DEFENSE MECHANISM of the FOUR PHOTOGRAPHERS in the BANG BANG CLUB FILM a Thesis Submitted to Faculty of Adab and Humanities in P

DEFENSE MECHANISM OF THE FOUR PHOTOGRAPHERS IN THE BANG BANG CLUB FILM

A Thesis

Submitted to Faculty of Adab and Humanities

In Partial Fulfilment of the Requirements for

The Degree of Strata One (S1)

NITA MAWADAH NUR

1113026000097

ENGLISH LETTERS DEPARTMENT

FACULTY ADAB AND HUMANITIES

STATE ISLAMIC UNIVERSITY SYARIF HIDAYATULLAH

JAKARTA

2019

ABSTRACT

Nita Mawadah Nur, Defense Mechanism of the Four Photographers in The Bang Bang Club Film. A Thesis: English Language and Literature, Faculty of Adab and Humanities, State Islamic University Syarif Hidayatullah Jakarta, 2019.

This thesis aims to analyze the four war photographers in dealing with the horrible situation (violence, shooting gun, chaos, murder and death) at their workplace using Sigmund Freud’s psychoanalysis theory. The writer is uses qualitative method to analyze character and characterization of the four photographers. Based on the analysis, the writer finds that the four photographers experience different psychological condition. Ken Oosterbroek is a cold-hearted and ignorance person, Joao Silva is easily lost his temper, Greg Marinovich is a brave person, and Kevin Carter is a drugs addict. In order to deal with the horrible situation in their workplace, the four of them use several defense mechanisms for instance, repression, displacement, reaction formation, intellectualization, and rationalization.

Keyword: photographer, psychoanalysis, defense mechanism

iii

DECLARATION

I hereby declared that this submission is my own work and that, to the best of my knowledge and belief, it contains no material previously published or written by another person, nor material which to a substantial extent has been accepted for the award of any other degree or diploma of the university or other institute of higher learning, except where due acknowledgement has been made in the text.

Jakarta, 26th March 2019

Nita Mawadah Nur

ACKNOWEDGMENT

In the name of Allah, the most Gracious, the most Merciful

All praises belong to Allah SWT, the Lord of the universe. Peace and blessing be upon Prophet Muhammad SAW, his family, his companion. Because of Allah SWT eternity favors blessed the writer so she could finish her thesis to gain the degree of Strata One of English Language and Letters Department in

Faculty of Adab and Humanities, State Islamic University of Syarif Hidayatullah

Jakarta.

This thesis is dedicated to the writer’s beloved parents and brother, for all their enormous love, uncountable supports as long as the writer process her thesis, and also never feel tired and bored for giving the writer advices, supports, and prayers.

The gratitude is also dedicated to Saiful Umam, M.A., Ph.D., the Dean of

Humanities Faculty; Drs. Saefudin, M.Pd., the Head of English Department; Elve

Oktafiyani, M.Hum., the Secretary of English Department; and all the lecturers of

English Letters Department who had taught her during her study at UIN Jakarta.

The writer also wants to express the sincere gratitude to her advisor, Mrs.

Inayatul Chusna, M.Hum for her great patience, time, guidance, kindness, care, and contribution in correcting and helping the writer to finish this thesis. Thank

you for all her advices and helps that have been given to the writer, it is such an honor to have her as the writer’ advisor. May Allah bless always her.

In addition, the writer would like to give appreciation and gratitude to:

1. Kak Afi, Teh Suti, Gingsul, Lepi, Ucung, and SHINee for always

being there for the writer.

2. The writer’ friends in English Letters Department of 2013, thanks for

the friendship, help, advice, and support. Thanks for all the precious

moments spent together in happy, fun, sad, bad, or even in difficult

situation the writer has during her study.

3. All the people and friends who helped the writer in finishing her study

indirectly that cannot be mentioned one by one.

May Allah bless and give the greatest award for them. Moreover, this research is expected to be useful for the writer herself and all the people who read it. Suggestion and criticism will be accepted for the improvement of this thesis.

Jakarta, 18 Februari 2019

The Writer

TABLE OF CONTENTS

ABSTRACT...... i

APPROVEMENT………………………………………………. ii

LEGALIZATION………………………………………………. iii

DECLARATION………………………………………………... iv

ACKNOWLWDGMENT………………………………………... v

TABLE OF CONTENT………………………………………… vii

CHAPTER I…………………………………………………….. 1

INTRODUCTION………………………………………………. 1

A. Background of study…………………………………. 1

B. Focus of the study…………………………………….. 4

C. Research question……………………………………... 4

D. Research methodology………………………………... 4

1. Method of research………………………………... 4

2. Objective of Research……………………………... 5

3. Technique of Data Analysis………………………. 5

4. Instrument of Research……………………………. 5

5. Unit Analysis……………………………………… 5

vii

CHAPTER II…………………………………………………… 6

THEORITICAL FRAMEWORK…………………...………… 6

A. Previous Research…………………………………… 6

B. Theories……………………………………………… 8

CHAPTER III………………………………………………….. 21

RESEARCH FINDINGS……………………………………..... 21

A. Character Analysis of The Four Photojournalists……. 21

B. Defense Mechanisms of The Four Photojournalists…. 31

CHAPTER IV………………………………………………..... 47

CONCLUSION AND SUGGESTION………………………… 47

A. Conclusion……………………………………………. 47

B. Suggestion……………………………………………. 49

WORKS CITED………………………………………………... 50

APPENDIX……………………………………………………… 53

viii

CHAPTER I

INTRODUCTION

A. Background of the Study

Photographers tell stories with their pictures. News photographers, photojournalists, reportage photographers, documentary photographers, and war photographers strive to find moments of visual eloquence that will make the stories they tell unforgettable (Ingledew 72). In specific, war photography has been approached as news photography, photojournalism, and documentary, with each photographer striving to create pictures that force viewers to choose sides

(Ingledew 83). The photographers who work in these areas are able to reveal the unseen and unknown and to transport us to new worlds by creating powerful and indelible images. Some photographers want to create photographs that ask great questions of their viewers –and are even prepared to risk their lives to do so

(Ingledew 72). War photographer does not only take a picture of the war, but also the situation after the war. They work in a dangerous place and face the horror of the battle-field almost every day.

