THE INFLUENCE OF LEARNING IN PERFECTION ON ONE’S ACHIEVEMENT AS REFLECTED IN THE CHARACTER OF JONATHAN LIVINGSTON SEAGULL IN BACH’S JONATHAN LIVINGSTON SEAGULL A Thesis Presented as Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements to Obtain the Sarjana Pendidikan
THE INFLUENCE OF LEARNING IN PERFECTION ON ONE’S ACHIEVEMENT AS REFLECTED IN THE CHARACTER OF JONATHAN LIVINGSTON SEAGULL IN BACH’S JONATHAN LIVINGSTON SEAGULL A Thesis Presented as Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements to Obtain the Sarjana Pendidikan Degree in English Language Education By Yosafat Diaswikarta Student Number: 041214064
THE INFLUENCE OF LEARNING IN PERFECTION ON ONE’S ACHIEVEMENT AS REFLECTED IN THE CHARACTER OF JONATHAN LIVINGSTON SEAGULL IN BACH’S JONATHAN LIVINGSTON SEAGULL A Thesis Presented as Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements to Obtain the Sarjana Pendidikan Degree in English Language Education By Yosafat Diaswikarta Student Number: 041214064
A Thesis On
THE INFLUENCE OF LEARNING IN PERFECTION ON ONE’S
ACHIEVEMENT AS REFLECTED IN THE CHARACTER
OF JONATHAN LIVINGSTON SEAGULL IN BACH’S
JONATHAN LIVINGSTON SEAGULL
By Yosafat Diaswikarta
Student Number: 041214064 Approved by:
Date
A Thesis On
THE INFLUENCE OF LEARNING IN PERFECTION ON ONE’S
ACHIEVEMENT AS REFLECTED IN THE CHARACTER
OF JONATHAN LIVINGSTON SEAGULL IN BACH’S
JONATHAN LIVINGSTON SEAGULL
By Yosafat Diaswikarta
Student Number: 041214064 Defended before the Board of Examiners on 22 August 2008 and Declared Acceptable
Board of Examiners Chairperson :
A. Hardi Prasetyo, S.Pd., M.A. ______________ Secretary : Made Frida Yulia, S.Pd., M.Pd. ______________ Member : Henny Herawati, S.Pd., M.Hum. ______________ Member : Dr. A. Herujiyanto, M.A. ______________ Member : Drs. Y.B. Gunawan, M.A. ______________
Yogyakarta, 22 August 2008 Faculty of Teachers Training and Education Sanata Dharma University Dean,
STATEMENT OF WORK’S ORIGINALITY
I honestly declare that the thesis, which I wrote, does not contain the works or parts of the works of other people, except those cited in the quotations and the bibliography, as a scientific paper should.
Yogyakarta, 5 August 2008 The Writer
Yosafat Diaswikarta
A man found an eagle's egg and put it in a nest of a barnyard hen. The eaglet hatched with the brood of chicks and grew up with them. All his life the eagle did what the barnyard chicks did, thinking he was a barnyard chicken.
He scratched the earth for worms and
insects. He clucked and cackled. And he would thrash his wings and fly a few feet into the air. Years passed and the eagle grew very old. One day he saw a magnificent bird above him in the cloudless sky. It glided in graceful majesty among the powerful wind currents, with scarcely a beat of its strong golden wings.
The old eagle looked up in awe. "Who's
that?" he asked. "That's the eagle, the
king of the birds," said his neighbor. "He belongs to the sky. We belong to the earth we're chickens." So the eagle livedand died a chicken, for that's what he
thought he was.(Anthony de Mello) This thesis is dedicated to: My savior Jesus Christ and Mother Mary
My beloved family and Father Kieser
LEMBAR PERNYATAAN PERSETUJUAN
PUBLIKASI KARYA ILMIAH UNTUK KEPENTINGAN AKADEMIS
Yang bertanda tangan dibawah ini, saya mahasiswa Universitas Sanata Dharma : Nama : Yosafat Diaswikarta Nomor Mahasiswa : 041214064
Demi pengembangan ilmu pengetahuan, saya memberikan kepada perpustakaan Universitas Sanata Dharma karya ilmiah saya yang berjudul : THE INFLUENCE
OF LEARNING IN PERFECTION ON ONE’S ACHIEVEMENT AS
REFLECTED IN THE CHARACTER OF JONATHAN LIVINGSTON
SEAGULL IN BACH’S JONATHAN LIVINGSTON SEAGULLbeserta perangkat yang diperlukan (bila ada). Dengan demikian saya memberikan kepada Perpustakaan Universitas Sanata Dharma hak untuk menyimpan, mengalihkan 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 royalti kepada saya selama tetap mencantumkan nama saya sebagai penulis.
