The Story of Qin Ju and Ermo

Introduction The essay is a comparison of two major films, ‘The Story of Qin Ju’ released back in 1992 and ‘Ermo’ released in 1994. It is worth noting that both the films are of Chinese background. The two are under the genre comedy drama films directed Zhang Yimou (The story of Qin Ju) and Zhou Xiaowen (Ermo).Advertising We will write a custom term paper sample on The Story of Qin Ju and Ermo specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More The two films have two female protagonists developing different themes as well as other characters. Concerning ‘The story of Qin Ju’, the main actress Qin Ju although she is expectant and she was in her last trimester could not burry her head in the sand after seeing her husband kicked several times in the groin. She decided to visit the town and face the bureaucratic system of justice in her city. Through several appeal, Qin Ju secured justice. However, when she was abo ut to deliver, she experienced some complication. Her husbands went ahead to wake the village head who later saved her life as Qin Ju was taken to the hospital and safely delivered a baby boy. Officials came to the village and took an x-ray of Qin Ju husband which later showed that he had a broken rib. The headman was taken to jail for a period of fifteen days. Her efforts of trying to block this did not yield any fruit. Ermo on the other hand is about a Chinese woman, Ermo who is hard working. Since her husband who was a chief suffers from a health complication that prevent him from undertaking any meaningful duties, she is responsible for taking care of him and their child by selling noodles. However Ermo is in some sort of competition and jealous with her neighbour who has a television set although no child. This means that every other child including Ermo’s son would wish to be in that family. For this reason she went an extra mile working outside her village so that she could afford the biggest television set ever seen in the village. Her quest of owning such a TV has ruined her family. Ideally, the culture of Chinese people is being washed away by westernization.Advertising Looking for term paper on art and design? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Similarities between the protagonists A critical analysis of these two films clearly leaves the viewer with some incidences that are similar to both the protagonists; Qin Ju and Ermo. First and foremost, both the actresses are fully performing the duties of a woman based on the Chinese culture. We are told for instance from the onset that Qin Ju was not only living with her husband and their father but also with her sister. This is a clear indication that she performed her duties as a woman to ensure that the bond between family members is strong. Additionally, it is evident enough that she is performing her duties as a woman when she was pregnant f or her husband. Similarly, Ermo acts on the similar position as Qin Ju. This is exemplified by the fact that since her husband who was a village head got sick and could not do any meaningful work, she took the mantle and engaged herself in selling noodles so that she could take care of her family. Her family constituted the ailing husband and their only son. According to Chinese culture, it is rare to see a woman buying medicine for her husband which Ermo does. This depicts the love and care she has to her family. The same is also the case with Qin Ju who went to the bitter end trying to ensure that her husband’s case is satisfactorily handled. However it is quite odd for the women to take roles that are reserved for men for instance providing and taking care of the family (Ermo) and fighting for justice as in the case of Qin Ju. In my view, both female protagonists depict the new phase of China. Although both are women who are supposed to assume duties and responsibilities t hat opt to fit their gender, they went and extra mile in ensuring that justice is served and the family acquires material things; that is for Qin Ju and Ermo respectively. We see that Qin Ju struggled so much to ensure that justice is done for her husband who was kicked mercilessly on the groin by the village headman. She was determined to take the pain and scolding provided her husband’s case is treated to her satisfaction; this is despite the fact that she was pregnant and was about to deliver.Advertising We will write a custom term paper sample on The Story of Qin Ju and Ermo specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Ermo reflects the new China depicted by the financial independence and empowerment she has this fills the role of old China which is represented by her ailing husband who was once a chief. The bottom line when considering these two characters is that they are