This kind of story becomes the inspiration for those who work in the creative industry such as author and movie director. There are books such as Here

I am: The Story of Tim Hetherington, War Photographer (2013), It’s What I Do:

A Photographer’s Life of Love and War (2015) and many more. In the movie field, many directors use this theme for their work such as War Photographer

(2001), An Unlikely Weapon (2008), The Salt of The Earth (2014), and many more. On the other hand, there is an interesting movie: The Bang Bang Club.

The Bang Bang Club is a biographical drama film written and directed by

Steven Silver and released in 2011. It is adapted from the autobiographical book

The Bang Bang Club: Snapshot from a Hidden War co-written by Greg

Marinovich and Joao Sliva. This movie is about four war photographers capturing the final days of apartheid in South Africa. They are known as The Bang Bang

Club. Those four photographers are Greg Marinovich, Kevin Carter, Ken

Oosterbroek, and Joao Silva.

As war photographers, each member of the Bang Bang Club always look for troubles, and when they find it, they get as close as possible and try to get the best shot. They always face terrible things every day: violence, shooting gun, chaos, murder, and death. Sometimes it causes the psychological problem for the photographer. Feinstein said that “war journalists have significantly more psychiatric difficulties than journalists who do not report on war” (Feinstein

1570).

All member of The Bang Bang Club has his ways of dealing with the horrible situation at his workplace. First, Ken Oosterbroek, he is the leader of the club. He is a professional photographer who tends to distance his own emotion and feeling from anything happen in his workplace. He always looks calm whenever terrible things happen. Unfortunately, Ken gets shot in his chest when taking pictures of some peacekeeper and he dies. Second, Joao Silva, he easily gets angry with simple things.

The third is Greg Marinovich, the last person who join the ‘so-called' The

Bang Bang Club. He is also the bravest among the other members. He takes pictures of conflicted hostels that nobody believes he can do that. He wins Pulitzer

Prize for his picture of a suspected Inkatha spy being simultaneously burned alive and hacked by a machete-wielding ANC fighter. When he takes this picture he stands feet away as the man is beaten, doused in gasoline and set aflame.

Alongside, Greg still shoots the burning man who attempts to flee in agony. The accident traumatizes him. When he tells the accident to his editor with shaking eyes he stutters and trembles at the same time. He feels dilemmatic and the memory of that accident remains on his mind. The Star, newspaper where he works, does not want to publish the picture. The picture was sent by the other

Bang Bang club members to AP (Associated Press).

The last member of the club, Kevin Carter, also won the Pulitzer Prize for his picture of a little girl, bending over with hunger and dehydration, as she is eyed by a nearby vulture in Sudan. This picture becomes controversial since people questioning whether he should help the little girl or take a picture of her.

Every time he is asked about that in the interview he always answers ‘I don’t know’. This is a universal dilemma for the journalist in the face of tragedy: to capture the terrible things that happen to their object of the photograph or to help them in the split of time.

Ken Oosterbroek, Joao Silva, Greg Marinovich, and Kevin Carter face the same reality, situation, and condition but they react to them in different ways.

Base on that issue the writer is interested to analyze how four of them dealing

with the horrible situation in their workplace by using Sigmund Freud’s psychoanalysis.

B. Focus of the Study

The writer would like to focus the research on the physiological condition of the four photographers when they dealing with the horrible situation in their workplace by applying Sigmund Freud’s defense mechanism theory.

C. Research Question

The questions in this research are

1. How are the four photographers described in this movie?

2. How do the four photographers in this movie deal with the horrible situation

in their workplace?

D. Research Methodology

1. The Method of Research

The writer uses the qualitative method in conducting this research.

Holloway stated that qualitative research is a form of social inquiry that focuses on the way people interpret and make sense of their experiences and the world in which they live. He also stated that qualitative research aims to gain a deeper understanding of individuals, groups, and cultures in social reality (Wahyuni 2).

To analyze the problems which are studied in this research the writer use the data in the form of words or pictures rather than numbers. The data are taken from, The

Bang Bang Club movie as the primary source of data and other sources; articles, journals, books, pictures, dialogues and the scenes of the movie as the secondary data.

2. Objective of Research

The objectives of the research are a. To know how the four photographers described in this movie. b. To know how the four photographers in this movie dealing with the horrible

situation in their workplace?

3. The technique of Data analysis

In this research, the writer uses a psychological approach. First, the writer chooses the object or film that will be analyzed. Then, the writer takes the traumatic experience between the four photographers. Finally, the writer analysed how they against their traumatic experience.

4. Instrument of Research

The instrument used in this research is the writer herself, to collect the qualitative data about the meaning of psychoanalysis and its correlation with the characterization of the two main characters viewed from psychoanalysis theory.

5. Unit Analysis

The unit of analysis in this research is The Bang Bang Club movie, which is starring Ryan Phillipe, Taylor Kitsch, Frank Rautenbach, and Neels Van

Jaarsveld. It is a biographical drama film. This film was distributed by Paramount

Pictures in 2011 and directed by Steven Silver. The writer uses the subtitle and the script of the film to be analyzed as supporting data.