Demikian pernyataan ini saya buat dengan sebenarnya. Dibuat di Yogyakarta Pada tanggal : 4 September 2008-09-04 Yang menyatakan (Yosafat Diaswikarta)
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
First of all, I would like to express my deepest gratitude to Jesus Christ and Mother Mary who always give me love, spirit, strength and blessing so that I can finish my thesis. I really thank Him for always being able to listen, help, and give me strength and patience in completing my thesis.
Secondly, I would like to express my deepest and greatest gratitude to my sponsor, Henny Herawati, S.Pd., M.Hum., for her patience and time in reading and correcting this thesis. I really thank her for the support, advice and guidance in helping me finish this thesis.
Thirdly, I would like to thank my beloved parents who always give me guidance and love during my life. I also really thank my Father Kieser and Mrs.
Sumini who have given me a lot of financial and spiritual supports especially
Father Kieser for always reminding me to finish my thesis as soon as possible.Fourth, my special gratitude also goes to all the lecturers and staff teaching of the English Language Education Study Program for their guidance during my study. I also thank all the staff members of the library of Sanata Dharma University and Ignatius College library for their best services.
Fifth, with lots of love, I would like to express my special gratitude to my lovely friends of two thousand and four academic year at PBI, Harris, Jony,
Next, my sincere gratitude goes to all my friends in PAPERMOON
PUPPET THEATRE, Kak Ria and Iwan for the wonderful puppet performance
projects and sharing of life and for encouraging and motivating me to work harder and solve my problems. My gratitude also goes to Kriwul for his inspiration and support.
Finally, my special thanks go to all my friends, whose names cannot be mentioned one by one, for the cheerful, funny, crazy, and beautiful moments we have shared together. May God bless all of them.
Yosafat Diaswikarta
TABLE ON CONTENTS
4 CHAPTER 2 REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE 2.1 Review of Related Theories ..............................................................
11 2.1.3.2 Supremacy of Will and Free Will ...........................
10 2.1.3.1 Superiority of Mind ..........................................................
9 2.1.3 Theory of Perfection ............................................................
8 2.1.2 Theory of Learning ..............................................................
7 2.1.1.2 Theory of Moral Philosophical Approach ..............
6 2.1.1.1 Theory of Psychological Approach.........................
6 2.1.1 Theory of Critical Approaches.............................................
3 1.5 Definition of Terms...........................................................................
Page
3 1.4 Benefits of the Study.........................................................................
3 1.3 Objectives of the Study .....................................................................
1 1.2 Problem Formulation ........................................................................
CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION 1.1 Background of Study ........................................................................
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS........................................................................ vi
TABLE OF CONTENTS............................................................................ viii
ABSTRACT ................................................................................................. xi
ABSTRAK..................................................................................................... xii
iv
TITLE PAGE .............................................................................................. i
APPROVAL PAGES .................................................................................. ii
STATEMENT OF WORK’S ORIGINALITY.........................................11
CHAPTER 3 METHODOLOGY 3.1 Subject of the Study ..........................................................................
19 3.2 Approach of the Study ......................................................................
20 3.3 Method of the Study..........................................................................
21 CHAPTER 4 ANALYSIS
4.1 Perfection as Reflected in the Character of Jonathan Livingston Seagull..............................................................................................
22 4.1.1 Perfection within Self.........................................................
22 4.1.1.1 Perfection and Rationality..................................
24 4.1.1.2 Perfection and Free Will ....................................
25 4.1.2 Perfection within Self and the Other..................................
27 4.1.3 Perfection within Self and Others ......................................
28
4.2 The Influences of Learning in Perfection on One’s Achievement as Reflected in the Character of Jonathan Livingston Seagull .............
30 4.2.1 Influences on Jonathan’s Achievements on Earth.............
31 4.2.1.1 Jonathan’s Courage to Never Give Up .....................
32 4.2.1.2 Jonathan’s Strong Spirit ............................................
33 4.2.1.3 Jonathan’s Innovative Ability ..................................
36 4.2.2 Influences on Jonathan’s Achievement in Heaven ............
