USING READER RESPONSE APPROACH TO GET ENGAGED IN ENGLISH TEXTS OF THE PAST

Abstract: This study investigates the students’ interpretations of English literary texts produced in the heyday of British and American Literature –the Victorian Age and Modernism.  The fact that the texts are so distant from the students’ time and cultural contexts often becomes the obstacles in understanding, in particular, canonized literary texts. Moreover, in EFL classes where students do not use English in daily basis, the problem is multifold. On the other hand, despite the advice to use texts that are more contextual and meaningful to EFL learners, it is unavoidable for EFL students majoring English literature to read some canonical texts. Although the use of canonical works may present ideological and political bias (see (Said, 1979) and (McCallum Stephen, 2011)), Lazar (2005) argues that literature, among others, opens access to cultural background, expands students’ language awareness and develops students’ interpretative abilities. Confronting with time and space so different from the students’ own, this study employing reader response theory and analyzes how these EFL students majoring English literature construct meaning from three texts they read and its effects towards their interpretative abilities. The data were collected through students’ responses, questionnaires and focus group discussions. Keywords: English literature, canonized literary texts, EFL contexts, reader respons

Conflict Analysis in Mother-daughter Relationship in Okky Madasari's The Years of the Voiceless

Conflict is an inevitable event that always occurs in human life as well in literary works. Okky Madasari’s The Years of the Voiceless shows conflicts that happen to a mother and a daughter who need to fight for women’s rights in the male-dominated world in the post-colonial era in Indonesia. They live based on their faiths and beliefs that are different due to the generational gap. By using the perspective of New Criticism, this study aims to investigate the sources of the conflict between them, how the conflicts are resolved, and how do the conflicts affect their relationship as mother-daughter. The result found that the conflicts that affect the mother-daughter relationship originate from external and internal conflicts. The conflicts are resolved through changes in the daughter’s character. This study proves that the generational gap, society, and characters’ personalities are the main causes of conflict in the mother-daughter relationships

An Analysis of Women’s Subordination in Eka Kurniawan’s Magical Realism Novel Entitled Beauty is a Wound (2015)

Women’s subordination is one of the most prevalent topics in the study of feminism. One of the novels that portrays the issues of women’s subordination in Indonesia is Eka Kurniawan’s magical realism novel titled Beauty is a Wound (2015). By applying descriptive qualitative approach and textual analysis method, the study analyzes how women’s subordination is portrayed in the novel based on Juliet Mitchell’s (1966) socialist feminist theory. The study found that women’s subordination occurred in four sectors of production, reproduction, sexuality, and socialization. Women’s subordination is portrayed through the men and women characters’ actions, behaviors, and thoughts. The study also found that women’s subordination in every sector is interrelated and occurs frequently in the sexuality sector. It can be implied from the portrayal that women’s subordination is a rampant issue in Indonesia, especially in terms of women’s sexuality. Keywords: Beauty is a Wound, magical realism, socialist feminism, women’s subordinatio

Construction of Dystopia in Black Mirror: Hated in the Nation

In this early emergence, dystopia is not only built by authoritarian oppression but it can be constructed by every individual in the society. This paper intended to analyze how dystopia is constructed through equal power in James Hawes’s 2016 series entitled Black Mirror, particularly in Hated in the Nation episode. A number of issues in this episode are analyzed by Foucault’s power relation theory. In order to determine whether the power network in the society creates dystopia or not, critical dystopia theory is presented by Booker (1994) and Moylan (2000). Since the main causes of dystopia in this episode are technology and social media, theory about technology progress and human regress is proposed by Jonas in Durdan (2013). The data were collected by sorting out some frames and dialogs throughout the episode. It is found that the vicious cycle of hatred is difficult to break so it creates a deteriorating society. The analysis is expected to contribute other elements in postmodern dystopia narrative.Keywords: Black Mirror, Dystopia, Mass Media, Postmodern Dystopia, Power Relation

A Semiotic analysis on Kanye West’s Runaway short movie

This research aims to analyze the short movie Runaway, directed by a Chicago artist and musician, Kanye West, to find the meaning stored in the sign in the work using Roland Barthes’ (1977) semiotic theory. This theory interprets things like words, images, sounds, gestures, and objects to embrace any system of signs regardless of their nature and limitations. According to Barthes (1977), signs are divided into two types, which are denotative and connotative. Denotative is the most apparent meaning of the symbol while connotative describes a concept that is connected to a word or evoked by an emotion or a cultural value. The study has revealed that there are five significant signs in Runaway, in which Kanye West, who is the main character, runs in a forest, a herd of deer, ballerinas in black costumes, the phoenix, and Ku Klux Klan organization. This finding suggests that analyzing literary work like movies, songs, novels, and other forms of art needs more than just literal meaning. There could be other meanings underlying the printed texts or images, which can reveal the cultural values behind the work

Trauma in Edgar Allan Poe’s “The Black Cat”

This research aims to analyze trauma in short story "The Black Cat" (1843) by Edgar Allan Poe. Trauma in a way can be described as a recollecting memory of unpleasant events that may harm the mind of the one who suffers it. Studies on trauma in Poe's story are mentioned in Journal The Edgar Allan Poe Review (2019) as part of its further study on Poe's works. To fill the gaps in the research on "The Black Cat", this study aims to analyze the construction of trauma in the story and its effect on the story in narrative form. The data is analyzed using textual analysis trough close reading activity. The data then is interpreted using Caruth’s (1996) model on analyzing trauma in literature. The results show that (1) trauma is suffered through narrator’s attachment with the cat, (2) narrator’s regret of his wrongful violence, (3) through the repeating appearance of the cat, the trauma is reconstructed in the story, and (4) through trauma the character suffer mental deteriorations. The research concludes that trauma patterns based on Caruth's (1996) study appear in the story and it may help further study narrative in trauma study.Keywords: Trauma, Edgar Allan Poe, Cathy Caruth, The Black Cat, Narrativ

