A STUDY OF CHICK BENETTO’S CONFLICTS AS SEEN IN MITCH ALBOM’S FOR ONE MORE DAY A Thesis Presented as Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements to Obtain the Sarjana Pendidikan Degree in English Language Education
A STUDY OF CHICK BENETTO’S CONFLICTS AS SEEN IN MITCH ALBOM’S FOR ONE MORE DAY A Thesis Presented as Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements to Obtain the Sarjana Pendidikan Degree in English Language Education By Esti Dewanti Student Number: 051214143 ENGLISH LANGUAGE EDUCATION STUDY PROGRAM DEPARTMENT OF LANGUAGE AND ARTS EDUCATION FACULTY OF TEACHERS TRAINING AND EDUCATION SANATA DHARMA UNIVERSITY YOGYAKARTA 2009 i A STUDY OF CHICK BENETTO’S CONFLICTS AS SEEN IN MITCH ALBOM’S FOR ONE MORE DAY A Thesis Presented as Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements to Obtain the Sarjana Pendidikan Degree in English Language Education By Esti Dewanti Student Number: 051214143 ENGLISH LANGUAGE EDUCATION STUDY PROGRAM DEPARTMENT OF LANGUAGE AND ARTS EDUCATION FACULTY OF TEACHERS TRAINING AND EDUCATION SANATA DHARMA UNIVERSITY YOGYAKARTA 2009
ABSTRACT
Dewanti, Esti. (2009). A Study of Chick Benetto’s Conflicts as Seen in Mitch
Albom’s For One More Day. Yogyakarta: English Language Education Study
Program, Department of Language and Arts Education, Faculty of Teachers Training and Education, Sanata Dharma University This thesis discuses the conflict faced by Chick Benetto as the major character of
Mitch Albom’s For One More Day. In his life, Chick faces many conflicts. His conflicts make him try to end his life.
This study aims to find out how Chick Benetto is characterized, what conflicts he faces, and what resolutions to Chick’s Benetto’s conflicts. There are three problem formulations in this thesis. They are: 1). How is Chick Benetto characterized in For One More Day? 2). What are the conflicts faced by Chick Benetto? 3). What are the resolutions to Chick Benetto’s conflicts?
This study is a library research. This study uses two kinds of sources, namely primary and secondary sources. The primary source is the novel, For One More Day. The secondary sources are taken from some books related to the theory, such as theory of critical approach, theory of character and characterization, theory of conflict, theory of conflict resolution, and some reviews about types and reasons of suicide. This study applies psychological approach to analyze the conflicts and the resolutions of the conflict.
From the analysis, there are three main points drawn. First, Chick Benetto is a person who is messy, rude, selfish, rebellious, introvert, dishonest, tender, and wishy- washy. Chick’s characters are seen from his manner, speech, reaction, and thought. Second, Chick faces two kinds of conflict, namely internal conflict and external conflict. The internal conflicts are money investment, Chick’s decision about the divorce, suicide, Chick’s mother’s request, Chick’s parents’ divorce, and Chick’s decision about his father’s request. The type of the external conflict is zero-sum conflict. The conflicts are between Chick and his mother, between Chick and his ex- wife, between Chick and his sister. Third, in solving the conflicts, Chick uses accommodation and avoiding types.
The thesis ends with suggestions for the future researchers and teaching learning activity. This thesis can be used for the future researcher as information in analyzing the novel For One More Day. There is also suggestion for using the novel For One More Day in Intensive Reading II Class in English Language Education Study Program, Sanata Dharma University.
Keywords: character, conflict, conflict resolution, suicide.
ABSTRAK
Dewanti, Esti. (2009). A Study of Chick Benetto’s Conflicts as Seen in Mitch
Albom’s For One More Day. Yogyakarta: Program Studi Bahasa Inggris, Jurusan
Pendidikan Bahasa dan Seni, Fakultas Keguruan and Ilmu Pendidikan, Universitas Sanata Dharma.