39
4.2.3 Influences on Jonathan’s Achievement as an Instructor on Earth ...................................................................................
43 CHAPTER 5 CONCLUSIONS AND SUGGESTIONS 5.1 Conclusions .......................................................................................
47 5.2 Suggestions .......................................................................................
49 5.2.1 Suggestions for the Future Researchers .............................
50
BIBLIOGRAPHY .......................................................................................
53 APPENDICES .............................................................................................
56 Appendix 1 Lesson Plan for Teaching Paragraph Writing.....................
57 Appendix 2 Syllabus of Paragraph Writing .............................................
60 Appendix 3 Teaching Material ..................................................................
62 Appendix 4 Summary of Jonathan Livingston Seagull ...........................
68 Appendix 5 Biography of Richard Bach ...................................................
71
ABSTRACT
Diaswikarta, Yosafat. (2008). The Influence of Learning in Perfection on
One’s Achievement as reflected in the Character of Jonathan Livingston
Seagull in Bach’s Jonathan Livingston Seagull. Yogyakarta: English
Language Education Study Program, Sanata Dharma University.This thesis discusses Richard Bach’s Novelette entitled Jonathan Livingston Seagull. The novelette tells a story about Jonathan’s life who wants to perfect himself in flying. Jonathan’s achievement of being perfect in flying is developed by his learning in perfection.
There are two problems formula ted in this thesis. The first is what perfection is as reflected in the character of Jonathan Livingston Seagull. The second is how learning in perfection affects one’s achievement as reflected in the character of Jonathan Livingston Seagull.
The data gathering method applied in this study was library research. The writer used two approaches in this study. The first was moral-philosophical approach to understand the moral issue of perfection and the second was psychological approach to understand some principles of modern psychology revealed in the character of Jonathan Livingston Seagull. The writer used two kinds of sources in this study. The novelette Jonathan Livingston Seagull was the primary source and the secondary sources were obtained from other books. They are theory of learning, theory of perfection and theory of need for achievement.
The findings of the first analysis show that perfection becomes Jonathan’s higher purpose for life that is to be free, to be a creature of excellence and intelligence and skill. Moreover, Jonathan’s perfection meets its full completeness and actualization by practicing love to help others see the goodness in each other.
In the second analysis, the writer finds that Jonathan’s learning in perfection makes him have strong spirit, innovative ability, courage to never give up, high desire to know and understand, and love to help others. Jonathan’s strong spirit pushes him to work harder and to strive to do anything to achieve his goal to fly at high speed as quickly as possible. His innovative ability empowers him to find out different ways to solve the obstacles and achieve how to fly at high speed and under control. The courage to never give up strengthens his motivation to face and overcome obstacles and failures to achieve his goal in flying longer in the air with less effort. Jonathan’s high desire to know and understand helps him know and understand who he really is, what and how he should achieve a perfect speed. Jonathan’s love to help others helps and gives feedbacks to Jonathan as well as his students in the process of achieving what they want.
Finally, the writer gives some suggestions of possible future researches in
ABSTRAK
Diaswikarta, Yosafat. (2008). The Influence of Learning in Perfection on
One’s Achievement as reflected in the Character of Jonathan Livingston
Seagull in Bach’s Jonathan Livingston Seagull. Yogyakarta: Pendidikan
Bahasa Inggris, Universitas Sanata Dharma.Skripsi ini membahas sebuah novelette karya Richard Bach berjudul
Jonathan Livingston Seagull. Novelette ini menceritakan kehidupan Jonathan
yang ingin menyempurnakan dirinya dalam terbang. Pencapaian Jonathan untuk menjadi sempurna dalam terbang dipengaruhi oleh pembelajaranya dalam kesempurnaan.
Ada dua rumusan permasalahan dalam skripsi ini yaitu apa itu kesempurnaan direfleksikan dalam karakter Jonathan, dan bagaimana belajar kesempurnaan mempengaruhi pencapaian seseorang direfleksikan dalam karakter Jonathan.
Metode pengumpulan data yang digunakan dalam studi ini adalah studi pustaka. Penulis menggunakan dua pendekatan dalam studi ini yaitu pendekatan filsafat moral untuk mengerti nilai-nilai moral dari kesempurnaan, dan pendekatan psikologi untuk mengerti beberapa prinsip psikologi yang diungkapkan dalam karakter Jonathan. Penulis menggunakan dua sumber dalam studi ini. Novelette
Jonathan Livingston Seagull adalah sumber utama dan sumber kedua didapatkan
dari buku-buku lain yaitu teori pembelajaran, teori kesempurnaan dan teori kebutuhan akan pencapaian.
