Thoughts on Orientalism

Our view of the world is mainly influenced by our experiences with varying cultures as we grow up and the lessons we are taught about these cultures.  I had the opportunity to experience both the Korean and American culture from a young age as I lived in a Korean home in American society.

At a young age, I did not know that the word “orientalism” existed and did not even fathom what “hegemony” meant.   Though I started with a naïve mindset, I slowly understood the typical stereotypes of Asian cultures that were perceived by society.  Though the word “Asian” might be one big group to some, it is a cluster of various cultures to me.  Accordingly, I am amazed everyday I learn something new in this class whether it is a dance movement or a short clip on an oriental play.  All the material in this class is new to me in which I have no previous basis of knowledge.   I guess you could say that I have a clean slate to build upon and I am glad of this fact. 

Orientalism does have an influential affect on the way some may view the world.  As a Korean-American, I am often asked of my views on certain topics.  My friends expect a very strict and controlled response from me but are later surprised of the fact that my response is very open. Stereotypes are naturally brought up in discussions, but I think that I am a perfect example of someone who can attest to the incorrectness of stereotypes with just my opinions and lifestyle alone.  Stereotypes are going to still be prominent within future generations.  We need to stop letting preconceived notions of cultures rule our minds, so that we may respect each other and live respectful lives accordingly.

Celebrating life.

This week I have been thinking a lot about death, and our discussion in class last week. My grandmother passed away on Friday. She was very sick for the past two weeks, but I did not think that her death would come so soon. This is the first time someone relatively close to me has died, and I’m still trying to understand what this change means. I say “relatively close” because she lived in El Salvador, and most of my memories of her are from when I was younger. As a child, my parents and I would visit her every other year, but as I got older it became harder to go so often. The last time I saw my grandmother was in 2008. It was the summer before college and all she would say to me was how proud she was of me for graduating from high school and going to college. I have found that the hardest thing for me to come to terms with right now is the fact that next time I go to El Salvador, she won’t be there and that I never got to say goodbye. Throughout the years she had collected photos of me, ranging from when I was a baby to my high school graduation picture. She asked to be buried with the pictures. While I am glad that she is no longer sick or in pain, I can’t help but feel sad that she’s not here.

I realize that this post doesn’t really have much to do with what we’ve been learning about in class, but I still wanted to share. I’m glad that this class has given me a greater perspective on death and how different cultures throughout the world celebrate someone’s life. While I was unable to attend my grandmother’s funeral in El Salvador, I have an idea in my mind of how it went. There was a long parade of sorts from the church to the cemetery, through the streets. The entire community was present. As people walked, they sang beautiful songs expressing their love and sadness. There were colorful flowers everywhere. And afterwards, there was a great deal of food involved.

Reaction to Mahabharata

            The Mahabharata incorporated several different views and philosophies relevant to the culture of its society.  There were a few ideas that caught my attention more than others.  First, was how important keeping one’s promises is.  This goes back to the idea of oral communication and oral contracts.  Someone’s word is all they have and they must honor it.  This was witnessed in the story when the first wife of Pandu promised the second wife of Pandu that she would treat her sons as her own and that all the sons would share everything.  The first wife never broke this vow even when one of her own son won a bride at a competition.  She declared that all five sons would share the wife which they did. 

            Another idea presented in the Mahabharata that I noticed was the honor a wife should bestow upon her husband.  This was evidenced throughout the story but I believe it was most powerful in the case of Dhrithastra.  I was amazed that his wife, once hearing that her husband would be blind, tied a blindfold around her own face so she would go through life as her husband does.  Through this action, she showed complete dedication to her husband and made it clear that if he would not be able to see then neither would she.  She displayed the characteristics that this culture believes a wife should have.

            Finally, I really took note of the philosophy of being devoted to the gods.  Not only is devotion to the gods addressed but that the gods reward those who are faithful to them.  They will provide help to those who ask for it.  These ideas are expressed in the scene where Draupadi has just been won in the game of dice and the Kauravas try to humiliate her by undressing her in front of everyone.  However, she prays to Krishna and asks for his help.  He answers her prays and makes it so that the fabric she is wearing never runs out.  As the Kauravas try to pull her clothes off, the cloth is never-ending and Draupadi remains fully clothed.  Krishna protected Draupadi for her faithfulness and answered her prayer for help.     

My Experiences with Theater

To be honest, I do not really know that much about theater. My eldest sister was capturing the spotlight on stage with her fifteen years of dance, while my other sister belted out notes in all the school musicals. I was left someone between capturing the football field for Color Guard, and being the dancing tree in the Wizard of Oz. Until I was in college I never took a single theater class, though I dabbled in dance while I was younger. Theater was never really a mystery to me; I understood the concept of the arts and why they were important. I knew that acting and dancing alike took great skill, and very few performers would truly make it on Broadway or in the movies. Everyone wanted their chance to steal the spotlight; that is what I thought of when it came to theater.

Upon choosing classes for the first semester of my freshman year, my only concern was to fill up my GERs. The sooner I got those over with, the sooner I could move on to taking classes within my proposed major, Asian and Middle Eastern studies. South and Southeast Asian Folklore Performance not only gave me two of my GERs, but allowed me to earn a possible elective credit for the AMES major. On the first day of class, I knew that my perception of theater would never be the same.

I was introduced to the ways of Balinese dance and theater, and I know my life will never be the same. From the chorus of caks to the different characters personified through movement, Balinese dance is a beautiful art form. I always knew theater to be the expression of art and emotion, but I had never truly seen the beauty in it. When an entire culture is encompassed within how and when theater is performed, the beauty is unbelievable. Every class I feel as though I am making connections with another world, people I would never have the opportunity to meet in real life. A new perception on the world has formed within me, and I can see both dance and theater in a new light. It is not just for entertainment, but religious practices and the preservation of culture.

My Mahabharata

Having taken the Folklore performance last semester, I was very familiar with the Ramayana. However, we really did not go into the other big epic, the Mahabharata. It was wonderful for me to see this movie because it gives another element to how I perceive the lessons and teachings that we can take away from these epics. When dancing the values that we learn are more on a level of broad spectrum of discovery and they are much more specific. You focus on one point or character and you fine tune it to try and express it to those around you.
I think the Mahabharata provides the audience with a sense of moral value and lessons that if are read to not come across as well as if they were performed. I drew from this experience important lessons about gambling, respect for your spouse, and the need to listen to those with more wisdom than you in order to succeed in life. I loved all of the teaching in the movie even if they weren’t preformed in the traditional sense.