BREAKING THE STEREOTYPES OF AFRICAN-AMERICAN THROUGH THE CONSTRUCTION OF A BLACK HEROIC CHARACTER IN THE FILM I AM LEGEND (2007).
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BREAKING THE STEREOTYPES OF AFRICAN-AMERICAN
THROUGH THE CONSTRUCTION OF A BLACK HEROIC
CHARACTER IN THE FILM I AM LEGEND (2007)
THESIS
Submitted as a Partial Fulfillment of Requirement for
Sarjana Sastra Degree of the English Department
Faculty of Letters and Fine Arts
Sebelas Maret University
By:
Rizkianingtyas Tiarasari
C0309055
ENGLISH DEPARTMENT
FACULTY OF LETTERS AND FINE ARTS
SEBELAS MARET UNIVERSITY
SURAKARTA
2014
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PRONOUNCEMENT
Name
: Rizkianingtyas Tiarasari
Number
: C0309055
Hereby, I certify that this thesis entitled BREAKING THE STEREOTYPES OF
AFRICAN-AMERICAN THROUGH THE CONSTRUCTION OF A BLACK
HEROIC CHARACTER IN THE FILM I AM LEGEND (2007) is not plagiarism
nor written by others. Any materials and theories used as references in this thesis
are written in direct quotations and/or in paraphrase and contained in
bibliography. I am fully responsible for this pronouncement. If this is proven to be
wrong, I am willing to take any consequences given by Faculty of Letters and
Fine Arts, Sebelas Maret University, including the withdrawal of the degree.
Rizkianingtyas Tiarasari
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MOTTOS
“Karena sesungguhnya sesudah kesulitan itu ada kemudahan.”
(QS. Al Insyirah: 5)
“Di mana kau berada sekarang, di situlah Tuhan menandai peta
untukmu.” – Hafiz (in Life Lessons, 2007: p.135)
“Things don’t always work out at the first time, but keep trying.”
“If you can't fly then run, if you can't run then walk, if you can't walk then
crawl, but whatever you do you have to keep moving forward.”
– Martin Luther King, Jr.
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DEDICATION
This thesis is wholeheartedly dedicated to:
My dearly loved family
Myself,
and American Studies Scholars
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ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
Bismillahirrahmanirrahim. In this part of thesis, the very first of all, my highest
praise for Allah SWT, the most Gracious and Merciful. It is through His blessing,
health, and gifts given to me, this thesis is finally done. Afterward, I would like to
thank those who have contributed in finishing this thesis. My gratitude goes to:
The Dean of Faculty of Letters and Fine Arts, Mr. Drs. Riyadi Santosa,
M.Ed., Ph.D, and the Head of English Department, Mr. Drs. Agus Hari Wibowo,
M.A., Ph.D, thanks for giving me permission to conduct this research.
Mr. Muhammad Taufiq Al Makmun, S.S., M.A. as my thesis consultant. I
deeply thank him for his time, patience, encouragement, knowledge, and
inspiration during the process of finishing this thesis. I am also highly grateful for
being supervised by him, as I would probably get lost without his valuable advices
and suggestion in developing the ideas in this research.
The Board of Examiners; Mr. Muhammad Taufiq Al Makmun, S.S., M.A.,
Mrs. Dra. Susilorini, M.A., Ms. Karunia Purna Kusciati, S.S., M.Si., and Mrs.
Dra. Sri Kusumo Habsari, M.Hum., Ph.D. I thank them for their advanced and
critical suggestions in directing and expanding the path of this research.
All the lecturers in English Department, and especially American Studies
lecturers; Mr. Drs. Bathoro Moh. Sardjana, M.A., Mrs. Dra. Susilorini, M.A.,
Mrs. Fitria Akhmerti Primasita, S.S., M.A., Ms. Karunia Purna Kusciati, S.S.,
M.Si, and Mrs. Dra. Sri Kusumo Habsari, M.Hum., Ph.D. I express thanks for all
their lessons, knowledge, and inspiration that have been shared to me during my
commit to user
vii
perpustakaan.uns.ac.id
digilib.uns.ac.id
study in English Department. Learning in English Department and particularly in
American Studies class becomes unforgettable moments of experience filling in
the pages of my book of lifetime that I may not ever get in another place.
