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6. September 16, 1893: Cherokee Strip Land Run. The Run of the Cherokee
Strip opened nearly 7,000,000 acres 28,000 km² to settlement on September 16, 1893. The land was purchased from the Cherokees for
7,000,000. It was largest land run in United States history. 7.
May 23, 1895: Land run to settle the Kickapoo lands.
2.4 Sociology
Sociology derives from Latin word socius and logos. Socius means society and logos means knowledge. Sociology itself is “the scientific or systematic study of
society, including patterns of social relationship, social interaction, and culture” http:en.wikipedia.orgwikisociology
. According to Popenoe 1983: 2, ‘sociology is the systematic and objective study of society and social behaviour’.
Meanwhile, Spencer 1986: 6 states that ‘ sociology can be defined as the human group of life’. Human groups have their own dynamics, their own out-comes, and
those cannot be necessarily explained in the term of qualities of their individual members.
In other words, sociology deals very much with a study of society, patterns of social interaction, and human groups. This is in line with Stewart 1981: 4-5
who states that ‘sociology is the scientific study on society, human group, and organization and all form human interaction’.
Another definition of sociology comes from Smelser 1981: 4 in his book entitled Sociology and Human Science, he states that ‘sociology is a scientific
study of society and social relation among human beings’. Sociology is the
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science of interaction among people and the effect of this interaction on human behaviour.
2.5 Sociological Approach to Literature
Literature is a social institution with language as its medium. It is regarded as ‘a mirror of life’ Wellek and Warren, 1956: 93. Wellek and Warren state that
literature represents “life” and “life” is in large measure, a social reality, even though the natural world and their inner subjective world of individual have also
objected of literary “imitation” 1956: 94. From the two statements, it is clearly understood that literature is a reflection of society, although the author’s
imagination has a role in it. In analyzing a literary work with sociological approach, a researcher should treat the society in a literary work as a society in the
real life. Furthermore, Wellek and Warren 1956: 95 state that ‘literature is an
expression of society’. Based on the statement, it can be inferred that a work of literature can reflect the life of society. By reading or watching literary works, we
can understand that some problems which happen in literary works are the reflection of life.
As a member of society, the author can be inspired by his experience, but he is not completely free to choose what he writes and how he expresses it in his
works. He has to consider the norms that exist in the society. The author must observe the society to determine what to be written, how, for whom, and what it is
for.
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The most common approach to the relations of literature and society is the study of literary work as a social document.
Wellek and Warren 1956: 102 state that: ‘much the most common approach to the relations of literature and society
is the study of work of literature as social document, as assumed pictures of social reality. Nor can it be doubted that some kinds of social pictures
can be abstracted from literature’.
One of the approaches in analyzing literary works is sociological approach to literature. Sociological approach to literature is a kind of approach
that considers the social and cultural aspects of society in a literary work. The main aspect of the sociological approach to literature is the understanding of
‘literature as a social mirror’ Damono, 1979: 3. The critics formulate this conclusion because they believe that as a member of community, the author is the
person who is more critical than the rest of community. Damono states that ‘literature is the most effective barometer to find out man’s response towards
social power’ 1979: 72.
2.6 Social Status