Skripsi ini membahas tentang konflik yang dihadapi oleh Chick Benetto sebagai tokoh utama dalam For One More Day karya Mitch Albom. Dalam kehidupannya, Chick menghadapi begitu banyak konflik. Konflik-konflik itu membuat dia mencoba untuk bunuh diri.
Skripsi ini bertujuan untuk mengetahui bagamaina Chick Benetto dikarakterisasikan, konflik apa saja yang dia hadapi, dan pemecahan masalah yang diambil untuk menyelesaikan konflik-konflik tersebut. Ada tiga rumusan masalah dalam skripsi ini. Rumusan-rumusan masalah itu adalah: 1). Bagaimana Chick Benetto dikarakterisasikan dalam For One More Day? 2). Apa saja konflik yang dihadapi oleh Chick Benetto? 3). Apa saja pemecahan konflik untuk konflik tersebut?
Skipsi ini adalah penelitian perpustakaan. Skripsi ini mengunakan dua macam sumber, yaitu sumber utama dan sumber kedua. Sumber utama adalah novel For One More Day. Sumber kedua diambil dari beberapa buku yang berhubungan dengan topik dari skripsi ini, seperti teori tentang karakter dan penokohan, teori tentang konflik, teori tentang pemecahan masalah, dan beberapa sumber tentang tipe dan alas- an orang untuk bunuh diri. Skripsi ini menggunakan pendekatan psikologi untuk menganalisa konflik dan pemecahan masalah dari konflik tersebut.
Dari pembahasan, terdapat tiga poin utama. Pertama, Chick Benetto adalah orang yang berantakan, kasar, egois, pemberontak, tertutup, tidak jujur, penyayang dan plin- plan. Karakter Chick dapat dilihat dari kelakuannya, perkataannya, reaksinya, dan pikirannya. Kedua, Chick menghadapi dua macam konflik, yaitu internal konflik dan eksternal konflik. Internal konfliknya adalah investasi uang, keputusan Chick tentang perceraiannya, bunuh diri, permintaan ibu Chick, perceraian orang tua Chick, dan keputusan Chick tentang permintaan ayahnya. Tipe dari eksternal konflik yang dihadapi oleh Chick adalah zero-sum konflik. Konflik tersebut antara Chick dengan ibunya, Chick dengan mantan istrinya, dan Chick dengan adik perempuannya. Ketiga dalam meneyelesaikan konflik tersebut, Chick menggunakan pemecahan konflik jenis akomodasi dan menghindar.
Skripsi ini diakhiri dengan saran untuk peneliti di masa yang akan datang dan aktivitas belajar dan pembelajaran. Thesis ini dapat digunakan untuk peneliti yang akan datang sebagai informasi dalam menganalisa novel For One more Day. Terdapat juga saran untuk menggunakan novel For One More Day di kelas Intensive Reading
II di Program Study Pendidikan Bahasa Inggris, Universitas Sanata Dharma.
Kata kunci: karakter, konflik, pemecahan konflik, bunuh diri.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
In finishing this thesis, there are people who have supported me. First of all, I would like to give my biggest gratitude to my Lord and my Saviour, Jesus Christ for His blessing, love, and guidance.
I would like to give my gratitude to Veronica Triprihatmini, S.Pd., M. Hum.,
M.A. as my thesis sponsor, for her guidance, patience, and time in guiding me to
finish my thesis. She has given me knowledge in finishing this thesis.I would like to thank all the lectures in English Education Study Program who have given me knowledge about English. The knowledge is very meaningful for me. I would also like to thank the secretariat staff of English Education Study Program and the library staff of Sanata Dharma University for helping me in finishing my thesis.
My deepest gratitude goes to my mother, Sumarni, for her prayer, love, guidance, support and kindness. I would like to thank my father, Wirjawan Abadi, my sister, Wijayanti, my brother-in-law, Avianto, and my cute nephew, Evan for their love and support so that I can finish my thesis. I would also like to give my gratitude to all my families in Sukoharjo and Klaten.