Hasil analisa pertama menunjukkan kesempurnaan menjadi tujuan hidup yang lebih tinggi dari Jonathan yaitu menjadi bebas, menjadi makhluk yang unggul, cerdas, dan trampil. Selain itu, kesempurnaanya Jonathan menemui aktualisasi dan kelengkapan yang penuh dengan mempraktekkan cinta untuk menolong orang lain untuk melihat kebaikan satu sama lain.
Hasil analisa kedua menunjukkan bahwa pembelajaran dalam kesempurnaan membuat Jonathan mempunyai semangat kuat, kemampuan inovasi, keberanian untuk tidak menyerah, hasrat untuk tahu dan mengerti, dan cinta untuk menolong orang lain. Semangat kuat mendorongnya bekerja lebih keras dan berjuang melakukan apapun untuk mencapai terbang pada kecepatan tinggi. Kemampuan inovasi membuatnya mampu mencari cara yang berbeda dalam mengatasi hambatan dan mencapai terbang pada kecepatan tinggi dan terkendali. Keberanian untuk tidak menyerah memotivasinya untuk menghadapi dan mengatasi hambatan dan kegagalan untuk mencapai terbang lebih lama di udara dengan sedikit usaha. Hasrat untuk tahu dan mengerti membuatnya tahu siapa dia sebenarnya dan apa dan bagaiman dia harus mencapai kecepatan
CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION This chapter consists of six parts. They are the background of the study,
problem formulation, objectives of the study, benefits of the study, and definition of the terms. The background of the study tells about why I chose literature, and the novelette as my topic of study. The problem formulation is in the next part presenting two problems followed by objectives of the study. Benefits of the study show the uses of this study for the students and readers. The last part is definition of terms that presents some specific terms needed to be clarified.
1.1 Background of the Study
Everyone who lives in this world wants to be happy and to reach what he or she wants. In other words people have an intense need to achieve their goal of life. According to David C. McClelland with his achievement motivation theory states that achievement motivated people seek achievement, attainment of realistic but challenging goals, and advancement in the job. There is a strong need for feedback as to achievement and progress, and a need for a sense of accomplishment (248). Therefore, in this globalization era today where people are competing each other to reach their goals, achievement motivation is one of the life. Of course all people want to achieve their goal of life successfully but this is not an easy process since people will find obstacles or even may fail to reach what they want. This reality of life is very interesting for the writer to reveal what and how aspects of life affect one’s achievement. Therefore, the writer chooses this study on literature because through literature people can learn and see a reflection of values of a society. According to Wellek and Warren’s Theory of Literature (36), literature is a source of knowledge that is very important for everyone who wants to enrich his comprehension of the world and its society. As one of literary works, Jonathan Livingston Seagull, a fable that contains many aspects of human behavior as reflected in its characters of seagulls community are interesting to be analyzed. Jonathan’s passion to achieve what he wants in learning more about flying is a metaphor for human’s struggle in achieving his or her goal of life.
The story of Jonathan’s life in Jonathan Livingston Seagull, a novelette written by Richard Bach, is a good metaphor for exploring and describing about one’s achievement. Bach presents Jonathan as the main character who has achievement motivation to learn and seek for what he believes, for a higher purpose of life that is to be perfect in flying. It has made him come to transcendence in his life that differs him with the Flock believing eating is the only matter of life. Jonathan’s achievement of being perfect in flying is developed by his learning in perfection. Thus, this study aims to find out how and what the
1.2 Problem Formulation
Based on the novelette and the background, the writer formulated these problems as follows:
1. What is perfection as reflected in the character of Jonathan Livingston Seagull?
2. How does learning in perfection affect one’s achievement as reflected in the character of Jonathan Livingston Seagull?
1.3 Objectives of the Study
The objectives of this study are to answer the two problems above:
1. To find out what perfection is as reflected in the character of Jonathan Livingston Seagull
2. To find out how learning in perfection affects one’s achievement as reflected in the character of Jonathan Livingston Seagull.
1.4 Benefits of the Study This study is expected to be beneficial for the readers and the students.
Through literary work, readers can learn and enrich their knowledge about values of life as reflected in its characters. This will stimulate and invite people’s emotional and intellectual involvement and response toward the novel (Roberts successful achievement as reflected in Jonathan’s successful achievement of being perfect in flying.
