INTRODUCTION Criticism Against Human Rights Violations In C. Hope Flinchbaugh’s Novel Daughter Of China (2002).
CHAPTER I
INTRODUCTION
A. Background of the Research
Shat tuck in his book ent itled Freedom on Fire Human Right s Wars
and America’s Responds (2003: 222) st at ed, “ On June 4, beginning in
Beijing’s Tiananm en Square and cont inuing in cities around the count ry,
t he Chinese arm y killed t housands of unarm ed Chinese cit izens w ho were
peacefully dem onst rating for dem ocracy.” Fukuyama as cit ed by Shat tuck
(2003: 222) explained, “ In cit ies t hroughout China, t ens of thousands of
w orkers, st udent s, and int ellect uals who w ere guilt y of nothing more
t han engaging in basic form s of political expression w ere rounded up and
sent off t o prison, or in som e cases, sum marily execut ed.” Zhou (2005:
110) also explains:
The Unit ed St at es accused t he Chinese gover nm ent of religious
persecut ion, dest roying Tibet ’s cult ural herit age, int ent ionally
moving immigr ant s t o t he region, encouraging abort ion and
st erilizat ion of Tibet an wom en, rest rict ing Tibet an populat ion
growt h, and suppressing Tibet an freedom of speech and fr eedom
of associat ion
According t o the quot ations above, it can be st at ed t hat People’s
Republic of China becam e a remarkable count ry relat ed t o human right s
problems. China which em ployed Com munist ideology had implem ent ed
an authorit y syst em t o it s societ y. This condit ion had got a special
1
2
at t ent ion t o som e West ern count ries and Unit ed St at es of Am erica as t he
front liner in blow ing t he exist ence of hum an rights to the w orld.
God has creat ed human being with the different charact erist ics
w het her physic or physically. The need t o each ot her had creat ed
int eract ions in t he daily life. So, all hum an beings are called social
creat ures. They could not live alone without others. Each individual has
dist inguished characterist ics and t he way of t hinking. They w ere creat ed
by God complet ed w ith privilege t hat made t hem different from anot her
creat ures like plant s and anim als.
All hum an beings are unique and t his condit ion must be
respect ed. But, in some count ries t he employing of a rigid syst em had put
aside and responded lack at t ention t o it . As the result , the arbit rary
t reat m ent s becam e t he consequence for them . The persecut ion,
t ort uring, w ar, discriminat ion, m assacre and genocide are st ill occurred in
som e regions in the world for centuries ago in som e regions in the world.
The hum anit y t ragedies w hich em erged in t he w orld had driven
som e import ant figures t o have t he more at t ent ion to im port ant m eaning
th
of hum an right s. In Decem ber, 10 1948, leading by President Roosevelt ’s
w idow, Eleanor Roosevelt and friends an import ant docum ent had been
declared. It’s nam ed Universal Declaration of Human Right s w hich finally
becam e a pat ronage of human’s freedom and right s. This rule guarant eed
3
each individual libert y. Everyone had t he right t o act , express, and think
based on their conscience.
Daught er of China was w rit t en by C. Hope Flinchbaugh in 2002.
This novel had impressed som e readers about the aut hor’s skill of playing
t he reader’s emot ion t hrough the w ords, sent ence, and paragraphs which
she com bined. Taking t he sit uat ion in China, she w as successfully brought
t he readers t o imagine the dangerous and beat ing situat ion in a region
w here t he human right s exist ence w as regardless. It w as her first fict ion
novel, and then follow ed by t he next t it les such as Across t he China Sky
and I’ll Cross t he River . She w as dist inguished in w rit ing the t hem es of
social problems relat ed t o human right s, children and wom en abuses,
religion, and st at es. Daught er of China had brought t he readers int o t he
crit ical thought s of t he essent ial meaning of human right s for human
beings.
Dandy Daley M ackall, a co- aut hor of Kids Are St ill Saying the
Dandiest Things said, “ Daught er of China is a st riking first novel on m any
levels. Deeply im agined charact ers lead t he reader t hrough page- t urning
drama” . The other t est im ony outlined by Tom Whit e, a direct or of The
Voice of t he M art yrs. He st at ed,” To underst and the heart beat of t he
Chinese church you m ust read t his book.” Those t est imonies show ed t hat
t he author w as in a great skill in combining her ideas and the w ords so
t he reader could feel t he real heart beat ing of t he st ory w it hin the novel.
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Besides t hat , it could be said t hat Daught er of China w as a count able
novel because of it s spot light tow ard hum anit y problem s which w as st ill
exist ed in a modern era.
The st ory began w ith Kwan M ei Lin, an eight een year old girl w ho
w alked along the dark night t hrough sugarcane t o at t end the hidden
w eekly house church meet ing in a cow shed. It w as forbidden and
dangerous t o be a Christian in China with it s com m unism view . M ei Lin
w as Kwan Son’s only daught er, her mother passed aw ay when she w as a
child. At first , she only knew t hat her m ot her w as died because she w as
sick, but her percept ion w as changed since Am ah, her lovely grandmot her
accident ally told the t rue st ory. Her mot her w as died because she w as
caught as a Christ ian by Public Securit y Bureau (PSB). She was t ort ured
and imprisoned. M ei Lin lived in Tanching village w it h her fat her and
grandmot her who w as a faithful Buddhist.
Kw an M ei Lin w as a smart girl. She was t he only daught er of Kw an
So. Although M ei Lin lived in a village live, she had the m odern t hinking
and passion which w ere rarely ow ned by m ost of t he girls in China at t hat
t im e. She had a dream t o reach her big dream by continuing her st udy in
Shanghai Universit y aft er graduat ing from Tanching Senior High School.
She did not w ant to spent the rest of her life only in Tanching village and
t ake care of the rice paddies and the sugarcane. She w ant ed t o have a
bet t er life w ith the good w elfare.
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Her belief as Christ ian could bring her into a dangerous zone
anyt ime. One of t he bad effect s w as the risk t o her fut ure career. If M ei
Lin’s faith w as know n by others especially t he governm ent she w ould be
im prisoned and lost her chance t o have an occasion t o st udy in Shanghai
Universit y. She also w ould be labelled as a count errevolut ionary. She had
a Christian close friend. He w as Past or Chen’s son; the leader of house
church meet ing in St anching village, his name w as Chen Liko. He w as also
eight een years old like M ei Lin. He oft en shared every ideas and advices
t o M ei Lin about everyt hing.
One day, t here w as an issue t hat the house church m eet ing w as
det ect ed by Public Securit y Bureau. The house church members w ere so
anxious and w orry every t im e w hen t hey did their w orshiping activit y.
How ever, t heir faith of being Christian had encouraged t hem to cont inue
t he religious activit ies such as having the meet ing, praying t oget her,
list ening, learning and sharing t heir religious experience from every
confession delivered by each mem ber.
Their anxiet y and worry cam e int o a realit y. When t hey gat hered
in house church m eet ing, t he cadres of PSB suddenly cam e. Past or Chen
w as int errogat ed, beat en, dragged and sent into t he prison by them . The
other m em bers were also labelled as distinguished people because t heir
religious activit ies w ere st ill done regularly. The w orst consequence also
em erged to Pastor Chen’s family. It w as especially for Liko’s future and
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dream t o cont inue his study to WuM a M edical College. His big dreamas a
doctor might be failed because of t he case which happened to his fat her.
