stereotype that mothers are in charge of raising their daughters and teaching them to be a lady, where fathers are incapable of raising girls to be anything other than a tomboy. The focus on beauty also reinforces the traditional stereotype that men will only be interested in women’s sports when the females participating in

    Read More

  • The Malleable Yet Undying Nature of the Yellow Peril

    2064 Words  | 5 Pages

    Racial stereotypes don't die; they don't even fade away. Though Asian Americans today have "achieved" model minority status in the eyes of the white majority in America by "pulling ourselves up by our bootstraps" through our supposedly quiet, dignified demeanor and gritty, "overachieving" work ethic, the terms of the racial discrimination we face remain the same today as they have since the first Asians began settling en masse in the United States more than a century and a half ago. At the root of this discrimination is the idea of a "Yellow Peril," which, in the words of John Dower is "the core imagery of apes, lesser men, primitives, children, madmen, and beings who possessed special powers" amidst a fear of invasion from the sleeping giant of Asia. Since its inception in the late 19th century, the idea of the Yellow Peril has colored the discourse regarding Asian Americans and has changed back and forth from overt, "racist hate," to endearing terms of what Frank Chin describes as "racist love." In times of war, competition or economic strife, Asian Americans are the evil enemy; in times of ease, Asian Americans are the model minority able to assimilate into American society. What remains the same is that the discrimination, whether overt or not, is always there.

    Read More

  • Racism, Sexism, and Sexuality Shown Through M. Butterfly by David Henry Hwang

    1797 Words  | 4 Pages

    Who is stronger? The East or the West? Do the Oriental people truly succumb to the threats of the western white man? Based on the views of the non-oriental people, the Oriental people secretly want to get dominated by a stronger force, comparing them to a woman, or just simply calling their race feminine. The show M. Butterfly by David Henry Hwang is able to express different issues regarding the theory of Orientalism by hiding it amongst several conversations between characters. The play can be seen as highly political because of topics it chooses to discuss despite the fact that the lead character is a diplomat. Though somewhat unrelated; M. Butterfly can even have a certain Brecht-esque quality to it. Because it contains several moments that can make the audience member question what is going on and the story itself, Brecht would be happy. The show can confuse the audience and make them think. Gallimard and Song also talk to the audience directly at certain points which in a way can distance them from the story because it can make it known that they are, indeed watching a play. M. Butterfly holds many political and Brechtian qualities that prove many issues that go on today. Seeing these representations of foreign races views on one another can hopefully help to get the countries to realize their harsh judgments.

    Read More

  • Stereotypes in M. Butterfly

    1569 Words  | 4 Pages

    The issue of cultural stereotypes and misconceptions thematically runs throughout David Henry Hwang’s play M. Butterfly. The play is inspired by a 1986 newspaper story about a former French diplomat and a Chinese opera singer, who turns out to be a spy and a man. Hwang used the newspaper story and deconstructed it into Madame Butterfly to help breakdown the stereotypes that are present between the East and the West. Hwang’s play overall breaks down the sexist and racist clichés that the East-West have against each other that reaffirm the Western male culture ideas. The stereotypes presented in the play revolve around the two main characters, Gallimard and Song. The play itself begins in the present with Gallimard, a French diplomat who has been incarcerated in a Beijing prison. He relives his fantasies for the past with his perfect woman and shares his experience with the readers throughout the remainder of the play. Upon Gallimard’s arrival in China, he attends the opera and meets Song, and Gallimard immediately describes Song as his “butterfly”. Gallimard falls in love with the “delicate Oriental woman” that Song portrays (22). He then buys into the Western male stereotype that Eastern women need protection by strong, masculine Western men. Gallimard ends up falling in love with Song and has an affair with her to fulfill the stereotypical idea of a dominant Western male controlling an Eastern woman. Throughout Gallimard’s relationship with Song, the readers discover that Song is in reality a male spy for the Chinese government. Song had manipulated his looks and actions to mirror those of the ideal Chinese woman in order to earn Gallimard’s affection. M. Butterfly’s main issue arises from the cultural stereotypes of the masculin...

