Table of ContentsWomen and HonorMatchmaker and EducationMulan as an Unsocialized IndividualMen and HonorThe EmperorConclusionWorks CitedArt is known for reflecting and influencing society. The four sociological perspectives tend to manifest themselves in different art forms such as books and films. Some films readily depict one perspective at its ideal, or extreme, state, while others challenge the concept that society can only fit into one perspective. In the Disney adaptation of Mulan, it is easy to assume at first glance that the film reflects feminist theory, since it is about a woman who joins the military. It highlights countless gender inequalities in society, but the language and core values ​​of functionalism are much better suited to the analysis of this film. A thorough analysis of the many institutions at play reveals that it is closely related to the functionalist perspective. However, as many sociological theorists recognize, the functionalist perspective does not take into account social change. Mulan tells the story of society's journey of transformation, but it does so by first going through all the parts that make up society and showing how it's all interconnected. Although this reflects a challenge to the status quo, it can only do so by recognizing the performative harmony of all different institutions and their functions in society, a concept that is central to the functionalist perspective. Mulan reflects several different social institutions: family, military, government, and education. The film also explores social facts through ancestors and gender roles. Throughout Mulan's journey, viewers are exposed to the functions of these different institutions. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get an original essay The functionalist perspective, like all things, is interpreted differently depending on the source. This article will use the standards outlined by Pope: considers society as a whole made up of different parts, seeks balance, considers structures and institutions based on what they contribute to society. This view understands functionalism as the analysis of what makes a society exist and function the way it does. It views the parts of a society as dependent on each other and all having a specific function. The difference between this perspective and many others, particularly conflict theory, is that Durkheim emphasizes the positive contribution of different institutions. Essentially, all parts of society make some form of positive contribution that maintains or strives to achieve balance. Women and Honor At the start of the film, Mulan prepares for her meeting with the matchmaker. Her mother and grandmother obsessively do her hair, makeup, and clothes and try to teach her manners. Gender, as well as gender roles, are socially constructed, but with the functionalist perspective we can understand them as socially constructed for a specific purpose, good or bad. Throughout this film, the roles of women and men are clearly defined. As Mulan prepares to meet the matchmaker, the women of the town sing her a song which includes: "A girl can bring great honor to her family in one way, by finding a good match and this could be the day ." She moves from store to store as each woman adds something different to contribute to her success.Women explicitly say that as women, the only thing they can do for themselves and their family is to marry a good man. In this society, the role of a woman is to be a good daughter, a good wife and a good mother. She must take care of her father, husband and children and raise functioning members of society. It is her responsibility to look presentable and be obedient, as the song says. The song continues by mentioning the duty of citizens towards their emperor: “we must all serve our emperor who protects us from the Huns, the men by bearing arms, the daughters by bearing sons. Here we have three different areas of society whose functions are clearly defined. It is the duty of the government/emperor to protect its citizens from any external threats. In exchange, the men of the society are drafted into the army to protect their families. Alongside them are the women who stay at home and take care of things while they are away. This reveals how these three different parts of society depend on each other. The entire song repeats the phrase “you will bring honor to us all”. The concept of bringing honor to one's family, although highly cultural, can also be classified as a social fact. Schmaus interprets Durkheim's Social Facts to mean that for society to feel some kind of moral obligation to conform to a specific norm, it must believe that there is a causal relationship between what it does and the assumed outcome. This means that the characters in the film must believe that to bring honor to their family, both in the ancestral world and the one in which they live, then they must respect established gender roles. Schmaus also rejects the idea that social facts are a collective representation. He does not believe that an individual can be assumed to adopt a specific norm even if he or she follows it. This explains why Mulan, although very hesitant and frustrated with the roles, always follows them at the beginning. She wants to please her parents and bring honor to her family in the only way society tells her.Matchmaker and EducationThe first song, which introduced us to many different parts of society, leads into Mulan's visit with the 'matchmaker. Here, the matchmaker will either accept or reject Mulan as an acceptable woman as a wife. The role of the matchmaker is very powerful. If rejected, a woman can lose her only opportunity to make her family proud. The role of the matchmaker appears to be widely accepted by all members of society. It's unclear exactly when the role was created, but it's clear that its abilities are unquestionable. It is safe to say that the matchmaker plays a vital institutional role in society, similar to how we view education. According to Durkheim, “education… is above all the means by which society perpetually recreates the very conditions of its existence.” The function of the education system, in its multiple forms, is to reproduce the ideals that maintain society. In this case, Mulan was taught to behave a certain way in order to get a good husband. In the song, all the women give her advice and teach her to be the best woman she can be. This education is tested by the matchmaker. She determines whether or not Mulan can uphold the values ​​of her ideal woman. During her first meeting with Mulan, the matchmaker chastises her for "speaking without permission" and having a body that is "too skinny", which she says is not good for having sons. She then tests his knowledge of good house manners and tells him that she must have certain qualities to appeal to her future in law. THEThe matchmaker's duties are essentially what we view as the function of our modern educational systems. Our schools are supposed to produce well-rounded, law-abiding citizens. The matchmaker is expected to produce a woman who possesses all the qualities of the ideal wife. The film's twist comes from Mulan not being able to fit into that box and how she struggles with that, leading her to take matters of her family's honor into her own hands. Mulan as an Unsocialized Individual After Mulan is rejected by the matchmaker, she has her moment. to feel like an outcast who will never fit in. Pope points out how Durkheim argues that while parts of society as a whole strive to achieve equilibrium, there is a force, and this force is the "unsocialized component of the individual." At any given time, society does its best to control this aspect of the individual or socialize them to fit into society. This happens through family, education and even career. Durkheim evokes the notion of solidarity or integration and the attachment of an individual to the group of which he is a part. It is believed that a stronger attachment results in a more socialized individual. However, when there are so many institutions at play, all contributing to the whole, it can be difficult for the individual to find an attachment to the whole, to society as a whole. If the unsocialized individual feels no attachment, or has even been rejected by society, then he or she will feel no obligation to contribute to society. What is not talked about is what happens when the unsocialized individual still feels moral obligations to certain parts or institutions rather than to the whole. Mulan is a great example of an unsocialized individual. She was deemed unworthy to bring honor to her family as women are supposed to do. So she feels like an outcast. However, this rejection does not free her from her moral obligations to her family, which were rooted in her childhood. The way she decides to bring honor to her family is to take her father's place in the war so that he will not be killed. This action is not exactly a direct challenge to the status quo. Mulan is simply fulfilling her duty as a daughter in an alternative way since the matchmaker denied her her right to do so as a woman. Instead, it turns to “man’s duty” to society to compensate. Cole argues that a dialectical approach to functionalism allows us to understand that “the seeds of change are found in the social structure itself” (Cole, 1996). With this approach, we are able to better understand that Mulan's decision still fits within societal institutions. Although gender roles are made explicit within the first ten minutes of the film, family obligations are also emphasized. She makes the courageous decision to disguise herself as a man to replace her father in the army. Her intentions are not to fight against gender roles and allow all women to join the military, she makes the rash decision to put her family before herself. A value that is highlighted in the film. The institution of family and the duties Mulan feels toward it are what paved the way for her to make such a decision. In other words, the seeds of change were produced by society itself. This describes exactly what a latent function means in society. Although there are many institutions that work to create balance for the whole, the film shows that certain institutions can play a larger role in an individual's life, thus affecting their decisions. Men and honor As Mulan is disguised as a man and/188780