For the students, this study hopefully contributes in encouraging them to take literature as a medium that can give pleasure and especially give understanding of values of life supporting their achievements. Furthermore, students can apply and practice the concept of learning in perfection in achieving their goal of life besides the opportunity to practice the skill to understand a literary work.
1.5 Definition of Terms
It is important to know the terms of learning, perfection, learning in perfection and need for achievement in this study because they are significant.
They are:
1. According to Hergenhahn’s definition: “Learning is a relatively permanent change in behavioral potentiality that occurs as a result of experience or practice” (2). In this study, the term of learning is used to analyze and describe the process of Jonathan’s learning in achieving his being able to be perfect in flying.
2. Human perfection is the completeness and actualization of human person who finds in existence (Cronan 23-24). This term of perfection is used to explain
5
3. Based on the definitions of learning and perfection above, so learning in perfection means a relatively permanent change in behavioral potentiality that occurs as a result of experience or practice of completeness and actualization of human person who finds in existence. In this study, this term of learning in perfection is used to analyze how learning in perfection influences Jonathan’s achievement of being perfect in flying.
4. According to Murray need for achievement is a desire or tendency to overcome obstacles, to exercise power, to strive to do something difficult as well and as quickly as possible (Beck 317). In this study, the term of need for achievement is used to explain Jonathan’s achievement of being able to be perfect in flying.
CHAPTER 2 THEORETICAL REVIEW This chapter covers two main parts. The first part is review of related
theories that only contains the reviews of the most relevant theories for answering the problems stated in chapter 1 of this thesis. The second part is theoretical framework that explains the contribution of the theories and reviews in solving the problems of this study.
2.1 Review of Related Theories
2.1.1 Theory of Critical Approach
Critical approach is literary criticism that attempts to describe, study, analyze, justify, interpret, and evaluate a work of art. In other words, it attempts to formulate aesthetic and methodological principles on which the critic can evaluate a text. When analyzing a text, literary critics ask basic questions concerning the philosophical, psychological, functional, and descriptive nature of the text itself. Literary critics involve themselves in either theoretical or practical criticism. Theoretical criticism formulates the theories, principles, and tenets of the nature and value of art. Practical criticism applies the theories and tenets of theoretical criticism to a particular work. Using the theories and principles of theoretical
7 uses two critical approaches. They are psychological and moral-philosophical approaches.
2.1.1.1 Theory of Psychological Approach
Psychological approach involves the effort to locate and demonstrate certain recurrent patterns. Most frequently, psychological critics apply Freudian psychology to works. Freud’s exploration of the unconscious area of the human mind led him to the conclusion that it was this area that was the wellspring of man’s rich imagination, his capacity for creation, and the complexity of his thought and behavior, and that the contents of this region of the mind found expression in symbolic words, thoughts, and actions (Rohrberger and Woods 13- 14).
Freud divides the psyche into three parts: the id, the ego, and the superego. The id is the irrational, instinctual, unknown, and unconscious part of the psyche. The id wishes only to fulfill the urges of the pleasure principle. The id operates on impulse, wanting immediate satisfaction for all its instinctual desires (Bressler 150).
The second part of the psyche Freud calls the ego, the rational, logical waking part of the mind, although much of its activities remain in the unconscious. Whereas the id operates according to the pleasure principle, the ego
The third part of the psyche, the superego, acts as an internal censor, causing us to make moral judgments in light of social pressures. In contrast to the id, the superego operates according to the morality principle and serves primarily to protect society and us from the id. Representing all of society’s moral restrictions, the superego serves as a filtering agent, suppressing the desires and instincts forbidden by society and thrusting them back into the unconscious (Bressler 151).
2.1.1.2 Theory of Moral Philosophical Approach
Many people, including some philosophers, when they read one of the great novels often have the feeling that it has something of ‘philosophical’ importance to communicate. It is not that, generally speaking, novels tell us how to live, how society should be organized or what is right or wrong, though a few purport to; but that they in some way deepen, broaden or challenge our sense of the ethical and its place in our lives. Therefore, there would be a close relationship between such works of literature and philosophical enquiry (Horton 70).
Moral philosophical approach is moral/philosophical critics believing that the larger purpose of literature is to teach morality and to probe philosophical issues. This approach does not view literature merely as "art" isolated from all moral implications; it recognizes that literature can affect readers, whether subtly
9 In addition, one should not understate the extent to which there has been some mutual influence between literature and philosophy. Just as some novelists have employed philosophical ideas in their novels, so some philosophers have used novels for philosophical purposes, including the use of fictional forms to express their philosophy (Horton 72).