My parents, Bapak and Ibuk, there are uncountable millions of thankfulness
for their love, affection, understanding, prayers, and support which keep
strengthening me in my every condition. My older brother, mas Purwoko Priyo S.
(Coco), thanks for supporting, cheering me up and being a big brother who is
always ready to listen to me. Living in the middle of them as my family is
definitely such a great gift that God gives to me. Thanks also to my uncles and my
aunts, and my cousins. Although they have not directly contributed in the process
of this thesis, they give high support for me and used to keep asking me ‘kapan
lulus?’ and keep reminding me ‘lebih cepat lebih baik’. I always remember their
messages as it is such an additional motivating encouragement to finish this
thesis.
My fellows in American Studies 2009. Suhu Nurlita Hapsari, thanks for our
nice discussion, her suggestions often help me in understanding subjects during
study and also to mbak Desi Nursita Ratnasari, Ekarista Rahmawati, and Debora
Tambunan. I thank them for those old good times, laugh, and discussions that we
had both inside and outside our class. I cherish every moment that we had in the
class of American Studies 2009.
Ratih Dewi Sulastri, thanks for our ‘escapes’ and ‘wandering’. Thanks also
for the discussion and curhat. Desilia Kusuma Wardani, Dewi Ikke, and Shefield
Fahmysari, I thank them for always openly welcoming me in their boardinghouses
commit to user
viii
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digilib.uns.ac.id
everytime I need a shelter around campus and it is too far for me to go home and
go back to campus again. For my classmates in English Department 2009 who
also often hang out and play together with me. I thank them as well for the fun
that we had together. And my other friends in ED 09 class that I cannot mention
one by one, thanks for all of the stories and experiences that we have been through
during our study in this department.
And the last but not least, to Pak Dju and Mbak Lesti, thanks for their
warmness and friendliness every time I enter ILC.
In the end part of this acknowledgement, I do also realize that this thesis is still far
from perfect, but I hope that this thesis will be useful for everyone who reads it.
Rizkianingtyas Tiarasari
commit to user
ix
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
COVER ............................................................................................................
i
APPROVAL OF THESIS CONSULTANT ....................................................
ii
APPROVAL OF BOARD OF EXAMINERS .................................................
iii
PRONOUNCEMENT ......................................................................................
iv
MOTTO ...........................................................................................................
v
DEDICATION .................................................................................................
vi
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT ...............................................................................
vii
TABLE OF CONTENTS .................................................................................
x
ABSTRACT .....................................................................................................
xii
CHAPTER I: INTRODUCTION .....................................................................
1
A. Research Background ........................................................................
1
B. Scope of the Study .............................................................................
5
C. Research Questions ............................................................................
5
D. Objective of the Study .......................................................................
6
E. Benefits of the Study ..........................................................................
6
F. Research Methodology .......................................................................
7
G. Theoretical Approach ........................................................................
10
H. Thesis Organization ...........................................................................
17
CHAPTER II: LITERATURE REVIEW ........................................................
18
A. Postmodernism ..................................................................................
19
B. Stereotypes and African-American Man............................................
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C. The General Concept of American Hero ...........................................
27
D. The African-Americans’ Achievements in the Post-Civil Rights Era
............................................................................................................
30
E. Movie Literature: I Am Legend (2007) ..............................................
33
F. Semiotics Film Theory .......................................................................
35
G. Basic Terminology of Cinematography.............................................
38
CHAPTER III: ANALYSIS .............................................................................
42
I. I Am Legend Film: an Emphasis on the Significance of the
Representation of a Black Man as Heroic Character .........................
43
II. I Am Legend Film: Breaking the Stereotypes of African-American
through the Construction of a Black Heroic Character ......................
63
CHAPTER IV: CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATION .....................
90
BIBLIOGRAPHY ............................................................................................