    Read More

  • Lisa Lionheart Gender Stereotypes

    1219 Words  | 3 Pages

    The Simpsons aired an episode called Lisa vs. Malibu Stacy, Lisa challenges the makers of the Malibu Stacy doll to create a less sexist doll. The original creator of Malibu Stacy teams up with Lisa to create Lisa Lionheart to become a positive influence for young girls. This episode raised a lot of questions regarding gender stereotypes and how society views them. Gender stereotypes are prominent in today’s lifestyle. Per gender stereotypes, girls like princesses and boys like cars. These gender roles, however, do not just apply to children. These roles are still very prominent in “grown-up” society. Traditional gender stereotypes are a big concern of today’s society, as well as throughout history.

    Read More

  • Orientalism In M Butterfly

    1302 Words  | 3 Pages

    David Henry Hwang, the author of M. Butterfly, copiously uses the term “Oriental” to show an imperialistic interpretation of the East. The concept of Orientalism, in which Europeans and Americans typically brand Asian cultures as weak, feminine, and submissive, plays a significant role in Gallimard and Liling’s, the primary characters, unique relationship. Rene Gallimard is a French diplomat in China, who has an affair with a Chinese opera singer, Song Liling. Not known to Gallimard, Liling is a communist male agent masquerading as a ladylike, obedient Asian woman on a mission to manipulate and obtain government information out of Gallimard. When the French government accuses Gallimard of treason, he discovers Liling’s scheme and deception.

    Read More

  • Stereotyping And Prejudice In Trying To Find Chinatown

    521 Words  | 2 Pages

    In n the play entitled Trying to Find Chinatown, Hwang implements polemical stereotyping by establishing a contemporary theme with a vernacular tone that is based on the various stereotypical factors depicted in both Asian-American and Caucasian communities. The author, in the play, succeeds in considering two chinese characters who express their interchangeable tirade with the same innate cultural conflicts they experience but in different ways. Ronnie is a genetically chinese New Yorker whose assimilation to Americanization seems to cost him his cultural identity, while, Benjamin tries to further explore his chinese identity which was nurtured by his adopting parents. Both characters in Trying to Find Chinatown seem to not only identify themselves in life, but also do so in the process of

    Read More

  • Culture And Identity In David Henry Hwang's 'Yellow Face'

    1246 Words  | 3 Pages

    Hwang’s father has been victims of racism since 1996, we can’t tell by the last name or by the way the look like where they come from. We aren’t allowed to ask at auditions legally, a person’s race. Therefore, the fact that DHH a character in this play mistakes a white man for being part Asian shows us that we can’t necessarily tell where a you really from by looking

    Read More

  • Relationships and Stereotypes in Maus

    1210 Words  | 3 Pages

    “I'm not talking about YOUR book now, but look at how many books have already been written about the Holocaust. What's the point? People haven't changed... Maybe they need a newer, bigger Holocaust.” These words were spoken by author Art Spielgelman. Many books have been written about the Holocaust; however, only one book comically describes the non-superficial characteristics of it. Art Spiegelman authors a graphic novel titled Maus, a book surrounding the life a Jewish man living in Poland, named Vladek. His son, Art Spielgelman, was primarily focused on writing a book based on his father’s experiences during the Holocaust. While this was his main focus, his book includes unique personal experiences, those of which are not commonly described in other Holocaust books. Art’s book includes the troubles his mother, Anja, and his father, Vladek, conquered during their marriage and with their family; also, how his parents tried to avoid their children being victimized through the troubles. The book includes other main characters, such as: Richieu Spiegelman, Vladek first son; Mala Spiegelman, Vladek second wife; and Françoise, Art’s French wife. Being that this is a graphic novel, it expresses the most significant background of the story. The most significant aspect about the book is how the characters are dehumanized as animals. The Jewish people were portrayed as mice, the Polish as pigs, the Germans (Nazis in particular) as cats, and Americans as dogs. There are many possible reasons why Spiegelman uses animals instead of humans. Spiegelman uses cats, dogs, and mice to express visual interests in relative relationships and common stereotypes among Jews, Germans, and Americans.

