Summary
In
the chapter “The Oriental Monk In American Popular Culture,” Jane Naomi Iwamura
discussed that the Oriental Monk is not only a spiritual figure in Eastern
religions, but also an icon in American popular culture. Iwamura talked about
the “initiation” of Oriental Monk in American culture through D. W. Griffth’s
film, Broken Blossoms, which Eastern
spirituality engaged with Western religion. Later, by the Civil Right Movement
and 1965 Immigration Act, Eastern religions and culture gradually “arrive” on
the American coasts. Meanwhile the Oriental Monk narrative has become increasingly
popular in American culture. At the end of this chapter, Iwamura stated that
the Fourteenth Dalai Lama is transformed to an American popular cultural figure.
He represents a figure with the spiritual mission of Buddhism. In addition, his
religious practices and beliefs became a political mission which fights for Tibetans’
“the physical, cultural, and spiritual existence.”
Extra
Links:
Oriental
Monk as Popular Icon: On the Power of U.S. Orrientalism
Dalai
Lama: No More ‘Wolf in Monk’s Robes’?
Questions:
1. In
the article, author used D. W. Grifth’s film to manifest the “initiation” of
Oriental Monk in Western culture. The film’s moral lesson rests on a threat: “If
the Christianized West is unable to care for its children, the noble Buddhist
East will.” What do you think about this sentence or the meaning of the film that
screenwriter wanted to indicate?
2. Iwamura
pointed out the Oriental Monk has become the icon in a variety of American
popular cultural representations. How does it connected to American culture? Or
are there any other non-Western religious figures which become the icon in
American popular culture?
D.W. Griffith’s “Broken Blossom” film I think is meant to provide a critique and standard of behavior, demonstrating that there are things that can be learned from Eastern traditions that Western culture lacks. It expresses disillusionment with the ever dominant presence of Christianity and works to lay the groundwork for how the West approaches Eastern ideas, encouraging an open mind.
ReplyDeleteIwamura says that the oriental monk is a means of symbolically expressing, managing, and working through America’s spiritual sense of self and that’s why it has been included in pop culture. Iwamura writes, “He details the fears, hopes, and desires of a society in spiritual turmoil,”. By integrating a figure who represents so much into pop culture these notions can be expressed widely thus appealing to more people.
Griffith's film "Broken Blossom" is based on "stereotypical representations" of two different cultures. On one side you have the Anglo-Christian (abusive father) and on the other you have the "Yellow Man" (Chinese man who has set out to teach the lessons of Buddha.) I think the moral lesson of the movie misses the point of what Buddhism is. Practicing religion isn't about which one is better (which one can help more people) but how it makes a person feel. A belief in Buddhism is that something is wrong with all of us, and we need to figure out how to fix it ourselves. The meaning of the movie is that people from Eastern religions are more noble than people of the West; according to this meaning, the West can't help themselves. It's bogus.
ReplyDeleteThe "Oriental Monk" is connected to American culture by films, TV shows, advertisements, and other forms of media. People try to make money off cultures foreign to them. Some religious figures from Hinduism have made it into American pop culture. Shiva and Ganesha are two gods who I've seen on many tapestries around in Isla Vista and back home alike. When I ask people what they mean, the response is usually something like "it looks cool." From the Big Lebowski, a (mock) religion formed called Dudeism. Dudeism is based on Chinese Taoism. They both encourage to "take it easy" during hard times.
I find it interesting the shift that American culture has taken with identifying the "oriental monk". First starting out very raciest calling the Chinese man a "Chink" in the short story "A Chink and a gill" which later gets translated into "The yellow man and the girl". In trying to have America relate to the "oriental monk" Griffith gives the man very Christian values in his movie. He transformed the man from a worthless drifter into a man who is pious and noble. This is done because of many outside factors such as political and economical for the time. I think that the same thing is being done in American today by using the Dali Lama for Apple advertisements.
ReplyDeleteI think that, like the article said. this change in the interpretation of oriental monks more or less reflects a disillusionment with Western culture and religion. Even today, this misunderstanding and exoticism of oriental culture and religion gives people the impression that oriental monks are pure and enlightened by their religion in a way that Christians can't be. There have obviously been other Eastern religious figures that have become notable and iconic, as the article says, and I think the images we have of the individual correspond more closely with media stereotypes of that group, like in the case of the oriental monk, rather than an aggregation of historical knowledge.
ReplyDeleteD.W. Grifth’s film “Broken Blossom” rests on the threat: “If the Christianized West is unable to care for its children, the noble Buddhist East will.” In the article Iwamura explains this by saying, that “Broken Blossom expresses an already established disillusionment with christianity and quite possibly a budding fascination with alternative modes of moral and spiritual understanding.” This meaning of the movie serves as warning to the Christian west to follow through with their beliefs and practices or to “practice what it preaches”, for if they don’t, disillusionment will arise of western religions. In response to this disillusionment people may turn to the idealized Eastern spiritualities, such as the Oriental Monk, to find hope and peace in their capitalist world filled with greed, force and technology.
ReplyDeleteQuestion 1
ReplyDeleteThe meaning of that quote is to convey the institutionalized xenophobia to the public in order to garner support for anti-immigration and segregation legislature. The damage of such moral lessons is that young people who watch these movies may become indoctrinated in these beliefs and thus may continue to perpetuate those harmful beliefs to their children.
Question 2
An example of an alternative non-western religious figure seen in American culture today and in the past is the image of the Voodoo witch doctor. This image was used in the times of colonialism to perpetuate the idea that African religions and religious people are superstitious and harmful and as a result their religion is seen as inferior and dangerous. This would give colonialists the excuse to ban African people from practicing their religions and forcing them towards Christianity. A consequence this had on American religious culture is that traditional African religions did not pass on through the generations and thus disappeared from American society.