It w as added by his father crucial position his fat her as a Christ ian leader
of Tanching house church meet ing. Luckily, M ei Lin and her fat her w er e
safe in that poor t ragedy.
The beat ing st ory also reflect ed w hen on t he way t o go t o house
church meet ing, Liko and M ei Lin met a wom an in the darkness. She w as
a sixt h pregnant w om an w ith her dirt y clot hes and the anxious face. Her
name w as Liu An. She was a nurse. She ran from Du Yan village because
she w as spied by t he Women’s Federat ion. They w ould t ake h er t o t he
count y hospit al and force her t o abort the baby because she w as
identified in her second pregnancy.
Then, in the m uddy and dirt y condit ion, t hey carried Liu An to st ay
in M ei Lin’s house. Am ah and M ei Lin’s fat her w elcomed her as if she
w ere a relat ive. In ret urn, she pract ically st umbled over help t rying t o be
helpful. Liu An’s exist ence in their house reminded Am ah of M ei Lin’s
fort une t o be born safely. Since t he One Child Law , m ost parent s do not
keep t heir baby girl. The sadness st ory was happened to M ei Lin’s aunt ,
Te w ho begged to her husband to save t heir baby. The poor infant w as
born and put inside t he jar and crying her last breat h. Te lost her mind
aft er being forced t o lost the baby. But, t he lucky t hing happened t o her
because she could bear a baby boy in her second pregnancy. M ost
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Chinese kept t heir new -born sons because by t radition the boy w ould
t ake care of t he parent s in their old age. Baby girls w ere m ost ly abort ed,
killed or abandoned. It was a China old t radit ion w hich w ere st ill exist
am ong Chinese cit izen.
In this novel, it can be seen t hat the conflict of choosing t he
religion becam e t he most rem arkable point. Aft er t he t ragedy, t he Chen’s
fam ily w as labelled as cont ra revolut ionary. The at t ack from PSB cadres
w as cont inued t o Liko and M rs Chen. They w ere forced t o pass out from
t heir house, embarrassed and announced as t he examples of t he bad
elem ent s because of t heir belief as Christ ians. It became a special
w arning for M ei Lin had to be careful for avoiding t he risks t hat might be
happened to her in t he unpredict able t ime. Past or Chen’s fam ily becam e
t he black list for the count ry.
The novel clearly reflect ed how powerful the cadre’s posit ion
w hich in this case as t he represent at ive of t he governm ent was. It w as
Cadre Fang w ho asked M ei Lin t o get m arried w ith her. His pow erful
posit ion as t he cadre of PSB had encouraged his confidence t o st at e
marriage proposal t o M ei Lin who w as still her t eenager age. M ei Lin w as
obviously reject ed it although he promised her w ith the abundant
propert ies and w elfare. There w as an assumption that it w as the
uncommon thing that most of Chinese women w ere get t ing m arried
because of love. It w as luck for t hem t o get and find love aft er m arriage.
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Their marriages w ere arranged for procreat ion, parent hood, and financial
securit y. Of course, t his view w as cont radict ive t o M ei Lin who had
different perspect ive. She believed t hat her educat ion level and a great
carrier w ere m ore im port ant than t he cadres’ sw eet prom ises. She
believed t hat t he educat ion w as an import ant point w hich could safe her
from the povert y problem in t he future.
One day, M ei Lin’s careless act ion at school had driven her into
t he gat e of t he poor fat e. Professor Jiang, her t eacher of Political class
accident ally knew M ei Lin’s gest ure of Christian w ay of w orshiping. She
w as so afraid and anxious. She thought that it was t he end of her life and
dream . Both of them w ere involved in a conversat ion. In order t o be safe,
she pret ended t hat she w as st ill loyal to the Communist part y and did not
w ant to replay that action anym ore. But her Professor had given her t he
w arning and a t error t hat m ight happen to her anyt im e.
Aft er she cam e back from school, she t old that urgent sit uation to
her fat her. Suddenly the worst thing happened. Som e cadres of PSB,
including Cadre Fang, cam e t o t heir house. They int errogat ed M ei Lin and
her fat her about t heir t reason t o t he communist part y by involving the
w est ern belief in their daily life. In a difficult condit ion, M ei Lin finally
out lined her brave of being fait hful to Jesus and confessed him as her
God; she could not leave her belief, and she declared t hat she w as a
fait hful Christian. She also refused t o leave t he faith. Her st at em ent w as
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like a t hunderst orm for t he cadres. The cadres direct ly caught her
doubtless. They arrest ed, bet , tort ured, and finally imprisoned her. She
w as brought out of her house with their full body injured. She lost her
consciousness for a while.
She woke up w it h the dried blood in som e part s of her weak body.
She w as at t he dark, cold, dirt y, and sm all room. She w as in Shanghai
Prison. The condition became w orst because she was put in t he ironical
condit ion. There w ere rat s everyw here, t he sm ell of human’s w aste and
t he rat s also fulfilled that small room. She w as alone and did not know
w here she w as act ually. The PSB’s cadres had laid her in a poor condition.
She w as st arved and thirst y. She w as only given t he less nut rit ion food,
like kaoliang , a kind of a coarse Chinese sorghum. Som etimes she w as
also given a rice bow l with sand in it. In her loneliness, she cont emplated
about her condit ion. She only could cry, scream and shout realizing her
condit ion. Her faith had brought her into a dilem m at ic sit uat ion. Her
fait h to Jesus had jeopardized her. Lit tle by lit tle, she rem em bered about
her fat her and Amah. She w as anxious about her lovely family’s fat e aft er
t he t ragedy.
The living in a prison w as not easy. But , as t he powerless cit izen
she could not do anything except being given up about her condition. In
t hat litt le hell; she w as st ill int errogat ed. She had been asked for m any
t im es by t he w arden t o convince her sins against t he st at e. She w as
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forced t o sim ply w rit e a confession of her sins and did not have longer
believed in Jesus Christ . But , she w as st ill in her belief in her lovely Lord.
Handling t his condit ion, the w ardens sent never ending mocking to her.
At t he sam e t im e she had to be ready for losing her dream t o
continue her study at Shanghai Universit y. She had to sacrifice her futur e
dream as a teacher. There w ould be no universit y t hat regist ers som eone
w ho was labelled as a count errevolut ionary w ith a prison record. But , in
t his condit ion she pref erred t o be faith in Jesus. There w as t he
indescribable of enjoyment for being Christian inside her soul.
M ei Lin’s love of Christ ian did not st op although she w as hurtled
physically and psychologically. She t hought t hat it w ould be a valuable
occasion for her t o have her ow n m inist ry spreading out the meaning of
Jesus’ love t o t he other prisoners. She had a brilliant idea t about her
int ent ion. At first , she begged t he w arden perm ission to clean up the
other rooms of t he jail. Aft er having t he allowance; she pret ended t o
have w illingness t o clean up the other prisoners’ rooms. So, she could
freely do her act ions. She m et some m en in t heir weak and dirt y
condit ion. She finally could do her mission well. Unfort unately, her
honour mission was known by t he w arden. The head of the w arden w as
so angry w ith her. He also yelled the w ords that humiliat ed M ei Lin’s God.
