Tom\'s struggle to get freedom from slavery in Harriet Beecher Stowe\'s Uncle Tom\'s Cabin - USD Repository
TOM’S STRUGGLE TO GET FREEDOM FROM SLAVERY
IN HARRIET BEECHER STOWE’S UNCLE TOM’S CABIN
A THESIS Presented as Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements to Obtain the Sarjana Pendidikan Degree in English Language Education by
Datu Falah Student Number : 031214085
ENGLISH LANGUAGE EDUCATION STUDY PROGRAM
DEPARTMENT OF LANGUAGE AND ARTS EDUCATION
FACULTY OF TEACHERS TRAINING AND EDUCATION
SANATA DHARMA UNIVERSITY
YOGYAKARTA
STATEMENT OF WORK’S ORIGINALITY
I honestly declare this thesis, which I have written, does not contain the work or parts of the work of other people, except those cited in the quotations and the references, as a scientific paper should.
Yogyakarta, August 24, 2009 The Writer Datu Falah 031214085
LEMBAR PERNYATAAN PERSETUJUAN
PUBLIKASI KARYA ILMIAH UNTUK KEPENTINGAN AKADEMIS
Yang bertandatangan dibawah ini, saya mahasiswa Universitas Sanata Dharma: Nama : Datu Falah Nomor Mahasiswa : 031214085 Demi pengembangan ilmu pengetahuan, saya memberikan kepada Perpustakaan Sanata Dharma karya ilmiah saya yang berjudul:
TOM’S STRUGGLE TO GET FREEDOM FROM SLAVERY
IN HARRIET BEECHER STOWE’S UNCLE TOM’S CABIN
beserta perangkat yang diperlukan (jika ada). Dengan demikian saya memberikan kepada Perpustakaan Universitas Sanata Dharma hak untuk menyimpan, mengalihkan ke dalam bentuk media lain, mengelolanya dalam bentuk pangkalan data, mendistribusikan secara terbatas, dan mempublikasikannya di internet atau media lain untuk kepentingan akademis tanpa perlu meminta ijin dari saya maupun memberikan royalty kepada saya selama tetap mencantumkan nama saya sebagai penulis Demikian pernyataan ini saya buat dengan sebenarnya.
Dibuat di Yogyakarta Pada tanggal 12 September 2009 Yang menyatakan, Datu Falah
ABSTRACT
Falah, Datu (2009). Tom’s Struggle to Get Freedom in Harriet Beecher Stowe’s
Uncle Tom’s Cabin. Yogyakarta: English Language Education Study Program, Department of Language and Arts Education, Faculty of Teachers Training and Education, Sanata Dharma University.
This thesis aims to analyze Tom’s struggle to get freedom in an American Classic novel entitled Uncle Tom’s Cabin by Harriet Beecher Stowe. It focuses on non-violent struggle that Tom experiences during his life as a slave. The study consists of two discussion areas, namely the analysis of Tom’s character and the analysis of Tom’s struggle to get freedom from slavery.
To find the basis in answering the problem formulation, the writer employs a library research. There are two kinds of source, the primary source and the secondary sources. The primary source is the novel by Harriet Beecher Stowe, Uncle Tom’s Cabin. While the secondary sources consist of books of literary theories, theory of ways of struggle, history of African American in America, racism and, and also from articles on the internet.
The analysis applies the socio-historical approach, which uses the social historical condition in America as the basis of the analysis. The analysis of the problem uses the theory of characterization by Murphy and non-violent struggle by Martin Luther King.
After analyzing the novel, the writer made two conclusions. The first conclusion is about Tom’s character. Physically, Tom is an African American who carries the physical features of his race. He is a slave in America belonging from one owner to another owner. Tom has five prominent characters, namely religious, trustworthy, honest, reliable, compassionate, and loyal.
The second conclusion is about Tom’s struggle to get freedom. Tom’s struggle is classified as non-violent struggle that matches the criteria of non- violent struggle by King. There are five criteria elaborated as follows: first, the struggle focuses on dynamic spiritual, emotion, and mind. Tom struggles by practicing his religion with all his heart and soul, holding a prayer meeting, and devoting himself to God, which eventually bring influence to his masters. Second, the struggle tries to win his masters’ friendship and understanding. Tom becomes a friend to the Shelby, gains Haley’s trust, and becomes Eva’s best friend and a shoulder to cry on for St. Clare. Third, the struggle is not against the person, but against the evil deeds, and the injustice. Tom practices the value of his religion to love his enemies and pray for them. Fourth, the struggler avoids not only external physical violence but also internal violence of spirit. Tom’s behaviour is based on the principle of love. He loves his friends and masters simply because God loves them. The last is the universe is on the side of justice. Tom believes that every cloud has a silver lining. He believes that in God there is a happy ending to his suffering.