Moreover, according to Martha Nussbaum in Bressler’s book, literary form is not separable from philosophical content, but is, itself, a part of content— an integral part, then, of the search for and the statement of truth (Horton 73).
2.1.2 Theory of Learning
Learning is indexed by a change in behavior, in other words, the results of learning must always be translated into observable behavior. After learning, learners are capable of doing something that they could not do before learning took place (Hergenhahn 2). In other words, in the learning process, the learners are capable to solve problems that they could not do before learning took place. According to Gestalt theory, the learners think about all of the ingredients necessary to solve a problem and puts them together (cognitively) first one way and then another until the problem is solved (Hergenhahn 261). This behavioral change is relatively permanent; that is, it is neither transitory nor fixed. The change in behavior need not occur immediately following the learning experience. those responses that lead to reinforcement will be learned. Therefore, learning is a relatively permanent change in behavioral potentiality that occurs as a result of experience or practice (Hergenhahn 2).
2.1.3 Theory of Perfection
The most valuable item in the universe is man. He alone is the image of his Creator. Man alone has divinity for his destiny (Cronan 3). Moreover, the ideas of man as self positively are built from our bodily continuity, from our experience of sequential thinking, from our acceptance of responsibility for our decisions and actions, and from the consistency with which those we love and all those we relate to treat to us (O’Connell 94). Cronan said that man is a human being who is attracted to perfection to make the goodness of anything (21). In the Thomistic system, perfection is the actual existent, and is in fact its term of measurement: something is perfect just as far as it actually is (Cronan 23-24).
Therefore, human perfection is the completeness and actualization of human person who finds in existence.
Since goodness is perfection and perfection is existential being, then to be
existing is the primal perfection, the root constitution and explanation of the good,
the ultimate significance of both concepts. Moreover, something created will have value commensurate with perfection: he will be perfect in so far as he is, and
11
2.1.3.1 Superiority of Mind
Reason is the key to man. All the superiorities observable in the human person are traceable to the possession of that one root power which is his specific difference: rationality. By this he surpasses the rest of creation not only in his specific power, but because through it he elevates those lower powers which he has in common with lower creatures, complete the universe, and perfects himself (Cronan 57).
Man’s unique superiority to other creatures is seen in his intellectual operation with regard to other existents. He can follow the universal dynamic order consciously, and further it by rational foresight, in himself, and through others, and thus not only possess a superior nature, but perfect his inferiors by the operation of his own natural superiority which sublimates them in a higher mode (Cronan 61-62).
2.1.3.2 Supremacy of Will and Free Will
Man is attracted to unlimited goodness itself, he knows what it is that attracts him, and although he must move to it, he can consciously and freely move toward it in his choice of means. Therefore he alone has will and since it is not only natural and inescapable but also rational and aware so he has freedom to do his will (Cronan 66-67). He has command decision over his actions: he is master
It is his rationality that gives man superiority of choice and dominance over himself, over his actions, and over the goods he may make use of, and it is in the operation of this free activity that man not only is constituted in a greater operative perfection, but achieves his own further perfecting, his further actuality; and then also, with the retroaction of values, he himself gains even greater perfection because the perfective use of his powers has perfected the universe more, by his free creation of further actualities in it. He is the master of the means of perfection themselves, a position of likeness to the omnipotent and free Creator’s governance of Himself and all else (Cronan 71).
Allers suggest that the primal and double driving powers in humans are the will to power and the will to community. The goal of the first is self-preservation and complete realization of self and the goal of the latter is to further realization of self in others, called love. In addition, Allers insists that there is always present a consideration of value that “every being tends toward the good” (Aristotelian and Thomistic axiom). It is because the drive potentials operate, and seek their completion in acts which will perfect personality and extend personal dignity (Cronan 13).
The few best modern psychologists agree with the scholastic doctrine that the reasoning power which distinguishes the person is the guiding and governing factor in integrating the personality into the more perfect actualization of its innate movement we call “life,” which, when completed in the realization of those perfectible energies, is “perfected” (Cronan 16).
