41 specific, each of them will be explained one by one and followed by examples
taken from the dialogue uttered by the characters of the movie.
1. Epithet
Epithet is characterized by the existence of several types of slurs, such as bitch and fag. Other references that are included as epithet are connected to race,
ethnicity, gender, sexuality, ones appearance, and disability, such as nigger, bastard, and motherfucker. Associating somebody like animal also can be
included as epithet, such as dog, bitch, or bullshit. Therefore, he or she will use emotional language by uttering the swear words which are addressed to
somebody. Here are the utterances belong to epithet.
a. Clemens
: If you want to survive, do and say as little as possible. Tell no one who you really are and tell no one that you can read
and write. Unless you want to be a dead nigger.
Datum No. 1 The conversation above contain epithet as one of the types of swear words.
It is because Clemens utters the word nigger which refers to race and ethnicity. The word nigger is common to be uttered in 19
th
century when slavery happened in America. It refers to call Black people and to slur them. It carries much hatred
and disgust addressed to Black people and African-Americans. Historically, nigger was defined all Black people. The goal was to ridicule them. Whether used
as a noun, verb, or adjective, it strengthened the stereotype of the lazy, stupid, dirty, worthless nobody. From the conversation above, Clemens tries to remind
other Black people to be quiet if they want to survive. He utters the word nigger PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI
42 which carries emotional meaning which means can be classified as a swear word.
Clemens says nigger as the reflection of his own hatred toward himself and his ethnic. He is one of well-educated Black people, points out although he is actually
a nigger and a slave, he warns the other niggers to be quiet because a nigger who can write and read will be killed. He knows that to survive, a nigger just needs to
keep silent and act carefully because they are just black slave with no value as human beings. Showing their ability and intelligence will lead them to death.
b. Robert
: I say we fight.
Solomon : The crew is fairly small. If it were well planned, I believe
they could be strong armed.
Clemens
: Three can‘t stand against a whole crew. The rest here are
niggers, born and bred slaves. Niggers
ain‘t got the
stomach for a fight, not a damn one.
Datum No. 2 The scene in the movie shows they are in a steamboat and will be shipped to
Orleans to be sold as slaves. Robert tells the others to fight against the crew because they are just a small group. Solomon thinks it will be hard to fight for
escaping because they must be strong crew. Clemens warns again to others emotionally with high tone that three niggers cannot stand against a whole crew
because they were born as niggers and bred to be slaves. He recognizes the niggers‘ fate is just being slaves and not fighting because they do not have strong
body and power. The conversation among them makes the situation become a little bit chaotic due to different opinions. It makes Clemens uses swear words
which are niggers and damn. However, the word damn here does not belong to epithet, but it is profanity. For further explanation, the researcher will analyze in
43 the theme of profanity. Another swearword found is niggers. The reference is
connected to race and ethnicity. Since swear word is emotional language, its main function is to reveal
the speaker‘s feelings and attitudes. So, based on the situation above, as the reflection of his feelings in this situation, he prefers saying niggers
to Black People.
c. Tibeats
: Goddamn you I thought you knowed something Solomon
: I did as instructed. If theres something wrong, then it‘s
wrong with your instructions
Tibeats : You black bastard You goddman black bastard
Datum no. 6 The swear words in the dialogue above are the combination of epithet and
profanity. It happens when a White carpenter named Tibeats watches over and checks Solomon‘s work to build a hut as he has instructed. He is arrogant because
he thinks he is more superior and better than the slaves. He hates Black people including Solomon. He thinks Solomon tries to seek attention from Mr. Ford that
makes him jealous. Thus, he tries to look for his fault just for blaming him. Solomon does not feel he has made a mistake. He has done the instruction, so if
he makes mistakes, it is caused by the instructor namely Tibeats. Tibeats does not accept it and he directly gets mad. He expresses his anger by swearing and saying
bastard to Solomon. Bastard is a common swear word uttered in this century directed to a man if
it is compared to another word like motherfucker which we often hear. It is because the word motherfucker emerged for the first time in the late 19
th
century or around 1889. Meanwhile, the setting in the movie was in 1842.Thus, in that
44 period, there was no word which had a similar meaning to the word bastard. The
speaker uses this word because it is an offensive term for insulting name for someone who has made him angry. Its literal meaning is an illegitimate child, a
child born to unmarried parents OED. Certainly, in non-literal meaning it does not mean that Solomon is an illegitimate child but it is more as swearing. It is like
general insult hurled toward someone who is considered bad, stupid, or foolish. It just means that Tibeats does not like Solomon and to express it, he uses offensive
word by saying bastard. Moreover, Tibeats emphasizes by saying black bastard referring to Solomon as a black person or an African-American.