ABSTRAK
Falah, Datu (2009). Tom’s Struggle to Get Freedom in Harriet Beecher Stowe’s
Uncle Tom’s Cabin. Yogyakarta: Program Studi Pendidikan Bahasa Inggris, Jurusan Pendidikan Bahasa dan Seni, Fakultas Keguruan dan Ilmu Pendidikan, Universitas Sanata Dharma.
Skripsi ini bertujuan menganalisa perjuangan Tom untuk memperoleh kebebasan dalam sebuah novel klasik Amerika berjudul Uncle Tom’s Cabin karya Harriet Beecher Stowe. Skripsi ini menitikberatkan pada perjuangan tanpa kekerasan yang Tom alami selama hidupnya sebagai seorang budak. Studi ini terdiri atas dua area pembahasan, yaitu analisa karakter Tom, dan analisa perjuangan Tom untuk memperoleh kebebasan.
Untuk mencari landasan dalam menjawab rumusan masalah, penulis menggunakan studi pustaka. Ada dua macam sumber, sumber utama dan sumber tambahan. Sumber utama berasal dari novel karya Harriet Beecher Stowe, Uncle Tom’s Cabin. Sedangkan sumber tambahan terdiri atas buku-buku teori literatur, teory perjuangan, sejarah orang Afrika Amerika di Amerika, rasisme dan juga artikel-artikel dari internet.
Analisa novel ini menerapkan pendekatan sosial historical yang memanfaatkan kondisi sosial historikal di Amerika sebagai dasarnya. Analisa rumusan masalahnya menggunakan teori karakterisasi oleh Murphy dan perjuangan tanpa kekerasan oleh Martin Luther King.
Setelah menganalisa novel tersebut, penulis membuat dua kesimpulan. Kesimpulan pertama adalah tentang karakter Tom. Dilihat dari fisiknya, Tom adalah seorang Afrika Amerika yang membawa ciri-ciri fisik rasnya. Dia adalah seorang budak di Amerika Selatan yang berganti dari satu pemilik ke pemilik yang lain. Tom memiliki lima karakter yang menonjol, yaitu religius, dapat dipercaya, jujur, dapat diandalkan, berbelas kasih, dan loyal.
Kesimpulan kedua adalah tentang perjuangan Tom untuk memperoleh kebebasan. Perjuangan Tom diklasifikasikan sebagai perjuangan tanpa kekerasan yang sesuai dengan kriteria perjuangan tanpa kekerasan dari King. Ada lima criteria yang dijabarkan sebagai berikut: pertama, perjuangan tersebut menitik beratkan pada kedinamisan spiritual, emosi, dan pikiran. Tom berjuang dengan menjalankan agamanya denagn segenap hati dan jiwanya, mengadakan persekutuan doa, dan mengabdikan dirinya pada Tuhan, yang pada akhirnya membawa pengaruh terhadap majikannya. Kedua, perjuangan tersebut mencoba memenangi persahabatan dan pengertian majikannya. Tom menjadi teman bagi keluarga Shelby, mendapatkan kepercayaan Haley, dan menjadi teman baik Eva dan tempat bersandar bagi St. Clare.Ketiga, perjuangan tersebut tidak melawan orangnya, tetapi melawan perbuatan jahat dan ketidakadilan. Tom menjalankan nilai agamanya untuk mengasihi musuhnya dan berdoa untuk mereka. Ke empat, orang yang berjuangan tersebut tidak hanya menghindari kekerasan fisik eksternal, tetapi juga menghindari kekerasan spiritual internal. Tingkah laku Tom semesta ada di pihak keadilan. Tom percaya bahwa ada secercah asa dalam setiap penderitaan. Dia percaya pada Tuhan bahwa akan ada akhir yang bahagia untuk penderitannya.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
Praise and thanks let us send to Allah S.W.T. the Almighty and most worthy of praise, for His guide, mercy and blessing, so that finally I can finish this thesis. In addition, I would like to express gratitude to the following people who have helped, guided and encouraged me to accomplish this thesis.
