Is Anna and the King (or The King and I) a True Story

How much of the story from The King and I and Anna and the King is an accurate biography of Anna Leonowens and the court of King Mongkut?  Does popular culture accurately represent the historical reality of this womans life story, or of the kingdom of Thailands history? Twentieth Century Popularity Anna and the King, the 1999 version of the story of Anna Leonowens six years at the Court of Siam, is, like the 1956  movie musical and stage musical, both titled  The King and I, based on a 1944 novel, Anna and the King of Siam. Jodie Foster stars in this version of Anna Leonowens.  A 1946 movie  Anna and the King of Siam, also based on the 1944 novel,  arguably had less impact than the latter popular versions of Anna Leonowens time in Thailand but was still part of the evolution of this work. The 1944 novel by Margaret Landon was subtitled The Famous True Story of a Splendid Wicked Oriental Court.  The subtitle is clearly in the tradition of whats come to be known as orientalism — the depiction of Eastern cultures, including Asian, South Asian and Middle Eastern, as exotic, undeveloped, irrational and primitive.  (Orientalism is a form of essentialism: ascribing characteristics to a culture and assuming that they are part of the static essence of that people, rather than a culture that evolves.) The King and I, a musical version of the story of Anna Leonowens, written by composer Richard Rodgers and dramatist Oscar Hammerstein, had its premiere on Broadway in March of 1951. The musical was adapted for a 1956 film. Yul Brynner played the role of King Mongkut of Siam in both versions, earning him both a Tony and an Academy Award.   It is probably not accidental that the newer versions of this, from the 1944 novel to the later stage productions and movies, came when the relationship between the west and the east was of high interest in the west, as World War II ended and western images of what the East represented might reinforce ideas of western superiority and the importance of western influence in advancing Asian cultures. The musicals, in particular, came at a time when Americas interest in Southeast Asia was increasing.  Some have suggested that the underlying theme — a primitive Eastern kingdom confronted by and literally schooled by a more rational, reasonable, educated West — helped lay the groundwork for Americas growing involvement in Vietnam. Nineteenth-Century Popularity That 1944 novel, in turn, is based on the reminiscences of Anna Leonowens herself. A widow with two children, she wrote that she had served as governess or tutor to the sixty-four children of King Rama IV or King Mongkut. Upon returning to the West (first the United States, later Canada), Leonowens, as had many women before her, turned to writing to support herself and her children. In 1870, less than three years after leaving Thailand, she published The English Governess at the Siamese Court. Its immediate reception encouraged her to write a second volume of stories of her time in Siam, published in 1872 as The Romance of the Harem — clearly, even in the title, drawing on the sense of the exotic and sensational which had captivated the reading public. Her criticism of slavery led to her popularity especially in New England among those circles that had supported abolitionism in America. Inaccuracies The 1999 movie version of Anna Leonowens service in Thailand, calling itself a true story, was denounced for its inaccuracies by the government of Thailand. Thats not new, though. When Leonowens published her first book, the King of Siam responded, through his secretary, with the statement that she has supplied by her invention that which is deficient in her memory. Anna Leonowens, in her autobiographical works, included details of her life and what was happening around her, many of which historians now believe were untrue.  For example, historians believe that she was born in India in 1831, not Wales in 1834.  She was hired to teach English, not as a governess.  She included a story of a consort and monk being publicly tortured and then burned, but no one else, including many foreign residents of Bangkok, told of such an incident. Controversial from the start, this story nevertheless continues to thrive: contrasting old and new, East and West, patriarchy with womens rights, freedom and slavery, fact mixed with exaggeration or even fiction. How to Learn More About Anna Leonowens If you want more in-depth information about the differences between the story of Anna Leonowens as told either in her own memoirs or in the fictional depictions of her life in Thailand, several authors have dug through the evidence to make the case both for her exaggerations and misrepresentations, and the interesting and unusual life that she did live. Alfred Habeggers 2014 scholarly study Masked: The Life of Anna Leonowens, Schoolmistress at the Court of Siam  (published by the University of Wisconsin Press) is probably the best researched.  Susan Morgans 2008 biography  Bombay Anna: The Real Story and Remarkable Adventures of the King and I Governess  also includes considerable research and an engaging story.  Both accounts also include the story of more recent popular depictions of the story of Anna Leonowens, and how those depictions fit in with political and cultural trends.

Eriksons Psychosocial Theory of Development Young Adults...