95
APPENDICES ................................................................................................. 104
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BREAKING THE STEREOTYPES OF AFRICAN-AMERICAN
THROUGH THE CONSTRUCTION OF A BLACK HEROIC
CHARACTER IN THE FILM I AM LEGEND (2007)
Rizkianingtyas Tiarasari1
Muhammad Taufiq Al Makmun, S.S., M.A2
ABSTRACT
2014. Hero is one of important elements in popular culture. However,
regarding racial issues, the representation of American heroes has been criticized
as it is predominated by white male figures. Meanwhile, the representation of
African-American men in American films has been mostly depicted in negative
stereotypes and postmodernism is aware of this unequal representation between
black and white people. This research is conducted to explain how the
significance of the representation of a black man as heroic character is given
emphasis in I Am Legend film and how the black heroic character in this film
breaks the stereotypes of African-American.
This is a descriptive qualitative research. The source of data in this research
is a film entitled I Am Legend (2007) which is directed by Francis Lawrence. This
research has two kinds of data. The primary data encompass film’s mise en scene,
cinematography elements, and intrinsic elements, such as character, film’s title,
dialogues, scenes, and plot. The secondary data are acquired from books, journal,
websites, and previous works from other researchers related to the research topic.
As the research is conducted under the framework of American Studies, it
employs interdisciplinary approach to analyze the representation of black hero in
the film. The research applies several theories and studies concerning
postmodernism, the general concept of American hero, the stereotypes of AfricanAmerican man, and semiotics film theory. Then, socio-cultural approach is also
used in order to see the social condition underlying the representation of black
hero in the film.
After the analysis is done, the research argues that I Am Legend film
emphasizes the significance of the representation of a black man as hero. The
research also suggests that through postmodern perspective, the black hero in the
film breaks and deconstructs the stereotypes of African-American as narrative and
conception of white people regarding the black people are declined. Further,
postmodern celebration of pluralism and equality encourages the inclusiveness of
the representation of American hero. Hence, the representation of American hero
is no longer predominated by white male figures only, but it also includes a black
male figure, as presented in the I Am Legend film. However, the construction of
his heroic action is somehow still delicately fitted with white’s expectation toward
black people.
Keywords: postmodern, stereotypes, representation, African-American, hero, film
1
2
Student of English Department/NIM:
C0309055
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Thesis Consultant
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BREAKING THE STEREOTYPES OF AFRICAN-AMERICAN
THROUGH THE CONSTRUCTION OF A BLACK HEROIC
CHARACTER IN THE FILM I AM LEGEND (2007)
THESIS
Submitted as a Partial Fulfillment of Requirement for
Sarjana Sastra Degree of the English Department
Faculty of Letters and Fine Arts
Sebelas Maret University
By:
Rizkianingtyas Tiarasari
C0309055
ENGLISH DEPARTMENT
FACULTY OF LETTERS AND FINE ARTS
SEBELAS MARET UNIVERSITY
SURAKARTA
2014
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PRONOUNCEMENT
Name
: Rizkianingtyas Tiarasari
Number
: C0309055
Hereby, I certify that this thesis entitled BREAKING THE STEREOTYPES OF
AFRICAN-AMERICAN THROUGH THE CONSTRUCTION OF A BLACK
HEROIC CHARACTER IN THE FILM I AM LEGEND (2007) is not plagiarism
nor written by others. Any materials and theories used as references in this thesis
are written in direct quotations and/or in paraphrase and contained in
bibliography. I am fully responsible for this pronouncement. If this is proven to be
wrong, I am willing to take any consequences given by Faculty of Letters and
Fine Arts, Sebelas Maret University, including the withdrawal of the degree.
Rizkianingtyas Tiarasari
commit to user
iv
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digilib.uns.ac.id
MOTTOS
“Karena sesungguhnya sesudah kesulitan itu ada kemudahan.”
(QS. Al Insyirah: 5)
“Di mana kau berada sekarang, di situlah Tuhan menandai peta
untukmu.” – Hafiz (in Life Lessons, 2007: p.135)
“Things don’t always work out at the first time, but keep trying.”
“If you can't fly then run, if you can't run then walk, if you can't walk then
crawl, but whatever you do you have to keep moving forward.”