CHAPTER II

THE THEORETICAL DESCRIPTION

A. Previous Research

Before describing the theories that will be used in this research, the writer would like to describe some previous researches that use The Bang Bang Club film as a corpus of research. The first paper is Representasi Konflik dalam Film

The Bang Bang Club (Analisis Semiotik Roland Barthes Mengenai Konflik

Dalam Film The Bang Bang Club) written by Maorahmansyah Rinaldi Chikal in

2013 from UNIKOM Bandung. Chikal uses Roland Barthes’s semiotic analysis to find the purpose of conflict that appears in The Bang Bang Club film. The meaning of denotation sign shows in the inter-group conflict that could only be solved by violence. While the connotations sign derives from the activities such as clashes and harsh words as a form of rejection that led to conflict. The meaning of

Myth/Ideology occurs from the use of weapons as a conflict resolver and harsh words as a form of rejection regardless of gender and status that led to verbal conflict. The conclusion of this research is the conflict between African National

Congress (ANC) and Inkatha supporters can be solved using violence and the use of harsh words can lead to another conflict although it is not intended to.

The second paper is Nilai Patriotisme Jusnalisme dalam Film The Bang

Bang Club (Analisis semiotika Charles Sander Pierce) written by Firdaus Jidi in

2016 from Mercu Buana University. In his research, Jidi analyzes the pictures and videos in The Bang Bang Club film using Charles Sander Pierce’s semiotic analysis to tell the meaning behind it. He finds that in this movie there are several

sequences which are portrayed journalist patriotism. The seven of them are: (1) when Joao Silva and Kevin Carter running over the clash and capture the murder with full of responsibility, (2) when Greg Marinovich captures inside the conflicted hostel, it portrayed the braveness of being a journalist, (3) when Greg captures the Zulu’s weapon but the Zulus do not allow him so Greg does not take the picture of it that scene portrayed how to respect the informant’s freedom, (4) when Greg’s pictures cannot be print at The Star—newspaper he works for— because it is too graphic portrayed the limitation of airing news, (5) when the four photographers sacrifice their life to captures the clash between ANC and Zulu supporters portrayed how the journalist searches for high quality news, (6) when

Kevin Carter captures the horrible of the war it portrayed the truth in capturing the news, and the last (7) when Kevin Carter wins Pulitzer Prize for his picture of a little girl who is eyed with a vulture at the famine in Sudan portrayed the quality of a moment that can be captured in many different angels.

The third paper is Unsur-Unsur Profesionalisme Wartawan di Daerah

Konflik dalam Film (Analisis isi pada film The Bang Bang Club karya Steven

Silver) written by Qomaruddin Sohib in 2015 from Muhamadiyah University

Malang. This research is focused on how the photojournalist ethic portrayed in

The Bang Bang Club film. Sohib uses content analysis approach to compare the scenes in the film with photojournalist ethic-code, the manual of Lembaga Sensor

Film, and National Press Photographers Association Code of Ethics. The result of this research is some of the scenes in The Bang Bang Club film violated the

photojournalist ethic-code, the manual of Lembaga Sensor Film, and National

Press Photographers Association Code of Ethics.

The similarity between the previous research and this research is the use of the same material: The Bang Bang Club film. And the difference between them is the theory. The two previous types of research are using semiotic theory: the first research using Roland Barthes’s semiotic theory to analyze the conflict that appears in this film and the other using Charles Sander Pierce’s semiotic theory to analyze the patriotism in journalist world in this film. Moreover, the third previous research analyzes the professionalism of journalist in the conflicted area using content analysis. Meanwhile, the writer uses Sigmund Freud’s psychoanalysis theory to analyze the psychological condition of the four journalists in order to deal with the horrible situation in their workplace and it is interesting to be analyzed.

B. Theories a. Character and Characterization

One of the essential elements in the film is the character. The role of a character in the film is very necessary since the story in the film cannot exist without character. The character also has a significant role to make an interesting storyline. When people decide to watch a film, they would give special attention to the characters in the film. So, characters must have unique and particular traits in order to make the film more attractive. According to The Norton Introduction to Literature “character is someone who acts, appears, or referred to as playing a part in literary work” (Beaty 102). Character’s role in the film is not only

demanded to act but also to have emotional lives toward the events or the other characters in the film. Emotional lives are including emotional response and this emotional response shapes the character to be more trustworthy and understandable for the audience.

After discussing the character, the writer would like to discuss characterization based on The Art of Watching Film by Joseph Boggs and Dennis

W. Petrie. Characterization is how character depicted in the film. Characterization also has an essential function in order to create the film storyline more fascinating.

Joseph and Dennis have mentioned eight elements of characterization, the six of them are:

1. Characterization Through Appearance

Characterization in the film has a great deal to do with casting

because most film actors’ project certain qualities of character the minute

they appear on the screen. It also revealed visually and instantaneously.

The minute we see most actors on the screen, we make certain

assumptions about them because of their facial features, dress, physical

build, and mannerisms and the way they move. Our first visual impression

may be proven erroneous as the story progress, but it is certainly an

important means of establishing character (Boggs and Petrie 60).

2. Characterization Through Dialogue

Characters in a fictional film naturally reveal a great deal about

themselves by what they say. But a great deal is also revealed by how

they say it. Their true thoughts, attitudes, and emotions can be revealed in

subtle ways through word choice and the stress, pitch, and pause patterns

of their speech. The use of grammar, sentence structure, vocabulary, and

any particular dialect (if any) reveals a great deal about their characters’

social and economic level, education background, and mental process

(Boggs and Petrie 61).

