Virtue and martial strength in "Creation of Gods": Queen Jiang and Deng Chanyu compared

Queen Jiang and Deng Chanyu were both strong women in the story but their strength lied in different things. The Queen was more virtuous which gave her a lot of perseverance and Deng Chanyu was a skilled and strong fighter that allowed to remain active till the end.

Queen Jiang

Brief summary of the major events that the Queen went through.

Relation of her part in the story with her compassion and devotion to being virtuous.

Extensive overview of the personality of the Queen and her relations with her husband and how it affected both of them.

Deng Chanyu

Brief summary of the events that Deng Chanyu went through.

There is discussion about the personality traits and characteristics of Deng Chanyu.

A correlation between the personality of Deng Chanyu and major events in her life is made.

Comparison and Contrast

A. The similarities present between the Queen and Deng Chanyu are discussed.

B. The difference present between Deng Chanyu and the Queen are discussed and explained.

C. The overall comparison and contrast between the two women is made and the discussion is concluded.

Chinese story

The two women that are to be compared in the story are Queen Jiang and Deng Chanyu. They are both relevant to the story because of their affiliations in the political realm and their overall role in the Creation of Gods.

Jiang, Queen of King Xuan of Zhou

The Queen was victim to quite extensive plotting by those around her. Seeing how she was quite devoted and involved with her husband, she was framed in the murder of the King. Daji along with Fei Zhong and the servant Jiang Huan worked together to create a murder plan for the King. They all worked together to make a fake assassination plot such that the King would not but the blame would be put on the Queen. The plot that they created worked to some extent but Queen remains adamant on her stance.

All the accusations that were brought up against her, the Queen denied them no matter what the situation got. Daji even threatened her that the King will take out one of her eyes if the Queen didn't confess, but she didn't listen. Even after one of her eye was taken out, she did not confess. The torture went on to another level when the Queen was threatened that her hands would be burned off. Daji still was successful in convincing the King that her hands should be burned. The Queen even withstood that torture and was quiet even after her hands were burned down to ash. All of these wounds ultimately led to the death of the Queen and she passed away still without accepting the plot that she as framed in. This brief overview of the Queen therefore shows that the Queen was a woman of strength and self-dignity. She would rather have herself torture and burned instead of admit to something that she had not done. She loved her husband and therefore would did not want to give in the plot that she was being set up in. This shows not only her devotion to her honor but to the relation that she had with her husband as well.

Daughter of the emperor that ruled the state of Qi who was also the queen of King Xuan of Zhou is one of the most significant women in the Chinese history. In the present day, the state of Qi forms the north of the Shandong Province. On the other hand, Zhou forms the part of central China today. Jiang is famous because of her virtue and talent and it has been stated by most historians that she took the blame for the improper behavior of her husband; which was his coming to court late. The habit of her husband of going to bed late to bed with Jiang and therefore rising late was the main reason behind the failure of their propriety. She quite tactful in bringing up this issue with her husband as she said that the court would assume from this kind of behavior that the king is only busy in enjoying the behavior of his queen and satisfying his desires and that too at the expense of the virtue as a king. She also believed that this kind of behavior was the not the way to handle the issue of states and would only result in more disorder. The fact that this disorder was associated with him was something that constantly bothered her. She was often seen to tell her husband that this order was coming from her and that she had the courage to accept her mistakes (Jin-cang). On the other hand, King Xuan was always up for taking the criticism of his wife, however he did not approve of her guilt as he believed that the disorder was not because of her but because of his own weaknesses. Moreover, he also used to say that she should not the take the blame of something that she is not responsible for. After this disorder, and after the criticism, Jiang was successful in convincing his husband to actively participate in the affairs of state. He started to rejuvenate late and he allowed Jiang to leave his chambers after sunrise (Chen 171).

For her virtuous behavior, Jiang has always been praised by almost all the historians and analysts in their books and writings. She is one of the best examples of women that had been blamed for the undesirable and lustful behavior of their partners.

Compare and Contrast

Over all, it is seen that the Deng Chanyu was a strong yet sensitive woman. She knew how to deal with the political and strategic tactics that came her way but many a times emotions did get in her way. She was attracted towards Taigong Wang, yet she never got to be with him forever. Even though she was attracted to him, she wasn't necessarily dependent on him. It shows that she could emotionally detach herself if the need arose. On other hand, it is seen that Queen Jiang is a very virtuous woman. She is dependent more on her soul and her mental and emotional ability to fight off what comes her way. She is also strong just as Deng Chanyu is, but her strength is more spiritual rather than physical. It is still spiritual strength that ultimately enables her to remain steadfast throughout the torture that she is put through. Both the women are subject to torture and to treatment that they did not approve of. A quite obvious similarity is that they are both quite steadfast and determined to the goals that are present. They both seek strength though different means and are eventually successful in attaining that strength. Both the women are also brave as they have faced the troubles and the attacks right from the front and have not backed away from the fighting. Both the women are quite emotional and attached to their respective family members. However, the attachment is different for Queen Jiang and Deng Chanyu. The Queen even though loves her husband urges him to focus on more political things. Deng Chu on the other hand is quite attracted and in love with the man in her life.

As mentioned earlier, the differences in the two women are the thing that they are more involved in. Because the Queen is more virtuous and pious, she seeks her contentment, strength and peace from those sources. Deng Chanyu on the other hand is very strong, skilled and strategically competent. This enables her to be a part of the political planning with her father and fight the attackers with him. Another difference between the two women is there devotion to their husband. Deng Chanyu got married forcibly therefore she did not develop true devotion to her husband. Due to this reason, she left him when they were both being attacked. He got paralyzed by the attacks but she fought back and managed to escape. The Queen on the other hand tolerated the torture and brutal behavior that her husband showed her. This was the extent to which she loved him that she would tolerate anything that comes her way. Deng Chanyu was attracted once upon a time, but she gets pretty involved in the political problems that she does not attend to that love later in the story. This shows that Queen Jiang was far more emotional than Deng Chanyu was. Over all, even though placed in different situations, both these women are quite similar to one another. They are both strong and steadfast in the major objectives of their life. The major difference is the way they achieve strength and the things that they are more passionate about.