2.1.3.3 Man and Creator: His Perfection
Man is not God, only his faint and imperfect image. It is not that man is a perfected and completed image, but is created “into the image,” that is, in some image, and with perfectible powers to improve that image. And yet however perfected he becomes man is always a very imperfect and incomplete image of the original, since it is the infinite God he is the image of (Cronan 97).
The image of God in man’s personal nature is a natural aptitude to know and love God, with consequent operative capacities to do this, including a rational recognition of the created functional aim of these abilities. The image grows in further and further immanent acts of intellect and will by which self-perfection remains most human, and yet in that same human imitation, becomes most divine when the object of those acts which perfect himself is identical with the object of divine intelligence and will, God Himself (Cronan 112). Therefore, man with his rationality surpasses other creatures and makes him the natural image of the Creator’s nature. Because of that man alone is an image because of his intelligence alone, the image of God exists in his spiritual and rational principle, not in his body (Cronan 92-95).
14 divine perfection in creation, one can “trace back” the power and causality of God. From an image, one can see reflected what kind of person He is, and if a creature so images, he can do so only in the degree he shares that nature in his own manner and proportion. Therefore the quality of the image will indicate the “quantity” of that creature’s share in the original perfection and be a true measure of his value or dignity, which is existential perfection (Cronan 32).
In conclusion, we do not acquire love of God: it is in us, His participating images, and we perfect ourselves as we develop it in awareness, as we educate ourselves to it. So there is something common between him and God, some connaturality by which he naturally knows and loves Him who completely transcends man, because He is also immanent in him (Cronan 111).
2.1.3.4 Man and Men: His Perfecting
The full picture of what man is must include how he is. The portrait must reveal not only his essential nature and its image dignity, but his existential nature and the actual growing world of his value-potentials. This climb of man to completion can be shown only with the picture of the climate in which he operates and the ground over which he moves. Thus, the human person’s power-values are actualized only in the person-milieu in which he acts, the stimulant environment which is labeled “society.” In reciprocal actions, a human person “accumulates”
15 It has been seen that, by nature, man imitates God in his tendency and power to communicate the goodness of his being and to create under God, new being. Because of this, the moving energy of his communicative will demands a society through which he can communicate his own goodness to other persons in imitation of his Creator, and to fulfill the demands of his own inherent goodness which is essentially distributive; and secondly, the dynamic potentials within the individual person for free development need society because his will needs the social group for the materials of goodness he can choose and upon which he can then freely operate in achieving further goodness himself by incorporating them or their effects into himself. This reciprocal movement of will in the group is something without which the individual cannot achieve perfection his due human dignity. It is part of a personal nature to have an inner ontological urge to communicate the goodness of knowledge and of love. Only society can provide him with the conditions of existence and development he needs to satisfy this driving energy to communicate perfection, the stuff of his decisions, his choices, his desires, his love (Cronan 139).
Therefore, this dynamic character of the human person, the actual perfecting of the image, and the consequent completion of his full worth and dignity, can be seen only where it can be accomplished: in the acting communities of persons who must complete themselves with and through each other. Man’s surrounding instrumental milieu for the realization of each individual’s perfectible potentials (Cronan 129).
2.1.4 Theory of Need for Achievement
People always have their goals of life and they do everything to achieve them. The question is why they do everything to reach their dreams or their goals of life. In other words, what motive that supports one’s achievement. According to McClelland achievement is a more generic term that can be applied to achieving the goals for any motive (249). McClelland defines motive of achievement as “performing in terms standard of excellent or, simply, as desire to be successful” (99). In addition, according to Murray need for achievement is a desire or tendency to overcome obstacles, to exercise power, to strive to do something difficult as well and as quickly as possible (Beck 317).
People tend to perform better only when an achievement incentive is present in the situation. It is one in which a person gets satisfaction from doing something better for its own sake, or to show that he or she is more capable of doing something. Therefore, what should be involved in the achievement motive is doing something better for its own sake, for the intrinsic satisfaction of doing something better (McClelland 228-229). In order to know whether they are doing better, they prefer situations in which they have personal responsibility for the
According to Raynor most performances in life are perceived as part of some overall framework and as steps on the way to a goal. He said that Individuals high need for achievement ought to work harder at a task that they perceived as important for future success than at a task of lesser importance (McClelland 500-501).
In addition, Atkinson achievement motivation model explains that success in an immediate step is necessary to earn the opportunity to move on the next step (McClelland 501). It is called contingent paths. In accordance to that, Raynor explains that if on such paths the probability of success declines from step to step, subjects high in need for achievement work much harder than those low in need for achievement. Since subjects high in need for achievement believe their success is due to ability, they will continue to work harder even as the task gets more and more difficult. Therefore, the importance of the goal, like the contingent path variable, interacts with the achievement motive to influence what the subjects do (McClelland 503).