My deepest thanks goes to my major sponsor, Henny Herawati, S.Pd., for her guidance, encouragement, advice and patience from the
M.Hum.
beginning until I finish this thesis writing. My next appreciation goes to my co- sponsor, Drs. L. Bambang Hendarto Y. M.Hum, who has willingly spent his time for reading, correcting, and giving some suggestions and improvements for my thesis. I would like to thank all the Lecturers of English Language Education Study Program of Sanata Dharma University for enriching me with valuable knowledge.
My great honour goes to Bapak Priyo Waspodo and Ibu Martini I am thankful to receive their love, pray and support for all my life. I Anggriani. also thank to my brother, Duta Falah and my sister, Amalia Falah, for their support.
I would give my sweetest thanks to Petra Sri Sukesti for her attention, support and every moment we have spent together. She fills my life with many precious life experiences.
I would like to express my appreciation for my caring best friends, TopX, , who always help
Jamal, Didik, Ferry, Kang Syarif, Nina, Anash and Priska also thanks to other PBI students of the year 2003 that I cannot mention one by one.
Lastly, I thank those who have supported and encouraged me to finish this thesis. May Allah bless all of them.
Datu Falah
DEDICATION PAGE
This thesis is dedicated to:
My parents, Lover, Best Friends and myself
Table of Contents
TITLE PAGE ...................................................................................................................i
PAGES ..................................................................................................... ii
APPROVAL
STATEMENT OF WORK’S ORIGINALITY ...........................................................iv
LEMBAR PERNYATAAN PERSETUJUAN PUBLIKASI.......................................... v ....................................................................................................................vi
ABSTRACT
ABSTRAK ...................................................................................................................... vii
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ..........................................................................................ix
...................................................................................................xi
DEDICATION PAGE
.............................................................................................xii
TABLE OF CONTENTS
CHAPTER I. INTRODUCTION ................................................................................... 1
A. Background of the Study .............................................................................. 1 B. Problems Formulation .................................................................................. 4 C. Objectives of the Study ................................................................................ 4 D. Benefits of the Study .................................................................................... 5 E. Definition of Terms ...................................................................................... 6.......................................... 8
CHAPTER II. REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE A. Theoretical Review....................................................................................... 8
1. Critical Approaches ............................................................................... 8
2. Character.............................................................................................. 10
3. Characterization................................................................................... 11
4. Ways of Struggle ................................................................................. 13
B. Historical Review of the Afro American People in America..................... 16
1. History ................................................................................................. 16
2. Racism ................................................................................................. 18
CHAPTER III. METHODOLOGY ............................................................................ 22
A. Object of The Study ................................................................................... 22 B. Approach .................................................................................................... 23 C. Method of The Study.................................................................................. 24......................................................................................... 26
CHAPTER IV. ANALYSIS A. The Portrayal of Uncle Tom’s Cabin .......................................................... 26
1. Pysical Appearance and Personal Description...................................... 26
2. Personal Characteristic.......................................................................... 27
a. Religious ....................................................................................... 28
b. Trustworthy .................................................................................... 30
c. Honest ........................................................................................... 31
d. Reliable .......................................................................................... 32
e. Compassionate .............................................................................. 34
f. Loyal .............................................................................................. 36
B. Tom’s Struggle to Get Freedom From Slavery in Stowe’s Uncle Tom’s Cabin ........................................................................................................... 37
1. Focusing on Dynamic Spiritual, Emotion, and Mind............................ 38
2. Winning the Opponent’s Friendship and Understanding ...................... 40
3. Fighting Against Injustice ..................................................................... 42
4. Using The Ethics of Love, Sense and Morality..................................... 43
5. Having Faith in God .............................................................................. 46
CHAPTER V CONCLUSSIONS AND SUGGESTIONS ......................................... 48
A. Conclusions ................................................................................................. 48 B. Suggestions .................................................................................................. 501. Suggestions for Future Researcher(s) ................................................... 51
2. Suggestion for Teaching and Learning Activities................................. 51
REFERENCES .............................................................................................................. 54
APPENDICES ............................................................................................................... 57
Appendix 1 ....................................................................................................... 58 Appendix 2 ....................................................................................................... 61 Appendix 3 ...................................................................................................... 64
CHAPTER I INTRODUCTION There are five chapters in this study. This chapter, as an introduction
chapter, consists of five parts. The first part is a background of the study which gives background information about this study, including some reasons that serve as a basis for writing this study and the importance of the topic of the study. The second part, problem formulation, which consists of two questions, presents the questions related to the issues being discussed in the following chapter. The third part, objectives of the study, states the purposes of writing this study. The fourth part, benefits of the study, presents the aims of the study. The last part, definition of the terms, defines important terms that the writer uses in this study to clarify meanings and avoid misunderstandings.
