CHRISTOPHER JOHNSON MCCANDLESS TRANSCENDENTALISM VALUES AS REFLECTED IN SEAN PENN’S INTO THE WILD
CHRISTOPHER JOHNSON MCCANDLESS TRANSCENDENTALISM VALUES AS REFLECTED IN SEAN PENN’S INTO THE WILD
THESIS Submitted as a Partial Fulfillment of Requirement
for the Sarjana Sastra Degree of the English Department Faculty of Letters and Fine Arts Sebelas Maret University
by: Afida Arifiana
C0304010
English Department Faculty of Letters and Fine Arts
Sebelas Maret University Surakarta 2009
CHRISTOPHER JOHNSON MCCANDLESS TRANSCENDENTALISM VALUES AS REFLECTED IN SEAN PENN’S INTO THE WILD THESIS
by: Afida Arifiana C0304010
Approved to be examined before the Board of Examiners Faculty of Letters and Fine Arts Sebelas Maret University
Thesis Consultant:
Yusuf Kurniawan, SS, MA NIP. 19711130 199903 1001
Head of English Department:
Dr. Djatmika, MA NIP. 19670726 199302 1001
CHRISTOPHER JOHNSON MCCANDLESS’S TRANSCENDENTALISM VALUES AS PRESENTED IN SEAN PENN’S INTO THE WILD
by: Afida Arifiana C0304010
Accepted and approved by the Board of Examiners on August 13 th , 2009
Chairman
DRA. Nani Sukarni, MS
Secretary
Taufiq Almakmun, SS
First Examiner
Yusuf Kurniawan, SS MA …………………….
Second Examiner
Fitria Akhmerti P, SS MA ….………………..
Surakarta, Agustus, 31 2009 Dean of Faculty of Letters and Fine arts
Drs. Sudarno, MA NIP. 19530314 198506 1001
PRONOUNCEMENT
Name : Afida Arifiana Number
: C0304010
The researcher states that the thesis entitled Christopher Johnson McCandless transcendentalism values as reflected in Sean Penn’s Into the Wild is neither a plagiarism nor made by others. It is originally made by the researcher. All theories and materials taken from other sources are put in direct quotation and paraphrased citation. The researcher is fully responsible for the pronouncement and if this is proved to be wrong, the researcher is willing to take any responsible actions given by Faculty of Letters and Fine Arts, Sebelas Maret University.
Surakarta, July 2009 The researcher,
Afida Arifiana
MOTTO
In truth, Allah SWT ne ve r change s a pe rson’s conditions until he / she
change s the conditions cohe ring w ith him/ he r.
(Q.S AR RA’D. 11)
Make a w ish…Take a chance …Make a change
(a lyr ic of Kelly Clar kson’s Breakaway )
Don’t w aste your time or time w ill w aste you!
(a lyr ic of Muse’s Knights of Cydonia )
Happine ss only re al w he n share d
(Chr istopher Johnson McCandless)
Do the be st and God do the re st
(The r esear cher )
DEDICATION
I fully dedicate this thesis to: - My passed away father , you had done many things for me even fr om you ever silence. - My mother , you’r e my r eally wonder woman. You’r e my
inspir ation.
- My br other s, my family, my fr iends, and all that love me, you all color my life mor e color ful than a r ainbow.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
Assalamu’alaikum wr. wb. The researcher, from the deepest of the heart, would like to thank Allah SWT, the almighty and the khaliq of the entire universe, which had given the endless power for doing and finishing this research. The researcher hopes that this thesis can be beneficial for all readers especially for the younger English Department students in major of American Studies. The researcher realized that it is impossible for finishing this research without other’s help. There are many people that give contributions to this research. Therefore, the researcher wanted to say thanks also to:
1. The dean of Faculty of Letters and Fine Arts, Drs. Sudarno, MA, for giving the researcher a chance to study in this faculty.
2. The head of English Department, Dr. Djatmika, MA, for the endless motivations.
3. My thesis consultant, Yusuf Kurniawan, SS, MA, for your patience when you checked my thesis. I knew that there are so many mistakes that needed to be revised.
4. My academic supervisor, Dra. Rara Sugiarti,M.Tourism for your help for the smoothness of my study.
5. All the lecturers of English Department for giving the researcher a wider and wider knowledge. I am proud to be listed as your student.
6. My passed away father, my “wonder woman’ mother, my older brothers (Aies Zainal Arifin and Afik Arifudin). Thank God I have you. I promise that I never disappoint you. I’ll make youproud.
7. My “cukz fam” for much unforgettable moments. Having you is my lucky. Surya “Uya” Isnawan, Mr. and Mrs. Devit “Bambank”, the little family of mami Yuli, Cindy, Rina n Rudy, Pungky, Natalia Dany, Nanak, Dendy, Bian, you are part of my happiness. Keep “cukz fam” forever!
8. All big family of “Amstuders 04”, Widya, Rudy, Dony, Itok, Yunindar, Tutut, Ulil, Danang, Eline, Yunus, Ika, Reni and the nice of “Amstuders 05”.