Subjects high in need for achievement would prefer being personally responsible for a performance result, because only under such conditions could they feel satisfaction from doing something better (McClelland 246). Doing something better often implies doing it differently from before. It may involve finding a different, shorter, or more efficient path to a goal. It follows that
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2.2 Theoretical Framework
The theory of moral-philosophical approach is used as a tool to describe and analyze perfection as the content of Jonathan’s learning process to reach his achievement of being perfect in flying. To get a deep understanding, the writer uses theory of perfection to analyze Jonathan’s ambition to be perfect in flying.
Therefore, this theory is used to help to figure out what kind of Jonathan’s perfection is in the novelette.
By knowing the content of Jonathan’s learning process to reach his achievement of being perfect in flying that is perfection, it gives the writer a strong base to begin to study and analyze what and how Jonathan learns to reach his being able to be perfect in flying as his achievement of his life. To do so, the writer uses theory of psychological approach to describe, analyze and interpret the influence of learning in perfection affects one’s achievement. In order to find the motive of learning and need for achievement that is to be perfect in flying, the writer also uses theory of learning and theory of need for achievement as a tool to analyze and answer the second research question of this study that is how learning in perfection affects one’s achievement as reflected in the character of Jonathan Livingston Seagull.
CHAPTER 3 METHODOLOGY This chapter covers three main parts. The first part is the subject of the
study. The second part is the approach of the study. Then the third part is the method of the study. The subject of the study describes the description of the work analyzed and what the work is generally about. The second part reveals the approach used in analyzing the subject of this study. In the last part, the way taken in analyzing the subject of this study is described.
3.1 Subject of the Study
The subject of this study is Jonathan Livingston Seagull, a fable in novelette, written by Richard Bach with photographs by Russell Munson. First published in 1970 by Avon Books and it became a favorite on American university campuses. By the end of 1972, over a million copies were in print and the book reached the top of the New York Times bestseller list where it remained for 38 weeks. Moreover, in 1973 Bach's Jonathan Livingston Seagull inspired the production of a motion picture of the same title (wikipedia).
Jonathan Livingston Seagull tells the readers about a seagull learning about perfection in order to be able to be perfect in flying as his achievement of
Then, Jonathan is met by two seagulls who take him to a higher place where he meets other seagulls who love to fly. Here, the readers can see his learning process in achieving his being able to be perfect in flying with the help of his highly experienced teacher, Chiang. Jonathan’s learning process in perfection to achieve his being able to be perfect in flying becomes the interesting thing to know how learning in perfection influence one’s achievement.
3.2 Approach of the Study
The approaches used in analyzing this study were psychological approach and moral-philosophical approach. According to Lewis Leary’s A Study and Research Guide, a psychological approach is an approach that applies principles of modern psychology to characters or situations within a literary work or to the person who wrote that work (57). The focus of this study is on some principles of modern psychology to character within a literary work. Therefore, I used psychological approach to examine the Jonathan character that showed some principles of modern psychology that is learning process and need for achievement.
On the other hand, a literary work is also known as a work that teaches morality and /or promotes philosophical issues. According to Guerin the basic position of literature is to teach morality and to probe philosophical issues. They perfection as the content of Jonathan’s learning process influencing his achieving in being able to be perfect in flying.
3.3 Method of the Study
This study was a library method with Jonathan Livingston Seagull, a novelette written by Richard Bach as the primary source. In addition, the secondary sources were taken from several books, such as Motivation Theories and Principles, Psychology of Learning, and Dignity of Human Person. I took several steps in order to answer the two problems formulated in chapter 1. The first step was that I read the primary source that is the novelette Jonathan Livingston Seagull to get a better understanding of the story. This step helped me find out interesting topic to be revealed in this study. I decided to choose the influence of learning in perfection on one’s achievement as the topic of this study. From this topic I formulated two problems to be discussed further.
The second step was finding and reading several theories from other books as the secondary sources. They are theory of learning, theory of perfection and theory of need for achievement. Theory of perfection was used to answer the first problem whereas the other theories were used to answer the second problem of this study. The third step was to answer the two problems by applying the theories presented in the previous step in the analysis of this study. Then, the last step was