The next day, t he other w arden w as found in his death body. This
sit uation w as concerned as the odd to t he other w ardens. They t hought
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t hat it w as regarded because of his w ords t hat dedicat ed t o M ei Lin and
her God had brought him into the misfort une. They felt so afraid if M ei
Lin w as st ill there, t he bad fat e w ould happen to them . Then, t hey
decided t o release her. A miraculous t hing was happened to her.
When M ei Lin w as released from Shanghai prison, she did not
know the exact locat ion she w as st anding. Then she w alked along the
path of the st reet . She saw t he st range view t hat she’d never seen before.
Big building of t he shops and m all which were st anding faced t he blue
skies. She was also upset w it h t he people fashion w ith the skirt , sport y
shoes, t - shirt, and jeans. She w as worried if those w ere looking at her
w ith t he big quest ions because of her appearance.
Then, on her amazing feeling about Shanghai, she met an old
w om an named Deng Su, usually called by M other Su. M ei Lin also t old to
her about Jesus. It seem s t hat M other Su w elcom ed t o every single of
M ei Lin’s w ord. M other Su gave t he address of her apart ment building.
She also advised her t o go there by herself in order not t o be caught any
curiosit y by t he police. There w as also Sun Chang, M other Su’s daught er.
M ei Lin was w elcome and t aken care in their apart m ent . It’s luck for her
t hat she could get t he miracle m eet ing w it h t he kind family. They t reat ed
her as if she w ere a relat ive. She w as given t he nut ritious food and the
comfort place t o recover t heir painful body. They shared everyt hing unt il
t here w as t he upset thing known.
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In her leisure t im e, she w alked down through t he cit y. She
enjoyed t he cit y at m osphere unt il she met a nine year old lit t le boy
named Yat ou. But , finally she w as known as a lit tle girl. She pret ended t o
be a boy because it w as a dangerous t hing to be ident ified by others. She
w as in st arving because she had not eat en for t hree days. Her parent s
and her grandmot her were passed aw ay and she was also hom eless. It
made M ei Lin w as upset . She decided t o go back t o the apart m ent t aking
som e foods. She w as so afraid of being arrest ed. She w as asked by M ei
Lin to st ay t oget her in M ot her Su’s apart m ent if she w as perm it t ed.
Luckily, M ot her Su welcom ed her w ell. But, it did not happen to Chang.
She w as in worried because it might be too risky t o bring Yat ou t o their
apart m ent . This condit ion did not happen t oo long. Chang finally could
follow her mom’s perspect ive t o take care of Yat ou.
Based on Yat ou’s sharing experiences she got t he bad t reat m ent
in Shanghai Orphanage. She ran aw ay and afraid of being arrest ed. M ost
of the children t here w ere oppressed. They did not have chance to enjoy
t heir right s. It especially happened t o the girls. They had t o pret end t hat
t hey w ere boys. So, it w as only a dream for her t o have long hair. The
orphanage w orkers m ade t hem get t heir hair shaved off every m onth or
t w o, and all t he girls hat ed t o have bald heads. M other Su, Chang, and
M ei Lin really knew t his condition. So, they also m ade up Yat ou becam e
more t idy looking in the boyish fashion. At that t im e, Yat ou w ant ed to
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change her nam e into Kw an Zhu. Kw an became a sym bol that they w ere
sist ers.
The m eet ing w ith Brot her Tom had brought her into a lucky fat e.
He w as a domest ic people w ith his Christ ian religion. But, he w as carefully
hid it from the other people. He was so kind and sm art m an. He w as
really excit ed t o m eet t he ot her faithful Christ ian. He w as so w elcom ed t o
M ei Lin. He gave her t w o Bibles. Since t hat day, M ei Lin becam e m ore
opt imist ic that the beautiful fat e w ould close t o her.
Being separat ed from her lovely fam ily had made M ei Lin t hought
t o go back t o Tanching. She planned to look for a job in order t o fund her
w ay back hom e. Luckily for her t hat on her way w ith Kw an Zhu (Yatou),
t hey m et Brot her Tom w it h the good new s for t hem. He brought an
envelope w ith t wo t rain t icket s and som e money in it. It w as like a miracle
for M ei Lin t hat everyt hing was happened so quickly. Brot her Tom had a
great planning for t hem. He planned it wit h t he good preparat ion. He
planned som e brilliant ideas, so t here w ould be no one w ho would saw
t hem in st range percept ion. So, t hey would have the safe t rip.
Finally, t he t rain arrived in WuM a t rain st at ion. They m et Past or
Wong. Aft er having t he rest t im e for a w hile, t hey cont inued the planning
t o m eet Zhu in t he orphanage. They saw filthy condition that every room
w as in very bad condit ion. The most orphanages w ere infant baby girls
but there w ere also some boys t oo. There w ere shabby, dim ly lit room
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t hat racked of urine and faeces. There w ere four row s of rust y cribs and
cot s, w it h four t o five infant girls cram med in each one, crying on t heir
own w ast e. There w ere also the babies w ho grabbed their bot tles, at e
lust ily, and incapable of holding their own bot tles.
Then, t hey could find Zhu in t he other door. He w as founded in a
very
sick
condition.
He had
cont ract ed
pneumonia.
He’d
been
unconscious for several days. Yat ou needed few times t o w ake him up
because of his w eak body. In the deep on her heart , she was crying but
she t ried t o st rengt h him. She did preaching and let him to believe in
Jesus. Zhu finally could be a Christ ian in his last breat h. Then, he passed
aw ay. The st arvat ion problem s w ere occurred t o children in t he
orphanage, but in the other side t here w as t he opportunit y to give st ocks
of juice t o t he orphanage w orkers. It w as an ironical sit uation that most
of t he children w ere in a m alnourished condition.
The follow ing days, t hey cont inued t heir t rip t o Tanching village. It
w as t he m om ent w hich w as w ait ed by M ei Lin. She could hug Am ah and
her fat her t ightly. There w as different condition of M ei Lin that she
looked skinnier t han as usual. The more happy m om ent w as when M ei
Lin could m eet Li Ko. They had beaut iful promise t o be a couple and there
w ould be a beaut iful m arriage under Jesus love as t he fait hful Christ ians.
The st ory ends with t he consist ence of the Christ ians figures t o keep t he
fait h to Jesus Christ as the Salvation.
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The novel had the special charact erist ics of raising phenom ena
w ithin societ y. It exposed about t he persecut ed right s of people’s life
aspect s in t he m odern era at t he end of the t w ent iet h century. The
author did not only combine t he hum an right s’ problems but also her
special religious int ent ion of evangelical m ission. This sit uation w as
happened as t he effect of the author’s social background which w as
relat ed t o her m ore at t ent ion t o the problem s about st at e, hum an right s,
children, and religion.
For years, People’s Republic of China had been popular w ith
human right s problem s. This problem got m ore at t ent ion from w est ern
count ries including Unit ed St at es of America. But , China governm ent
always had t he ways t o overcome this int erpret at ion. W an (2001: 8)
st at ed,
“ Since t he mid 1990’s, human right s in China had set t led in as a
more diplomat ic issue wit h t he Unit ed St at es. W hine human
right s remains on issue bet w een Chinese and W est er n
gover nm ent s as a result of domest ic pressure in t he West ,
Beijing has succeeded i n marginalizing human right s disput es in
it s off icial relat ions w it h t he west . W hile insist ing on a vigorous
st ance on human right s in China, t he U.S government now sees
human right s as only one of a whole series of issues in China.”