3. Characterization Through External Action

Appearance is an important measure of the character’s personality

but it is often misleading. The best reflections of character are a person’s

actions. Real characters are more than mere instruments of the plot. They

do what they do for a purpose, out of motives that are consistent with their

overall personality. There should be a clear relationship between a

character and his or her actions. If the motivation for a character action is

clearly established, the character and the plot become so closely

interwoven that they are impossible to separate, and every action that the

character takes in some way reflects the quality of his or her particular

personality. Sometimes the most effective characterization is achieved not

by the large actions in the film but by the small, seemingly insignificant

ones (Boggs and Petrie 62).

4. Characterization Through Internal Action

There is an inner world of action that normally remains unseen and

unheard by even the most careful observer/listener. Inner action occurs

within the characters’ minds and emotions and consists of secret,

unspoken thoughts, daydreams, aspirations, memories, fears, and

fantasies. People’s hopes, dreams, and aspirations can be as important to

an understanding of their character as any real achievement, and their

fears and insecurities can be more terrible to them than any real

catastrophic failure.

The most obvious way in which the filmmaker reveals inner reality

is by taking us visually or aurally into character’s mind so that we see or

hear the things that the character imagines, remembers, or think about.

This may be achieved through a sustained interior view or fleeting

glimpses revealed through metaphors. In addition to providing glimpses

into the inner action by revealing the sounds and sights the character

imagines he sees and hears, the filmmaker may employ the close-ups on

an unusually sensitive and expressive face (reaction shots) or may utilize

the musical score for essentially the same purpose (Boggs and Petrie 62-

64).

5. Characterization Through Reaction of Other Characters

The way other characters view a person often serves as an excellent

means of characterization. Sometimes, a great deal of information about a

character is already provided through such means before the character

first appears on the screen (Boggs and Petrie 64).

6. Characterization Through Contras: Dramatic Foils

One of the most effective techniques of characterization is the use

of foils—contrasting characters whose behavior, attitudes, opinions,

lifestyle, physical appearance, and so on are opposite of those of the main

characters (Boggs and Petrie 64). b. Sigmund Freud’s Psychoanalysis

Sigmund Freud was the founder of psychoanalysis. He was born in

Moravia to Jewish parents, who moved with him to Vienna when he was 4 years old. He became one of the most influential and controversial thinkers of the twentieth century. Freud was a medical doctor who specialized in nervous conditions. His psychoanalytic theory originated from his work with anxiety- ridden, neurotic patients (Halonen and Santrock: 379).

Early in his career, Freud studied with French neurologist Jean Charcot, who demonstrated the power of hypnosis in treating conversion hysteria, a disorder characterized by physical symptoms such as deafness, blindness, or paralysis without any physical cause. Freud also was intrigued by a report that psychiatrist Joseph Breuer had successfully used a “talking cure” to treat conversation hysteria. Breuer found that by encouraging his patients to talk freely about whatever came to mind, they became aware of the psychological causes of their physical symptoms and, as a result, experienced emotional release, or catharsis. This led to the disappearance of the symptoms (Sdorow and Rickabaugh: 376).

The unconsciousness was one of the controversial discoveries that Freud made. He believes that the human mind consists of three parts: unconscious, preconscious and conscious. Freud envisioned the mind as something like a huge iceberg, with the massive part below the surface of the water (totally hidden from view) being the unconscious mind. The part that you can see just below the water is the preconscious mind. And the part of the iceberg above the water represents the conscious mind.

The conscious mind is the part that contains all the thoughts, feelings, and perceptions that you are presently aware of. Whatever you are currently

perceiving or thinking about is in your conscious mind (Larsen and Buss: 289).

On the other hand, there are some memories, dreams, and thoughts that could easily come to mind if you really want to. Any piece of information that you are not presently thinking about, but that could be easily be retrieved and made conscious, is found in the preconscious mind (Larsen and Buss: 290).

Meanwhile, the unconscious mind is the place for those memories, feelings, thoughts, or urges that so troubling or even distasteful that being aware of them would make the person anxious. Residing in the unconscious mind is unacceptable information, hidden from conscious view so well that it cannot be considered preconscious (Larsen and Buss: 290).

Society does not allow people to express freely all of their sexual and aggressive instincts. Individuals must learn to control their urges by keeping them from entering conscious awareness in the first place (Larsen and Buss: 290).

There are many concepts in psychoanalysis, such as the structure of personality, dynamics of personality, defends mechanism, psychosexual development,

Oedipus and Electra complex, dream theory, etcetera.

The concepts in psychoanalysis that will be used in this research are:

1. Structure of Personality

Freud believed that personality has three structures: the Id, the Ego, and

the Superego.

a. Id

Id is the most part of the human mind. Freud saw the id as

something we are born with and as the source of all drives and urges

(Larson and Buss: 295-296). The id is unconscious; it has no contact with reality and it is not altered by the passage of time or by the experience of the person. The id works according to the pleasure principle; always seeks pleasure and avoids pain (Halonen and Santrock 379) also illogical and can simultaneously entertain incompatible ideas (Feist and Feist: 27).

Another characteristic of the id is lack of morality. Because it cannot make value judgments or distinguish between good and evil, the id is not immoral, merely amoral. All of the id’s energy is spent for one purpose—to seek pleasure without regard for what is proper or just (Freud, 1923/1961a, 1933/1964). In review, the id is primitive, chaotic, inaccessible to consciousness, unchangeable, amoral, illogical, unorganized, and filled with energy received from the instincts and discharged for the satisfaction of the pleasure principle (Feist and Feist 27-28).

The id also operates with reflex and primary process (Hartono: 4).

For example, the infants would suck to their mother’s nipple if they are hungry or you automatically blink your eyes if there is dust, etcetera.

Meanwhile, dreams and fantasies are examples of primary process thinking, which is thinking without logical rules of conscious thought or an anchor in reality (Larsen and Buss: 296).