9. All dweller of Letters and Fine Art Faculty of UNS, especially ED.04 students (We are different guys), The ED 04 Touring Team, Edy Cuby, Edy Fata, Vanie, Martha, Hilda, Tatan, Uus, Tantra, Fitra, Ria, etc, The Tumpuls , Komunitas Musik dan Film (KMF), Sasindo 02 and 04, my best partner, Wira, Kansas canteen, ILC, that makes me so comfort in campus.
10. All of my sides that I ever and keep joining, Solo Youth Heritage (SYH), GSM FM, PT. IMF Solo, PMI Surakarta, and Alfabank Training Center.
11. All of my sides who helped and motivated me to finish this thesis. Alhamdulillah. God bless you all. Wassalamu’alaikum wr. wb.
Surakarta, July 2009
The Researcher
ABSTRACT
Afida Arifiana.
Johnson McCandless’ Transcendentalism Values as Reflected in Sean Penn’s Into the Wild. Thesis: English Department Faculty of Letters Sebelas Maret University Surakarta.
C0304010.
Christopher
This research focuses on the transcendentalism values. The study emphasizes to answer two research questions. First, what are Christopher Johnson McCandless’ transcendentalism values as reflected in Sean Penn’s Into the Wild?
Second, how are Christopher Johnson McCandless’ transcendentalism values as reflected in Sean Penn’s Into the Wild?
In order to achieve the goals of the research, the researcher analyzed the research using semiotics film theory and observing with sociological and philosophical approaches. The main source of data in this research is Sean Penn’s Into the Wild that was produced by Paramount Vantage in 1997.The main data of this research were the content of the movie encompassing the characters and characterizations, dialogue, Mise-en-Scène , camera angles, and other cinematographic elements which contains the transcendentalism values. While, the supporting data were the ideas, thoughts, and opinions taken from production notes, articles, essays, biography, and other materials related to the research questions.
Based on the data analysis, the researcher draws conclusion as follows: Christopher Johnson McCandless in Senn Pean’s Into the Wild reflects the transcendentalism values i.e to live in simplicity and close to nature, believe that everything is Divine, have own self-image and self-reliance, oppose oppressions. Christopher Johnson McCandless’ transcendentalism values can be revealed through his dialogue with other characters, quotes, expressions. In addition, it also can be revealed from Mise-en-scène and cinematographic elements, such as camera angle and shot.
CHAPTER I
INTRODUCTION
A. Background
The United States of America is a secular country which means religion and government concerns are separated. As stated in American Life and Inst itut ion , the American Constitutions, especially the First Amendment, “forbids the government to give special favors to any religion or to hinder the free practice of any religion” (Stevenson, 1994: 22). Since Americans are free to form and follow any religious belief they wish, there are many beliefs, philosophies, thoughts, denominations, or churches in the United States. American is well-known as its “White Anglo-Saxon Protestant (WASP)”, meanwhile, other religious beliefs, thoughts, or philosophies such us, Unitarianism, orthodox Jewish, Roman Catholic, and Transcendentalism, can not be separated from this nation.
Further, this research was talking about transcendentalism. According to Rebecca Kneale Gould, transcendentalism is religious, philosophical, and literary movement that begins to express itself primarily in Boston, during the mid-nineteenth century and including such familiar figures as Henry David Thoreau, Ralph Waldo Emerson,
(Gould in ht t p:/ / w w w .religionandnature.com/ ern/ sample/ Gould--Transcendent alism.pdf).
The outward of transcendentalism begins by the born of Unitarianism. It rises because of dissatisfaction with the spiritual inadequacy of the established religion.
According to Cliff, Unitarianism encompasses a range of liberal ideas that represent the rejection of the doctrine of the Trinity. Unitarianism refers to the belief that God is one being instead of the Trinity of Father, Son, and Holly Spirit or “unity” (ht t p:/ / w w w .cliffsnot es.com/ WileyCDA/ Lit Note/ Thoreau-Emerson-and- Transcendent alism-Int roduct ion-t o-t he-Times-Religious-Cont ext .id-134,pageNum- 12.ht ml) . The Unitarianism is the seed of Transcendentalism. The source of American transcendentalism is also coming from neo-Platonism, Germanic philosophy (Europe Romanticism), and thought of Eastern religion, especially Hinduism (Horton in Sardjana, 1988: 96). Essentially, the elements constructed Transcendentalism has existed Transcendentalists. Rebecca Kneale Gould states that:
They (transcendentalists) expressed a commitment to shaping life according to individuality discerned aesthetic and spiritual priorities, rather than those of social convention or the marketplace. Their intellectual stance was starting place from which they developed their ideas of nature, as well as their moral and religious views.
(Gould: in ht t p:/ / w w w .religionandnat ure.com/ ern/ sample/ Gould--
Transcendent alism.pdf) .
In other words, transcendentalism expresses that it is against the social convention or marketplace as product of capitalism. It means that transcendentalism is sympathetic to living in simplicity. It tends to be close to nature along with moral and religion values. Values shaping transcendentalism substantively have been owned by transcendentalists, as Perry Miller said in The American Transcendent alist s that transcendentalism is “breathed rather than acquired ideas” (Miller in Sardjana, 1988:97).