I would like to thank the members of Puri Pendawa, Pak Kus, Bu Wiwik, mas
Rico, Ella, Cristy, mbak Ika, and Yoga for being my new family in Yogyakarta. I
thank my friends, Funny, Gendis, Wiwin, Dea, Jule, Andre, Verdi, Dion, Wahyu,
Fidel, Rindang, Ella, Indra, and Berlin for the friendship, laughter, and
togetherness. They have given me wonderful days and experiences in Yogyakarta. I love them all. I also thank Lia, Nana, Dewo, and Kiemas for keeping forcing me to finish this thesis as soon as possible.
Esti Dewanti Sometimes the end is just the beginning (Suburban Girl Movie) I dedicate this thesis to: Jesus Christ
My Mother as the best Idol ever in this
world
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Page TITLE PAGE……………………………………………………………………..........i APPROVAL PAGES…………………….………………………………………...…ii STATEMENT OF WORK’S ORIGINALITY……………………………….............iv
LEMBAR PERNYATAAN PERSETUJUAN PUBLIKASI KARYA ILMIAH UNTUK KEPENTINGAN AKADEMI
…......................................................................................v ABSTRACT…...……………………………………………………………………. vi
ABSTRAK
…………………………………………………………………………....vii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS……………………………………………………….viii PAGE OF DEDICATION…………………………………………………………. ..x TABLE OF CONTENTS…………………………………………………………….xi LIST OF APPENDICES…………………………………………………………....xv
CHAPTER I. INTRODUCTION……………………………………………………...1 A. Background of the Study……………………………………………………...1 B. Problem Formulation………………………………………………………….4 C. Objectives of the Study…………………………………………………..........4 D. Benefits of the Study…………………………………………………….........4 E. Definition of Terms…………………………………………………………...5
CHAPTER II. REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE …………………….. …….7 A. Review of Related Studies………….....………………………………...….....7 B. Review of Literary Theories…………………………………………………..8
1. Theory of Character………………………………………………………..8
2. Theory of Characterization………………………………………………..10
3. Theory of Critical Approach……………………………………………...12
4. Theory of Conflict………………………………………………………...13
C. Review of Types and Reasons of Suicide……………………………………17
D. Theoretical Framework………………………………………………………19
CHAPTER III. METHODOLOGY………………………………………………… 21 A. Object of the Study………………..……………………………………….. 21 B. Approach of the Study……………...……………………………………… 22 C. Method of the Study…………………..……………………………………. 23 CHAPTER IV. ANALYSIS…………………...…………………………………… 25 A. The Description of Chick Benetto’s Characters…….……………………… 25
1. Messy…………………………………………………………………... 26
2. Rude…………………………………………….……………………… 26
3. Selfish………………………………………………………………….. 28
d. Chick’s Mother Request……………………………………..…….. 38
1. Resolutions to Internal Conflicts……………………………………….. 45
C. The Resolutions to Chick Benetto’s Conflicts………...…...……………….. 44
c. Between Chick and His Sister, Roberta…………………………….. 43
b. Between Chick and His Ex-Wife, Catherine………………………...42
a. Between Chick and His Mother…………………………………….. 41
2. External Conflicts……………………………………………………..... 41
f. Chick’s Decision about His Father’s Request………………..…….. 40
e. Chick’s Parents Divorce………………………………………..…... 39
c. Suicide……………………………………………………………... 37
4. Rebellious………………………………………………………………. 29
b. Chick’s Decision about His Divorce……………………….……… 36
a. Money Investment………………………………………..………… 35
1. Internal Conflicts…………………………………………..…………… 35
B. The Conflicts Faced by Chick Benetto……………………...……………… 34
8. Wishy-washy………………………………………….………………... 34
7. Tender………………………………………………….……………….. 33
6. Dishonest……………………………………………………………….. 31
5. Introvert…………………………………………….…………………... 30
2. Resolutions to External Conflicts………………………………………. 46
CHAPTER V. CONCLUSIONS AND SUGGESTIONS………………………….. 48 A. Conclusions…………………………………………………………….…… 48 B. Suggestions…………………………………………………………….…… 49
1. Suggestions for the Future Researchers……………………………….... 49
2. The Implementation of For One More Day in Teaching Intensive Reading
II………………………………………………………………………… 50 REFERENCES…………………………………………………………………..…. 51 APPENDICES…………………………………………………………………….... 53
LIST OF APPENDICES