For example, someone is very angry but the target of the anger is too powerful to beat so, that person might produce a fantasy of revenge to the target. This method works only temporarily to gratify the id because in reality, the id is not satisfied (Larsen and Buss: 296). That person must find another way to gratify id urges. If these happened, id’s survival is dependent on the development of a secondary process to bring the urges

into contacts with the reality. This secondary process functions through

the ego (Feist and Feist: 28). b. Ego

The ego is engaged with secondary process thinking. Its deliver the

id urges, about when and how to express a desire or an urge, to the reality,

or on another word, the ego operates according to the reality principle.

The ego also understands that the urges of the id are often in conflict with

social and physical reality. In this case, superego, the third part of the

mind, has a responsibility to uphold values and ideals in society. c. Superego

The superego is the part of the mind that internalizes the values,

morals, and ideals of society (Larsen and Buss 297). It represents the

moral and ideal aspects of personality and guided by the moralistic and

idealistic principle (Feist and Feist 29). Freud divides superego into two

subsystems, the conscience, and the ego-ideal. The conscience is a result,

in a form of punishment that people gets from showing improper

behavior. Whereas, the ego-ideal is a reward that people gets from

showing proper behavior (Feist and Feist 30).

These three parts of the mind—id, ego, and superego—are works

together. Freud says that a person is psychologically healthy if they

dominated by their ego, and have a balance id and superego. But, a person

can be chaotic in mind because each of the—id, ego, and superego—has a

different goal to achieve. For example, a girl is annoyed by her little sister

and she really wants to hit her. This situation set off a conflict in the girl’s mind. The id says, “Ugh! My sister is really annoying. I want to hit her. I have to hit her!” The superego says, “She is just a little girl. You should not hit her and the fact is, she is your own sister.” At the same time, the ego in the girl’s mind says, “Should I really hit her? What if she cries and mom mad at me?” in this situation the girl is bound to experience some anxiety.

Anxiety is an unpleasant state, which acts as a signal that things are not right and something must be done. It is a signal that the control of the ego is being threatened by reality, by impulses from id, or by harsh controls exerted by the superego (Larsen and Buss 297).

According to Larsen and Buss, Freud divides anxiety into three types: (1) Objective anxiety (fear), which occurs when there is a threat from the external real world. In other words, the ego is being threatened by the external factor, rather than the internal factor. (2) Neurotic anxiety occurs when there is a conflict between the id and the ego. (3) Moral anxiety is experienced as guilt. It caused by a conflict between the ego and the superego.

In facing anxiety the ego has a very difficult task. It should balance the demands of id, superego and the real external world. Because anxiety is unpleasant feeling, people have to defend themselves from it. Defense mechanisms are efforts in order to do so.

2. Defense Mechanisms

Defense Mechanisms is the ego effort to defends itself against anxiety.

Defense mechanisms serve two functions: (1) to protect the ego and (2) to

minimize anxiety distress (Larsen and Buss 299). Freud classified defense

mechanisms as follow:

a. Repression

The ego tends to repress unpleasant feelings, thoughts or urges—

which caused anxiety—from the conscious mind into the unconscious

mind. For example, a boy cannot remember his best friend death even

though he witnessed it. In this case, witnessing his best friend death may

cause unpleasant memories for the boy so he represses it into his

unconscious mind. Then, what happened to them—unpleasant feelings,

thoughts, or urges which caused anxiety—in the unconscious mind?

According to Feist and Feist, Freud believed there is several possibilities

exist. (1) They remind unchanged in the unconscious. (2) They could

create their way to consciousness and make the person overwhelmed with

anxiety. (3) They find another way to be displeased or disguised form.

Repressed drives also find an outlet in dreams, slip of the tongue, or one

of the other defense mechanisms (Feist and Feist 35).

b. Denial

Denial is one of the defense mechanisms that occur when the

reality is extremely anxiety-provoking, so the people store them in the

unconscious mind. A person in denial insists that things are not the way

they seem (Larsen and Buss 300). For example, the victims of a traumatic

event may deny that the event ever occurred. Besides, denial often shows

up in daydreams and fantasies. Daydreams are frequently about how

things might have been (Larsen and Buss 300). c. Displacement

In displacement the unpleasant feeling which anxiety-provoking

shifts from one object to another more suitable and acceptable object or

subject (Holonen and Santrock 381). For example, a woman argues with

her boss at work. She really angry with her boss but she keeps it because

if she loses her tamper she may lose her job. Then, when she is at home,

she displaces her anger to her husband by yelling, nagging, or hitting him. d. Projection

A person can project their unpleasant feeling onto someone else.

When the unpleasant feelings which anxiety-provoking became too much,

the ego may reduce it by projecting it to another external object, usually

another person (Feist and Feist 37). We literally “projecting’ (i.e.,

attribute) our own unacceptable qualities onto others (Larsen and Buss

301). For example, a girl believes that her best friend does not like her but

it might be the girl who does not like her best friend. e. Reaction Formation

In reaction formation, the ego transforms an unacceptable impulse

into an opposite impulse (Holonen and Santrock 381). For example, a

student is fascinated by the horribles related to the war, but he becomes a

crusading peace activist. f. Intellectualization

Intellectualization is the overemphasis on thinking when

confronted with an unacceptable impulse, situation or behavior without

employing any emotions whatsoever to help mediate and place the

thoughts into an emotional, human context (Grohol). Rather than deal

with the pain associated emotions, a person might employ

intellectualization to distance themselves from the impulse, event or

behavior. For instance, a person who has just been given a terminal

medical diagnosis, instead of expressing their sadness and grief, focuses

instead on the details of all possible fruitless medical procedures. g. Rationalization

Rationalization is putting something into a different light or

offering a different explanation for one’s perceptions or behaviors in the

face of a changing reality (Grohol). For instance, a woman who starts

dating a man she really likes and suddenly dumped by the man for no

reason. She reframes the situation in her mind with, “I suspected he was a

loser all along.” h. Fantasy

Fantasy is the channeling of unacceptable or unattainable desires

into imagination (Grohol). For example, imagining one’s ultimate career

goals can be helpful when one experiences temporary setbacks in

academic achievement. In summary, all defense mechanisms are the efforts of the ego in order to against anxiety.