d. Tibeats
: You will not live ta see another day, nigger
Datum no. 7 From the conversation above, Tibeats and Solomon are confronting because
he is dissatisfied with Solomon‘s work. Tibeats is walking around to look over his
work, as if purposefully looking for his fault. He scolds him because he thinks he does not obey the instructions. However, he feels that he has done the same as he
ordered. Tibeats is strangling his neck, but he is trying to defense himself. Tibeats is getting mad then he is threating him as if he will kill him. He swears niggers.
This word means people who have very black skin. This word came out when the slavery happened in United State of America in hundreds years ago. Slavery is
obviously vital, since in Western society, it refers to degrade roles of servitude that often addressed to Black people Hughes, 2006, p. 326. This word was
popular in the slavery period. Hence, Tibeats prefers calling Solomon nigger to mentioning his name because of his enmity and anger at Solomon.
45
e. Mr. Epps
: Yah menfolk got no shame letting Patsey out-pick you? The day aint yet come she swung lower than five hundred
pounds. Queen of the fields, she is.
Treach
: 138 pounds…
Mr. Epps :
I ain‘t done, Treach. Ain‘t owed a minute to luxuriate on the work Patsey done?
Treach : Yes, sir.
Mr. Epps : Damn queen. Born and bred to the field. A nigger among
niggers, and God gave her to me. A lesson in the rewards of righteous living. All now, Treach. Now speak.
Datum no. 8 The setting is in Mr. Epps cotton field.
He is Solomon‘s new master. The slaves are assembled in a shack with their baskets of cotton. Their cotton is being
weighed by Treach. There is anxiety among the slaves. The slaves who get the lightest cotton will be whipped brutally. Mr. Epps is a drunkard and a cruel master
who often tortures his slaves. There is Patsey who is considered as the best cotton picker there. She gets much more than the others, so Mr. Epps gives her
compliment. It does not sound like a nice compliment directed to Patsey. It is like the way he expresses his disappointment due to the fact that most of his slaves
only collect little cotton. He tries to ridicule other slaves by praising Patsey in front of them. It is more like swearing,
“damn queen” and “a nigger among niggers”. The word nigger is epithet, but damned includes profanity. Mr. Epps
thinks that “nigger among niggers” is the proper compliment to praise a nigger
slave.
f. Mistress Epps
: No other. Sell her Mr. Epps
: I will not
Mistress Epps : You will remove that black bitch from this property,
er Ill take myself back to Cheneyville Datum no. 9
46 The next example of epithet can be seen from the conversation between
Mistress Epps and Mr. Epps. Both of them are debating because Mistress Epps gets jealous of his husba
nd‘s uncommon treatment to Patsey. She thinks that her husband has an affair with the slave. Thus, she commands him to sell Patsey, but
he does not agree. Mistress Epps calls Patsey as a black bitch. The literal meaning of bitch is a female dog. It is a pejorative epithet for a person. The original use of
it is as an insult. It is based on a comparison between a woman to a dog in heat. If the word is directed to a female, it means a female prostitute who likes to change
her sex partner. Generally the term bitch is still considered offensive and not accepted in
formal situations. According to linguist Deborah Tannen, ―bitch is the most
contemptible thing we can say about a woman ‖ as cited in Margaret, 1995, p.
36. Grose 1785 adds ―bitch as a noun is the most offensive appellation that
can be given to an English woman ‖ p. 7. Hence, saying bitch to Patsey is
reasonable to express her emotions because she thinks Patsey‘s behavior is like a
woman prostitute who always flirts her husband. Compared to another word like cunt for example, it is possible to be used as swearing that is addressed to a
woman. However, in 19
th
century, this word was not as popular as bitch. In addition, McCutcheon 1993 states that cunt does not include in the list of swear
words, taboo words, and euphemism that often used in 1800s or 19
th
century p. 21. So, bitch is the swear word that is commonly addressed to a woman in that
period. PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI
47
g. Mistress Epps
: What‘s the fuss?
