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Who Said Women Can't Fight? Breaking Gender Stereotypes

When we think of war, what do we see in our minds? Gory battles, tales of valor, and men marching for miles on end. Right? But who said men were the only ones who got to fight? That's right, there are countless stories of women's bravery while in battle. We see examples of this in the tales of Mulan and the Woman Warrior in ancient China, and the struggle of Joan of Arc in medieval France.

In the legends of Mulan and the Woman Warrior, both women train for war and take their father's place in battle. In Mulan, she fights in the war against the Huns that have invaded China. In Warrior Woman, she goes near and far to destroy corruption and overthrow the ignorant emperor. Both of these women are very brave, not only because they fought in a war, but because they were breaking the law. Women who dressed up as men and fought in the army and were found out were put to death. Because of this enormous risk they took, many people were saved and these women made a difference in their society.

Picture of Mulan

Joan of Arc, also known as the Maid of Orleans, believed that God had told her to lead the French army to victory against the English. She got permission from the French king and successfully recaptured the English controlled, French city of Orleans. Sadly, after this enormous feat she was captured by the English and was burned to death on multiple counts of witchcraft and heresy. Despite this tragic fact, she was made a saint and acted as a martyr and inspired the other soldiers to recapture France.

Picture of Joan of Arc

All in all, many people say that war is to be fought by men, but these three sources indisputably contrast that thought and prove it wrong. These three women helped break gender stereotypes and successfully made their society a better place.

Comments

  1. UnknownOctober 1, 2017 at 2:01 PM

    I really liked how you used Joan of Arc in this post and in your argument. very interesting take on this topic !

    ReplyDelete
  2. Kevin HuangOctober 1, 2017 at 5:16 PM

    Although there are many cases of women fighting in war, the vast majority of people in human history that have fought and died in war as soldiers have been men. Because of this, I don't think three examples of women fighting in war are able to discredit the claim that war is primarily fought by men, at least historically. Furthermore, the stories of Mulan and the Woman Warrior are fictional, and actual cases similar to them are very rare in Chinese history. I also find it a bit unfair that Kingston portrays the Woman Warrior as the glamorous figure, when the Warrior is skilled enough to always be unharmed. Isn't the ordinary foot-soldier the one in the story that actually risks his life and suffers? In my opinion, the ordinary foot-soldiers are the real heroes in "White Tigers". My comment is critical of your blog post, but I actually feel very blessed to communicate with you again. It's been six years since we were in a class together, and a lot certainly has changed!

    ReplyDelete

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