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CHAPTER I
INTRODUCTION
This chapter consists of background of the study, objective of the study, problem formulation, benefit of the study, and definition of terms. This
organization will help the readers follow the researcher’s idea easier.
1.1. Background of the Study
Post-colonialism is a discourse to see current issues in colonized nation to show their national identity and rebel against the colonizer’s representation on
colonial subject. In this era, post-colonialism discourse is wide needed to inspect the reality constructed by colonizer in which the power is still left the culture
domination to the native’s culture. In this sense, colonialism is not limited in taking over lands, but also
reforming community and culture there. Colonizer changes and empowers the communities already there. Colonizer does not only colonize the physic but also
the mental of indigenous. One of the ways to colonize the indigenous’ mental is through education.
Education, which is important for human, determines a nation in the future. An appropriate education will help a nation shows their national identity.
However, the colonizer always creates hegemony. They claim that their concept of formal education system is better than the colonized educational system.
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2 For Gramsci, hegemony is the dominance of one group or class in society,
achieved not through force but rather the consent of the other groups. Consent is achieved through the dominant group associating itself with moral and intellectual
leadership in a society. In classical Gramscian terms, the state dominates through force having the monopoly on legitimatized violence while hegemony is
achieved through institutions that we would associate with “civil society”. http:www.postcolonialweb.orgpoldiscoursechatterjeeholden14.html. One of
the effective institutions to achieve hegemony is education. There are some reasons for the researcher to conduct this study. First, the
researcher is deeply interested in literature because through literature the researcher can get pleasure, knowledge, wide insight, and critical insight. The
researcher can also express ideas through literary works. Second, the researcher is interested in postcolonial discourse. It increases awareness of colonial
representation and our identity from our point of view. The literary work used in this study is Forest Carter’s Education of Little
Tree. This novel was written in 1976. The setting of the novel is Tennessee, Appalachian in 1930s. The researcher chose this novel because this novel is very
interesting to be read and to be analyzed. The researcher is impressed by the story in the novel, including Cherokee education and Little Tree’s reactions against
colonial education. This novel has a spirit and inspiration toward the readers, which is postcolonial, the spirit fights against colonialism.
Since the researcher wants to be a teacher, education also becomes one of concern in this study. This novel offers better education system through Cherokee
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3 education. Teachers can adopt the system of Cherokee education including the
characteristics, the teaching method, the contents, and the learning process seen in the novel.
This study aims to find out the reactions of the main character in the novel, as the indigenous, against white educational system as colonizer. This aim is
achieved by analyzing the novel. In order to do so, there are theories and approach used in this study. The
first is theory of the intrinsic elements of fiction; character and characterization. The second theory is postcolonial theory. This theory includes the understanding
of post-colonialism, colonialism, and the reactions of the colonized against colonizer that is called abrogation. The approach used in this study is postcolonial
approach.
1.2. Objective of the Study