Briefly, Transcendentalism is a thought or a religious philosophy that spread out; important to live with nature and live in simplicity, direct relation to God rather than through formal religion, all human beings are divine, having of “Self-Image” and “Self- Reliance”, and rebel the oppression (slavery) (Holman in Sardjana, 1988: 98).
After more than one century, in fact, transcendentalist still can be found in modern American life. Christopher Johnson Mccandless, Emory college graduate having
a mind to live in Alaska, is the example figure of transcendentalist. The transcendentalism values of Christopher Johnson McCandless can be watched through Sean Pean’s movie entitled Int o t he Wild . This movie is based on the true story of Christopher Johnson McCandless in around 1990 to 1992. According to Jack Nachbar and Kevin Lause in Pop Cult ure An Int roduct ory Text , artifact (movie) is a product (artifact) of popular culture. While, “artifact of popular product is the sign embedded deeply in the mindset of the times and seeing that we have said on these can thus help us to know what we believe” (Nachbar and Lause, 1992: 40). It means that popular movie is one of appropriate sources as the reflection of certain society.
Int o t he Wild, released in 2007, was nominated for Academy Award- 2008 for Best Achievement in Editing and Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role and won Best Original Song - Motion Picture in Golden Globe 2008 and more. It is based on the 1996 non-fiction book of the same title by Jon Krakauer which tells about the adventures of Christopher Johnson McCandless. It is the reason why this movie is qualified enough to be analyzed since it is popular and it receives prestigious achievements. ( ht t p:/ / movies.yahoo.com/ movie/ 1809698364/ det ails)
This movie is talking about Christopher Johnson McCandless and his adventurous journey into the wild of Alaska. Chris is 22 years old man with promising future from his graduate from Emory College. Chris instead walks out of his privileged life into the wild in search of adventure. In his journey, Chris’s character reflects several transcendentalism values. Emily Moore argues that “Chris McCandelss’ adventurous journey into the wild indicates that his character incorporated many values of transcendentalism”.
(M oore in ht t p:/ / w w w .helium.com/ items/ 430535-charact er-analysis-christ opher- mcccandless-alexander-supert ramp-from-int o-t he-w ild)
Chris is portrayed as a young man who is taking risk, experiencing nature, and discovering ultimate freedom. He chooses to leave his up-middle class society to live meagerly in nature and devoid of the lavish pleasure of civilization. Chris’s life during his adventure journey reflects the way of live in simplicity. Chris asserts that he does not need monetary resources to survive. Before his journey to Alaska, Chris donates all of his money to a famine relief fund and buns remaining cash in his wallet. Through this movie, the audiences may consider Chris both as heroic adventure and as a naive idealist who ends his life in tragic wrestling with precarious balance between man and nature.
This movie was chosen as the source of the main data since it reflects transcendentalism values clearly through the main character, especially in this modern capitalism era of the United States. This issue is interesting because it tells about a young man that holds transcendentalism values along with materialism and modernism of capitalism era. This movie also raises satires to the hypocrite materialism and modernism of capitalism which most Americans embrace.
B. Scope of the Study
This research focused on transcendentalism values of the main character, Christopher Johnson McCandless, played by Emile Hirsch from Sean Pean’s Int o t he Wild. It is an outstanding movie that was produced and distributed by Paramount Vantage, and released in 2007. The other characters were included for giving information and justification relating to the research question.
C. Research Questions
The research questions were formulated as follows:
1. What are Christopher Johnson McCandless transcendentalism values reflected in Sean Pean’s Int o t he Wild ?
2. How are Christopher Johnson McCandless transcendentalism values reflected in Sean Pean’s Int o t he Wild ?
D. Objectives of the Study
The objective of the study was:
1. To know what Christopher Johnson McCandless’s transcendentalism values are reflected in Sean Pean’s Int o t he Wild
2. To know how Christopher Johnson McCandless’s transcendentalism values are reflected in Sean Pean’s Int o t he Wild
E. Benefits of the Study
The benefits of this research were:
1. To give inspiration and idea for students who want to conduct researches in American studies especially those which are related relates to transcendentalism and movie analysis.
2. To give information to the readers who want to know more about American life, society, and thought especially those which are in correlated to transcendentalism.
3. To give knowledge for wider society who is willing to know more about the United States of America, since, nowadays, it is the most influential country in the world.
F. M ethod of Research
1. Type of Research
Research can be described as an effort to find, develop, and examine validity of certain knowledge done by using a scientific method (Hadi, 1983: 5). This research used descriptive qualitative method. According to H.B Sutopo, qualitative research is research that its process is done from the very first along with the process of collecting data (Sutopo, H.B, 2006:104). While, data of descriptive qualitative method is taken from certain case like the explanation:
Descriptive qualitative method data deals with detailed description of situations, events, people, interactions, and observed behaviors; direct quotations from people about their experiences, attitudes, beliefs, and thought; and excerpt or entire passage from documents, and correspondence records and case histories (Patton, 1980: 22).