A. Background of the Study
Basically there are three basic genres of literary works. They are prose, poetry and drama. The extensions of those basic genres include novel, play, autobiography and short story. Literature asks the readers to explore their imagination and to see many realities which are usually the experiences of people’s daily real life situation. In line with the fact that a work of a literature is about the reflection of life experiences, novel is one of the best reflections of human life since novel presents life itself. Van De Laar and Schoonderwoend says
2 respect resembling the world we live in, but with an individuality of its own” (163).
In this study, I decided to work in a novel because it can hold the reader into a certain situation, place or period occurring in the society. The plot which is acted by the characters in the novel makes the novel interesting to read. A novel usually carries a message about a change in social condition as well as social criticism. Many authors of novels present stories about life in their works because they can give a support, strength, or reflection of the struggle for life for the readers. Through the novel of Uncle Tom’s Cabin, which was published in 1852, Harriet Beecher Stowe spoke her anti-slavery message. The experience during her life encouraged her to write this novel. I choose this novel because it is an interesting novel that is filled with anxieties, courage and desires of the characters that give us knowledge of life and social condition during the time written in the novel. It is in accordance with Roger B. Henkle who says, “Novels reflect elemental facts and forces of life, our hidden anxieties, fears, and desires in our rapidly changing world” (3).
As cited from Slave narratives and Uncle Tom's Cabin, the novel entitled Uncle Tom’s Cabin actually was Stowe’s mind-speaking of her idea against slavery. Stowe had a deep feeling of anti-slavery although she was not an active abolitionist. She grew up in the society of abolitionist and saved runaway slaves.
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In 19 century, it was very risky to write or publish an anti-slavery novel. After trying hard, she finally found a publisher. It was an effective way because it was
3 even more accessible to a wide audience. The novel was sold as a bestseller novel, was translated into many languages and was adapted for the theater.
Novel is a reflection of people’s daily life. Uncle Tom’s Cabin, an anti- slavery novel, really reflects the condition of the society at that time. The Black slaves suffered from their cruel White masters’ words and actions. Humanity and freedom were expensive things for them. Stanley Harrold explains that American Abolitionist Movement happened in the 18th and 19th centuries. It also often called the antislavery movement (1). The movement finally reached its purpose when the American Civil War happened and The 13th Amendment to the Constitution of the United States on abolishing slavery throughout the United States was ratified in 1865. However, the society where Tom lives, 1850’s in South America, still manage to keep slavery. Tom as the protagonist character of the novel is the mirror of the condition of the black slaves.
As a slave, Tom lives in a cabin in the farm. He is one of the slaves in Shelby’s farm in Kentucky. He lives with his wife, Chloe, and their two children.
The interesting phenomena about him is that he is an African American man who suffers from slavery in the Southern part of America and tries to survive and be loyal to his master and friends while struggling to get his freedom, mainly is triggered by his knowledge of his faith. Through the character of Tom, Stowe spoke her minds. Tom is consistently trying to improve himself despite the limits placed upon him by slavery. He knows that his position is less powerful (as a black slave), but he tries to be consistent to keep his values of life, values of
4 equality, freedom and humanity. Ironically, he never gets his freedom until his death and he never regrets all of his struggles.
The concerns of the content of the story and the struggles of the main character in Harriet Beecher Stowe’s Uncle Tom’s Cabin have attracted me to conduct this study. We can learn that nobody wants to be enslaved by others. Freedom is the right for every human being, no matter what his/her race, skin, religion, and nation is. The forms of slavery are continuing following each era, starting from buying-selling people, child abuses, woman sex abuses and today it appears in a workforce of the unfair-waged labors, thus it is our concern to erase any kind of slavery from all over the world. Tom is one good example to follow because of his spirit and struggles in facing an inconvenient life of slavery condition.