Page APPENDIX 1: THE SUMMARY OF MITCH ALBOM’S FOR ONE MORE DAY………………………………………………………………………………… 54 APPENDIX 2: THE BIOGRAPHY OF MITCH ALBOM……………………........ 55 APPENDIX 3: LESSON PLAN…………………………………………………..... 57 APPENDIX 4: LEARNING MATERIAL………………………………………..... 62 APPENDIX 5: FOR ONE MORE DAY p. 64-67………………………………...…63
CHAPTER I INTRODUCTION This chapter deals with five parts. First is the background of the study that states
the reasons why the writer chooses this topic. Second is problem formulation containing three questions that are analyzed and discussed in this study. Third is objective of the study that answers the questions formulated in the problem formulation. The next part is benefit of the study that describes the benefits of this study for the readers, the students of English Language Education Study Program, the English teachers, and the researchers. The last part is definition of terms related to the study.
A. Background of the Study
Reading literary works gives pleasure and enjoyment for the readers. However, it also offers more than that. Little says that reading literary works can add our understanding about our lives and environment (1). In our environment we can see that many people enjoy reading literary works because some literary works represent their lives, for example in a novel. In a novel, there are conflicts that make the story more interesting. The conflicts in a novel are usually faced by people in real life.
In a real life we always deal with conflicts or problems. The problems may come from us or other people. Isenhart and Spangle say that conflict cannot be separated from our life (1). People will always find conflicts in their life. As individual, we
2 have our own conflict. In relationship with others, we will find more conflicts.
Worchel and Cooper state that conflict is a contradiction as a result of incompatibility within the individual or between two or more individuals (46). Stanton states two kinds of conflict namely, internal conflict and external conflict. Internal conflict is a conflict between two desires within a character. External conflict is a conflict between characters or between a character and his environment (16). In literature, people are able to find conflicts inside it because literature is the portrait of people’s life. The author of literature wants to say something to the readers about life. Little says that most of literary works deal with human life including its problems. There are family problems, social problems, and personal problems which can be found in the literary works (1).
In real life, people may have different views in facing their problem. Some people are able to face it patiently and wisely. They can find the best solution to their problems. They can use their mind and heart in solving their problem. On the other hand, some people cannot face their problem well. They cannot use their mind and thought in solving their problem. Since they cannot find the best solution, they will feel depressed. They even want to end their life because they cannot hold their problems anymore. Dr. Peter Parker says that someone’s mood influences the will to end someone’s life. Such people who want to end their life can be found in our environment (www.sinarharapan.com).
Nowadays, we often hear news about suicide in our environment, people cut their pulse, drink insect pesticide, hang themselves, etc. The researchers in America say
3 that the number of teenagers who want to suicide increases from time to time. In Indonesia, there are many people try to end their life. In Bogor, there was a boy named Daud Firdaus who tried to end his life by drinking insect pesticide because he could not accept their parents’ divorce (www.indosiar.com/patroli). Another case happened in Surabaya, East Java. A family consisting of four persons was found dead in their house. From the evidence found in that house, the police said that the father had killed his wife and two children before he killed himself. The police said that economic problem became the cause of this case (www.surabayapost.co.id). In addition, the article states that the causes of suicide are depression, wrong eat circum, and harassment.
