by Grace Elle James

Created on: April 13, 2008

Dramatic background music plays as the young Chinese maiden chops off her lovely black hair with her father's sword. Heart beating rapidly, she pulls on his old armor, mounts her horse and rides off into the pouring rain, leaving her hair clip in place of her father's draft notice.

True heroes have true courage. True courage is taking your aging father's place in a war intended for men with no experience and no background in fighting. It is leaving behind your safe haven of home for the sake of someone you love. It is risking your life and your family's pride for the sake of a nation. It is making the right choice even though the future is uncertain and dangerous. True courage is displayed in Mulan.

Mulan represents so much. She has the qualities of any hero: bravery, inner strength, and intelligence. And yet, she has so much more. She is a female, an excellent role model for young women everywhere. She combines her courage with compassion. She is modest and unselfish, making decisions not only for herself as many "heroes" do but for the good of her family and the people of the nation she loves. Mulan also finds power in her soul that she did not know she had. We learn from her that we too have power and strength untapped that can be put to good.

My favorite quote from Mulan is as follows: "The flower that blooms in the face of adversity is the most rare and beautiful of all." Mulan proves to the world that every though we are faced with obstacles in life, we can find the courage to get over them. She proves that strength comes from within and that the challenges we face will make us stronger. This message is very important and is conveyed beautifully in Mulan.

For all the above reasons, I think that Mulan is definitely the most memorable heroine performance ever. What she represents, things like bravery, intelligence, and the power of females, are things that are important in society today. The sacrifices she made for her family and country and her incredible unselfishness present to our world a standard that we should try our hardest to follow. Mulan reminds us all that we have the power to be the person we want to be, and that we can find the courage to do the right thing. For this, I believe wholeheartedly that Mulan is a true heroine.

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