Common Sense Outlook on Local Wisdom and Identity: A Contemporary Javanese Native’s Experience*

This paper explores local wisdom and identity as experienced by the writer as a Javanese through his common sense. The writer is interested on this topic since he is seeing the fact of the ‘lost generation’ in the society he is living in: Yogyakarta. This fact is seen in many aspects of life: be it media, language, food, medicine, and many other cultural artifacts. Therefore, the writer finds it significant to identify and redefine our identity by employing our local wisdom to cope with the challenging global influence and to give contribution to the world. Key words: local wisdom, Javanese culture, identity, global culture

Poetry, Gender and Teaching: Building Students’ Character through Multicultural Literature

This paper is aimed to explore the concern of gender in teaching poetry as an effort to build student’s character through multicultural literature. The students’ success in life is based on 80% of their soft skill. This is in line with the objective of teaching literature that focuses on developing the affective side of the students. Gender problem is one of the crucial and complicated issues in contemporary multicultural society. Gender issues cover various disciplines; literature and education are among them. These multicultural circumstances, including gender, are portrayed in poetry of multicultural poet’s background. This can be used as rich and inspiring resources for teaching poetry and is valuable for developing students’ character that gets weak from time to time. This weakening condition is caused by the teaching method focusing on developing more and more the cognitive side of the students. Poetry and literature in general, bears human soul that touches four elements of human being: intellectual, sense, imagination and emotion. Thus, teaching poetry can develop gender awareness of the students to prepare themselves be persons with strong character to live in contemporary life which are full of gender problems

HOW INDONESIA SHOULD DEAL WITH THE US: VALUABLE LESSONS FROM AMERICAN INDIAN LITERATURE

This paper will not talk much about the relationship between Indonesia and the US officially but will explore more the ways to deal with the US culturally. Like the other countries, Indonesia cannot escape from the American influence: be it politically, economically, technologically and even culturally. The three factors that usually become the important issues are the identity, geographically strategic Indonesian position for the US, and also religion. Unfortunately, Indonesia is unable to deal with the US in equity as two great nations. This fact only shows inferiority and the ‘doubled-standard policy’ conducted by the US make it worse. In the US perspective, there is no such a policy since all policies are for the US domestic interest and benefit. Therefore, Indonesia must be able to deal with the US using Indonesian perspective, for the sake of Indonesian domestic need. The most effective way to deal with the US in equity as the two great and respected nations is the cultural way, which is often neglected by the Indonesian governments. The cultural way to deal with the US has been significantly done by the American Indian people. After being invaded by the Europeans which was ceaseless and finally led to their destruction by the end of the 18th century and losing their identity as the Indian among the white society, in the end of the twentieth century they tried to gain back their identity and try to communicate and bargain with the US, their own official government in their culturally unique way. This is best exemplified in the globally-read-and-awarded American Indian literature which explore that identity is the core of a nation, of a people, to survive and to be respected by others. The American Indian experience is the best lesson for the Indonesian to deal with the US. Key words: dealing with the US, lesson from the American Indian literature, equally respected communication, Indonesian cultural values and identit

Common Sense Outlook on Local Wisdom and Identity: A Contemporary Javanese Native’s Experience

This paper explores local wisdom and identity as experienced by the writer as a Javanese through his common sense. The writer is interested on this topic since he is seeing the fact of the ‘lost generation’ in the society he is living in: Yogyakarta. This fact is seen in many aspects of life: be it media, language, food, medicine, and many other cultural artifacts. Therefore, the writer finds it significant to identify and redefine our identity by employing our local wisdom to cope with the challenging global influence and to give contribution to the world. Key words: local wisdom, Javanese culture, identity, global culture

Poetry, Gender and Teaching: Building Students’ Character through Multicultural Literature

This paper is aimed to explore the concern of gender in teaching poetry as an effort to build student’s character through multicultural literature. The students’ success in life is based on 80% of their soft skill. This is in line with the objective of teaching literature that focuses on developing the affective side of the students. Gender problem is one of the crucial and complicated issues in contemporary multicultural society. Gender issues cover various disciplines; literature and education are among them. These multicultural circumstances, including gender, are portrayed in poetry of multicultural poet’s background. This can be used as rich and inspiring resources for teaching poetry and is valuable for developing students’ character that gets weak from time to time. This weakening condition is caused by the teaching method focusing on developing more and more the cognitive side of the students. Poetry and literature in general, bears human soul that touches four elements of human being: intellectual, sense, imagination and emotion. Thus, teaching poetry can develop gender awareness of the students to prepare themselves be persons with strong character to live in contemporary life which are full of gender problems