Eriksons Psychosocial Theory of Development: Young Adults The young adult has numerous stresses placed upon them through the route of development. Erikson has theorised developmental stages of growth into tasks. Of Eriksons theoretical tasks, one task describes the theory of intimacy versus isolation. This task theory can be examined using the normative crisis model. The knowledge of developmental tasks of the young adult can be beneficial to the nurse especially associated with their ability to relate to the young adult. One of the stages in life is the young adult, which suggests significant changes and an increase of responsibility. This stage of development is described as between twenty and forty years, where ...the potential for†¦show more content†¦The continuation of courtship is entirely reliant on the individual but the development of issues such as independence and sharing associated within a serious relationship should be initiated. A result of this task achievement should be that the individual has developed or learned skills that are essential to relationships, e.g. sacrifice, compromise and commitment. This task is considered a major issue that helps the individual to conclude their own feelings on intimacy with another. (Gething, 1995.). The union of marriage is dependent on the partners involved as to the reason to extend a long-term relationship to marriage. Some reasons for marriage can consist of a long-term commitment to sharing, companionship, monogamous relationship and a desire to start a family. These characteristics symbolise dedication, expression and development of the individuals identity. Marriage is an opportunity to overcome Eriksons negative theory of isolation and to continue through intimacy in a positive manner. (Turner Helms, 1987). These issues of marriage and courtship indicate a sense of achievement between identity and intimacy as Erikson stresses it is important as ...before one can achieve intimacy, it is essential to have a sense of identity, which should be achieved in adolescence (Gething, 1995, P.401). As this sense of identity and intimacy develop the young adult should also be generating their own sense of moral values and ethics related to relationships.Show MoreRelatedErikson s Psychosocial Theory : Development Of Ego Identity1293 Words   |  6 PagesZoi Arvanitidis 05/16/17 ECEE-310 Dr.Alkins Studying Erikson’s Psychosocial theory Erik Erikson was a student of another theorist, Sigmund Freud. Erikson expanded on Freud’s psychosexual theory. Erikson later developed the psychosocial theory. This theory described the effect of one’s social experiences throughout one’s whole lifespan. One of the main elements of Erikson’s psychosocial theory is the development of ego identity. Ego identity is the conscious sense of self that we developRead MoreIntroduction. Erik Erickson’S Interest In How One’S Environment1646 Words   |  7 Pagesinteraction drives human behavior and the development of personality, led him to create the psychosocial theory, â€Å"Eight Stages of Man.† Erikson’s final four stages of psychosocial development describes a person’s development from adolescence to late adulthood. This paper will analyze the final four stages of development, which includes: Adolescence, Young Adulthood, Middle Adulthood, and Late Adulthood. However, one of the major criticisms of the stage theories is that they do not equally apply to allRead MoreComparison Of Erikson And Kohlbergs Theory1378 Words   |  6 PagesErik Erikson and Lawrence Kohlberg are famous theorist who have contributed a lot to the nursing profession. Erikson’s theory is about psychosocial development whereas Kohlberg’s theory is about moral development. Erikson has eight stages, that he believed were accomplished at different periods of life, in his theory of psychosocial development starting with; trust versus mistrust during infancy; autonomy versus shame or doubt experienced at a toddler age; initiative versus inferiority during preschoolRead MorePsychology Life Spans1433 Words   |  6 Pagesï » ¿ Development Throughout the Lifespan NAME. PSY : Personality Theories Argosy University Development throughout the Lifespan The development of our personalities throughout our lifespan can be broken down into various stages when considering Erikson’s approach to psychology development. Each person moves through these stages during life, which directly affects his or her success in the next stage. The personality is being built and shaped at each stage. The first step is toRead MoreErik Erikson s Theory Of Psychosocial Development Essay1366 Words   |  6 Pages Abstract Erik Erikson (1902-1994) provided a new perspective of psychosocial behavior and development while expanding on the works of other theorists. Erikson believed there to be eight stages of psychosocial development which a person transitions through. These stages start at birth and end with old age/death. Erikson’s work is used throughout many outlets of social work. Social workers use this information to help them figure out what is going on with clients and how best to help them. EriksonRead MoreDifference Between Freud vs. Erikson Essay1023 Words   |  5 Pagestalking about each of these theorists and their famous theories of psychosocial and psychosexual, since they both are well known development theories. I will provide enough information about both and explain the differences of each, as well. First off, Freud had inspired Erickson who had theories that were in a number of ways different than Freud’s. Freud and Erickson have similarities and differences in the thi ngs that do or explore within their theories and the way they do things. Freud was the mostRead MoreErik Erikson s Psychosocial Theory Essay1641 Words   |  7 PagesErik Erikson’s psychosocial theory states that we go through 8 developmental stages in life. Erikson states that these stages are necessary in the progression and development of human growth from infancy into adulthood. Each developmental stage presents a crisis that must be resolved during that stage for a healthy development. Erik Erikson’s psychosocial theory outlines that we develop in psychosocial stages instead of psychosexual ones. I agree with Erikson because one might not get through theRead MorePsychosocial Theory of Development922 Words   |  4 Pages We all go through stages of development in which we change and mature into adults. Throughout our life we are constantly going to be changing either biologically or psychologically. We know that our brain a very important and vital component in our body, that helps us in our day to day things. Just like our body our brain also goes through change. We become more intellectual than we were when we were younger. Many psychologists have tried to study and understand how our brain process and developsRead MoreBiological Narrative1617 Words   |  7 Pagesstudies with psychosocial development, or the development of a person within a social context. Eric Erickson’s theories focused primarily on the correlation of the release of sexual tension and psychosexual development. The purpose of this paper is for the author to develop a personal portrait integrating Erickson’s developmental theory, Kohlberg’s moral development, and gender and cultural influences. The author will discuss his development from birth to his current stage of development in his lifeRead MorePsy 230 Week 8 Ass. Erikson Timeline987 Words   |  4 Pageswill discover how he formed his theory of psychosocial developmental, along with explaining what stage my friend and I are currently in within his timeline. Erik Erikson (1902-1994) was a German born American developmental psychologist and psychoanalyst, whom formed a theory of psychosocial development on the human life cycle. Erikson’s major innovation was to take Freud’s psychosexual stages of the libido and transform them into a developmental model of psychosocial tasks, which identified eight stages