determined and are very hard working. Additionally the tw o protagonists come from a poor background. This I mean in terms of finances. For instance when Qin Ju was travelling to the city she had to sell on several occasion dried hot pepper so that they could raise bus fare. Similarly, Ermo who was obsessed with the desire to buy a big TV had no money and she was compelled to continue selling her noodles outside her village. I can also say that the two women exhibited high standards of morality. There is no incident that Qin Ju has been shown to engage in extra marital affairs or disrespect her husband. On the same note, although Ermo husband was impotent due to sickness, she did not give in to the sexual advances she received from the ‘Blind man’. Ideally the two female protagonists are vehicle of change (political, cultural and social) that China will experience in future. Differences between the protagonists Although there are similarities between the two main actresses of the films; there are some differences between them. One such difference is with regards to what drove their action. For Ermo, it is evident that it was jealous that drove her to acquire a television set that is huge and very expensive for her family. Viewers understand that her quest to buy a TV is purely as a result of her neighbour acquiring one. This leaves Ermo to be seen as a materialist and jealous person. This leaves her to be branded a greedy person since it is rumoured that the TV she wants to buy is so expensive that even the country leader cannot afford. On the other hand, Qin Ju fight for justice is purely guided by injustice done to her husband by the village headman. She considers this to be uncouth and against fundamental human rights and she believes that if nothing is done then the same will repeat itself in future.Advertising Looking for term paper on art and design? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Similarly, it is worth noting that the actions of the two lead to different outcomes. For instance, the desire of Ermo to go to the city and engage in activities that will earn her more money has jeopardized her relationship with her family. On the other hand, the relationship between Qin Ju and her family has indeed grown stronger. This is because her husband has realized that she cares for him so much that she sought justice for him through the right path. It is worth mentioning that while Ermo did not get the satisfaction she desired Qin Ju was at the end of the day satisfied. However, she was unable to prevent the police from taking the village head to jail for fifteen days as she believed he was the one who saved her life that fateful night when she was in labour pains. There are several differences between these female protagonists in the films, from my own analysis the character Qiu Ju from the film The Story of Qiu Ju, is tolerant and very persistent, while Ermo, from the fi lm Ermo is not tolerant but hasty and over ambitious. The tolerant nature of Qiu Ju is portrayed in the film from the moment her husband was injured by the political leader. She opts to follow her heart thus ensure that her demands are taken care of thus providing her ailing husband with the proper treatment that she would ever offer to him, this is when she swore to the politician that she will take him to court for his action. While Ermo is intolerant when she conducts her activities as a result of competition and pride, this is when she said to Blindman that she will buy a bigger TV set than his and it will be the envy of the village. Conclusion From the review of the two films; the story of Qin Ju and Ermo, it is evident that they are Chinese comedy drama films. The story line is about Chinese women who are striving to make the lives of their families’ better one by fighting for justice while the other aimed at acquiring material things, TV set. It is worth noting that th e two female protagonists have a lot in common for instance they are hard-working, determined as well as being the face of change in China. However, they do exhibit differences for instance Ermo is materialistic while Qin Ju is not, the driving force for their actions are totally different as Ermo is driven by jealousy and greed while Qin Ju is driven by the desire to fight for justice. Works Cited Ermo. Dir. Zhou Xiaown. Prod. Chen Kunming Jimmy Tan. DVD. Sony Pictures Classics, 1994. The Story of Qin Ju. Dir. Yimou Zhang. Prod. Yiting Feng Kwok ma Fung. DVD. Sony Pictures Classics, 1992. This term paper on The Story of Qin Ju and Ermo was written and submitted by user Kieran Sloan to help you with your own studies. You are free to use it for research and reference purposes in order to write your own paper; however, you must cite it accordingly. You can donate your paper here.