China pulled t he w orld’s at t ent ion by the Tiananm en Square
t ragedy in 1989. This crackdown had signed t hat hum an right s in China
w as fragile since it w as report ed in media. This t ragedy w as an
unforget t able moment because t housands of dem onst rat ors consist of
st udent s w as shot brut ally by t he Chinese t roops. This t ragedy had got
16
t he hard w arning from the w est ern count ries because it could be
considered as human right s violation. Those demonst rators had claim ed
t hat dem ocracy have t o be employed in that count ry.
There are several reasons w hy the w rit er of this thesis
recom m ended C. Hope Flinchbaugh’s novel Daught er of China . First , the
novel exposed t w o pow erful count ries in t he world w it h t he different
view s. They are Unit ed St at es of Am erica and People’s Republic of China.
Second, it w as an int erest ing t hing t hat the novel’s aut hor is an Am erican
but she has t he more exposit ion of t he other count ry like China. Third,
t he aut hor had m ore at t ention t o the hum an right s violat ion problem s
and criticized t hem into t he int erest ing language and plot. Fourth, there
w as another finding within the novel. It w as the author’s evangelical
mission which w as implicitly conveyed by t he author
Evangelism is t he act ion to spread out Christ ian belief t o ot hers in
order t o have t he deeper underst anding about
Jesus’ salvat ion.
Evangelicals becam e t he cent re part of conducting t hese messages. The
exist ence of evangelicalism had coloured t he sit uation of Unit ed St at es
president elect ion at t he lat e of the t w ent ieth century. As t he increasing
of t he religious societ y support ed by the appearance of President George
Walker Bush at the early era of millennium as the Unit ed St at es leader
w hich had been backed by t he ballot s of evangelicals. He assigned som e
professional people w ho w ere prominent to t heir religious background t o
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be t he leader of some m inist ries. In the era of President George W alker
Bush, the religious right becam e on t he t op rank among Am erican societ y.
He also had t he m ore concerned t o t he m ore at t ent ion t o som e social
needs dedicat ed to his societ y.
Based on the explanation above, t he writ er construct s t he t it le of
t his t hesis as “ CRITICISM AGAINST HUM AN RIGHTS VIOLATIONS IN
C. HOPE FLINCHBAUGH’S NOVEL DAUGHTER OF CHINA (2002)”
B.
Problems St at em ent s
The problems st at em ent s of t he research are:
1.
How is social cont ext of Daught er of China?
2.
How is t he criticism of t he author against the violat ions of human
right s?
3.
How is the author’s evangelical m ission?
C.
Limit at ion of the Research
Recognizing t he discussion area, t he w rit er of the t hesis focuses
on the analysis int o t wo m ain part s. The first is about human right s
violations and t he second is evangelical mission which conveyed implicitly
by the aut hor.
In advance, the w rit er of this t hesis w ill focus on t he problem s of
human right s violat ions reflect ed in t he novel. Then, she w ill cont inue t o
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describe social cont ext of People’s Republic of China and Unit ed St at es of
Am erica’s at t he end of the t w ent iet h century in t erm s of social, politic,
economic, knowledge and t echnology developm ent, cultural and religious
aspect s. Aft er underst anding the social background, she w ill analyse t he
human right s violations which w ere port rayed in the novel. Next , t his
research w ill be cont inued by the analysis of the aut hor’s voice against
human right s violations.
Second, the ot her finding w ithin the novel. It was about
evangelical m ission proposed by t he aut hor because of her m ore
at t ent ion about religious problem in China societ y.
D.
Object ives of the Research
The Object ives of t he research are as follows:
1.
To describe social cont ext of Daught er of China,
2.
To ident ify t he crit icism of the author against t he violation of
human right s,
3.
To reveal t he author’s evangelical mission.
E.
Benefit s of the Research
The benefits of this research are cat egorized into theoret ical and
pract ical benefit s. Theoret ically, this research can give m ore cont ribution
in underst anding about t he social cont ext of Daught er of China, t he
19
crit icism of t he aut hor against t he violation of hum an right s, and the
author’s evangelical mission. First , t he w rit er of the t hesis w ill elaborat e
t he background of t he novel w hich deals w ith t he social cont ext of
People’s Republic of China and Unit ed St at es of Am erica at t he end of t he
t w ent y cent ury. It w ill be very import ant for t he readers t o have m ore
beneficial underst anding about the social condition in Unit ed St at es of
Am erica and China. Besides t hat it can give t he other underst anding
about t he social relat ion bet w een t he lit erary w ork and a current social
background.
Second, she also w ill elaborat e t he point of hum an right s. It w ill be
an import ant thing for t he readers t o underst and about the not ion of
human right s, historical developm ent
of human right s, Universal
Declarat ion of Hum an Right s (UDHR), classificat ion of hum an right s,
conceptual developm ent of human right s, and human right s violations.
There w ill be som e beneficial inform ation about t he kinds of hum an
right s violations which w ere reflect ed w it hin t he novel.
Third, she w ill invest igat e about the charact erist ics evangelical
mission reflect ed in t he novel. It w ill be beneficial for t he readers t o have
more addit ional knowledge about the difference bet w een evangelicalism
and evangelical. The next informat ion will be evangelical mission which
w as implicitly conveyed by the author.
20
Next ,
t his
research
w ill
pract ically
give
som e
additional
informat ion t o t he next researchers w ho are int erest ed in having t he
lit erary research t o recom mend C. Hope Flinchbaugh novels t o be
invest igat ed. Besides t hat, it is hoped t hat this research can inspire the
readers t o have more ent husiasm in invest igat ing and developing lit erary
research.
F.
Thesis Organizat ion
In order t o give brief explanation of t his research, this thesis is
divided into seven chapt ers.
Chapt er I elaborat es t he Int roduct ion. It consist s of background of
t he research, problem st at ement s, lim it ation of the research, object ive of
t he research, benefit s of the research, and thesis organizat ion.
Chapt er II defines Lit erat ure Review which consist s of t he rreview
of Previous St udies. Then it will be continued by t he explanat ion of the
sociology of lit erat ure. Aft er t hat , there w ill be t he explanat ion of the
not ion of hum an right s. This part consist s of the not ion of hum an right s,
historical development of human right s, Universal Declarat ion of Human
Right s, classificat ion of human right s, conceptual development of human
right s, and human right s violat ion. The next exposition w ill be the
author’s social background and evangelical mission.
21
Chapt er III deals w ith Research M et hodology. It consist s of t ypes
of t he research, object of t he research, t ype of t he dat a and data source,
t echnique of the data collect ion, and t echnique of the dat a analysis.
Chapt er IV describes t he social cont ext of Unit ed St at es of
Am erica and People’s Republic of China at the end of the t w ent y cent ury
w hich elaborat es in social, economic, politic, know ledge and t echnology
development, cult ural, and religious aspect s.
Chapt er V explores port rait of hum an right s violations in the
novel. Chapt er VI explores t he voices of t he author. This chapt er w ill be
divided into t wo m ajor point s. They are t he aut hor’s crit ics or voice about
human right s violations and t he evangelical mission.