Solomon : Mr. Epps believed Patsey and me to be in conversation
when we were not. I tried to explain, but its led to all this.
Mistress Epps : What is it? You cant remain the Sabbath without her
under your eye? You are a no-account bastard. A filthy, godless heathen. My bed is too holy for you to
share.
Datum no.12 This scene happens when Mr. Epps gets angry with Solomon. It is because
Solomon does not want to tell what he has said to Patsey. Mr. Epps thinks that Solomon tries to persuade Patsey in order to make her ignore his calling. The fact
that he is drunk, it makes his anger uncontrolled. He tries to chase Solomon and it causes a fuss in Mr. Epps‘ yard. Hearing the fuss, Mistress Epps comes running
from the house. Knowing that the cause of this chaos is Patsey, she becomes jealous. In addition, it is Sabbath day in which it is supposed to be respected. She
feels disappointed by her husband behavior which he still cannot stop to think about Patsey even in Sabbath day. He is a drunkard and his mind is full of dirty
thoughts and anger. Therefore, she swears at Mr. Epps by saying bastard which certainly it does not mean an illegitimate child. It is more general insult hurled
toward a bad person. In this situation, it is Mr. Epps who betrays their marriage and shows his disrespect to Sabbath day.
h. Mr. Epps
: Whats he been telling you?
Solomon : Of your misbegotten ways.
Mistress Epps : And he would know what of anything? I aint even
spoken with him today. You lying nigger, Platt. Have I? Have I? There. There‘s all the truth he got. Damn
nigger. Datum no. 13
48 From the dialogue above, Mr. Epps tries to seek what Solomon actually has
said to Mistress Epps. He doubts if Solomon tells the truth. He does not feel he has done something wrong. Thus, he accuses Solomon of lying. He cannot hold
his temper, so he says swear words. He utters nigger which is related to race and ethnicity. The word nigger here denigrates Solomon as a Black person. Nigger is
considered as swear words because it contains emotive function.
i. Bass
: White and black alike.
Mr. Epps : Whoa, whoa, whoa. You comparing me to a nigger,
Bass?
Bass : Im only asking, in the eyes of God, what is the
difference?
Mr. Epps
: You might as well ask what the difference is between a white man and a baboon.I seen one of them critters
in Orleans.
Datum no. 18 As the slaves continue to work, there is a conversation going on between
Mr. Epps and Bass. This conversation actually leads them to a debate. Bass criticizes the way Mr. Epps treats his slaves. He thinks Mr. Epps is cruel. Bass
states that there is no difference between Black people and White people. Mr. Epps is supposed to treat his slaves well because they are also human beings.
After hearing Bass‘ argument, Mr. Epps is surprised. He does not want to be compared to a nigger. The word nigger that is uttered by Mr. Epps is categorized
as epithet as the representative of his disagreement with Bass‘ opinion. He gives
response cynically. It denigrates the slave. He prefers saying nigger to associate his slave rather than to using Black people. According to Middleton and Pilgrim
2001, by the early 1800s, the word nigger was firmly established as a derogative PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI
49 name. It carried much hatred and disgust at Black Africans and African
Americans. It can be concluded that Americans created a racial hierarchy with Whites at the top and Blacks at the bottom. Thus, in the dialogue above, the word
nigger can be said as a swear word.
j. Mr. Epps
: Where is she, damn it? Where is she? Phebs, where is
she? Where is she?
Phebe :
I don‘t know, Master.
Mr. Epps : You know, you know, you know You know
Phebe
No, I don‘t.
Mr. Epps : You miserable black dogs. You stand like the deaf and
dumb. Speak She gone. My Pats is gone Datum no. 19
It is Sabbath day. The slaves are working on their own chores. Female slaves are washing their clothes and hanging them up to dry in the backyard. Mr.
Epps is drunk. He is looking for Patsey. He asks Phebe whom he thinks she must know where she is. However, Phebe does not know where she goes. It causes Mr.
Epps get mad. Thus he scolds her and swears at her by saying black dog. The word dog belongs to Epithet which refers somebody as an animal. Mr. Epps is
drunk, so he cannot control his anger. Whatever he says is uncontrolled. Besides, he also intimidates Phebe in order to make her give information about where
Patsey is.
2. Profanity