B. Problem Formulation
There are two questions to be discussed in this study:
1. How is the character of Tom portrayed in Stowe’s Uncle Tom’s Cabin?
2. How does Tom struggle to get freedom from slavery in Stowe’s Uncle Tom’s Cabin?
C. Objectives of the study
The aims of this study are to describe Tom as the protagonist or the main character of Harriet Beecher Stowe’s Uncle Tom’s Cabin and to expose Tom’s
5 struggle in achieving his freedom and surviving his life. We can also learn that slavery is one of the worst social tragedies that happen in the society.
D. Benefits of the Study
This study gives benefits to the writer, the readers in general and the students or further researchers who are going to conduct their research on Uncle Tom’s Cabin. For the writer, this study widely opens his mind that slavery is very cruel to human being and this cruelty has been happening from the ancient times to the modern times in which we live now. The values of life which are shown through the struggles of the main character of the novel give a good example to the writer to follow.
For the readers in general they can gain a better understanding of the novel and they can have a new perception toward this literary work from a new point of view. Hopefully this study can also trigger their motivation to stop every kind of dehumanize actions.
The last is for the students or further researchers who are going to conduct their research on Uncle Tom’s Cabin. Hopefully they can use this study as an inspiration for them to explore deeper on the novel. This study can also be a supporting resource to complete their study.
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E. Definition of Terms
To match the concept and avoid misunderstandings between the writer and the reader, below are the definitions of some important terms which are used in this study:
1. Struggle According to Webster’s New Twentieth Century Dictionary of the English
Language Unabridged, struggle is defined as “a great effort or series of effort” (1806). In the Oxford Dictionary and Thesaurus, struggle is defined as “to make a violent or determined effort under difficulties” (1514).
In this study, struggle is a series of determined efforts that a human being undergoes over period of time in difficult conditions to overcome problems, challenges, and difficulties of life.
2. Slavery According to The 1926 International Slavery Convention Article 1; slavery is the status or condition of a person over whom any or all of the powers attaching to the right of ownership are exercised. Microsoft Encarta Encyclopedia 2006 also describes the definitive characteristics of slaves as follows: their labor or services are obtained through force; their physical beings are regarded as the property of another person, their owner; and they are entirely subject to their owner's will.
Shortly, slavery is social institution defined by law and custom as the most absolute involuntary form of human servitude.
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3. African Americans In the Microsoft Encarta Encyclopedia 2006, Harris defines African
Americans (American Blacks or Black Americans) as a racial group in the United States whose dominant ancestry is from sub-Saharan West Africa. A variety of names have been used for African Americans at various points in history. African Americans have been referred to as Negroes, colored, blacks, and Afro- Americans, as well as lesser-known terms, such as the 19th-century designation Anglo-African.
Referring to The American Heritage Dictionary of the English language, Afro-American is of or relating to Americans of African ancestry. Afro-American often called as black people or blacks also refers to people relating or belonging to an American ethnic group descended from African people having dark skin (31).
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CHAPTER II REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE This chapter consists of three parts. They are theoretical review, historical
review of the Afro American people in America, and theoretical framework. In the first part of this chapter, theoretical review, the writer discusses critical approaches, theory of characters, theory of characterizations and ways of struggle. The second part is historical review of the Afro American people in America. In this part, the writer discusses the historical background of the Afro American people, when their first time coming to America and how they were enforced to be slaves. This part also discusses racism. It contains principle of racism and how racism influences human’s life, especially the Afro American. The last part is theoretical framework. In theoretical framework, the writer explains the contributions of theories and reviews in solving the problems of the study.
A. Theoretical Review
1. Critical Approaches According to Rohrberger and Woods in Reading and Writing about
Literature, there are five critical approaches which can be used in analyzing a work of literature. They are: the formalistic approach, the socio cultural-historical approach, the biographical approach, the mythopoeic approach, and the psychological approach (6-15).
9 The formalistic approach gives an idea of examining the work of literature by looking the idea of the work itself. The formalist assumes that in evaluating the work, the readers do not need the facts of the author’s life, genre of work, and any reference to its social milieu. The formalistic approach does not need any reference at all. The only point is the idea of the piece of work.
The biographical approach asserts the necessity of understanding the piece of literary work by studying the background of the author because the reader shares the author’s consciousness and personality to understand his or her writings. In the biographical approach, the history tendencies, of the author in creating his work are necessary.