Culture and Gender Free Essays

The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia adheres to strict Koran laws. Among them is the veiling of women, structuring of their work and lives away from men, and driving (Wikipedia, 2007). Though education in the West is slowly changing this, it is not in any way translated to policy changes or reforms (Bradley, 2006). We will write a custom essay sample on Culture and Gender or any similar topic only for you Order Now We aim to ink a deal with the Saudi government for the setting-up of a supermarket chain. To be successful, the negotiators must show respect to the country’s laws and norms. The Saudi government- through the religious police- is the primary proponent and advocate of strict laws and norms pertaining to women hence they should be dealt with sensitively. I choose the budding male executive over the veteran female to head the team. In the country, women are not expected to work in positions which allow them to interact with men. Sending a woman as head of the negotiating team would be an insult to the Saudis with their deeply-entrenched conservative values. Should the CEO insist on sending her, I will ensure that she will not be the front liner. She will still head the negotiations but the spokesman will be the male executive. She will still make the decision but through the latter. My decision will send a message to within and outside the company that we are serious in our business transactions.   It is by complying with the norms and laws of wherever you do business which wins deals. As a leader, it will show my flexibility in matters not wholly congruent to traditional norms of conducting business. Part II- Power Corruption Cycle Power Corruption Cycle is an organizational phenomena characterized by the use of rank to intimidate or bribe the lower-echelons to allow an illegitimate or corrupt practice to happen and/or continue. When the latter become managers or executives themselves, they apply the same corrupt practices which also influence those with lower positions. This cycle- if uninterrupted by new management- would go on and on. It poisons an organization in that the quality of service/s and/or products will be compromised which will eventually lead to its downfall. An example is on the awarding of contracts to bidders in government projects. The members of the bids and awards committee are all corrupt and have a mutual understanding of granting the contract not to the one which offers the premium bid but to the one who can offer the largest kickback. A young, newly-hired assistant to the committee intends to follow stated rules in bidding but soon finds out about the â€Å"unwritten rules†. He is co-opted and fits permanently into the organization. The people- recipients of developmental projects- suffer through sub-standard infrastructure and incoherent development projects and services. This leads to mistrust and enmity towards the government which will create a longing in society to reform, if not replace the government in power and/or the system. ReferenceBradley, J. (2006). Saudi Arabia exposed: Inside a kingdom in crisis. NY: Palgrave Macmillan. Wikipedia Online Encyclopedia. 2007. Islam in Saudi Arabia. Retrieved Feb. 13, 2008, from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Islam_in_Saudi_Arabia#Islamism_in_Saudi_Arabia.       How to cite Culture and Gender, Essay examples