Racial Discrimination in Solomon Northup's '12 Years A Slave': An Analysis, Study Guides, Projects, Research of Literature

Download Racial Discrimination in Solomon Northup's '12 Years A Slave': An Analysis and more Study Guides, Projects, Research Literature in PDF only on Docsity! THE ANALYSIS OF RACIAL DISCRIMINATION IN SOLOMON NORTHUP’S 12 YEARS A SLAVE AN ARTICLE Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Sarjana Sastra By SARMITA UTAMI HARAHAP Registration Number: 2133220036 ENGLISH AND LITERATURE DEPARTMENT FACULTY OF LANGUAGES AND ARTS STATE UNIVERSITY OF MEDAN 2017 ARTIKEL THE ANALYSIS OF RACIAL DISCRIMINATION IN SOLOMON NORTHUP’S 12 YEARS A SLAVE Disusun dan Diajukan oleh: Sarmita Utami Harahap NIM 2133220036 Telah diverifikasi dan dinyatakan memenuhi syarat untuk diunggah pada jumal online Medan, November 2017 Menyetujui Dosen Pembimbing Skripsi I Dosen Pembimping Skripsi II fr. Wy stm Dr. Fauzi irani Lbs, S.S., M.Hum. NIP. 19630525 198803 2 016 NIP. 197807) 812 2 001 Ka.Program Studi tra Inggris o Juli Rachmadani Hasibuan, M.Hum. NIP. 19820711 200801 2 008 3 Racism has been part of the American landscape primarily since the European colonization of North America beginning in the 17th century. Many of the Africans brought to America starting in the 17th century arrived as slaves, kidnapped from their homelands in various parts of Africa. A number of them were known to be royalty and literate. African men, women, and children were stripped of their names and identities, forced to “Christianize”, whipped, beaten, tortured, and in many cases, lynched or hanged at the whims of their white masters, for whom slavery was key to maintaining their vast properties and land. Families were separated through the process of buying and selling slaves. While not all Africans in America were slaves, a large number were, particularly in the southern states. For those Africans in America who were free, discriminatory laws that barred them from owning property and voting, for example, as well as the belief in the intrinsic inferiority of dark-skinned peoples by the dominant white majority, held them back from full equality in the United States. Thus, historically the social problem of racism and discrimination ended after the Civil War in 1865. Racism and ethnic discrimination in the United States has been a major issue since the colonial era and the slave era. Legally or socially sanctioned, privileges and rights were given to white Americans that were not granted to Native Americans, African Americans, Asian Americans, and Hispanic and Latino Americans. European Americans were granted exclusive privileges in many matters such as education, voting rights, citizenship, immigration, land 4 acquisition, and criminal procedure over periods of time extending from the 17th century to the 1960s. However, non-Protestant immigrants from Europe; particularly Irish people, Poles, and Italians, suffered xenophobic exclusion and other forms of ethnicity- based discrimination in American society, and until the 1960s were not considered white. In addition, Middle Eastern American groups like Jews and Arabs have faced continuous discrimination in the United States, and as a result, some people belonging to these groups do not identify as white. East and South Asians have similarly faced racism in America. Even in this modern era, in 21st Century racial discrimination is still felt and experienced by some.. A 2014 study found evidence of racial discrimination in an American rental apartment market. Another study conducted in the Netherlands by Blommaert and published in 2013 found significant levels of discrimination against job applicants with Arabic-sounding names. Even a name could be a reason for someone for being a racist. If we let racial discrimination grow over and over again, it must spread to very little aspect in life and theres gonna be more and more destruction happened in this world. Those things have become the reason of the writer to choose racial discrimination as the center of this analysis. So that young generation can open up their mind widely not to be a racist. The problem of racial discrimination remains an important factor in shaping contemporary patterns of social and economic 5 inequality. So this thing will cause a worse effect if people dont start to deny and solve this problem. Since there are a lot of cases about racial discrimination, and its big impact towards human life, of course it has been the author‟s inspiration to make a story about it or he can be an author and also the victim of racial discrimination as the novel that the writer choose, 12 Years A Slave by Solomon Northup. It can be more interesting to find out the form of racial discrimination and also the resistances from the perspective of the victim himself. The main concern of this novel is racial discrimination in the northup‟s life, where Solomon is being tricked to go to Washington, D.C., where he was kidnapped and sold into slavery in the Deep South. REVIEW OF LITERATURE 1. Racial Discrimination Racial Discrimination is a racial group or treatment on the basis of inadequately justified factors other than race that disadvantages a racial group, Blank and Dabady (2004:4). Also defines as the mistreatment of a group of people on the basis of race, color and religion. This problem is very serious because it always leads destruction to certain human being and the society. As stated by Forman, Racial discrimination has serious consequences, including negatively impacting psychological, physical and work outcomes (2003). 8 psychology, and philosophy. Intrinsic approach would be used by the writer in this research. Intrinsic approach is an approach that takes the data from literary work itself. The main part of intrinsic approach is based on the text of literary works itself by doing an interpretation and analysis of it. Intrinsic approach however starts the analysis of literary works from the work itself. The data of the study are the quotations from 12 Years A Slave novel that will be classified based on the racial discrimination and the resistances form. The sentences will be limited into the major characters that experienced being discriminated in the novel. RESEARCH METHODOLOGY This research will be conducted by using the descriptive qualitative method. Strauss (2003:2) defined that descriptive qualitative method refers to a research explaining the analysis or a hypothesis of a research, the mathematical techniques are of minimal use, although assuredly rudimentary or implicit counting and measuring are usually involved. The technique of collecting data is documentary technique. In other words, it is simply made into written text as a document about how racial discrimination 9 existed in the 12 Years A Slave novel and how the minorities do the resistance against the discrimination done by the majorities. The data will be analyzed by using descriptive qualitative techniques which is the branch of basic principles of grounded theory developed by Strauss (2003) by the following steps : 1. Identifying the data from the 12 Years A Slave novel that shows the racial discrimination and the resistances they do toward the discrimination itself. 