Therefore, descriptive qualitative need certain data that can be taken from sources; detailed description of sources, direct quotation from people, passage of documents, records or history.
2. Data and Source of Data
Data were divided into main and supporting data:
a. Main data The source of the main data was the original VCD movie entitled Int o t he Wild directed by Sean Pean, produced and distributed by Paramount Vantage, and released in 2007. While the main data was the content of the movie encompassing the characters and characterizations, monologue and dialogue, M ise-en-Scènes , camera angles, and other cinematographic elements.
b. Supporting data The supporting data were the ideas, thoughts, and opinions taken from production notes, articles, essays, biography, and other materials related to the research questions.
3. Technique of Collecting Data
The main data of this research were taken by observing Sean Pean’s Int o t he Wild especially on the significant scenes and dialogues which contained the transcendentalism values. Afterward, the next step were taking notes to those significant scenes and dialogues that were found in the movie.
While, the supporting data were gathered by reading materials correlated with the research and taking on the important ideas and thought.
4. Data Analysis
The selected data were analyzed based on the research questions by employing the theory and seeing in several approaches. The analysis was started by looking at the transcendentalism values reflected by Christopher Johnson McCandless as the main character in Sean Pean’s Int o t he Wild . After analyzing the data, the conclusion is written based on the result of the analysis.
G. Theoretical Approaches
This research was conducted in American studies framework. American studies incompasses of a vast arrange discipline, all of which, in one way or another, are trying to describe the culture of United States of America ( ht t p:/ / eas-ref.jhu.edu). In addition,
American studies relates to the Cultural Studies that is not a monolithic body of theories and methods, as Start Hall in John Storey’s Cult ural St udies & The St udy of Popular Cult ure make it very clear,
Cultural Studies has multiple discourses; it has a number of different histories. It is a whole set of formations; it has its own different conjunctures and moments in the past. It included many different kinds of work…It always was asset of unstable formations…It had many trajectories; many people had and have different theoretical positions, all of them in contention (Hall in Storey, 1996: 2).
In short, Cultural studies is unfolding discourse to response changing of history and certain condition. Cultural studies enable people to have different point of view in theories and approaches in considering a certain case. Here, related to the research question, this research applies Semiotics Film Theory and uses Philosophical and Sociological Approaches.
1. Semiotics Film Theory
Since this research analyzed certain case from a movie, semiotics film theory was needed in order to reveal deeper meaning of the movie. The meaning of the movie can be revealed by analyzing its duplicates as Christian Metz’s explanation:
Cinema transforms the world into discourse, and is not therefore simple duplication. But a semiotics of the cinema cannot work at the level of the image, since each image is unique, novel and analogous to reality, with its meaning produced not by its places within a system but by what it duplicates. There is no process of selection from a lexicon of images in cinema as there is from the verbal lexicon of a natural language. (Metz in Lapsley and Westlake, 1988:40)
Christian Metz explained that cinema (movie) has complicated duplications. Metz’s semiotics film theory explains that to reveal the meaning of a movie, the research should work at level of those duplicates. It means that those duplicates play important role in movie which creates deeper meaning.
2. Philosophical Approach
Philosophically, transcendentalism is a form of idealism which asserts that there are supernatural attributes present in the natural constitution of mankind. Christopher Johnson McCandless has transcendentalism values in his life less or much is influenced by some philosophers. It is the reason why philosophical approach was important to be applied. Here, the idealism of transcendentalism can be pointed out by the most important figure of transcendentalism; Ralph Waldo Emerson and Henry David Thoreau. Both of Emerson and Thoreau contributed important thoughts for the developing of transcendentalism.
Emerson is acknowledged as an “individualist” transcendentalist. For Emerson “God could be found in the depths of his own heart, that with attentive ear he could hear the voice of God speak from his heart” (Emerson in Blau, 1952: 122). It is why the voice from the deepest of his heart is the most important than other voice. It is the method of transcendentalism that advances to the individual rather than country. The other most important figure of transcendentalism is Thoreau. Thoreau is acknowledged as an “anarchist’ transcendentalist. For Thoreau “The citizen is a man first, and a citizen Emerson is acknowledged as an “individualist” transcendentalist. For Emerson “God could be found in the depths of his own heart, that with attentive ear he could hear the voice of God speak from his heart” (Emerson in Blau, 1952: 122). It is why the voice from the deepest of his heart is the most important than other voice. It is the method of transcendentalism that advances to the individual rather than country. The other most important figure of transcendentalism is Thoreau. Thoreau is acknowledged as an “anarchist’ transcendentalist. For Thoreau “The citizen is a man first, and a citizen
Emerson and Thoreau’s thought as the most important figures of transcendentalism certainly would be beneficial for this research.
