…. ….
Lend me your courage to stand up and fight
From the two stanzas above, it is clear that the first stanza contains six lines. While, the seventh stanza only contains four lines. It means that there are
two lines that are omitted in the seventh stanza. The lines that are omitted in the seventh stanza
are “On tonight” and “Ooooo…. Stand up and fight”. The omission of those lines shows an inconsistency in writing as those two
stanzas share the same lines except the omitted lines on the seventh stanza. Further, another repeated stanza is written exactly the same as seen in the
fourth and sixth stanza. In order to reach better understanding the significance behind the
omission in the seventh stanza, the researcher looks upon the omitted lines. The first omitted
line is “On tonight” which follows the line “Lend me your courage to stand up and fight”. The omitted line indicates the time when the
main character needs the courage to stand up and fight. While, the second omitted line, “Ooh… Stand up and fight” emphasizes the purpose of the
courage asked by the main character. On the other hand, those lines are omitted in the seventh stanza. It only leads to possibilities that the main
character has enough courage to fight in the war, or the main character needs no more courage because he does not want to fight in the war anymore.
3 ShiftBreak in Attitude
Shiftbreak in attitude occurs in the ninth stanza. This stanza contrasts other s
tanzas in “M.I.A.”. Here, the main character’s expectation
to come home alive is fulfilled. Therefore, he should be happy and thankful because he is reunited with his family, but there is no such word that
indicates the main character is happy for coming home alive. Moreover, the previous stanzas show that he struggles so much in order to come home
alive. It means that something big occurs which changes the main character’s attitude. The key to reveal the thing that changes him is written
on the second line, “Memories that haunt are passing by”. Here, the horror of the war follows him as disturbing images in his mind. Those images have
a huge impact inside the main character’s mind. They change the main character from a brave and strong soldier into a loner and fearful person.
Based on the findings on gaps, fissures, and discontinuity in the form of contradictionsparadoxes and shiftsbreaks, it i
s clear that “M.I.A.” has a textual disunity. The researcher focuses on the number of stanzas which contribute in
revealing the contradictions and shifts. The third and the sixth stanza reveal the significant contradiction in the lyrics. From those stanzas, it is clear that there is a
conflict between the action and the mind of the main character. If Matthew Sanders wants to convey the meaning of the song that is about courage and bravery of a
soldier in the war to emphasize nationalism, there is no need to show the fear that is felt by the soldier as depicted from the main character. Moreover, the last stanza
shows no courage, but sorrow and fear. The last stanza strengthens the idea that Matthew Sanders wants to say something beyond the bravery and courage as
depicted in “M.I.A.”. As the words in the last stanza depicts the fear of the
memories of the cruel war which has a huge impact to a soldier, it seems that Sanders wants to deliver a message that a soldier can be counted as a victim of war
even though he is still alive. The shift in attitude which is showed in the last stanza strengthens the idea beyond courage.
At this point, the use of the title “M.I.A.” which stands for Missing in Action seems reasonable. This condition suits the new inversion of the binary opposition
discussed above. The last stanza makes the image of fear has more significance than courage and victim has more significance than killer. Therefore, the new
interpretation that can be drawn from “M.I.A.” is that a soldier loses his conscience and soul in the war which make him alive physically, but his soul is taken away in
the war. In other words, the status of being Missing in Action MIA does not only deal with physical status, but also mental status of the soldier after the war.
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CHAPTER V CONCLUSIONS AND SUGGESTIONS
This chapter consists of two parts namely conclusion and suggestions. Conclusion presents the points and final remarks drawn from the analysis. While,
suggestions present some suggestions for the future researchers and for teachers.
A. Conclusions
Having analyzed the meaning of Matthew Sand ers’ “M.I.A.” in Chapter IV,
the deconstruction study comes to an end. Therefore, the researcher has come to the conclusion of this study. This study deals with the meaning acquired from “M.I.A.”
and it has two formulated problems which are “What is the literal meaning of
Matthew Sanders’ ‘M.I.A.’?” and “What is the hidden meaning of Matthew Sanders’ ‘M.I.A.’?” The answers of those problems become the conclusion of this
study. The first answer deals with the literal meaning
of Matthew Sanders’ “M.I.A.”. As described in the Chapter IV, the literal meaning is about courage of a
soldier in the war in the act of killing in order to return home alive. The hardships that the soldier should overcome are clearly shown in the lyrics. Sanders describes
the hardships in series of events. He also includes the internal conflict within the main character. This makes the sense of courage overpower the fear that is felt by
the main character.
The second answer deals with the hidden meaning of Matthew Sanders’
“M.I.A.”. It involves deconstruction reading strategy to achieve the new meaning that can be revealed from the lyrics. This reading strategy emerges new
interpretation of “M.I.A.” This can be seen from the contradictions, shiftsbreaks that exist in the text. There are contradictions found in the third and sixth stanza.
Further, shifts in tone and attitude in the ninth stanza strengthen the idea that Matt Shadows wants to say beyond the lyrics. Those contradiction and shiftsbreaks
show that there is a disunity in the text. Moreover, the inversion of the binary opposition in the text shows that victim and fear are two hidden things that have
significance in the lyrics more than killer and courage as their opposition. The new inte
rpretation of “M.I.A.” after practicing deconstructive reading strategy is that Missing in Action MIA does not only deal with physical status, but also mental
status.
B. Suggestions
In this part, the researcher would like to suggest some recommendations. After conducting a study in
“M.I.A.”, the researcher believes that this study can be developed. The suggestions are divided into three parts as follows:
1. For Future Researchers, Upon Employing the Deconstruction Study
Deconstruction study is not a simple task to do. First, the researcher should master post-structuralism approach. This approach becomes the approach for
deconstruction study. As deconstruction study aims to reveal hidden meaning beneath the surface structure of a text, the researcher needs to employ some theories
that are relevant to the topic discussed. Therefore, several steps are required in conducting deconstruction study. As references, theory and steps provided by Barry
2009 gives clear guidelines to follow in conducting the study.
2. For Future Researchers On “M.I.A.” Song Lyrics
Upon conducting research on “M.I.A.”, the researcher suggests the future
researchers to use historical and biographical approach in order to find the hidden meaning of “M.I.A.”. The focus will be on the author of “M.I.A.” song lyrics. There
are many books discuss this approach. The challenge would be in finding the necessary documents about the author.
3. For Fellow Teachers On Using “M.I.A.” Song Lyrics
In the field of education, the song lyrics of “M.I.A.” could be used as an example of material to conduct teaching in Poetry class. The story of a soldier
depicted in the lyrics becomes the perfect example to see a soldier as a human being rather than a war machine.
59
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