Sarcasm as Evaluation Purposes of Sarcastic Utterances
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The conversation in situation 17 above takes place in the diner when Max comes late to work and she sees that Caroline comes there before her. Actually,
Max wants Caroline to know about something really upsetting which she hears from Manhattan about her and how she feels sorry for her. However, Caroline has
something really upsetting too between her and Max‟s boyfriend for flirting on her before she goes to work.
The conversation is getting tense since Caroline replies with “What did
he say, that I came on to him?” when Max starts to talks about something which is really upsetting that day. The unexpected response from Caroline makes Max
curious about what really happens to her in Max‟s place. Realizing the reference of the pronoun „him‟ there is her boyfriend, Max gets angry because she believes
Caroline for not cheating with her boyfriend when she leaves for her part time job to baby sit in Manhattan.
As Max‟s friend, Caroline gives her advice that Max deserves better than a guy like him even she knows that it is none of her business. However, Max who
is disappointed after knows there is something about Caroline and her boyfriend cannot take Caroline‟s advice and rather has her steps back from Caroline. Her
disappointment makes her sarcastically gives advice back to Caroline which says, “Since you seem to know so much about everything, why dont you take your
Wharton degree, and your ridiculous coat, and figure this all o ut yourself”.
From the utterance, Max actually points out some positive sides from Caroline which are her degree at Wharton University and also her fur and leather
coat that she always wears. However, the positive effects of that facts mutes by PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI
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the means of the expressions “Since you seem to know so much about everything” and
“figure this all out yourself” which highlights the fact that for Max, Caroline is someone who does not know about anything but she acts like she knows the
whole thing and by means that Max does not want to keep up her life again with Caroline. From this case, Max uses sarcasm as the purpose of evaluation since she
evaluates the hearer from her utterance and also the two aspects that is simultaneously being mute there.
Situation 30
Max : Does it have, like, a wood base?
Caroline : nodding Max
: Yup, I used to hide my stash in my mothers bowling trophy, and youre telling me the man who invented a way to defraud
most of New York isnt as clever as a stoned 12-year-old with a butter knife?
The situation above happens at the prison after Caroline visits her father and introduces Max to him. After the conversation,
Caroline‟s father asks Max a favor to accompany his daughter to the estate auction and gets the loving cup
Caroline won jumping with Chestnuts. From that request, Max beliefs that Caroline‟s father must be hiding some money in that loving cup which will be
auctioned off to the public at that day. Max tries to convince Caroline with her belief and also her past
experience to hide her stash inside her mother‟s trophy. Max believes that it makes
sense if Caroline‟s father hides the money to make sure his daughter‟s life ahead. However, from Max‟s sarcastic utterances it can be seen that the sarcasm
she uses is the example for evaluation. In one side, Max shows Caroline‟s father intention to save some money for his daughter is one of good action as a father.
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However, by saying this “and youre telling me the man who invented a way to defraud most of New York isnt as clever as a stoned 12-year-old with a
butter knife? ” the positive comments for Caroline‟s father is reduced since Max
mentions about the negative side from him which is in fact, he is the one who rip off most of people‟s money in New York.
Situation 34
Caroline : So who wants to go in the back and see how amazing our brand new cupcake shop is? smiling happily
Max : Bring down the enthusiasm, Rachael Ray.
The conversation happens when Max and Caroline change their waitress uniform and wear the black t-shirt with the new logo of their new cupcake shop
which will be open that day. Since it is the first day Caroline will run her business again after a long time, she gets her excitement on the highest level which can be
seen through smiles and bright eyes on her face, intonation while she speaks, and also her gestures. Contrast with her best friend, Max is the character that is able to
control her emotion and stays calm as nothing happens. Therefore, when Max sees the excessive enthusiasm in Caroline, she
suggests Caroline to calm herself by bringing down her enthusiasm. It is a kind of negative comment from Max since everything which is not in an appropriate
portion is usually not a good thing to be done. Max tries to bring the enthusiasm down because she cannot guarantee that the soft opening of their cupcake shop is
not as great as Caroline‟s enthusiasm.
However, the name of „Rachel Ray‟ given there, reduces the negative side from Caroline since Rachel Ray is famous with her personality in American
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TV shows and is a businesswoman, a celebrity cook and an author. The character of Rachel Ray raises a positive comment for Caroline and that makes the
utterance here is one of the use of sarcasm as evaluation‟s example.
Situation 40
Caroline : I think its nice of us to add our flowers to the others. Shows respect.
Max : Youre acting like you didnt steal them.
Caroline : Max, its the thought that counts. And I thought itd be cheaper to pull them out of someones garden.
The conversation between two best friends above happens occurs on their way to the diner. Since there is a rock star that died in front of their cupcake shop,
there are lots of his fans who bring flowers, candles, poster of him as their sympathy to their idol. During her walk to the diner, Caroline picks up some
flower from someone‟s garden to be placed in front of their cupcakes shop to show respect like what the fans do.
However Max does not focus at Caroline‟s intention to show respect but more on Caroline‟s act which is happy to bring the flower which she steals from
someone‟s garden. The sarcastic utterance said by Max implies negative and positive sides from Caroline‟s act. The positive meaning implied is that Max gives
her compliment at Caroline‟s best in acting so that she does not look like a woman who just steals flowers. However the negative meaning which mutes the positive
side of Caroline is that in fact, Caroline steals the flower and it is not a proper reason for her to be happy in bringing the flowers in order to show respect.
As the speaker, Max and her sarcastic utterance actually aim to evaluate the hearer for what she does but it does not really sounds as a critique.
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Situation 58
Caroline : I just hate that tour guy. Han
: I hate that tour guy too.
Caroline : Han, oh, my God It took us five years but finally we have something in common.
The conversation of Han and Caroline above takes place in the diner in front of Earl‟s cashier table. At first, Caroline shares with Earl about how
annoying the tour guy is which heartlessly says to the whole tour that small business such as Max‟s cupcake shop will not exist any longer in Williamsburg.
Then suddenly Han comes over hearing that tour guy is the subject of the conversation which he also hates lately since he does not bring the tourist to eat at
Han‟s diner. Caroline
immediately feels happy even she smiles hearing Han‟s confession. Caroline founds something which finally connected her with Han after
5 years she works there. The utterance expresses both positive and negative meaning between Caroline and Han. The positive thing is that Caroline and Han
found something in common for the first time and that is nice to be heard. However, the positive thing can be mute by the negative side which shows that
over this time, Caroline and Han do not have something which can tightened their relation as friends. Those facts are an indicator of sarcasm used as evaluation.