Chapt er VII outlines t he conclusion, suggestion, and pedagogical
im plicat ion of this thesis.
INTRODUCTION
A. Background of the Research
Shat tuck in his book ent itled Freedom on Fire Human Right s Wars
and America’s Responds (2003: 222) st at ed, “ On June 4, beginning in
Beijing’s Tiananm en Square and cont inuing in cities around the count ry,
t he Chinese arm y killed t housands of unarm ed Chinese cit izens w ho were
peacefully dem onst rating for dem ocracy.” Fukuyama as cit ed by Shat tuck
(2003: 222) explained, “ In cit ies t hroughout China, t ens of thousands of
w orkers, st udent s, and int ellect uals who w ere guilt y of nothing more
t han engaging in basic form s of political expression w ere rounded up and
sent off t o prison, or in som e cases, sum marily execut ed.” Zhou (2005:
110) also explains:
The Unit ed St at es accused t he Chinese gover nm ent of religious
persecut ion, dest roying Tibet ’s cult ural herit age, int ent ionally
moving immigr ant s t o t he region, encouraging abort ion and
st erilizat ion of Tibet an wom en, rest rict ing Tibet an populat ion
growt h, and suppressing Tibet an freedom of speech and fr eedom
of associat ion
According t o the quot ations above, it can be st at ed t hat People’s
Republic of China becam e a remarkable count ry relat ed t o human right s
problems. China which em ployed Com munist ideology had implem ent ed
an authorit y syst em t o it s societ y. This condit ion had got a special
1
2
at t ent ion t o som e West ern count ries and Unit ed St at es of Am erica as t he
front liner in blow ing t he exist ence of hum an rights to the w orld.
God has creat ed human being with the different charact erist ics
w het her physic or physically. The need t o each ot her had creat ed
int eract ions in t he daily life. So, all hum an beings are called social
creat ures. They could not live alone without others. Each individual has
dist inguished characterist ics and t he way of t hinking. They w ere creat ed
by God complet ed w ith privilege t hat made t hem different from anot her
creat ures like plant s and anim als.
All hum an beings are unique and t his condit ion must be
respect ed. But, in some count ries t he employing of a rigid syst em had put
aside and responded lack at t ention t o it . As the result , the arbit rary
t reat m ent s becam e t he consequence for them . The persecut ion,
t ort uring, w ar, discriminat ion, m assacre and genocide are st ill occurred in
som e regions in the world for centuries ago in som e regions in the world.
The hum anit y t ragedies w hich em erged in t he w orld had driven
som e import ant figures t o have t he more at t ent ion to im port ant m eaning
th
of hum an right s. In Decem ber, 10 1948, leading by President Roosevelt ’s
w idow, Eleanor Roosevelt and friends an import ant docum ent had been
declared. It’s nam ed Universal Declaration of Human Right s w hich finally
becam e a pat ronage of human’s freedom and right s. This rule guarant eed
3
each individual libert y. Everyone had t he right t o act , express, and think
based on their conscience.
Daught er of China was w rit t en by C. Hope Flinchbaugh in 2002.
This novel had impressed som e readers about the aut hor’s skill of playing
t he reader’s emot ion t hrough the w ords, sent ence, and paragraphs which
she com bined. Taking t he sit uat ion in China, she w as successfully brought
t he readers t o imagine the dangerous and beat ing situat ion in a region
w here t he human right s exist ence w as regardless. It w as her first fict ion
novel, and then follow ed by t he next t it les such as Across t he China Sky
and I’ll Cross t he River . She w as dist inguished in w rit ing the t hem es of
social problems relat ed t o human right s, children and wom en abuses,
religion, and st at es. Daught er of China had brought t he readers int o t he
crit ical thought s of t he essent ial meaning of human right s for human
beings.
Dandy Daley M ackall, a co- aut hor of Kids Are St ill Saying the
Dandiest Things said, “ Daught er of China is a st riking first novel on m any
levels. Deeply im agined charact ers lead t he reader t hrough page- t urning
drama” . The other t est im ony outlined by Tom Whit e, a direct or of The
Voice of t he M art yrs. He st at ed,” To underst and the heart beat of t he
Chinese church you m ust read t his book.” Those t est imonies show ed t hat
t he author w as in a great skill in combining her ideas and the w ords so
t he reader could feel t he real heart beat ing of t he st ory w it hin the novel.
4
Besides t hat , it could be said t hat Daught er of China w as a count able
novel because of it s spot light tow ard hum anit y problem s which w as st ill
exist ed in a modern era.
The st ory began w ith Kwan M ei Lin, an eight een year old girl w ho
w alked along the dark night t hrough sugarcane t o at t end the hidden
w eekly house church meet ing in a cow shed. It w as forbidden and
dangerous t o be a Christian in China with it s com m unism view . M ei Lin
w as Kwan Son’s only daught er, her mother passed aw ay when she w as a
child. At first , she only knew t hat her m ot her w as died because she w as
sick, but her percept ion w as changed since Am ah, her lovely grandmot her
accident ally told the t rue st ory. Her mot her w as died because she w as
caught as a Christ ian by Public Securit y Bureau (PSB). She was t ort ured
and imprisoned. M ei Lin lived in Tanching village w it h her fat her and
grandmot her who w as a faithful Buddhist.
Kw an M ei Lin w as a smart girl. She was t he only daught er of Kw an
So. Although M ei Lin lived in a village live, she had the m odern t hinking
and passion which w ere rarely ow ned by m ost of t he girls in China at t hat
t im e. She had a dream t o reach her big dream by continuing her st udy in
Shanghai Universit y aft er graduat ing from Tanching Senior High School.
She did not w ant to spent the rest of her life only in Tanching village and
t ake care of the rice paddies and the sugarcane. She w ant ed t o have a
bet t er life w ith the good w elfare.
5
Her belief as Christ ian could bring her into a dangerous zone
anyt ime. One of t he bad effect s w as the risk t o her fut ure career. If M ei
Lin’s faith w as know n by others especially t he governm ent she w ould be
im prisoned and lost her chance t o have an occasion t o st udy in Shanghai
Universit y. She also w ould be labelled as a count errevolut ionary. She had
a Christian close friend. He w as Past or Chen’s son; the leader of house
church meet ing in St anching village, his name w as Chen Liko. He w as also
eight een years old like M ei Lin. He oft en shared every ideas and advices
t o M ei Lin about everyt hing.
One day, t here w as an issue t hat the house church m eet ing w as
det ect ed by Public Securit y Bureau. The house church members w ere so
anxious and w orry every t im e w hen t hey did their w orshiping activit y.
How ever, t heir faith of being Christian had encouraged t hem to cont inue
t he religious activit ies such as having the meet ing, praying t oget her,
list ening, learning and sharing t heir religious experience from every
confession delivered by each mem ber.
Their anxiet y and worry cam e int o a realit y. When t hey gat hered
in house church m eet ing, t he cadres of PSB suddenly cam e. Past or Chen
w as int errogat ed, beat en, dragged and sent into t he prison by them . The
other m em bers were also labelled as distinguished people because t heir
religious activit ies w ere st ill done regularly. The w orst consequence also
em erged to Pastor Chen’s family. It w as especially for Liko’s future and
6
dream t o cont inue his study to WuM a M edical College. His big dreamas a
doctor might be failed because of t he case which happened to his fat her.