Hermes Essays - LGBT Themes In Mythology, Greek Underworld, Hermes

Hermes Essays - LGBT Themes In Mythology, Greek Underworld, Hermes Hermes Hermes - Messager god Essay written by Jamecca The idea of gods and goddesses began as far back as the ancient Egyptians, but the ancient Greeks were the first group to form a religion based on gods and goddesses. They believed that the gods and goddesses were not different from humans. Some of the few ways humans were different from gods were that the gods were stronger and lived forever. Since the Greeks believe in many gods, they are Polytheists. The gods and goddesses were thought to control different parts of the universe. For example, Zeus is the king of the gods, controlled weather. Or like Athena who was the goddess of wisdom. You learn about different gods and goddesses in myths. A myth is a story about a god or goddess. Homer, a blind poet, is famous for telling myths. He told myths because no one could read or write. Hermes (Latin name Mercury) is the messenger of the gods. He is the fastest of all the gods and goddesses. He is the son of Zeus and Maia. He is a guide who knew the way to the underworld. So he would show the dead souls the way to the underworld. Hermes is also known as the patron of traders, merchants, thieves and everyone who lived by their wits. Some characteristics of Hermes include his ingenuity, knowledge, creativity, and is known to be very cunning. He is also quite good at gymnastics. Hermes is an incredibly clever god. He found a tortoise outside of his cave and displayed his godly talent by placing strings over the shell, inventing the first lyre. As a child he was very precious, even for a god. But he caused a great deal of trouble. But one day, he went too far and learned a very important lesson. Hermes is a master thief. He started his career as a thief before he was more than a few hours old! It was his intelligence and theft abilities in the following myth that won him recognition as a god. The worship of Hermes began in his birthplace, Arcadia. People of Arcadia would hold festivals called Hermaea in his honor. The sacrifices offered to him included honey, incense, cakes, pigs, lambs, and young goats. One of the most famous myths about Hermes shows his extreme intellect. One day after his mother fell asleep, Hermes tip-toed to the pasture where his brother Apollo kept a large heard of cows. Thinking of mischief, he picked the fifty best cows. To keep Apollo from knowing which direction he led the cows, Hermes wrapped the cows hooves with bark to cover the tracks. He also tied brooms to the cows tails so it would erase any tracks. To confuse Apollo even further, he tied bundles of branches to his own feet and drove the cows backward out of the pasture. He hid the cows in a near- by grove. The next day, Apollo stormed into the cave where Hermes lived and commanded that he return the cows at once. Hermes made an excuse but it didnt fool Apollo. Apollo chased Hermes out of the cave and Zeus saw the toddler running from Apollo and laughed at the scene. He then asked very politely that Hermes would show where the cows were hidden. Obeying his fathers commands, he showed Apollo where he had hid the cows. Apollo quickly noticed that two of his cows were missing. Expecting Apollo to become angry, he pulled out a lyre and played beautiful music. Apollo, being the god of music and all, forgave his brother and exchanged his heard of cows for the lyre. Hermes learned an important lesson in this myth. Hermes never again told a lie (but he didnt always tell the whole truth) and he never stole. But he happened to be a patron of both! I really enjoyed reading this myth! I had a lot of fun doing this project. It was an interesting topic to research. I never knew there was so much information about different gods, goddesses and myths. The shield was also fun to make. It made you think about characteristics of your god or goddess. This project was a lot of

Modern Fashion in China Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Modern Fashion in China - Research Paper Example The paper "Modern Fashion in China" discovers the fashion in China. â€Å"The many facets of colour and design that emerged during a dynasty’s reign were marvellous and made every aspect of Chinese culture, including their wearing apparel, - highly acclaimed works of art† (Lu). Colors traditionally selected for Chinese clothing were vibrant. Chinese people give character to their dresses by making wonderful combinations of match and contrast. Traditionally, the dress is provided with the base of a dark color while lighter colors are used for the accessories to make them look more prominent in the dark background. The contemporary Chinese clothing redefines the old trends and traditions to a large extent. The fashion designers of Chinese origin make frequent use of the classic Chinese symbols together with the latest trends in the design of clothes, symbolism being a very important feature of the Chinese culture. Classic Chinese symbols are used in the clothes of childre n and adults alike. Symbols used in the design of Chinese clothes include but are not limited to good luck, opera characters, dragons, pictures of deities and masks. Bronze was readily used in the making of ancient Chinese clothes and the modern fashion designers in China have attempted to revive this concept. The contemporary Chinese clothing is enchanted with the combination of modern fabrics and classical patterns of embroidery and weaving. The image of clouds and classic dragon are some of the most readily used designs in the Chinese clothes.