The conflicts mentioned above have similarity with the conflicts in the novel For One More Day by Mitch Albom. In the novel, there are many conflicts faced by the character, Chick Benetto, which lead him to end his life. He faces many conflicts since he was very young. Since he gets many problems in his life, he cannot hold his problems anymore. He feels depressed and wants to end his life. Chick Benetto cannot face his problems patiently and wisely. He wants an easy way to end all of his problems. In the novel For One More Day, Mitch Albom gives many conflicts that people usually face. Mitch Albom also gives the resolutions taken by the character in facing the problems.
In the novel, it is interesting to study Chick Benetto’s conflicts. The writer is interested in analyzing Chick Benetto’s internal and external conflicts because Chick Benetto faces many family conflicts during his life which make him try to end his
4 life. Therefore, by analyzing the conflicts in a novel, it can give new point of view for the readers in facing and solving their problems.
B. Problem Formulation
From the background above, some problems can be formulated as follow:
1. How is Chick Benetto characterized in For One More Day?
2. What are the conflicts faced by Chick Benetto?
3. What are the resolutions to Chick Benetto’s conflicts?
C. Objectives of the Study
Based on the problems formulated in problem formulation above, the objectives of the study are:
1. To find out how Chick Benetto is characterized in For One More Day
2. To find out the conflicts faced by Chick Benetto
3. To find out the resolutions to Chick Benetto’s conflicts
D. Benefits of the Study
There are some benefits from this study that can be gained by the writer, the English teachers, the students, and the researchers. For the readers, they will be able to find out the conflicts faced by Chick Benetto. In addition, this study gives views for the readers to solve their problems.
5 For students of English Language Education Study Program, this study can give better understanding about intrinsic aspects of literature, especially the conflicts of literature. The benefit for the researchers is that it can be used as additional source in analyzing conflicts of a novel. The result of this study can be use to explore conflicts in a novel. For the writer, the writer is able to know the conflicts among people and how to solve them.
E. Definition of Terms
There are some terms used in this study. To avoid misunderstanding, the terms are defined.
1. Conflict
Worchel and Cooper state that conflict is a contradiction as a result of incompatibility within the individual or between two or more individuals (460). There are two kinds of conflict stated by Stanton namely, internal conflict and external conflict. Internal conflict is a conflict between two desires within a character.
External conflict is a conflict between characters or between a character and his environment (16).
In this study, the conflicts refer to both internal and external conflicts. Internal conflict is a conflict of a character with his/her own feeling. External conflict is a conflict of a character with the other characters. Both the internal conflict and external conflict are face by the character Chick Benetto.
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2. Family
According to Cheal, family is any group which consists of people in intimate relationships which are believed to endure over time and across generation (4). In this study family refers to Chick Benetto’s family.
3. Divorce
According to Sanfrook, divorce is a moment which gives signs to couple’s relationship, but it does not imply the end of the relationship (124). In this study, the divorce leads Chick Benetto to have a will to end his life. The divorce refers to the divorce of Chick Benetto’s parents and Chick Benetto’s divorce with his wife.
4. Suicide
Suicide is the intentional killing of oneself ( www.wikipedia.org/suicide). In this study, suicide means killing oneself because of certain reasons. In this study, Chick Benetto cannot hold his problems anymore that make him wants to end his life.
5. Resolution
Resolution is method for alleviating or eliminating sources of conflict ( www.wikipedia.org/conflict resolution ). In this study, resolution means methods taken by the characters to solve the conflicts.
CHAPTER II REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE In conducting this research, the writer uses some theories to support the analysis. This chapter consists of two main parts, namely review of related theories and
theoretical framework. Review of related theories consists of theory of character, theory of characterization, critical approach, theory of conflict, and theory of suicide.
The last part is theoretical framework which is used as a summary of the theories to answer the problem formulations.