2. Reducing the data which are not relevant. 3. Classifying the data and information. 4. Analyzing and interpreting the data that deals with the racial discrimination 5. Concluding that data that deals with the racial discrimination RESEARCH FINDINGS AND DISCUSSIONS Research findings After analyzing data from the statement and narration in the novel, finally writer found the following things : 1. Racial discrimination were exactly happened in Solomon Northup as described in 12 Years A Slave novel. Eventhough he was not born in a slavery, or comes from slave parent, but it could still happened since he was tricked, kidnapped then sold into slavery. 10 2. Racial discrimination leads to destruction on Northup‟s and other slave life. Family seperation also one of the cause of the slavery as could be seen from Northups who seperated from his family, and also Eliza Berry‟s life, eventhough her children were about to be slaves, but they are seperated. There is also Patsey as the a victim of repeated rapings by Edwin Epps and also of the jealous cruelty of Epps‟ wife that end by committed suicide. TABLE A. List Of How Many Times Racial Discrimination Happened Toward The Major Character No Characters Racial Discrimination 1. Northup 20 times 2. Eliza Berry 10 times 3. Patsey 11 times TABLE B. List Of How Many Times Resistances by The Major Character No Characters Resistance 1. Northup 14 times 2. Eliza Berry 3 times 3. Patsey 2 times 13 As the discussion above, it could be conclude that racial discrimination is the crucial issue to be discussed in any kind of literary works especially novel. This research will not only give advantages for the researchers who want to conduct a similar analysis, but also helped people to be an open-minded person to against any form of racial discrimination and also have courage to do the resistance or helped the discriminated people. After analyzing the novel, the writer went to the conclusions as follows : 1. Racial Discrimination were occured many situations in Northup‟s life as described in 12 Years A Slave novel from the way they treated the black people as if they were not human that have the same right. 2. The slaves also fight for their right by doing resistances. As resistance was done to get a better life, in the end Northup finally became a free man and he can gather with his family. Resistances were done by the slaves in many some ways such as actions ans also statements. 3. Racial Discrimination leads to human destruction, one of them is slavery as described in 12 Years A Slave. Slavery has brought the dark shroud of humanity as been described in 12 Years A Slave novel. It is forbidden for the slaves to communicate while working. The only one thing is permitted to do, is working. Suggestions There are several suggestions that the writer could give to the readers related to racial discrimination issues, they are : 14 1. Racial discrimination is not a simple thing. It causes human desctruction. It doesnt appreciate human as God creature that have right to live safely. So, we must prevent any kind of racial discrimination. Whether it happens individually or in group. 2. For those who have been victims or experienced racial discrimination you should not give up easily and never keep the past thing to do any revenge. Never let the racial discrimination ruin mind, confidence, personality and who we really are as human beings.. 3. Racial discrimination is a very important issue that needs to be taken seriously and also as a reminder to people all over the world ; the importance to educate children in their early age so that they dont see or appreciate someone just because of their physical appereance. That the difference among them is not a reason to be separated but to be united instead. 4. Indonesia, as a multi-cultural country, where we come from different religions and also tribes and prmote tolerance so that we.can help avoiding and terminating the destructive effects of racial discrimination. REFERENCES Adytia, R. (2016). The Aspects Of Marxism In Solomon Northup‟s 12 Years A Slave. Medan. USU Repository. Barker, C. Sage Dictionary. (2004). London: Sage Publication. Blank, Rebecca M, Marilyn D. And Constance F. (2004). “Measuring Racial Discrimination Panel On Methods For Assessing Discrimination”. Washington, D.C. : The National Academies Press. 15 Bowling, B., and Phillips, C. 2002. Racism, Crime and Justice. Larson: Pearson Education. Dunn. L.C., Dubinin. N.P., Lévi-S, Claude., Leiris, Michael., Klineberg, Otto., Beteille, André., Essien-Udom, E.U., Tjwan, Go Gien., Rex, John., Gluckman, Max. (1975). Race, Science and Society. Paris: The UNESCO Press. Iwuchukwu, O. 2008. An Introduction to Literature and Literary Criticism. Lagos: National Open University of Nigeria. Naim, N. (2012). Character Building.Yogyakarta: Ar- Ruzz Media Nazar, S. (2009). Racial Discrimination Of Sue Monk Kidd‟s Novel, The Secret Life Of Bees. Medan. USU Repository. Northup, S. (1853). 12 Years A Slave. Auburn. New York Nurgiyantoro, B. 1995. Teori Pengkajian Fiksi. Yogyakarta: Gadjah Mada. University Press Peck, J., and Coyle, M. 1984. Literary Terms and Criticism. London: Ltd Macmillan Education d.Smith Roberts, E. V. and H. E. Jacobs. 1995. Literature: An Introduction to Reading and Writing. New Jersey: Prentince Hall. Susanto, A.H. (2011). Racial Discrimination Against Black Main Character Big Boy In A Short Story Big Boy Leaves Home By Richard Wright. Semarang. Diponegoro University. Teeuw, A. 1983. Membaca dan Menilai Sastra. Jakarta: Pt. Gramedia Pustaka Umum. Wellek, R. and Austin W. 1977. Theory of Literature. New York: Harcourt Brace Javanovich.. Yip, T, Gilbert C. Gee and David T. Takeuchi. (2008) “Racial Discrimination And Psychological Distress : The Impact Of Ethnic Identity And Age Among Immigrant United States-Born Asian Adults”. USA. American Psychological Association.