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competition against Howard University team. It is one of the best Negro colleges in America. This far, they have beaten down one best Negro college in America,
Paul Quinn University, thus, they are determined to beat the other one. Prairie View is quite far from Marshall, therefore they get there by car driven by Melvin.
It almost takes a day to go there. They depart from Marshall at the afternoon, and they arrive there at night.
O n the way when they almost get there, they find whites’ savagery at the
wayside. They see a Negro man hung upon a fire by them. With an angry but scared face, Henry wants to get off to cut the man down. However, Melvin urges
him to not do that. He asks him to get down in order to not be seen because if the whites see them, they will have the same fate like the man. He also asks Samantha
Booke and James Farmer Jr. who just woke up to get down. In such urgent situation, maximum efficiency of the communication is really needed because
there is not much time. Therefore, Melvin performs bald on-record strategy in his utterance.
b. Positive Politeness Strategy
Melvin B. Tolson uses this strategy 11 times in which 9 of them are addressed to his students, one of them addressed to the white sharecropper, and
the other one is addressed to Ruth Tolson. He uses the strategy in giving information to them or in evaluating their utterances and actions. Therefore, the
utterances produced pose threat to their positive face. By using this strategy, Melvin tries to minimize it in order to show his acknowledgement or approval. It
is also to maintain the intimate relationship between him and the hearers.
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One example of this strategy is taken from the dialogue between Melvin and James Farmer Jr. below.
James Farmer Jr. :
I’m going, sir. Melvin B. Tolson
: Thank you, Mr. Farmer. You smell very good. Mr. Farmer.
James Farmer. Jr. : Thank you, sir.
Datum number 7 The dialogue takes place i
n Melvin’s house where the debate team tryout is held. James Farmer Jr. looks for an empty chair since he comes late. Then, Ruth Tolson
points out to the empty chair in the corner, which means he has to pass through the other students. Therefore, it takes time for him to get there. Meanwhile,
Melvin wants him to be quick. Indeed, James personally tries to be as quick as possible. Melvin approves that James is being cooperative with him as his
evaluation to the utterance and the action of James Farmer Jr. To appreciate him, Melvin gives a compliment to his positive face by saying you smell very good.
Therefore, it can be said that Melvin comes to James’ positive face by performing positive politeness strategy.
The second example of positive politeness strategy performed by Melvin is when he is in the debate class, after being released from prison. He announces a
bad news that SMU has cancelled to debate against them and University of Georgia sounds like they will follow suit, meaning his debate team has nowhere to
go in this time. It is because Melvin has been blacklisted due to his work with the sharecroppers. In the worse impact, his academic career is in jeopardy. However,
he does not want his students who have been left by Hamilton Burgess to give up or quit the debate team because of this situation. In the end of his announcement,
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he asks his students of the debate team whether they know who Antaeus was or not.
Melvin B. Tolson : Anyone know who Antaeus was?
Henry Lowe : Sure. He was a gigantic wrestler in Greek
Mythology. His mother was, uh, Gaea, the goddess of Earth, and, uh, I mean, he was
unbeatable because anytime someone threw him down to the Earth, it would make him stronger.
Melvin B. Tolson :
That’s correct. It would make him stronger. Defeat would make him stronger.
Datum number 30 In the dialogue above, Henry Lowe answers Melvin’s question. He
describes Antaeus in brief. Melvin agrees wit h Henry’s answer, indicating that he
concerns to his positive face or the need to be approved. In other words, he approves Henry’s positive face by the means of approving his answer. To show
his approval, Melvin performs positive politeness strategy by saying that’s correct
and also repeats parts of Henry’s words, it would make him stronger. The words actually represent the message that Melvin wants his students to be stronger no
matter how hard the condition they suffer.
c. Negative Politeness Strategy