The socio cultural-historical approach is an approach in examining a piece of literary work using reference of the civilization of which the attitudes and actions of a specific group of people become the subject matter. Rohrberger and Woods state that critics whose major interest is the socio cultural-historical approach insist that the only way to locate the real work is in reference to the civilization that produced it. So, the socio-cultural and historical evidences become more important. This approach cites the importance of knowing the socio cultural-historical facts behind the work. Those facts reflect the condition of the people and society at the past time, the time when the literary work was being written. Without knowing the hidden evidences of certain socio culture and history, the reader will find difficulties in understanding the work because literary work may be based on certain cultures and histories. In this thesis, this approach is
10 approach to interpret the socio historical aspects of the condition when Uncle Tom’s Cabin was written.
The mythopoeic approach seeks the need of finding certain universality recurrent patterns of human thought, such as death and rebirth, guilt and sacrifices, primitive rites, which the critics believe to find in expression in significant work of art. The mystical relationship found in a story can be explained by using this approach.
The last approach is the psychological approach which tries to locate and demonstrate certain recurrent patterns from the knowledge of psychology. The critics who apply this approach would explore literary works using psychological theories to explain human motivation, personality, and behavior patterns written in literary objects. In other words, the character’s thoughts and behaviors can be traced more deeply (14) . Thus, the knowledge of psychological ground is important in order to understand some kinds of work.
2. Character Character is one of the important elements in a novel. Abrams defines character as a person presented in a dramatic or narrative work, which are interpreted by the reader as being endowed with moral and disposition qualities that are expressed in what they say and what they do (Abrams 9). Thus, a character has different characteristic from the other characters, whether it is on personalities or on physical appearance. Each of them creates a unique quality and
11 a. Main or major character
Abrams states that a major character is the central character of the story. On the other words, he must be the most important character in a story.
He or she becomes the focused character from the beginning to the end of the story. Harvey states that protagonist is a character whose motivation and history are most fully founded and steadily in a way more dramatic than other characters in the novel (56).
b. Minor Character According to Abrams, minor characters appear in certain setting just to become the background for the major character. Their roles are less important than the major character, because they are not fully developed and their roles in a story are just to support the major characters (Abrams 20).
3. Characterization After we know the existing characters in the novel, we need to know another element such as characterization to describe the characters, either physically or psychologically. To make the readers know what kind of character he or she is, the author uses some methods to present the personalities and the characters in a novel. The author will blend these methods into a unity so that the characters will become real. This knowledge is an aid to understand the personalities and the characters in the novel which then help the readers to understand the work as a whole.
12 Murphy in Understanding Unseens (161-173) classifies nine ways of how an author reveals the characters’ personalities and traits to the readers. The first way is by looking at personal description. The author portrays a clear description of the characters’ physical appearance and personal description. The characters’ clothing is one aspect to know their character. The physical appearance and personal description also include some details of someone’s performance, such as face, eyes, skin, body, hair, and other distinctive features. The personal description is very important because it can give the reader very obvious clues to the characters. The second way is by examining on how character seen by another. The author may also describe the character through the eyes and opinion of others, instead of describing the character directly, so the reader can get a reflected image. A character may encounter other character in the story on what they are like.
The third way is known from speech. The author can give the reader a better understanding and an insight into the character of one of the persons in the novel through what the character says, through the conversation a character makes with another, the opinion that the character has in mind. The fourth way is by referring to past life. By letting the reader learn from a person’s past life, the author can give the reader a clue to events that have helped to shape one’s character. The author may show it by giving a direct moment, through the person’s thought, conversation with others or the medium of another person. The fifth way is by observing character’s conversation with others. The things that
13 understanding about a character. Other characters conversations and what they say about one character may give clues on a certain character. The sixth way is looking at character’s reaction to reveal character’s personalities. The author gives a clue on a character by permitting us to know how a character reacts to various conditions and atmospheres happen to himself or his surroundings.
The seventh way is studying the direct comment. The author can also describe or give comment on a person’s character directly. He tells the reader directly about a character’s personality. The eighth way is examining to character’s thought. The author gives the readers direct knowledge of what a character is thinking about. What is in a character’s mind and what he/she feels is reflected in his personality. The reader then is in privileged position; he has, as it were, a secret listening device plugged in to the inmost thoughts of a person in a novel, something that we can not do in real life. The ninth or the last way to understand personalities is called mannerism. Here, the author portrays a character’s manner, habits, or idiosyncrasies that may tell the readers about his characterization.