It w as added by his father crucial position his fat her as a Christ ian leader
of Tanching house church meet ing. Luckily, M ei Lin and her fat her w er e
safe in that poor t ragedy.
The beat ing st ory also reflect ed w hen on t he way t o go t o house
church meet ing, Liko and M ei Lin met a wom an in the darkness. She w as
a sixt h pregnant w om an w ith her dirt y clot hes and the anxious face. Her
name w as Liu An. She was a nurse. She ran from Du Yan village because
she w as spied by t he Women’s Federat ion. They w ould t ake h er t o t he
count y hospit al and force her t o abort the baby because she w as
identified in her second pregnancy.
Then, in the m uddy and dirt y condit ion, t hey carried Liu An to st ay
in M ei Lin’s house. Am ah and M ei Lin’s fat her w elcomed her as if she
w ere a relat ive. In ret urn, she pract ically st umbled over help t rying t o be
helpful. Liu An’s exist ence in their house reminded Am ah of M ei Lin’s
fort une t o be born safely. Since t he One Child Law , m ost parent s do not
keep t heir baby girl. The sadness st ory was happened to M ei Lin’s aunt ,
Te w ho begged to her husband to save t heir baby. The poor infant w as
born and put inside t he jar and crying her last breat h. Te lost her mind
aft er being forced t o lost the baby. But, t he lucky t hing happened t o her
because she could bear a baby boy in her second pregnancy. M ost
7
Chinese kept t heir new -born sons because by t radition the boy w ould
t ake care of t he parent s in their old age. Baby girls w ere m ost ly abort ed,
killed or abandoned. It was a China old t radit ion w hich w ere st ill exist
am ong Chinese cit izen.
In this novel, it can be seen t hat the conflict of choosing t he
religion becam e t he most rem arkable point. Aft er t he t ragedy, t he Chen’s
fam ily w as labelled as cont ra revolut ionary. The at t ack from PSB cadres
w as cont inued t o Liko and M rs Chen. They w ere forced t o pass out from
t heir house, embarrassed and announced as t he examples of t he bad
elem ent s because of t heir belief as Christ ians. It became a special
w arning for M ei Lin had to be careful for avoiding t he risks t hat might be
happened to her in t he unpredict able t ime. Past or Chen’s fam ily becam e
t he black list for the count ry.
The novel clearly reflect ed how powerful the cadre’s posit ion
w hich in this case as t he represent at ive of t he governm ent was. It w as
Cadre Fang w ho asked M ei Lin t o get m arried w ith her. His pow erful
posit ion as t he cadre of PSB had encouraged his confidence t o st at e
marriage proposal t o M ei Lin who w as still her t eenager age. M ei Lin w as
obviously reject ed it although he promised her w ith the abundant
propert ies and w elfare. There w as an assumption that it w as the
uncommon thing that most of Chinese women w ere get t ing m arried
because of love. It w as luck for t hem t o get and find love aft er m arriage.
8
Their marriages w ere arranged for procreat ion, parent hood, and financial
securit y. Of course, t his view w as cont radict ive t o M ei Lin who had
different perspect ive. She believed t hat her educat ion level and a great
carrier w ere m ore im port ant than t he cadres’ sw eet prom ises. She
believed t hat t he educat ion w as an import ant point w hich could safe her
from the povert y problem in t he future.
One day, M ei Lin’s careless act ion at school had driven her into
t he gat e of t he poor fat e. Professor Jiang, her t eacher of Political class
accident ally knew M ei Lin’s gest ure of Christian w ay of w orshiping. She
w as so afraid and anxious. She thought that it was t he end of her life and
dream . Both of them w ere involved in a conversat ion. In order t o be safe,
she pret ended t hat she w as st ill loyal to the Communist part y and did not
w ant to replay that action anym ore. But her Professor had given her t he
w arning and a t error t hat m ight happen to her anyt im e.
Aft er she cam e back from school, she t old that urgent sit uation to
her fat her. Suddenly the worst thing happened. Som e cadres of PSB,
including Cadre Fang, cam e t o t heir house. They int errogat ed M ei Lin and
her fat her about t heir t reason t o t he communist part y by involving the
w est ern belief in their daily life. In a difficult condit ion, M ei Lin finally
out lined her brave of being fait hful to Jesus and confessed him as her
God; she could not leave her belief, and she declared t hat she w as a
fait hful Christian. She also refused t o leave t he faith. Her st at em ent w as
9
like a t hunderst orm for t he cadres. The cadres direct ly caught her
doubtless. They arrest ed, bet , tort ured, and finally imprisoned her. She
w as brought out of her house with their full body injured. She lost her
consciousness for a while.
She woke up w it h the dried blood in som e part s of her weak body.
She w as at t he dark, cold, dirt y, and sm all room. She w as in Shanghai
Prison. The condition became w orst because she was put in t he ironical
condit ion. There w ere rat s everyw here, t he sm ell of human’s w aste and
t he rat s also fulfilled that small room. She w as alone and did not know
w here she w as act ually. The PSB’s cadres had laid her in a poor condition.
She w as st arved and thirst y. She w as only given t he less nut rit ion food,
like kaoliang , a kind of a coarse Chinese sorghum. Som etimes she w as
also given a rice bow l with sand in it. In her loneliness, she cont emplated
about her condit ion. She only could cry, scream and shout realizing her
condit ion. Her faith had brought her into a dilem m at ic sit uat ion. Her
fait h to Jesus had jeopardized her. Lit tle by lit tle, she rem em bered about
her fat her and Amah. She w as anxious about her lovely family’s fat e aft er
t he t ragedy.
The living in a prison w as not easy. But , as t he powerless cit izen
she could not do anything except being given up about her condition. In
t hat litt le hell; she w as st ill int errogat ed. She had been asked for m any
t im es by t he w arden t o convince her sins against t he st at e. She w as
10
forced t o sim ply w rit e a confession of her sins and did not have longer
believed in Jesus Christ . But , she w as st ill in her belief in her lovely Lord.
Handling t his condit ion, the w ardens sent never ending mocking to her.
At t he sam e t im e she had to be ready for losing her dream t o
continue her study at Shanghai Universit y. She had to sacrifice her futur e
dream as a teacher. There w ould be no universit y t hat regist ers som eone
w ho was labelled as a count errevolut ionary w ith a prison record. But , in
t his condit ion she pref erred t o be faith in Jesus. There w as t he
indescribable of enjoyment for being Christian inside her soul.
M ei Lin’s love of Christ ian did not st op although she w as hurtled
physically and psychologically. She t hought t hat it w ould be a valuable
occasion for her t o have her ow n m inist ry spreading out the meaning of
Jesus’ love t o t he other prisoners. She had a brilliant idea t about her
int ent ion. At first , she begged t he w arden perm ission to clean up the
other rooms of t he jail. Aft er having t he allowance; she pret ended t o
have w illingness t o clean up the other prisoners’ rooms. So, she could
freely do her act ions. She m et some m en in t heir weak and dirt y
condit ion. She finally could do her mission well. Unfort unately, her
honour mission was known by t he w arden. The head of the w arden w as
so angry w ith her. He also yelled the w ords that humiliat ed M ei Lin’s God.