3. Sociological Approach
The first term sociology according to Auguste Comte, the founder of sociology, is derived from two root words: socius , which means “companion” or “associate” and logos , which means “word”. At its most basic, it means “words about human associations or society”. (Comte in Eshleman et al, 1993: 5).In addition, sociology deals with human relationship, social system, and society. That is why when the research analyzed certain values from individual or society, certainly it needed sociological approach. According to Eshleman et. al. in Sociology an Int roduct ion (Fourt h Edit ion) , in sociology area “values are ideas shared by the people in a society, regarding what is important and worthwhile”. Most of the basic values are learned early in life from family, friends, the mass media, and other sources within society (Eshleman et all, 1993: 96). Values are learned as cultural products; differ from one society to another. Christopher Johnson McCandless in Sean Pean’s Int o t he Wild indicates that his character incorporates values of transcendentalism that he gets from external or society development. Thus, this research needed to apply sociological approach.
H. Thesis Organization
This thesis is divided into four chapters. First, Chapter I consists of Background, Research Questions, Scope of the Study, Objective of the Study, Benefits of the Study, Method of Research, Theoretical Approaches, and Thesis Organization. Second, Chapter
II consists of Popular Culture Theory, History and Development of Transcendentalism in America, Biography of Christopher Johnson McCandless, and Semiotics Film Theory. Third, Chapter III is the Analysis of the Main Data. Last, Chapter IV is divided into Conclusion and Recommendation.
CHAPTER II
LITERATURE REVIEW
A. Transcendentalism in America
Transcendentalism can be termed as the movement of religion, philosophy, and literary that begins to express itself primarily in Boston, during the mid-nineteenth century. The word “transcendentalism” is derived from “transcend” meaning to “pass beyond” (Blau, 1952: 111). Furthermore, it means that all convention avenues of communication are not only to transcend the senses but also to transcend churches, priest, or Scripture.
The early emergence of transcendentalism era is marked by a revolt against the enlightened of the Revolutionary era. This era is considered “the American Enlightenment”. The pattern of the American Enlightenment corresponded with the period in Western European intellectual life. The American Enlightenment involved and interconnected the thought of science, religion, politics, and economics that fall under one general pattern of understanding. In religion side, the Enlightenment is contrast to the Puritan thought. For the American Enlightenment mankind, “God is good, and natural law has replaced divine intervention as a principal of explanation. This concept is like what Cotton Mather in The Christ ian Philosopher (1721) said that “the world is well- planned, well-ordered, and beautiful, that to study nature is to realize God’s goodness, and that man can appreciate God by the exercises of observation and reason”(Blau, 1952: 39). Here it can be seen that according to the American Enlightenment ideology,
God is good and to keep the goodness, people should manage this opportunity. The universe is designed for the happiness of people. The American Enlightenment, later on, constructed Americans to compete each other in order to get the happiness. Americans tend to seek the understanding rather than feeling in order to get happiness. This pattern of thought gives direction to the United States of America. Among transcendentalists, faith is founded on the doctrine of self-reliance, while the Enlightenment is in the inevitable advance of science. It can be reasonable that the transcendentalism emergence was a reaction against the excessive emphasizes on science and rationalism which are the characteristics of the American Enlightenment.
Transcendentalism is actually not a new thought of Americans. The values shaping transcendentalism substantively has been owned by the transcendentalists. Perry Miller said in The American Transcendent alist s that transcendentalism is “breathed rather than acquired ideas” (Miller in Sardjana, 1988:97). Transcendentalism is stemming from the romantic movement in Germany and England. Transcendentalist’s oats also got by Oriental, particularly Hindu that feed ranging of imaginations (Blau, 1952: 110). The rise of transcendentalism in America was begun by the emergence of “Unitarianism”. Unitarianism was born by the dissatisfaction of the Christian thought of “Trinity”. Unitarianism refers to the belief that God is one being instead of the Trinity of Father, Son, and Holly Spirit or “Unity”. Because of this they are called as Unitarians while the thought is called Unitarianism.
(ht t p:/ / w w w .cliffsnot es.com/ WileyCDA/ Lit Note/ Thoreau-Emerson-and- Transcendent alism-Int roduct ion-t o-t he-Times-Religious-Cont ext .id-134,pageNum- 12.ht ml ). The important figure of this thought is William Ellery Channing. Even though (ht t p:/ / w w w .cliffsnot es.com/ WileyCDA/ Lit Note/ Thoreau-Emerson-and- Transcendent alism-Int roduct ion-t o-t he-Times-Religious-Cont ext .id-134,pageNum- 12.ht ml ). The important figure of this thought is William Ellery Channing. Even though
For transcendentalists, there is no exact doctrine of transcendentalism. James Freeman Clarke said that “we called ourselves the club of the like-minded, I suppose because no two of us thought alike (Clarke in Blau, 1952: 110). It can be underlined that among the transcendentalists, there are certain antagonisms and no bound of union. However, they tend to share the characteristics mood or temper, a common method or philosophical habit of mind. Here, it can be said that transcendentalism is also a movement.