Trauma in Natsume Soseki's Kokoro: A character analysis

Trauma, meaning wound, is a common phenomenon in our modern world and this phenomenon is represented in many works of literature in various ways. One of the examples of literary work that attempts to represent trauma is Natsume Soseki’s Kokoro, a 1914 Japanese novel written by one of the most famous Japanese author. This research aims to answer the question of how trauma shape a person’s identity in the translated version of Natsume Soseki’s Kokoro (1957). This research focuses on the character development of one of the main character in the story, Sensei. Employing Caruth’s (1995) trauma theory as a the theoretical framework, this study uses descriptive qualitative as the approach. The result finds that Sensei’s identity is shaped by two major traumatic event in his life, the betrayal of his uncle and the death of his close friend. In response to the two tragic events, Sensei constructs an identity that are characterized by attributing cynical attitude, attaching guilt, and casting fear. Because he feels he is haunted by his trauma, he decided to commit suicide in order to be free. The way Sensei constructs his identity in response to his traumatic past is also a reflection of a postmodern notion identity in which a person’s identity is never absolute and is prone to change.Keywords: Identity, trauma, Japanese literature

SISTEM INFORMASI PERIZINAN PENYEWAAN, PERPANJANGAN, PERPINDAHAN KEPEMILIKAN DAN RETRIBUSI KIOS PASAR PADA KANTOR PASAR BITINGAN KUDUS BERBASIS WEB

Pasar bitingan kudus merupakan salah satu pusat grosir yang ada di kabupaen kudus. sebagian proses yang berjalan pada pasar bitingan masih dilakukan secara manual yaiu proses perizinan yang meliputi perizinan penyewaan, perpanjangan untuk menempati kios, perpindahan kepemilikan, retribusi kios pasr serta pelaporan perizinan dan retribusi. Untuk melkaukan proses perizinan pedagang harus endatangi kantor pasar untuk membuat surat perizinan sedangkan unuk pembayaran retribusi pencatatan data pembayaran retribusi masih dicatat di buku besar, dan pembuatan laporan masih dilkukan secara manual dengan bantuan microsoft excel. Penelitian ini memaparkan proses pembangunan sistem perizinan dan retribusi kios pasar berbasis web dengan metode waterfall. Analisis kebutuhan dilakukan dengan cara observasi pada obyek penelitiian, studi literatur dari sisem yang berjalan, dan wawancara terhadap pihak yang terkait dengan tema yang diangkat penulis. Hasil analisa akan digambarkan ke dalam perancangan sistem menggunakan model UML (Unified Modelling Language) yang selanjutnya akan diimplementasikan dalam sebuah aplikasi web dengan menggunakan bahasa pemrograman PHP dan database MySQL. Dalam penelitian ini, penulis membuat atau membangun suatu Sistem Informasi Perizinan Penyewaan, Perpanjangan, Perpindahan Kepemilikan dan Retribusi Kios Pasar pada Kantor Pasar Bitingan Kudus Berbasis Web. Dengan demikian setelah dibuatnya aplikasi ini diharapkan dapat membantu petugas dalam melakukan pengelolaan data perizinan dan retribusi serta pedagang maupun calon pedagang dapat dengan mudah dalam melakukan perizinan penyewaan, perpanjangan menempati kios atau izin pendasaran, perpindahan kepemilikan(balik nama) dan retribusi kios pasar pada Pasar Bitingan Kudu

Power Relation in Intercultural Marriage: Analysis of Power in Good Chinese Wife Memoir (2014) by Susan Blumberg-Kason

The issue of power is prevalent in society today. Focusing on analyzing power issues in an intercultural marriage, Raven’s (2008) bases of power are applied in this research to investigate the matter. The issue is analyzed in a memoir by Susan Blumberg-Kason entitled Good Chinese Wife (2014) which tells about the conflicts in an intercultural marriage. This research aims to identify the types of power proposed by Raven (2008) used by the husband, to exercise his power over his wife and how it is exercised. The only visible types of power in the memoir are expert power, referent power, and coercive power. In addition, the conflict that is caused by superiority becomes the main conflict in their marriage life since it occurs in every three types of power. The husband can exercise his power over his wife because he takes advantage of her love for the husband’s culture, which in this case is Chinese culture. The results of the study show that power can be constructed in the name of love.  Keywords: culture; intercultural marriage; memoir; power; superiority

Humor Analysis of Monty Python and the Holy Grail

This study entitled Humor analysis of Monty Python and the Holy Grail (1975) aims to analyzes humor that exists in a British comedy film Monty Python and the Holy Grail (1975), which is directed by Terry Gilliam and Terry Jones, to understand the humor and what the humor implied. Employing textual analysis, this study uses Vandaele's (2002) humor mechanism and film form proposed by Bordwell, Thompson, and Smith (2017) as the tools of analysis. The study indicates that the humor is constructed based on the four contexts as described by Vandaele (2002): (1) (De-) normalization, (2) solution, (3) conditioning, and (4) evaluation. Furthermore, the humor signifies the film author’s credibility to deliver humor that is enjoyable to many people, especially those who have been exposed to western culture. Keywords: film, humor, humor mechanism, incongruity, Monty Python and The Holy Grail