The next day, t he other w arden w as found in his death body. This
sit uation w as concerned as the odd to t he other w ardens. They t hought
11
t hat it w as regarded because of his w ords t hat dedicat ed t o M ei Lin and
her God had brought him into the misfort une. They felt so afraid if M ei
Lin w as st ill there, t he bad fat e w ould happen to them . Then, t hey
decided t o release her. A miraculous t hing was happened to her.
When M ei Lin w as released from Shanghai prison, she did not
know the exact locat ion she w as st anding. Then she w alked along the
path of the st reet . She saw t he st range view t hat she’d never seen before.
Big building of t he shops and m all which were st anding faced t he blue
skies. She was also upset w it h t he people fashion w ith the skirt , sport y
shoes, t - shirt, and jeans. She w as worried if those w ere looking at her
w ith t he big quest ions because of her appearance.
Then, on her amazing feeling about Shanghai, she met an old
w om an named Deng Su, usually called by M other Su. M ei Lin also t old to
her about Jesus. It seem s t hat M other Su w elcom ed t o every single of
M ei Lin’s w ord. M other Su gave t he address of her apart ment building.
She also advised her t o go there by herself in order not t o be caught any
curiosit y by t he police. There w as also Sun Chang, M other Su’s daught er.
M ei Lin was w elcome and t aken care in their apart m ent . It’s luck for her
t hat she could get t he miracle m eet ing w it h t he kind family. They t reat ed
her as if she w ere a relat ive. She w as given t he nut ritious food and the
comfort place t o recover t heir painful body. They shared everyt hing unt il
t here w as t he upset thing known.
12
In her leisure t im e, she w alked down through t he cit y. She
enjoyed t he cit y at m osphere unt il she met a nine year old lit t le boy
named Yat ou. But , finally she w as known as a lit tle girl. She pret ended t o
be a boy because it w as a dangerous t hing to be ident ified by others. She
w as in st arving because she had not eat en for t hree days. Her parent s
and her grandmot her were passed aw ay and she was also hom eless. It
made M ei Lin w as upset . She decided t o go back t o the apart m ent t aking
som e foods. She w as so afraid of being arrest ed. She w as asked by M ei
Lin to st ay t oget her in M ot her Su’s apart m ent if she w as perm it t ed.
Luckily, M ot her Su welcom ed her w ell. But, it did not happen to Chang.
She w as in worried because it might be too risky t o bring Yat ou t o their
apart m ent . This condit ion did not happen t oo long. Chang finally could
follow her mom’s perspect ive t o take care of Yat ou.
Based on Yat ou’s sharing experiences she got t he bad t reat m ent
in Shanghai Orphanage. She ran aw ay and afraid of being arrest ed. M ost
of the children t here w ere oppressed. They did not have chance to enjoy
t heir right s. It especially happened t o the girls. They had t o pret end t hat
t hey w ere boys. So, it w as only a dream for her t o have long hair. The
orphanage w orkers m ade t hem get t heir hair shaved off every m onth or
t w o, and all t he girls hat ed t o have bald heads. M other Su, Chang, and
M ei Lin really knew t his condition. So, they also m ade up Yat ou becam e
more t idy looking in the boyish fashion. At that t im e, Yat ou w ant ed to
13
change her nam e into Kw an Zhu. Kw an became a sym bol that they w ere
sist ers.
The m eet ing w ith Brot her Tom had brought her into a lucky fat e.
He w as a domest ic people w ith his Christ ian religion. But, he w as carefully
hid it from the other people. He was so kind and sm art m an. He w as
really excit ed t o m eet t he ot her faithful Christ ian. He w as so w elcom ed t o
M ei Lin. He gave her t w o Bibles. Since t hat day, M ei Lin becam e m ore
opt imist ic that the beautiful fat e w ould close t o her.
Being separat ed from her lovely fam ily had made M ei Lin t hought
t o go back t o Tanching. She planned to look for a job in order t o fund her
w ay back hom e. Luckily for her t hat on her way w ith Kw an Zhu (Yatou),
t hey m et Brot her Tom w it h the good new s for t hem. He brought an
envelope w ith t wo t rain t icket s and som e money in it. It w as like a miracle
for M ei Lin t hat everyt hing was happened so quickly. Brot her Tom had a
great planning for t hem. He planned it wit h t he good preparat ion. He
planned som e brilliant ideas, so t here w ould be no one w ho would saw
t hem in st range percept ion. So, t hey would have the safe t rip.
Finally, t he t rain arrived in WuM a t rain st at ion. They m et Past or
Wong. Aft er having t he rest t im e for a w hile, t hey cont inued the planning
t o m eet Zhu in t he orphanage. They saw filthy condition that every room
w as in very bad condit ion. The most orphanages w ere infant baby girls
but there w ere also some boys t oo. There w ere shabby, dim ly lit room
14
t hat racked of urine and faeces. There w ere four row s of rust y cribs and
cot s, w it h four t o five infant girls cram med in each one, crying on t heir
own w ast e. There w ere also the babies w ho grabbed their bot tles, at e
lust ily, and incapable of holding their own bot tles.
Then, t hey could find Zhu in t he other door. He w as founded in a
very
sick
condition.
He had
cont ract ed
pneumonia.
He’d
been
unconscious for several days. Yat ou needed few times t o w ake him up
because of his w eak body. In the deep on her heart , she was crying but
she t ried t o st rengt h him. She did preaching and let him to believe in
Jesus. Zhu finally could be a Christ ian in his last breat h. Then, he passed
aw ay. The st arvat ion problem s w ere occurred t o children in t he
orphanage, but in the other side t here w as t he opportunit y to give st ocks
of juice t o t he orphanage w orkers. It w as an ironical sit uation that most
of t he children w ere in a m alnourished condition.
The follow ing days, t hey cont inued t heir t rip t o Tanching village. It
w as t he m om ent w hich w as w ait ed by M ei Lin. She could hug Am ah and
her fat her t ightly. There w as different condition of M ei Lin that she
looked skinnier t han as usual. The more happy m om ent w as when M ei
Lin could m eet Li Ko. They had beaut iful promise t o be a couple and there
w ould be a beaut iful m arriage under Jesus love as t he fait hful Christ ians.
The st ory ends with t he consist ence of the Christ ians figures t o keep t he
fait h to Jesus Christ as the Salvation.
15
The novel had the special charact erist ics of raising phenom ena
w ithin societ y. It exposed about t he persecut ed right s of people’s life
aspect s in t he m odern era at t he end of the t w ent iet h century. The
author did not only combine t he hum an right s’ problems but also her
special religious int ent ion of evangelical m ission. This sit uation w as
happened as t he effect of the author’s social background which w as
relat ed t o her m ore at t ent ion t o the problem s about st at e, hum an right s,
children, and religion.
For years, People’s Republic of China had been popular w ith
human right s problem s. This problem got m ore at t ent ion from w est ern
count ries including Unit ed St at es of America. But , China governm ent
always had t he ways t o overcome this int erpret at ion. W an (2001: 8)
st at ed,
“ Since t he mid 1990’s, human right s in China had set t led in as a
more diplomat ic issue wit h t he Unit ed St at es. W hine human
right s remains on issue bet w een Chinese and W est er n
gover nm ent s as a result of domest ic pressure in t he West ,
Beijing has succeeded i n marginalizing human right s disput es in
it s off icial relat ions w it h t he west . W hile insist ing on a vigorous
st ance on human right s in China, t he U.S government now sees
human right s as only one of a whole series of issues in China.”