Transcendentalism is the assertion that man has intuitive capacity for holding ultimate truth, and achieving knowledge of supernatural order beyond the reach of the sense. Transcendentalists apply the thought more democratically in the thought of religion that “the ability to know Divine reality directly, is the birthright of every human being”. Thoreau argued that “not to be Christian to appreciate the beauty and significance the life of the Christ” (Thoreau in Blau, 1952: 114). For transcendentalists, man has body, mind, spirit, affection, bodily, mental, religious; appetite, understanding, and religion (Miller, 1957: 25). Thus, man knows that of the existence of the spiritual element in his being as he knows of the existence of his mind or his body. Every one has the idea of God and this leads him to worship. Transcendentalist’s method is declared valid on the ground that universal truth is presented in the inmost heart of human Transcendentalism is the assertion that man has intuitive capacity for holding ultimate truth, and achieving knowledge of supernatural order beyond the reach of the sense. Transcendentalists apply the thought more democratically in the thought of religion that “the ability to know Divine reality directly, is the birthright of every human being”. Thoreau argued that “not to be Christian to appreciate the beauty and significance the life of the Christ” (Thoreau in Blau, 1952: 114). For transcendentalists, man has body, mind, spirit, affection, bodily, mental, religious; appetite, understanding, and religion (Miller, 1957: 25). Thus, man knows that of the existence of the spiritual element in his being as he knows of the existence of his mind or his body. Every one has the idea of God and this leads him to worship. Transcendentalist’s method is declared valid on the ground that universal truth is presented in the inmost heart of human
Along with that ideology, Frederick Hedge in The Transcendental Club inaugurated in 1836, as a sequenced conversation of transcendentalists, said that “man develops in continuous fashion through three realms; the realm of nature, the realm of moral, the realm of spirit” (Hedge in Blau, 1952: 117). Hedge explained that the realm of nature was the motives to fulfill the needs and interests of the physical organization. Then, the realm of moral in which the governing motive of the actions was the law of duty and the realm of spirit was when man had reached this stage in development moved by love. In this part, transcendentalism actually respects “philosophical” reconsideration of the basic principles of Christian belief. Theodore Parker added that “Christian religion however was in need of a new theology which would base itself upon the immanence God in nature and in man, that is, a transcendentalist theology” (Parker in Blau, 1952: 119). For the Parker’s statement, the essence of Christianity is coming from permanent intrinsic and inherent merit rather than the connection with Jesus.
Thus, it can be concluded that although the idea of transcendentalists differ from each other in many respects, there are some common attitudes called “transcendentalism”. Briefly, Transcendentalism is a thought or a religious philosophy which is also a movement that spread out:
1. It is important to live in simple and close to nature
2. Every person’s relation to God is a personal matter to be established directly by the individual rather than through formal religion.
3. Human beings are divine in their own right
4. Self-trust and self-reliance are to be practiced all times since to trust oneself was really to trust the voice of God speaking through us.
5. It is important to support reform movements which foster human potential such us the abolition o slavery and enfranchisement of women. (Holman in Sardjana, 1988: 98)
B. Ralph W aldo Emerson and Henry David Thoreau
Philosophically, transcendentalism is a form of idealism which asserts that there are supernatural attributes present in the natural constitution of mankind. Here, the idealism of transcendentalism can be pointed out by the important figure of transcendentalism; Ralph Waldo Emerson and Henry David Thoreau.
1. Ralph W aldo Emerson
Ralph Waldo Emerson is essayist, poet, lecturer, philosopher, Unitarian minister, and central figure among the American Transcendentalist. Emerson was coming from the family given careful attention to both the religious and intellectual development. His father, William Emerson, was a liberal minister and a sociable well-respected man in the society while his mother, Ruth Haskins, was pious woman. Emerson and his family stayed
in Concord
their childhood.
(ht t p:/ / w w w .cliffsnot es.com/ WileyCDA/ Lit Note/ Thoreau-Emerson-and- Transcendent alism-Ralph-Waldo-Emerson-Life-and-Background-of-Emerson.id- 134,pageNum-21.ht ml as cit ed on M arch 5 2009 at 1.52 pm)
Emerson, in the early 1833, had come to firm resolution of plenty time for solitary communion which he expressed in a poem called “Self Reliance”
Henceforth, please God, forever I forego The yoke of men’s opinions, I will be Light-hearted as a bird, and live with God (Emerson in Blau, 1952: 122)
Emerson made the important discovery which converted him into transcendentalist. He discovered that God could be found in the depth of his own heart. Here, Emerson had discovered the transcendental method. In other Emerson’s work “Nature”, he said “I see all; the currents of the Universal Being circulate through me; I am part of parcel of God” (Emerson in Sardjana, 1988: 100). Emerson believed that there was a very strong relationship between men and God that men were divine. This belief was strengthened in his speech in Harvard at July 15, 1838 “He (Christ) saw that God incarnates himself in man……..the world is not the product of manifold power, but of one will, of one mind; and that one mind is everywhere active, in each ray of star in ach wavelet of pool,……”(Emerson in Sardjana 1988: 100). Emerson, in this case, belonged to antagonism. Because of that God incarnation, men should trust to him self as Emerson wrote “Trust thyself” (Emerson in Sardjana 1988: 100). Emerson in “Self- Reliance” pointed out that men trust to his self, trust to his mind, and trust that what honest truth for him was also truth for others. Therefore, it ca be said that Emerson’s self-reliance can be translated as individualism. Emerson strengthened it by writing “what I must to do is all that concern me, not what people think. He did not care to the law beside of his law “No law can be sacred to me but that of my nature” (Emerson in
Sardjana 1988: 103). In addition, Ralph Waldo Emerson revealed individualism to transcendentalism.
