xxii With the consideration above, this research will employ sociopolitical
approach which, according to Roucek and Waren in Isjwara’s Pengantar Ilmu Politik, means
“…branch of sociology which analyses political processes within a sociological frame of reference, orienting its attention particularly
to the dynamics of political behaviour, as it is effected by various social processes, such as corruption, competition, conflicts, etc”
Roucek and Waren in Isjwara, 1982:82.
When talking about sociology and politics, one of the critical aspects in this field cannot be ignored, that is historical approach. As historical approach deals with
the historical and social conditions of certain people in certain times, his research will be used to trace back the ideas, myths, dreams, hopes, facts, and history of
American society in order to get evidence of the long lasting of myth of American paradox.
G. Research Methodology
The research applies descriptive qualitative method. It is descriptive since the research describes the data the way they are and focuses on the description to
explain how and why the characters in Metal Gear Solid reflect the myth of American paradox. In other words, descriptive method deals with collecting,
describing, and analyzing the data. It is qualitative since the research focuses on description:
Penelitian kualitatif melibatkan kegiatan ontologis. Data yang dikumpulkan berupa kata-kata, kalimat, atau gambar yang memiliki
arti lebih daripada angka atau frekuensi Sutopo, 2002:35.
xxiii The main data sources of this research is Playstation CD of Metal Gear
Solid directed by Hideo Kojima, produced by Konami Computer Entertainment Japan in 1998. The main data of this research are the dialogues, characters’ facial
expressions, characters’ behavior, music, and the camera angles which have relationship with the research questions. The supporting data of this research are
taken from articles and references about American stereotypes, references about game, articles about this game, and game script of this game which are related to
the research questions.
H. Thesis Organization
This thesis is divided into four chapters namely introduction, literature review, analysis, and conclusion and recommendation. The arrangement of this
thesis and the division of each chapter are as follow: Chapter one consists of the research background, scope of the study,
research questions, objectives of the study, benefits of the study, theoretical approach, research methodology, and thesis organization.
Chapter two covers the literature review that is divided into five subchapters namely popular culture; semiotic film theory; basic terminologies in
cinematography, Game Console, Playstation, Genre, and Metal Gear Solid; Myth of American Paradox; America Socio-political Condition.
In chapter three, the analysis, including two subchapters namely introduction and analysis, is discussed. Finally, the conclusion and
recommendation are stated in chapter four of this thesis.
xxiv
CHAPTER II LITERATURE REVIEW