A. Review of Related Studies
The novel For One More Day by Mitch Albom is a well-known novel. This novel has been translated in many languages. Therefore, some people use this novel for their study. In this case, the writer finds a thesis conducting the same topic in the same novel, For One More Day. The thesis entitled The Influence of Benetto’s Intrapersonal Conflicts on His Personal Life as Reflected in Mitch Albom’s For One More Day was written by Dian Prawesti.
The thesis written by Dian Prawesti has the same topic as the writer’s topic which is about conflicts. However, there are some differences between those two theses. The Dian’s thesis discusses about the internal conflicts faced by Chick Benetto. In addition, Dian’s thesis discusses about the influence of the conflicts to Chick Benetto’s personal life. Dian also gives some resolutions taken by Chick Benetto to
8 solve his problems. In that thesis, the resolutions are shooting, avoidance, and competition.
Being different from that thesis, this study discusses the internal and external conflicts faced by Chick Benetto. The writer also discusses the resolutions taken by Chick Benetto, namely avoiding and accommodation types. In addition, the writer does not discuss about the influence of the conflicts to Chick personal’s life. There are also the significances of this study. This study is to find out the internal and external conflicts faced by Chick Benetto. This study is also to find out the resolutions taken by Chick Benetto. In addition, this study may give new point of views for the readers in facing problems.
B. Review of Literary Theories
1. Theory of Character
In a literary work, characters play an important role to the story. In order to understand the story, the readers have to know the characters in the story. Every person in a story has different characters from the others. In order to understand the characters in a story, the readers have to know the definition and kinds of character.
Abrams states that characters are the persons presented in a dramatic or narrative work. Characters are interpreted by the readers as being endowed with moral, dispotional, and emotional qualities that are expressed by in their dialogue. The basic of character’s emotion, desire, and temperament called motivation (23).
9 In addition, Holman and Harmon state that character is the person that reflects people in real life who are described by the author in his literary work. They define characters as descriptive sketch of person’s type. The person’s character is not described as individual personality, but it is described as an example of vice or virtue (81). Rohrberger and Woods state that characters are the persons who act in a story. They said that characters must be credible, which means that the readers must accept them as believable people (20).
Henkle states two kinds of character. First character is major character in which he also calls as protagonist. The readers are able to identify the major character from the complexity of characterization, the amount of attention given to him, and the intensity that a character seems to transmit. Henkle says that major character always fascinates the readers with his words or behavior so that major character deserves the readers’ fullest attention. On the other hand, the second character, secondary character, does not have full attention from the readers. This kind of character functions as a foil to the major character. Secondary character is generally less complex, less sophisticated, and less interesting (88-97).
Forster divides characters into flat and round. He says that flat character is built by a single idea or quality. It is not represented by much individualizing detail.
Therefore, it can be described in a single phrase or sentence. A round character is complex in temperament and motivation. This character is as difficult to describe as people in a real life. A round character is able to surprise the readers (46-51).
10
2. Theory of Characterization
Character and characterization cannot be separated. In real life, if we judge someone’s characters, we will use characterization. According to Rohrberger and Wood, characterization is the process by which the author creates a character. This is used by the author to decide the characters of the story. Characterization is used in order to give better understanding about the character of the story. The readers will have an understanding that the characters present the characters of the author. The readers are able to know that the characters are different, because the author gives different things for each character (20). According to Murphy, there are 9 ways in which the author attempts to make his characters understandable for his readers (161- 173).
a. Personal description The author describes a person’s appearance and clothes. We can see from his hair, skin colour, his build, his hand, face, skin, eyes, and clothing.
b. Character as seen by other The author describes the character indirectly. It can be seen through the other person’s eyes. The other person in the story gives opinion about the other character.
c. Speech The author gives some insights through what a person says. Whenever a person speaks, has conversation with others, and gives opinion, the readers will be able to understand the characters.
11
d. Past life The author gives explanation about the character through the person’s past life.