Each act of transcendentalists’ reflection is individual, immediate raid on universal truth. It stands by itself, it has no connection with what come after or what has gone before, it is called as inconsistency. Emerson said that “A foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds” (Emerson in Blau, 1952: 123). It can be revealed that Emerson convinced this transcendental method to all men that “Every man’s nature is a sufficient advertisement to him character of his fellow”. The individuality of Emerson can be termed as egotism but tends to “true humility”.
For Emerson, the nature is not the scientific, but rather the nature-mystic. For Emerson, there is correspondence between every appearance in nature and some state of the mind as he called as “doctrine of correspondence”. Emerson convinced that for the man who was powerful in seeing these correspondences stimulate to live in country and face nature day after day, rather than live in cities. Living in cities tends to magnify trifles and degrade men (Emerson in Blau, 1952: 127).
2. Henry David Thoreau
Henry David Thoreau is one of major American transcendentalist, lecturer, naturalist, active opponent of slavery, and social critic. He was born on July 12, 1817. He had almost life-long resident of Concord, Massachusetts.
Thoreau rebelled the domination of Puritan conscience, was insisting that Puritanism allowed the conscience a monopoly over the whole life. Thoreau said that there might be deranged emotions or distorted minds or as “disease consciences” (Blau,
1952: 132). Thoreau felt that God of civilized countries seemed to him to be divine in name, but not in essence. Thoreau argued that civilized country as the basic problems of society. Thoreau signed that he did not want to be subjection of government’s authority. He reflected the relation of the individual to civil government. He did non-violence protest through his literature work. Thoreau’s non-violence movement was influenced by Mahatma Gandhi that against to unfair treatment by doing no-violence actions. Thoreau did not want to be ruled by government since he felt that he was higher than government. As his writing “Essay on Civil Disobedience”,
I am too high-born to be propertied To be a secondary at control, Or useful serving-man and instrument To any sovereign state throughout the world. (Thoreau in Sardjana Sardjana 1988: 103)
In this essay, Thoreau felt that he is too sublime to be owned or ruled. Here, it is clear enough that Thoreau do not admit the outside force He tends to be antinomian, a person who do not admit authority outside of himself.
For transcendentalists, especially Thoreau, individual is prominent than society as his writing “the citizen is a man first, and citizen afterwards; it is as a man that he must judge questions of right or wrong, for each man has conscience” (Blau, 1952: 136). It means that country or government can not master the individuals.
Thoreau believed that his free life included the assertion of his independence from God. Freedom, here, should be begun by each individual. Thoreau criticized that Thoreau believed that his free life included the assertion of his independence from God. Freedom, here, should be begun by each individual. Thoreau criticized that
C. Semiotics Film Theory
Film is not a language, but is like language. It means that to study a film, some methods to study language may be applied. The study of language certainly can not be separated from Ferdinad de Saussure’s language system. This system of language sought to explain how the word and sound produced a meaning. This system is known as “structuralism” divided into langue (permissible and impermissible utterances and their significance) and parole (potential utterance). Then, in explicating the functioning of language, Saussure distinguished the system between the “signifier” and the “signified”, which together comprise the linguistic sign (typically a word). “The signifier is the actual sound (of if written, the appearance) of the word; the signified is the concept or meaning attached to it” (Saussure in Lapsley and Westlake, 1988: 34). Furthermore, these three-dimensions of Saussure affected Roland Barthes’s semiotics theory.
Roland Barthes developed the three-dimensional system of Saussure. Barthes added what he called as “signification”. This signification relates to the mythical form and mythical concept (myth). Barthes defined “myth is a peculiar system, in that it is constructed from a semiological chain which existed before it: it is
a second- order
semiological syst em” (Barthes, 1999: 114). Barthes describes his theory into this pattern:
1. Signifier
2. Signified
Language
3. Sign
MYTH
I SIGNIFIER
II SIGNIFIED
III SIGN
(Barthes, 1999:115)
From the pattern above, it can be seen that in myth there are two semiological systems. First, a linguistic system which is called the language- object . In this language- object , also called as denotation stage, indicates relationship between signifier and signified, while the signified is explicitly derived from the signifier. Second, myth itself called met alaguage shapes the meaning behind the object. It is can be termed as connotation stage that the signified is implicitly derived from the signifier. Here, it can
be underlined that Roland Barthes developed semiotics into signifier as form, signified as concept, and sign is the combination between form and concept that produce myth (signification). Semiotics theory keeps developing into the study of film.
In the beginning of film history, film study was compared to verbal language. It was not until now that written and spoken languages are just two among many systems of communication, making the real study of film can proceed. Then, it is known as semiotics, the study of sign. Semiotics film theory is redefining the concept of written and spoken language.
