Comparing The Wedding Banquet And Raise The Red Lantern
3293 Words14 Pages
Define patriarchy society. Compare and contrast the status of the heads of households in the movies of “The Wedding Banquet” and “Raise the Red Lantern”. Describe the relationship between husbands and wives (and concubines) in both movies and the principles that have bounded them together.
Name : Carlson Chew Yee Heerng
Matric Number : AEE14006
I/C : 941129-04-5379
Day : Wednesday
Time : 2pm – 3pm
Instructor : Dr. Ngu Ik Tien
Introduction
Patriarchy is a concept with the Old Testament roots. The ‘patriarch’ was ‘the father and ruler of a family or tribe’ (OED), and, metaphorically, of the church or religious order. Max Weber drew on the concept in his typology of power and authority in households and social orders.…show more content… Song-lian, a nineteen years old girl forced to quit her university studies as his father had passed away and her family could not afford her fees any longer. After her mother advised her to marry someone, she decided to marry a wealthy man and willing to be his forth concubine though her mother already warned her. The Man she is going to marry is Chen Zuoqian or Master Chen, the lord of the powerful family. Arriving at the palatial abode, she is at first treated like royalty, receiving sensuous foot massages and brightly-lit red lanterns, as well as a visit from her…show more content… Traditionally, a Chinese girl’s marriage brought about drastic changes in women's lives but not so in men's. Once a woman is married to her male counterpart, she will be abruptly torn from the relatively sympathetic, possibly loving environment of her natal home and given over to the position of slave like obedience. All the Master Chen’s mistresses must live with him and follow the rules set by the Chen Family. Master Chen obviously is the head of the family. He can decide which concubines he wanted to spend the night with. When he decides to stay at one of his concubines’ house, the lantern of that concubine’s house will be lighten up. Besides, being accompany by the husband, the concubine will also receive a foot massage, get the most attention by the maids, she can gets her choice of menu items at mealtime. In a patriarch society, male will oppress female because he has been oppressed by a high power. Master Chen may be oppressed by a high power (head of district, minister) which makes him to have the tendency to oppress his concubines. Not only that, the concubines also oppress among themselves in order to win the affection of the husband. Next, the primary role of the wife was to produce male heirs for the patrilineage. Without a son to secure her status, a woman was doomed to powerlessness. Having a son is much more important than having a dozen of daughters. Zhuo Yun has a daughter