4. Ways of Struggle The African American lived under oppressions, inequality and treated in inhuman fashion for so long time, decades or even centuries. It was not easy for them to get their freedom back so that they were able to live as normal human, getting their rights, not as the property subject to dictates of their owner. In order
14 to get their freedom, African American had to struggle hard, even by sacrificing themselves. In short, they struggled by two techniques, violence and non-violence.
a. Violent Struggle The violent struggle constitutes people to use the physical powers and hatred. Some of African American slaves tried to run away from their masters and some of them chose to fight against their masters and killed them if it was necessary. In spite of it, Martin Luther King in Non-Violence and Racial Justice argues that violent struggle is an ineffective way, it may become and endless reign of chaos, so prefer not to use this technique.
b. Non-violent Struggle According to King, the alternative to violent is non-violent struggle. This technique was also promoted by Mohandas K. Gandhi. It takes no physical power.
King in the article which is entitled Non Violence and Racial Justice explains five criteria of non-violence struggle: 1) Non-violent struggle is not a method for cowards, it does resist. This method does not aggressively use physical power toward the opponent.
Otherwise it focuses on dynamic spiritual, emotion, and mind. This method tries to persuade the opponent that he is mistaken. Physical struggle is avoided 2) Non-violent struggle doesn’t seek to defeat or humiliate the opponent, but to win his friendship and understanding. The struggler tries to awake the sense of moral shame in the opponent. The end is redemption and reconciliation. 3) Non-violent struggle is between justice and injustice. Therefore the
15 people who struggle against racial injustice must realize that the basic tension is not between races.
4) Non-violent struggle avoids not only external physical violence but also internal violence of spirit. In struggling for human dignity, the oppressed people must not allow themselves indulge in hate, otherwise they must have the ethics of love, sense and morality. At the center of non-violence stands the principle of love.
In speaking of love, according to King, there are three words for love in the Greek New Testament. There are three words for love. First, there is eros, which means romantic love. Second, there is philia, which means intimate affection between friends, the person loves because he is loved. The third is
agape, which means understanding, redeeming good will for all men, an
overflowing love which seeks nothing in return. It is the love of God working in the lives of men. When we love on the agape level we love men not because we like them, not because their attitudes and ways appeal to us, but because God loves them.
5) Non-violent struggle believes that the conviction that the universe is on the side of justice, God is on the side of truth. It is this deep faith in the future that causes the non-violent struggler to accept suffering without the feeling to do revenge, because he knows that there will be happiness and glory to accomplish in the end.
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B. Historical Review of the Afro American People in America
1. History We cannot separate the Afro American society from the Black African history because the Afro American society is the descendants of the Black
Africans who were brought to America as slaves. According to Logan (9), as revealed in his book entitled The Negro In The United States, the first twenty Africans were put ashore at Jamestown in 1619. At that time they were put into servants rather than slaves. During the first half-century of the existence, Virginia had many Negro indentured servants (immigrants working as unpaid servants in exchange for passage and accommodation). The economic circumstances changed their status from servant to slave. The number of Negro slaves in Virginia increased so rapidly after 1661.
The Black Americans who came from Africa were not only settled down in the Northern America cities but also other cities in America such as Maryland, Boston, New England, Carolina, etc. They were brought there to be enslaved by forced. For more than two centuries, the Afro Americans had become slaves of the White people. Their ignorance and the lack of communication between people in one place to those in other places were some of major factors which caused them easily enslaved by the American and the European. Every inhabitant lived separately and there were hundreds of languages and tribes. This condition made the foreigners (American and Eeropeans) easily enslaved them. The uneducated and poor Afro Americans were forced to work as rough workers in plantation. In
17 western countries, more than a third of all slaves in western countries in 1825. According to Richard N Current, et al, in 1850s there were more than 4 million black Americans, of whom about 95 percent were confined to the South (116).
In order to get their freedom, the Afro American people had to wait for long time by working hard as servants for the Whites and some of them had to serve the government of America in wars as soldiers. Besides working hard, the Afro Americans even had to sacrifice their soul to get freedom and rights to live in peace and humanize.
