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‘What you going to do Eastman?’I said. ‘Put my head through another window? Save your reason until we go to court and if you touch me again
I’m going back to tell them, so you can do what you want.’…..’Go on, Eastman, why don’t you hit me? ‘I goaded him. ‘I’m going back to court
anyway so I can tell them while I’m there’ 135-136.
From the conversation above, Clare is brave enough to oppose Eastman because
she feels secured. At her twelfth, Clare is brave to go to Court and tell what happens to her. Based on the conversation between Clare and Eastman above,
Clare can be said as a brave girl through her speech.
4. Hard Working
Since Clare is living with an abusive mother, she must work hard at home. Clare has a weekly routine. She washes the kitchen floor, cleans the gas stove,
sweeps the stairs and tidies her bed 149. Her personality trait as a hardworking girl can be seen through her speech. As the story is told by first person-narrative,
when Clare tells her story, it can be considered as her speech. If Clare cannot finish her weekly routine, she will be beaten by her mother.
While she has to finish the house works, Clare still tries hard to finish her school works. Clare says,
Once I had finished my task, I went to find my mother….. ’Is there anything to do?’I said.
‘Go and clean the bathroom.’ ‘It’s done, and the toilet is cleaned, all the hovering is done and all the
clothes are on the line.’ ‘Go and find something to do’ she bellowed 208.
Clare is accustomed to work hard at home. Her mother wants everything at home is well done. Clare’s habit to finish everything at home makes her to be a hard
working girl. It can be analyzed through her speech. PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI
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When Clare is thirteen, her mother leaves her alone. Clare does not only have to look after herself but also she must pay £ 14 a week. In order to earn
money, Clare has cleaning and Saturday jobs. After school, she finishes all her school tasks before doing cleaning job. On weekend, she has a Saturday job 354.
Fortunately, her meals at school are taken care by the school. Clare works hard to pay the house rent to her mother. In her busy time, Clare tries to find time to do
her school works. She says, “In fact, there were a number of occasions when I finished off my homework after I cleaned the offices, sitting at a nice large
polished desk until it was time to set off for school” 349. Her personality trait as a hard working girl can be seen through her speech.
5. Optimistic
In order to realize her dream to be a barrister, Clare needs to be optimistic. She tries to find out the requirements to realize her dream. The teacher thinks that
Clare cannot be a barrister because she fails the eleven-plus. In fact, she has the eleven-plus. Actually, Clare wants to have a further study in Notre Dame, but
because her sisters are in Sacred Heart School, Clare just follows them. Even though Clare is just in Sacred Hard School, she thinks that she still
can go to the University. The teacher thinks that Clare’s dream to be a barrister is too high. However, Clare does not stop trying. She says, “I had no idea how to be
a barrister, but on the way home from school, I stopped off at the library. I told the librarian I wanted to be a barrister when I grew up…” 241. Clare’s effort to find
out the information at library shows her optimism. She tries to prepare PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI
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accomplishing the requirements to enter the University at library, even though her teacher does not support her. Here, that Clare is an optimistic girl can be analyzed
through her reactions. Clare thinks that she will need a pupil master when she studies to be a
barrister. Clare goes to the Court and tries to find one of the barristers there. She likes the good looking man with a nice smile. His name is Mr. Mansfield. With
her spirit, Clare talks to Mr. Mansfield that she wants to be a barrister. She says, ‘I want to be a barrister.’ I piped up. ‘I am going to university and I will
study Law and then I am going to the School of Law and then I’m going to find a pupil-master in London.’
……’Mr. Mansfield, when I qualify as a barrister, do you think that you can be my pupil-master?
‘Sure, but you’ve got a long way to go. Stay in touch and when you qualify I’ll give you my pupilage.’
‘I’ll hold you that, Mr. Mansfield. A promise is a promise 243.’
Clare’s decision to find the barrister at court is an attempt that she really wants to be a barrister. When she promises to Mr. Mansfield that she wants him to be her
pupil-master later, she is really optimistic that she can reach it. As she is living with an abusive family, she wants to change her life by being a better human
being. She needs an optimism to realize her dream. From her reaction, Clare can be described as an optimistic girl.
When the teacher knows that Clare meets Mr. Mansfield, the teacher does not like Clare’s straightforwardness. The teacher says that it is good to have
dreams, but they have to be realistic and have boundaries 244. The teacher thinks that it is impossible for Clare to reach her dream. Whatever the teacher
says, Clare does not care. She will be qualified as a barrister. What she needs now are her O-levels, A-levels and a degree. Clare thinks that it is easy to get them
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244. Clare’s reaction to keep her mind that she will be qualified as a barrister shows her optimism. No matter the teacher says about her dream, there is nothing
impossible in this world. Here, Clare’s reaction shows that she is an optimistic one.
At home, Clare has a very hard life. There is no attention, love, and support from her mother. One time, she listens to her mother singing a Billie
Holiday song entitled ‘Good Morning Heartache’. When listening to the song Clare thinks, “Was my life a heartache? Would heartache be there to greet me
every morning? No, I decided. Soon, very soon, my heartache would end” 250. Clare determines to try hard in completing the qualification as a barrister. She
wants to end her heartache at home. No matter how hard her life, she wants to change it. It is not easy to keep a dream in a hard situation. However, Clare can do
it. She can keep her optimism to change her life. From Clare’s reaction to respond her hard life, she can be portrayed as an optimistic girl.
B. The Influence of Clare’s Childhood Abuses on Her Life