    Read More

  • Stereotypes in "American Born Chinese"

    1497 Words  | 3 Pages

    ...able they really are with overtly racist stereotypes; and even with all the “human right”’ movements that spring about there is still the need for long-lasting solution against combating prejudices. By displaying stereotypes jokingly, especially ones that pertained for the Asian population, Yang proves not only do people hold prejudice against other groups with his examples of Asian stereotypes, but that stereotypes are still prevalent in today’s society.

    Read More

  • Stereotypes In The Movie Zootopia

    788 Words  | 2 Pages

    Have you ever felt obligated or pressured into fulfilling a certain job or role based on your physical characteristics? Well, in the movie Zootopia, all of the animals are culturally assigned to certain roles based on their characteristics. Because of the fact these different species of animals do different things and act different, stereotypes are formed because of it and the same things happens in the real world outside of the movie, in our culture, the human culture.

    Read More

  • Asian American Literature

    499 Words  | 1 Pages

    In essence, he was shunned” (Hongo 4) by the white people who could not believe that he would attack their superior American ways. According to writers such as Frank Chin and the rest of the “Aiiieeeee!” group, the Americans have dictated Asian culture and created a perception as “nice and quiet” (Chin 1972, 18), “mama’s boys and crybabies” without “a man in all [the] males.” (Chin 1972, 24). This has become the belief of the preceding generations of Asian Americans and therefore manifested these stereotypes. Those authors who contest these “American made” stereotypes are said to betray the American culture and white power around them, and to be “rocking the boat” in a seemingly decent living situation.

    Read More

  • Stereotypes In The Big Knife

    578 Words  | 2 Pages

    The story of The Big Knife like the stories of Golden Boy and Rocket to the Moon is that of a man who fails to live up to his ideals and possibilities, It is the story of Charlie Castle, a financially successful Hollywood star Charlie Castle could have been a good actor,but he has sold his soul to a movie producer whose chief interest is in dividends for the stock holders. Odets has listened carefully to the way people talk and one of his greatest assets as a playwright is his ability to put real speech into the dialogue of his plays at the same time using that dialogue to demonstrate with brief, deft strokes the individual characteristics of the people in his plays. While some of the characters in The Big Knife are too one-sided and a few approach stereotypes, all give proof of Odets’s ability to show characters

    Read More

  • Social Norms In Chimamanda Adichie's The Danger Of Single Story

    1335 Words  | 3 Pages

    Men are always stronger and smarter than women; all teenagers are rebels and rarely follow parents’ instructions; all Chinese are good at math—all of these statements are spread through the entire world although most people know they are not completely true.  On the opposite viewpoint, when we evaluate those statements, it is controversial to judge and blame the individuals who spread these kinds of information out and keep saying them over and over again, because most of these things are partly true. This is that we call stereotypes, “which are types of generalizations, or assumptions, that people make about the characteristics of all members of a group, based on an image about what people in that group are like” (Burgess).Also, Chimamanda Adichie, the famous renowned writer, scholar, and the speaker of “The Danger of Single Story” in Ted Talks, once said, “stereotypes are created by single stories, the problem with stereotypes is not that they are untrue, but they are incomplete.” At this point, single stories are the pattern of the lack of understanding, uncorroborated assumptions, and some special cultural myths. Thus, at a certain level, stereotyping is an approach where people show their misunderstanding with each other based on their own personal, regional, and cultural perspectives, which is the consequence of the institutionalization and socialization of their environmental backgrounds.

    Read More

More about Stereotypes and Power in M. Butterfly

Open Document