Interpreting Poetry through Music: An Attempt to Redefine Poetry Teaching

Based on the decree of the Dean of the Faculty of Languages and Arts of Yogyakarta State University about the appointment of the skripsi consultant of the English Language and Literature Study Program on March 30, 2009, there were 60 students writing proposals for their final projects. Among those, there were only 14 students who choose literature or only 24% and, unfortunately, in this percentage no one analyzes poetry as the subject of their research. This empirical data show that there are imbalances among concentrations in this study program. In the long run, this situation is problematic since it influences the development of a particular science, which is literature especially poetry, compared to linguistics and translation. That problem evidently involves the students, the teachers, and teaching-learning process. However, it appears that the last two aspects contribute more to that problem. Most students still think that poetry is ‘scaring’ because of its unfamiliar words, uncommon use of language, imaginative writings, connotative words, sophisticated use of words, etc. In turn, this will result in their poor comprehension and interpretation of poetry. For them, poetry is imaginative and its meaning is beyond their reach. This usually ends in the failure to realize those meanings in their own life or to experience those life values shared in poetry, which is in truth the essence of poetry interpretation. In fact, this is actually not the students’ failure but the teacher’s and the fruitlessness of the teaching leaning process. Considering those complicated problems above, this paper offers an attempt to redefine the ‘ordinary’ teaching of poetry generally conducted hitherto. It will explore the possibilities of teaching ‘fun’ poetry through music, without losing its essence. Music, especially the everlasting one, is closely related to poetry and is very useful in helping students understand and interpret poetry. They will find it enjoyable at their first encounter and eventually be able to share the values of life offered by the poet, and realize those values into their own life. Truly, this approach is worth applying to have a fruitful teaching and learning process. Key words: poetry interpretation, music, teaching and learning proces

Experiencing Multiculturalism through Literature: The Fruitfulness of the Student-Centered Approach of Teaching Literature

Extremism occurring in this world and, specifically, in Indonesia recently is one form of the failure of education which does not accommodate multiculturalism. Terrorism is obviously the result of the distorted education which only focuses on mono-cultural values. Later, this will develop exclusivism in which there is no room for pluralism. This one-sided way of communication is dangerous for multiculturalism, which is, in fact, basic for human being. Therefore, the paper will explore how literature is fruitful for the students to experience multiculturalism and freely communicating its values. Literature is one of the best ways to lead the students to experience multiculturalism. This is supported by the fact that it is multi-interpretable. Even literature itself has so many definitions though it means nothing without appropriate appreciation. When asked to read and interpret particular literary text there will be so many ideas different one another. This is in point of fact the real representation of multiculturalism in its specific and particular definition. In addition, these colorful interpretations come about as a consequence of the different milieu of the author, the work it self and the reader: be it social, cultural, and religious background. The communication of the readers’ and authors’ values through literature is what most matters in teaching literature. Additionally, the teaching-learning process must emphasize more to embed, grow, and develop the affective side of the students than the cognitive one. And since the students as the readers are from different backgrounds, those differences must be highly appreciated and it will enrich the teaching-learning process. This is possible if the student-centered approach is employed consistently and should be explicitly stated in the course syllabus and also lesson plan. To conclude, it is evident that the communication of the different and various values of life becomes the key of teaching literature in multicultural context. If this kind of teaching-learning process works well, one-sided way of communicating values, which is obviously dangerous, will no longer have a place to grow up, for the affective mission of literature is to be sensitive and to understand others. The students will be more open-minded and will not be trapped in the destructive extremism as differences are basic for human being. They will see life in this world not as black and white but as the rainbow, which is always beautiful through times. Key words: experiencing multiculturalism, student-centered approach, teaching literature, communication of value

WOMAN'S VALUES IN SOCIETY AS REFLECTED IN MARGE PIERCY'S "BARBIE DOLL"

Boneka Barbie merupakan simbol kecantikan perempuan yang dibangun oleh kapitalis dan media demi meraih keuntungan. Akibatnya para perempuan tidak menyadari pengaruh negatif yang banyak ditimbulkan, seperti kesehatan, pembodohan, fantasi berlebihan, dan yang paling penting adalah eksploitasi perempuan. Pengaruh negatif inilah yang memicu berbagai kritik terhadap keberadaan Boneka Barbie. Marge Piercy adalah seorang penyair Amerika yang sangat keras mengkritik keberadaan boneka barbie lewat salah satu puisinya "Barbie Doll." Dengan menggunakan perpektif feminisme, artikel ini mengekplorasi pengaruh sosial dan budaya yang melatar belakangi keberadaan puisi ini. Puisi ini dipengaruhi oleh gerakan feminisme di Amerika pada tahun I960an. Persona dalam puisi ini adalah seorang gadis kecil yang harus kehilangan kebahagiaan ketika ia memasuki masa pubertas dan masyarakat menganggapnya tidak cantik. Nilai-nilai masyarakat inilah yang membuatnya berjuang keras demi mencapai kecantikan yang sesuai dengan keinginan masyarakat, kecantikan seperti Boneka Barbie. Pengaruh masyarakat ini sangatlah besar sehingga bunuh diri menjadi akhir yang memilukan bagi tokoh tersebut, namun ironisnya membahagiakan bagi masyarakat. Piercy berhasil membandingkan perempuan dengan Boneka Barbie dalam puisi ini dengan menggunakan perbandingan, simbolisme dan ironi.Akhir tragis seorang gadis yang ingin terlihat cantik seperti Boneka Barbie mengindikasikan bahwa kecantikan perempuan seharusnya tidak dinilai dari penampilan fisiknya saja, tetapi dari pemikirannya, pengalaman hidupnya, sifat-sifatnya dan juga kearifannya