Christian Metz, the well-known film semiotician, said that “It is not because the cinema is language that it can tell such fine stories, but rather it has become language because it has told such fine stories (Metz in Monaco, 2000: 157). In other term, Metz said that “a film is difficult to explain because easy to understand”. Here, Metz explained that in film, the signifier and the signified are almost identical: the sign is a short- circuit sign. It means that it can not modify the signs of cinema as modifying the words of language system. Metz gave example an image of rose. In film, an image of rose is image of rose, nothing more and nothing less. While in English a rose can be simply a rose , but it can be modified with similar words: rose, rosy, rosier, rosiest, rise, risen, rows (ruse, arose, roselike, and so forth (Metz in Monaco, 2000: 158). Here, it can be concluded that the power of film between the signifier and signified is less than the power of language system. Metz added that film semiotics could not only work at the level of image but also at its duplicates. In film there is no process of lexicon as it exists in verbal language. Film is added by its duplicates that construct deeper meanings, as Metz’s explanation:
Cinema transforms the world into discourse, and is not therefore simple duplication. But a semiotics of the cinema cannot work at the level of the image, since each image is unique, novel and analogous to reality, with its meaning produced not by its places within a system but by what it duplicates. There is no process of selection from a lexicon of images in cinema as there is from the verbal lexicon of a natural language. (Metz in Lapsley and Westlake, 1988:40)
The fact is that film, unlike written or spoken language, is not composed of as units as such, but is rather a continuum of meaning. In conclusion, James Monaco in How t o Read a Film described that “film presents us with a language (of sorts) that: The fact is that film, unlike written or spoken language, is not composed of as units as such, but is rather a continuum of meaning. In conclusion, James Monaco in How t o Read a Film described that “film presents us with a language (of sorts) that:
b. depends on a continuous, nondiscrete system in which we can’t identify basic unit and which therefore we can’t describe quantitatively. ( Monaco, 2000: 160) This thesis focused using Christian Metz’s semiotics film theory as the development of Roland Barthes’s semiotics theory. Film has its own language that needs knowledge about technique and terminology of film to understand it. In order to reveal deeper meaning of film, it is better to know the film idioms bellow:
1. M ise-en-Scène M ise-en-Scène was originally a French theatrical term, meaning “placing on the
stage”. Louis Giannetti in book Underst anding M ovies: Fourt h Edit ion (1987: 32) described M ise-en- Scène as “somewhat more complicated a blend of the visual conventions, of the live theater with those of the plastic arts”. Here, it can be seen that M ise-en- Scène of the movie closely relates to the visual objects or people in the movie which are called “image”. M ise-en- Scène can be termed as a fluid choreographing of visual elements that correspond to complex idea. The information got through M ise-en- Scène can be used in order to analyze a movie and its message. Each discipline of M ise- en- Scène contains tools that usually be used to enhance the film. James Monaco in How t o Read a Film (2000: 179) explained that M ise-en- Scène is often regarded as static, while montage as dynamic. The codes of M ise-en- Scène are tools with which filmmaker alters and modifies the audience’s reading of shoot. The shoot in the movie is the important thing in constructing a large unit of meaning. This analysis of M ise-en- Scène is divided into; the framed image and the diachronic shoot.
a. The Framed Image Each movie is enclosed by the frame of the screen which defines the world of the film. As an esthetic device, the frame performs several ways. Louis Giannetti argued that this frame “selects and delimits the subject, editing out all irrelevancies and presenting us with only a “piece” of reality (Giannetti, 1987: 39). It means that the framed image is not only adding meaning to the movie message but also bounding the image presented to the screen of the movie. The movie frame can function as a metaphor for other types of enclosure. Louis Giannetti given the example from “Hitchcock”, the frame is likened to a window of the films of audience may satisfy its impulse to pry into intimate details of the characters’ live (Giannetti, 1987: 39). The areas within the frame can suggest symbolic ideas. For instance, by placing an object or actor within a particular section of the frame, the filmmaker can radically alter his comment on that object or character. Another example is that usually the area near the top of the frame is used to suggest the idea dealing with power, authority, and aspiration. In conclusion, it shows how the framed image can add certain meaning to movie message.
The example of the framed image
(Monaco, 2000: 187)
b. The Diachronic Shot Filmmakers use a wealth terminology in regard to the shot. The shot of the movie includes distance, focus, angle, movement, and point of view. According to James Monaco (2000, 196) there are two divisions of shot used in terminology of movie and each of them will give certain effect to the movie itself. First, is in the term of the number of subject viewed including the full shot, three- quarter shot, medium shot (or mid- shot), and head-and-shoulders shot. Second is in the term of the range of distances consisting of close-up shot, long shot, and extreme long shot.
The example of close-up shot
(Monaco, 2000: 196)
The example of medium shot
(Monaco, 2000: 196)
Focus is the next most important of the shot. There are two axes in the determination of focus. First is between deep and shallow which are possible to “put things in the scene”. It makes the scene is much larger and more accommodating. Second is the continuum between sharp associated with Focus is the next most important of the shot. There are two axes in the determination of focus. First is between deep and shallow which are possible to “put things in the scene”. It makes the scene is much larger and more accommodating. Second is the continuum between sharp associated with