CHAPTER III

RESEARCH FINDINGS

In this chapter, the writer would like to answer and explain the research questions that mention in the first chapter by dividing into two steps. First, the writer analyzes the character of the four photojournalists in The Bang Bang Club movie. Second, and the last, the writer will describe kinds of defense mechanisms that they use in order to dealing with the horrible situation in their workplace.

To analyze this research, the writer collects the data such as monologue, dialogue, and screen captures of expression and interaction of the main character to other characters, to support my argument.

A. Character Analysis of The Four Photojournalists in The Bang Bang

Club Movie

The Bang Bang Club is a movie about four war photographers

capturing the final days of apartheid in South Africa, they are known as

The Bang Bang Club. These four photographers are Ken Oosterbroek,

Joao Silva, Greg Marinovich, and Kevin Carter.

a. Ken

Ken Oosterbroek is a Chief Photographer at The Star—daily

newspaper—in Johannesburg, South Africa. As a chief photographer,

he needs to lead other photographers and has good communication

skill. For example, he is the one who makes a plan and seeks for

information (picture 1 and 2) on how, where, and when his colleague will take another shot of the war in South Africa at that time.

Picture 1 (00:17:37) Picture 2 (00:20:22)

He is a professional photographer who is to distance his own emotion and feeling from anything happen in his workplace. For instance, he will do anything to get a good picture and does not really care about what happens around him or with his object of the photograph.

Some people may see or assume that he is a cold-hearted person.

We can see from the dialogue below.

Kevin : Fuck! Ken : What's wrong? Kevin : I thought he was still alive. Ken : He's dead. It's just a body spasm. Kev, if you've got the shot, move on, man. (00:38:10 - 00:38:28)

Picture 3 (00:38:08)

When Kevin, his colleague, frightens seeing a movement on a body assumed to be dead (picture 3), Ken explains it without many expressions by saying that it is only a body spasm. He also does not look afraid and not bothered by it. Later on, he told Kevin to move if he has got the shot. After that, Ken continues taking pictures of his object, which is another dead body. It all shows his coldhearted character.

Unless it is about his job, Ken shows his ignorance about what happens around him. He just really cares about taking good pictures.

Picture 4 (00:24:08) Picture 5 (00:24:11)

Kevin : That's an army-issue R1. Greg : Where the fuck are they getting the guns? Ken : What the fuck do you care, man? It doesn't matter. Just take the picture. (00:24:05 - 00:24:13)

The dialogue above shows how ignorant Ken with anything happens around him. Greg looks so afraid when asking about the gun

(picture 4) but Ken just answer it like there is nothing special about it

(picture 5). Even though, the information about where the gun can be interesting news to be reported in their newspaper, Ken does not really

care about it or what happened to the victims. For Ken, there is nothing important than taking good pictures.

Ken shows his ignorant not only at his workplace but also at his everyday life. He does not have any interest in anything rather than his job to take good pictures. For instance, Ken shows no interest when a black journalist starts an argument with him about racist and political issues.

Alf : How are you feeling with our big chief? Ken : You're not gonna tell him what a racist bastard I am, are you? Alf : Well, you still young, Ken, you'll get over it, you know. Sonny : So Ken, another whitey photographer making money off the spilled blood of Africans, eh? Alf : Ah, Sonny. Cool it. Let him be. Ken : Fuck it. I'm too thirsty to have this argument. Promised this one a drink. Alf, Sonny, Thoko. (00:28:27 - 00:29:04)

As white photographers who work in Africa, racial issues cannot be avoided between them and other black photographers. Sonny, a black photographer, for instance, who said that white photographers only make money from the spilled blood of Africans. It can cause some arguments between them but Ken is not offended by it. He does not have any interest in it; he just left the conversation to get some drink.

From some dialogues above, it can be concluded that Ken takes his job professionally by distancing his own emotion and feeling from anything happen in his workplace. He also has a cold-hearted and

ignorant personality. His professionalism, cold-heartedness, and

ignorant might be caused by physiological pressure in his workplace.

This will be analyzed in the next subchapter. b. Joao

Joao Silva is a freelance photographer at The Star. He almost the

same as Ken who takes his job professionally, but he easily loses his

temper. He gets angry, for example, when some new photographers

follow them while the other photographers, Ken, Kevin, and Greg, just

let them go.

Ken : Let's go, Kev. Joao : What the fuck? They're following us in. Come on man, fuck this shit. Ken : Ah... What's he doin'? Joao : Hey, assholes! You make me fucking sick! Find your own fucking bang bang! Journalist 1 : Sure... Joao : Hey. Who else did you tell about this place? Abdul : Nobody. Joao : Don't fuck with me, man. Abdul : Seriously, nobody. Joao : How many people did you tell? Greg : It's not his fault. It's not his fault, Joao. They followed us in. Joao : Ah, okay, man. (00:57:38 - 00:58:56)

As photographers, they work together but also compete with each

other. So, it is such a common thing for them to work in a group of

another photographer although they barely know each other.

Meanwhile, Joao gets angry at another group of photographers who

follows them. He actually can let them in but without any reasons he does not want to, he curses at them instead.