This can be done by direct comment by the author through the person’s thoughts, through his conversation or through the medium of another person.
e. Conversation of others The author gives the readers clues to a person’s character through the conversations of other people and the things they say about him. People who talk about other people and the things they say often give as a clue to the character of the person spoken about.
f. Reaction The author gives the readers a clue to a person’s character by letting the readers know that person reacts to various situations and events. From the reaction he has toward various situations and events, the readers will be able to find out what kind of character a person has.
g. Direct comment The author describes or comments on a person’s character directly. From the author’s direct comments on a person’s character, the readers will be able to know the characters directly.
h. Thoughts The author gives us direct knowledge of what a person is thinking about. The author is able to do what people cannot do in real life. The author tells the readers
12 about thought of different people. The readers are able to know different person’s thought. i. Mannerisms The author describes a person’s mannerisms, habits or idiosyncrasies in a story.
The readers are able to know a person’s character from his mannerism, habits, or idiosyncrasies.
3. Critical Approach
Rohrberger and Woods explain that literature as one of arts which has esthetic value. They also explain that the response to the esthetic value is called esthetic response which is used to response the beauty of literature (3). In order to understand the esthetic value of literature, the readers need critical approach. Rohrberger and Woods state five kinds of critical approach (6-13).
The first critical approach is mythopoeic approach. This approach is used to discover recurrent patterns of human thought. The patterns are found in the ancient myth and folk rites that influence people’s thought.
The second approach is psychological approach. This approach tries to locate and demonstrate the recurrent human’s patterns by using his imagination and creation. In this approach, character is the element of literary work. This approach is applied to discover the character’s personality, which can be found in symbolic words, thoughts, and actions.
13 The third is formalist approach. This approach focuses on the structure of literary work. The formalist approach concentrates almost entirely on the esthetic values, which are concerned with the harmonious of the meaning derivation from structure and technique in determining structure. This approach does not concern with the facts of the author’s life, the genre of the literary work, and the social milieu. .
Next approach is biographical approach. This approach focuses on the author’s personality and life. In order to know the personality and life of the author, the readers could collect facts about the author’s personality and life. It can help the readers to appreciate the author’s literary work.
The last approach is sociocultural-historical approach. This approach focuses on the social, culture, and history background of literary works. It implies that the social, culture, and history background of literary works will influence the making of the literary works.
4. Theory of Conflict
a. Types of Conflict There are two kinds of conflict stated by Stanton, namely internal conflict and external conflict. Internal conflict is a conflict between two desires within a character.
External conflict is a conflict between characters or between a character and his environment (16).
Worchel and Cooper state that conflict is a contradiction as a result of incompatibility within the individual or between two or more individuals. They state
14 two kinds of conflict, namely intrapersonal conflict and interpersonal conflict (460- 463). Intrapersonal conflict is a conflict when a person makes a choice between two or more alternatives. Interpersonal conflict is a conflict which exists between two or more persons. From Stanton’s definition and Worchel and Cooper’s definition, it can be concluded that they seem to have same definition about kinds of conflict.
According to Worchel and Cooper, based on the types of response tendencies, there are four kinds of intrapersonal conflicts. They are approach-approach, avoidance-avoidance, approach-avoidance, and double approach-avoidance.
The approach-approach is the simplest type of conflict. This type results when a person is motivated to approach two positive goals but can reach only one. This type of conflict should be easy to resolve. In this type, the closer someone to his goal, the stronger will be the drive toward that goal.
The second type is avoidance-avoidance. This type occurs when someone has to choose between two equally unattractive goals. This conflict is difficult to resolve, since whenever someone gets near to one negative goal, the drive to avoid that goal increases.
The third type is approach-avoidance. This type of conflict involves only one goal which has both attractive and unattractive qualities associated with it. In this type, the person’s desire to both obtain the goal and escape from it traps him in conflict.