Oliver and Loise in Encarta Microsoft Encyclopedia 2006 explains in another way about The Afro Americans. He explains that most of the Atlantic slave trade was managed by the Portuguese, the Dutch, and the British. Many Africans who were taken to North America came from western and west central Africa. In 1502 Portuguese traders brought the first African slaves to work as labor in agricultural land in Caribbean. It was estimated that more than 10 million people were moved from Africa to America during 1502-1860. The regions that are now Ghana, Togo, Benin, and Nigeria were the origins of most slaves brought to North America. These countries are rich of cultures, diverse linguistic, ethnic, and religious groups. Most of Africans were farmers and raised livestock. They were skilled with agricultural and pastoral skills. That is why they were considered as valuable laborers in America.
The African workers naturally possessed many productive life skills. They had extensive experience in cultivating rice, cotton, sugar, and. These skills
18 ironworking, music and musical instruments, the decorative arts, and architecture. Those African characteristics helped shape American cultural styles because they brought their African words, religious beliefs, styles of worship, aesthetic values, musical forms and rhythms.
The institution of slavery existed in the United States from the early 17th century until 1865. Slavery played a central role in the history of the United States. It existed in all the English mainland colonies and came to dominate agricultural production in the states from Maryland south. Moreover, eight of the first 12 presidents of the United States were slave owners. Many people talked about it and debates over slavery increasingly dominated American politics. This polemic eventually led to the American Civil War (1861-1865), which finally brought slavery (as an institution) to an end.
2. Racism One of the main issues in the world is racism. It cannot be separated from human’s history, including Afro American history. It existed from the existence of human race and will exist along with the human history. Sowell (1) states in his book Race and Culture: A world Wide View that “Racial, ethnic and cultural differences among people play a major role in the events of our times, in countries around the world, and the world, and have played a major role with the long history of the human race”.
Racism may cause conflicts. The existence of racism will always be an act
19 matter what his/her skin colour is. Karenga (275) in his book Introduction to Black Studies says, “Racism is essentially a system of denial and deformation of the history and humanity of third world people (people of colour) and their right to freedom based exclusively or primarily on the specious concept of race”. The idea that a certain race is superior to others triggers slavery. That is why racism is very close to slavery.
According to the article of Racism: The Precedent To Slavery In North America, cited from the internet, we must examine slavery as an institution and racism as a mentality defined by the oppressor, independent to the oppressed. The justification of the race based slavery that existed in North America started in the
th
17 century. The Whites had bias to the Blacks. The Whites selfish mind, racist view and negative tendency towards the Blacks triggered race slavery in the North America constantly. As a result the Whites oppressed and exploited the Blacks for their own interests. In order to create a massive institution such as slavery that oppresses any people, the oppressor must view the oppressed as less than human, less deserving of human rights and the status of the Blacks became property not people. The Blacks had to serve their body and soul to the Whites. They did not have any rights to decide their life and future. Unfortunately, Africans who were very far from home could not find any help from anyone including their families and their countrymen that they were being treated badly.
Eric Williams, through his book, Capitalism and Slavery (6-7), offers a different perspective that slavery was not born of racism, rather racism was the
20 the Blacks and even the Whites. Fortunately, the Africans showed better quality of being slaves, according to the masters. This condition made the Blacks were largely accepted as slaves. Slavery actually was more likely to be an economic necessity of the masters rather than moral, and was related to production.
C. Theoretical Framework
This study is set to analyze Tom’s struggle to get freedom from slavery in Stowe’s Uncle Tom’s Cabin. In order to achieve the objectives, this study bases its discussion on some theories to answer the problems formulated in the problem formulation. In this part, the writer will explain briefly how the theories reviewed in the previous part are of this chapter are used in the discussion. The theories are theories of literature which consist of the theory of critical approaches, the theory character, the theory of characterization and ways of struggle. There are also historical review of Afro American people in America, racism and the theory of struggle.
The first focus of this study is to analyze how Tom’s character is portrayed in the novel. The theory of character and characterization are used in the discussion. Theory of character is needed to figure out Tom’s role as one of the main character in the novel. Meanwhile, the theory of characterization is used to find out how Tom is portrayed in the novel and to examine Tom’s personality.
The second focus of this study is to analyze how Tom struggles to get his freedom from slavery in Uncle Tom’s Cabin. The socio historical is appropriate to