China pulled t he w orld’s at t ent ion by the Tiananm en Square
t ragedy in 1989. This crackdown had signed t hat hum an right s in China
w as fragile since it w as report ed in media. This t ragedy w as an
unforget t able moment because t housands of dem onst rat ors consist of
st udent s w as shot brut ally by t he Chinese t roops. This t ragedy had got
16
t he hard w arning from the w est ern count ries because it could be
considered as human right s violation. Those demonst rators had claim ed
t hat dem ocracy have t o be employed in that count ry.
There are several reasons w hy the w rit er of this thesis
recom m ended C. Hope Flinchbaugh’s novel Daught er of China . First , the
novel exposed t w o pow erful count ries in t he world w it h t he different
view s. They are Unit ed St at es of Am erica and People’s Republic of China.
Second, it w as an int erest ing t hing t hat the novel’s aut hor is an Am erican
but she has t he more exposit ion of t he other count ry like China. Third,
t he aut hor had m ore at t ention t o the hum an right s violat ion problem s
and criticized t hem into t he int erest ing language and plot. Fourth, there
w as another finding within the novel. It w as the author’s evangelical
mission which w as implicitly conveyed by t he author
Evangelism is t he act ion to spread out Christ ian belief t o ot hers in
order t o have t he deeper underst anding about
Jesus’ salvat ion.
Evangelicals becam e t he cent re part of conducting t hese messages. The
exist ence of evangelicalism had coloured t he sit uation of Unit ed St at es
president elect ion at t he lat e of the t w ent ieth century. As t he increasing
of t he religious societ y support ed by the appearance of President George
Walker Bush at the early era of millennium as the Unit ed St at es leader
w hich had been backed by t he ballot s of evangelicals. He assigned som e
professional people w ho w ere prominent to t heir religious background t o
17
be t he leader of some m inist ries. In the era of President George W alker
Bush, the religious right becam e on t he t op rank among Am erican societ y.
He also had t he m ore concerned t o t he m ore at t ent ion t o som e social
needs dedicat ed to his societ y.
Based on the explanation above, t he writ er construct s t he t it le of
t his t hesis as “ CRITICISM AGAINST HUM AN RIGHTS VIOLATIONS IN
C. HOPE FLINCHBAUGH’S NOVEL DAUGHTER OF CHINA (2002)”
B.
Problems St at em ent s
The problems st at em ent s of t he research are:
1.
How is social cont ext of Daught er of China?
2.
How is t he criticism of t he author against the violat ions of human
right s?
3.
How is the author’s evangelical m ission?
C.
Limit at ion of the Research
Recognizing t he discussion area, t he w rit er of the t hesis focuses
on the analysis int o t wo m ain part s. The first is about human right s
violations and t he second is evangelical mission which conveyed implicitly
by the aut hor.
In advance, the w rit er of this t hesis w ill focus on t he problem s of
human right s violat ions reflect ed in t he novel. Then, she w ill cont inue t o
18
describe social cont ext of People’s Republic of China and Unit ed St at es of
Am erica’s at t he end of the t w ent iet h century in t erm s of social, politic,
economic, knowledge and t echnology developm ent, cultural and religious
aspect s. Aft er underst anding the social background, she w ill analyse t he
human right s violations which w ere port rayed in the novel. Next , t his
research w ill be cont inued by the analysis of the aut hor’s voice against
human right s violations.
Second, the ot her finding w ithin the novel. It was about
evangelical m ission proposed by t he aut hor because of her m ore
at t ent ion about religious problem in China societ y.
D.
Object ives of the Research
The Object ives of t he research are as follows:
1.
To describe social cont ext of Daught er of China,
2.
To ident ify t he crit icism of the author against t he violation of
human right s,
3.
To reveal t he author’s evangelical mission.
E.
Benefit s of the Research
The benefits of this research are cat egorized into theoret ical and
pract ical benefit s. Theoret ically, this research can give m ore cont ribution
in underst anding about t he social cont ext of Daught er of China, t he
19
crit icism of t he aut hor against t he violation of hum an right s, and the
author’s evangelical mission. First , t he w rit er of the t hesis w ill elaborat e
t he background of t he novel w hich deals w ith t he social cont ext of
People’s Republic of China and Unit ed St at es of Am erica at t he end of t he
t w ent y cent ury. It w ill be very import ant for t he readers t o have m ore
beneficial underst anding about the social condition in Unit ed St at es of
Am erica and China. Besides t hat it can give t he other underst anding
about t he social relat ion bet w een t he lit erary w ork and a current social
background.
Second, she also w ill elaborat e t he point of hum an right s. It w ill be
an import ant thing for t he readers t o underst and about the not ion of
human right s, historical developm ent
of human right s, Universal
Declarat ion of Hum an Right s (UDHR), classificat ion of hum an right s,
conceptual developm ent of human right s, and human right s violations.
There w ill be som e beneficial inform ation about t he kinds of hum an
right s violations which w ere reflect ed w it hin t he novel.
Third, she w ill invest igat e about the charact erist ics evangelical
mission reflect ed in t he novel. It w ill be beneficial for t he readers t o have
more addit ional knowledge about the difference bet w een evangelicalism
and evangelical. The next informat ion will be evangelical mission which
w as implicitly conveyed by the author.
20
Next ,
t his
research
w ill
pract ically
give
som e
additional
informat ion t o t he next researchers w ho are int erest ed in having t he
lit erary research t o recom mend C. Hope Flinchbaugh novels t o be
invest igat ed. Besides t hat, it is hoped t hat this research can inspire the
readers t o have more ent husiasm in invest igat ing and developing lit erary
research.
F.
Thesis Organizat ion
In order t o give brief explanation of t his research, this thesis is
divided into seven chapt ers.
Chapt er I elaborat es t he Int roduct ion. It consist s of background of
t he research, problem st at ement s, lim it ation of the research, object ive of
t he research, benefit s of the research, and thesis organizat ion.
Chapt er II defines Lit erat ure Review which consist s of t he rreview
of Previous St udies. Then it will be continued by t he explanat ion of the
sociology of lit erat ure. Aft er t hat , there w ill be t he explanat ion of the
not ion of hum an right s. This part consist s of the not ion of hum an right s,
historical development of human right s, Universal Declarat ion of Human
Right s, classificat ion of human right s, conceptual development of human
right s, and human right s violat ion. The next exposition w ill be the
author’s social background and evangelical mission.
21
Chapt er III deals w ith Research M et hodology. It consist s of t ypes
of t he research, object of t he research, t ype of t he dat a and data source,
t echnique of the data collect ion, and t echnique of the dat a analysis.
Chapt er IV describes t he social cont ext of Unit ed St at es of
Am erica and People’s Republic of China at the end of the t w ent y cent ury
w hich elaborat es in social, economic, politic, know ledge and t echnology
development, cult ural, and religious aspect s.
Chapt er V explores port rait of hum an right s violations in the
novel. Chapt er VI explores t he voices of t he author. This chapt er w ill be
divided into t wo m ajor point s. They are t he aut hor’s crit ics or voice about
human right s violations and t he evangelical mission.
Chapt er VII outlines t he conclusion, suggestion, and pedagogical
im plicat ion of this thesis.