– Martin Luther King, Jr.
commit to user
v
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DEDICATION
This thesis is wholeheartedly dedicated to:
My dearly loved family
Myself,
and American Studies Scholars
commit to user
vi
perpustakaan.uns.ac.id
digilib.uns.ac.id
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
Bismillahirrahmanirrahim. In this part of thesis, the very first of all, my highest
praise for Allah SWT, the most Gracious and Merciful. It is through His blessing,
health, and gifts given to me, this thesis is finally done. Afterward, I would like to
thank those who have contributed in finishing this thesis. My gratitude goes to:
The Dean of Faculty of Letters and Fine Arts, Mr. Drs. Riyadi Santosa,
M.Ed., Ph.D, and the Head of English Department, Mr. Drs. Agus Hari Wibowo,
M.A., Ph.D, thanks for giving me permission to conduct this research.
Mr. Muhammad Taufiq Al Makmun, S.S., M.A. as my thesis consultant. I
deeply thank him for his time, patience, encouragement, knowledge, and
inspiration during the process of finishing this thesis. I am also highly grateful for
being supervised by him, as I would probably get lost without his valuable advices
and suggestion in developing the ideas in this research.
The Board of Examiners; Mr. Muhammad Taufiq Al Makmun, S.S., M.A.,
Mrs. Dra. Susilorini, M.A., Ms. Karunia Purna Kusciati, S.S., M.Si., and Mrs.
Dra. Sri Kusumo Habsari, M.Hum., Ph.D. I thank them for their advanced and
critical suggestions in directing and expanding the path of this research.
All the lecturers in English Department, and especially American Studies
lecturers; Mr. Drs. Bathoro Moh. Sardjana, M.A., Mrs. Dra. Susilorini, M.A.,
Mrs. Fitria Akhmerti Primasita, S.S., M.A., Ms. Karunia Purna Kusciati, S.S.,
M.Si, and Mrs. Dra. Sri Kusumo Habsari, M.Hum., Ph.D. I express thanks for all
their lessons, knowledge, and inspiration that have been shared to me during my
commit to user
vii
perpustakaan.uns.ac.id
digilib.uns.ac.id
study in English Department. Learning in English Department and particularly in
American Studies class becomes unforgettable moments of experience filling in
the pages of my book of lifetime that I may not ever get in another place.
My parents, Bapak and Ibuk, there are uncountable millions of thankfulness
for their love, affection, understanding, prayers, and support which keep
strengthening me in my every condition. My older brother, mas Purwoko Priyo S.
(Coco), thanks for supporting, cheering me up and being a big brother who is
always ready to listen to me. Living in the middle of them as my family is
definitely such a great gift that God gives to me. Thanks also to my uncles and my
aunts, and my cousins. Although they have not directly contributed in the process
of this thesis, they give high support for me and used to keep asking me ‘kapan
lulus?’ and keep reminding me ‘lebih cepat lebih baik’. I always remember their
messages as it is such an additional motivating encouragement to finish this
thesis.
My fellows in American Studies 2009. Suhu Nurlita Hapsari, thanks for our
nice discussion, her suggestions often help me in understanding subjects during
study and also to mbak Desi Nursita Ratnasari, Ekarista Rahmawati, and Debora
Tambunan. I thank them for those old good times, laugh, and discussions that we
had both inside and outside our class. I cherish every moment that we had in the
class of American Studies 2009.
Ratih Dewi Sulastri, thanks for our ‘escapes’ and ‘wandering’. Thanks also
for the discussion and curhat. Desilia Kusuma Wardani, Dewi Ikke, and Shefield
Fahmysari, I thank them for always openly welcoming me in their boardinghouses
commit to user
viii
perpustakaan.uns.ac.id
digilib.uns.ac.id
everytime I need a shelter around campus and it is too far for me to go home and
go back to campus again. For my classmates in English Department 2009 who
also often hang out and play together with me. I thank them as well for the fun
that we had together. And my other friends in ED 09 class that I cannot mention
one by one, thanks for all of the stories and experiences that we have been through
during our study in this department.
And the last but not least, to Pak Dju and Mbak Lesti, thanks for their
warmness and friendliness every time I enter ILC.
In the end part of this acknowledgement, I do also realize that this thesis is still far
from perfect, but I hope that this thesis will be useful for everyone who reads it.