Picture 6 (00:26:07) Picture 7 (00:58:35)

Picture 8 (01:36:56)

At the beginning of the movie, Joao released his anger by yelling, shouting, or cursing to people around him (picture 6 and 7). After

Ken’s death, he becomes more sensitive. He often fights, for example, with a stranger in a bar (picture 8) because that stranger unintentionally pushes him.

Also, Joao easily gets angry. He releases his anger to the people around him. After Ken’s death, he does not only get angry with them but also initiate physical contact. His anger might be caused by physiological pressure in his workplace. This will be analyzed in the next subchapter.

c. Greg

Greg Marinovich is the latest person who joins the so-called The

Bang Bang Club. Before working at The Star as a freelance, Greg just

photographs some old-time ritual, circumcision ceremony, and other

unmoving objects. This is his very first time to take pictures at an

unusual workplace. Because he is new to work at this kind of place he

always looks afraid or terrified when he is working.

Picture 9 (00:26:43) Picture 10 (00:26:50)

Greg : Can't you at least pretend to be scared? Joao : *smirk* (00:26:47 - 00:26:50)

When the first time Greg get his first assignment as a freelance at

The Star’ to captures some clash in town he looks so scared. He needs

time to adapt to the situation. He also gets some advice from Kevin

about how to take a picture in the situation like that. But still, he

cannot hide his fear. It can be seen from his facial expression and also

from the dialogue above.

Moreover, Greg risked his life in order to get the best picture. It

can be seen from the beginning of the movie when he takes pictures

inside the conflicted hostels. No one will come to the hostels alone, because it is really dangerous place but Greg did it.

Greg : How's it, bru? Ken : What do you want, man? Greg : I've got some pictures from inside the hostel. Ken : In the hostel? You don't mean inside? Greg : Yeah, inside. Ken : Are you serious? Kevin : Fuck. You must be out of your mind. Robin : Let's see them. (00:15:58 - 00:16:12)

Based on the dialogue above, Ken and Kevin do not believe that

Greg can take pictures inside the hostel and still alive. Because they know that it is a really dangerous place. Someone can easily die in there. Moreover, Kevin said that Greg must be out of his mind. But because of these pictures, Greg got the job at the Star as a freelance photographer.

Picture 11 (00:41:29)

As time goes by, Greg begins to adapt to his new job. He even dates his photo editor, Robin. A couple of months later, he won

Pulitzer Prize for his picture about a man who is burnt alive (picture

11). It is beyond imagination tragedy. It also affects Greg emotionally.

When capturing this tragedy, Greg just five feet away from the victim

and try to help him but he almost gets a stab at his back (see dialogue

below). Another journalist warns him to step away but he stays still

capturing all the tragedy. Unfortunately, his picture cannot be used at

The Star because it is too graphic.

Greg : Stop it! Stop! Man 1 : Stop taking pictures. Greg : Yeah, I'll stop taking pictures when you stop killing him. Man 1 : You saw what they did to us. Greg : What if he's not guilty? Man 1 : Doesn't matter. It will be a warning for the next ones. Journalist 1 : Greg, behind you! (00:40:18 - 00:41:00)

After capturing the tragedy Greg let Robin know about the detail of

it. He tells her with shaking and trembling hand. Greg cannot easily

forget this tragedy, the memory of the tragedy reminds in his mind. d. Kevin

Kevin Carter is a really nice person. He is taking his job

professionally like the other The Bang Bang Club members. Among

them, he is the drugs addict, although all of them really like to drink

alcohol and drugs, Kevin is the worst. Almost every day he is

consuming the drugs, before, after, or while he works (picture 12 - 15).

The result is, he lost his job in The Star because of his drug addiction.

Picture 12 (00:36:01) Picture 13 (00:49:02)

Picture 14 (00:37:07) Picture 15 (01:06:23)

Robin : Calm down. Kevin... Kevin! Please. It wasn't my decision. Kevin. Kevin : You bitch. She fired me and Ken watched it. You fucker. You watched it. Robin : Kevin... It was the drugs. (01:05:34 - 01:06:02)

After losing his job, Kevin goes to Sudan with Joao for assignment of famine in there. He photographed a little girl, bending over with hunger and dehydration, as she is eyed by a nearby vulture and this picture is the Pulitzer Prize winner.

A couple of days after Kevin won the Pulitzer Prize, Ken gets shot and die while he is taking a picture. Ken’s death becomes a big loss for the rest of The Bang Bang Club members. Fourteen days after winning the Pulitzer Prize and a couple of days after Ken’s death, Kevin took his own life. In his last will he write that he wants to join Ken if he is that lucky.

My name is Kevin Carter. Without phone, money for rent, Money for debts, money... I'm haunted by the vivid memories of killings and corpses and anger and pain... Of killer executioners... Of trigger-happy madmen, often police. I have gone to join Ken, if I'm that lucky. (01:39:38 - 01:40:13)

To sum up, the four photojournalists in The Bang Bang Club movie

deals with the horrible situation every day and affect them

physiologically. They have a different way to deal with it; Ken by

being coldhearted and ignorant, Joao who easily lose his temper, Greg

who always looks afraid but brave at the same time, and Kevin with

his addiction to drugs. The reason behind how they act in such ways

will be discussed at the next sub-chapter.

B. Defense Mechanisms of The Four Photojournalists in The Bang Bang

Club Movie

As war photographers, Ken, Joao, Greg, and Kevin face unpleasant

reality every single day and it causes their ego being threatened and

anxiety arouse. Anxiety is a signal that the control of the ego is being

threatened by reality, by impulses from id, or by harsh controls exerted by

the superego (Larsen and Buss 297). In order to face the anxiety, the ego

has to balance the demands of id, superego and the real external world.