The last type is double approach-avoidance. This type can involve having to choose between two goals, each of which has positive and negative aspects. Many
15 conflicts that appear to be approach-approach conflict are actually double approach- avoidance conflicts.
The second kind of conflicts is interpersonal conflict. There are two kinds of interpersonal conflict based on which side wins or loses.
The first type is zero-sum conflict. This conflict means that one’s winning is the other’s loose, since individuals think that if they cannot obtain the goal, the other side will win. Therefore, each side wants to obtain everything he wants.
The second type is non-zero-sum conflict. This conflict is also called as a mixed- motivation conflict. In this type, there are two important things. The first one is one’s winning is not the other’s loose. The second one involves cooperation and competition. In this type, it can be concluded that individuals in conflict are beneficial for each other.
b. Conflict Resolutions
People have different ways in resolving their conflicts. Isenhart and Spangle state that people have different reactions in perceiving opinion and interference from other people. Some people become aggressive and assertive. They will threaten and make demands. Others will become quiet and passive and avoid talking about their concerns (26).
Isenhart and Spangle give five types in resolving conflicts. Those types are influenced by some factors. Those factors are the importance of issue to the party, contextual or cultural norms for how conflict should be approached, how one
16 anticipates that others will react, and personal goals. Those resolutions are avoiding, accommodation, compromising, competitive, and collaborative (26). 1). Avoiding
In this type, one party denies that there is a conflict, changes topics, and avoids discussion. This style is effective in situation in which there is danger of physical violence, the issue is not important, there is no chance of achieving goals, or the complexity of the situation prevents solutions.
2). Accommodation In this type, one party sacrifices its interests and goals and lets the other party achieve their interests and goals. This type is effective when there are no any chances to achieve the interests, when the outcome is not important, or when there is a belief that satisfying one’s own interests will in some ways alter or damage the relationship.
3). Compromising In this type, all parties make concessions for partial satisfaction of interests. There is an agreement for all parties to sacrifice their interests in order to gain the best solution for both parties. This type is effective in situations that require quick resolution of issues, when other parties resist collaboration, when complete achievement of goals is not important, or when there will be no hard feelings for settling for less than expected.
4). Competitive This type is characterized by aggressive, self-focused, forcing, verbally assertive, and uncooperative behaviors that strive to satisfy one party’s interests at the expense
17 of the interests of others. This type is effective in situations in which decision must be made quickly, options are restricted, there is nothing to lose by pushing, other parties resist cooperation, and there is no concern about potential damage to the relationship.
5). Collaborative This type is characterized by active listening and issue-focused, emphatic communication that seek to satisfy the interests and concerns all parties. It is effective in situations in which power is reasonably balanced; the long-term relationship is valued; both parties display cooperative behaviors; and there is sufficient time and energy to create a solution that will satisfy both parties.
C. Review of Types and Reasons of Suicide
Kastenbaum in Harvey’s gives some meanings about suicide. Suicide is sinful; suicide is criminal; suicide is the rational alternative; suicide is a reunion with a departed loved one; suicide is rest and peace; suicide is getting at back others- revenge; suicide is the penalty for failure; and suicide is a mistake, stating with a cry for help that was not heeded (138).
There are four types of suicide. The first type is murder-suicide. This type involves one person killing another, usually a close relation, and then killing himself or herself. Murder-suicides occur when one person wants to end people’s suffering then his life as well. Murder-suicides also occur when one person is leaving a close relationship and his or her partner is unhappy about the leaving. Because the partner
18 being left feels desperate, he or she kills the departing partner and then himself or herself.
The second type is institutional suicide. This type of suicide is done by a group of people. They follow the leader’s commands and do not ask anything. They believe they know the answer for doing the suicide. People in this group will kill themselves together. In addition, there are two more categories of suicide. The first category is rational suicide which involves an attempt to end a state of suffering associated with a terminal or life-threatening illness. The second category is suicide which is not associated with a terminal or life-threatening illness (Harvey 146)