Rizkianingtyas Tiarasari
commit to user
ix
perpustakaan.uns.ac.id
digilib.uns.ac.id
TABLE OF CONTENTS
COVER ............................................................................................................
i
APPROVAL OF THESIS CONSULTANT ....................................................
ii
APPROVAL OF BOARD OF EXAMINERS .................................................
iii
PRONOUNCEMENT ......................................................................................
iv
MOTTO ...........................................................................................................
v
DEDICATION .................................................................................................
vi
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT ...............................................................................
vii
TABLE OF CONTENTS .................................................................................
x
ABSTRACT .....................................................................................................
xii
CHAPTER I: INTRODUCTION .....................................................................
1
A. Research Background ........................................................................
1
B. Scope of the Study .............................................................................
5
C. Research Questions ............................................................................
5
D. Objective of the Study .......................................................................
6
E. Benefits of the Study ..........................................................................
6
F. Research Methodology .......................................................................
7
G. Theoretical Approach ........................................................................
10
H. Thesis Organization ...........................................................................
17
CHAPTER II: LITERATURE REVIEW ........................................................
18
A. Postmodernism ..................................................................................
19
B. Stereotypes and African-American Man............................................
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23
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C. The General Concept of American Hero ...........................................
27
D. The African-Americans’ Achievements in the Post-Civil Rights Era
............................................................................................................
30
E. Movie Literature: I Am Legend (2007) ..............................................
33
F. Semiotics Film Theory .......................................................................
35
G. Basic Terminology of Cinematography.............................................
38
CHAPTER III: ANALYSIS .............................................................................
42
I. I Am Legend Film: an Emphasis on the Significance of the
Representation of a Black Man as Heroic Character .........................
43
II. I Am Legend Film: Breaking the Stereotypes of African-American
through the Construction of a Black Heroic Character ......................
63
CHAPTER IV: CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATION .....................
90
BIBLIOGRAPHY ............................................................................................
95
APPENDICES ................................................................................................. 104
commit to user
xi
perpustakaan.uns.ac.id
digilib.uns.ac.id
BREAKING THE STEREOTYPES OF AFRICAN-AMERICAN
THROUGH THE CONSTRUCTION OF A BLACK HEROIC
CHARACTER IN THE FILM I AM LEGEND (2007)
Rizkianingtyas Tiarasari1
Muhammad Taufiq Al Makmun, S.S., M.A2
ABSTRACT
2014. Hero is one of important elements in popular culture. However,
regarding racial issues, the representation of American heroes has been criticized
as it is predominated by white male figures. Meanwhile, the representation of
African-American men in American films has been mostly depicted in negative
stereotypes and postmodernism is aware of this unequal representation between
black and white people. This research is conducted to explain how the
significance of the representation of a black man as heroic character is given
emphasis in I Am Legend film and how the black heroic character in this film
breaks the stereotypes of African-American.
This is a descriptive qualitative research. The source of data in this research
is a film entitled I Am Legend (2007) which is directed by Francis Lawrence. This
research has two kinds of data. The primary data encompass film’s mise en scene,
cinematography elements, and intrinsic elements, such as character, film’s title,
dialogues, scenes, and plot. The secondary data are acquired from books, journal,
websites, and previous works from other researchers related to the research topic.
As the research is conducted under the framework of American Studies, it
employs interdisciplinary approach to analyze the representation of black hero in
the film. The research applies several theories and studies concerning
postmodernism, the general concept of American hero, the stereotypes of AfricanAmerican man, and semiotics film theory. Then, socio-cultural approach is also
used in order to see the social condition underlying the representation of black
hero in the film.
After the analysis is done, the research argues that I Am Legend film
emphasizes the significance of the representation of a black man as hero. The
research also suggests that through postmodern perspective, the black hero in the
film breaks and deconstructs the stereotypes of African-American as narrative and
conception of white people regarding the black people are declined. Further,
postmodern celebration of pluralism and equality encourages the inclusiveness of
the representation of American hero. Hence, the representation of American hero
is no longer predominated by white male figures only, but it also includes a black
male figure, as presented in the I Am Legend film. However, the construction of
his heroic action is somehow still delicately fitted with white’s expectation toward
black people.
Keywords: postmodern, stereotypes, representation, African-American, hero, film
1
2
Student of English Department/NIM:
C0309055
commit
to user
Thesis Consultant
xii