Defense mechanisms are efforts to do so. In this movie, there are several

different types of defense mechanisms that have been used by Ken, Joao,

Greg, and Kevin.

a. Ken

Ken is always taking his job professionally by distancing his own

emotion and feeling from anything happen in his workplace. He does

not care about the situation around him and with his object of the

photograph. What he really care is just taking good pictures.

Some people might see Ken like a cold-hearted person with his

professionalism but it is just his way to defend himself from the

unpleasant reality in war. He tends to distance himself from what

happened in his workplace. Rose et al stated “distancing oneself from

such events (both physically and psychologically) may be a naturally

adaptive defense mechanism against distress” (qtd.in Novak and

Davidson 313).

The way he distances himself with his work by being cold-hearted

means that he never shows any feeling at work. The reason he does not

involve any emotion because (1) he works at The Star longer than the

other (Joao, Greg, and Kevin). It makes him have more experience so

he can adapt well with the situations at war. Another reason is that (2)

he is the chief photographer. As a chief photographer, he must have

good leadership, communication skill, multitasking, able to work in a

group or independently, and being highly responsible.

In one time, Ken, Kevin, and Joao have an assignment to take

pictures about an attack by Inkhata Freedom Party in Soweto. They

came to the location after the attack happened, so they only capture the

after ‘match’ moment. Ken’s view was blocked by Greg (picture 16 and 17), the new photographer, who comes to the location only by himself. Ken cannot take the pictures. It annoys Ken but he just tells

Greg to move from his frame and left to another location. He might be angry at Greg but he has just left him without shouting or blaming

Greg because he missed the moment.

Picture 16 (00:03:36) Picture 17 (00:03:37)

From the explanation above, it can be seen that Ken holds his anger to Greg, who make him cannot get the picture of the moment, by leaving to another location. It also shows that he does not necessarily need to release his emotion because he knows what important for him is getting the pictures. If he gets angry at Greg, he cannot get other pictures of that specific moment anymore.

In another event, the four of them have an assignment in another conflicted location. This time there is full and heavily armed mass. The shooting gun cannot be avoided but they are still taking pictures of the attack. Ken seems does not really care about the gun or where they find it but Greg looks overwhelm with the situation and curious about how can the mass get that gun since it is not easy to get the brand new gun. He also does not really sympathize with Greg, who looks so

overwhelmed and scared. What matter for him, is just taking the pictures.

The explanation above shows how Ken works as a chief photographer in the work field. He commands Greg to not to think about other things except taking pictures because at war their object of a photograph always moves fast. So if he is not concentrating he cannot get the picture of that moment.

Another day, they have another assignment, the four of them capturing the after attack scene again. There are many victims after this attack, countless dead body lying on the ground. When they start to captures this scene, Kevin tries to shot a dead body which he thought still alive.

Picture 18 (00:38:26) Picture 19 (00:38:26)

Based on the dialogue above, Kevin looks so terrified (picture 18) about the moving dead body. Meanwhile, Ken just telling him, without many expressions (picture 19), that it is just a body spasm and he also tells Kevin to move to another object if he gets the shot. He said like there is nothing terrible happen around them. He also does not look afraid and bothered by it. Later on, he continues taking pictures of his object, which is another dead body.

In Freudian defense mechanism what Ken does is call

intellectualization, the overemphasis on thinking when confronted with

an unacceptable impulse, situation or behavior without employing any

emotions whatsoever to help mediate and place the thoughts into an

emotional, human context (Grohol). Through intellectualization, the

person can adopt a cold, distant approach to the problem so that it does

not affect him emotionally. When people emotionally treated by

difficult situations in cold and logical ways, it often does not mean that

they are emotionally stunted, they are only unable to handle the

emotion at that time.

Ken’s ignorance and cold-heartedness towards the environment in

his work is the way he defends himself from the unpleasant feeling

which can build up his anxiety. It happens because his superego, in this

case, is his responsibility as a chief photographer, is more dominant

than his id, so his ego tries to fulfill the superego demands. Also, he is

more familiar with the situation at the war because he works longer

than the others at The Star so that he knows how to handle that

situation. That is why he uses a more mature defense mechanism than

the others which is intellectualization. b. Joao

Joao Silva is almost the same as Ken, taking his job professionally,

but he easily lost his temper. He, somehow, use his anger to release his

stress at work. The trigger of his anger mostly related to his work and the target of his anger is the people around him.

This happens because he is afraid of losing his job. He is just a freelance photographer who gets pay if only his picture is used by The

Star. If there are many photographers following him and his colleague

(The Bang Bang Club) and send their pictures to The Star, then Joao’s chances of getting money become smaller. As a result, he becomes angry at the other photographers who follow him. He also does not like a publication of the so-called The Bang Bang Club because he was afraid that many photographers will be following them and take over his job. As the writer explains on the previous subchapter, he gets angry (1) to other photographers who follow them while they are waiting to go to the conflicted area that they want to capture, (2) at the word paparazzi in the title of an article about The Bang Bang Club because he thinks that word implies that the members of The Bang

Bang Club are a group of hyenas.

Furthermore, Ken’s death really affects the rest of The Bang Bang

Club members. Feinstein said that witnessing the death of a close friend or colleague can increase psychological reactions or trauma

(Novak and Davidson 313). Joao for example, he becomes more aggressive.

Man : Sorry. Joao : You fucker. Man : Sorry, man. Joao : You spilled my fucking drink.

Man : I said I was sorry, man. Joao : Fucking asshole. Man : Watch your mouth, motherfucker. Joao : Think you can take me on? (01:36:45 - 01:36:54)

The dialogue above shows how Joao fights with a stranger at a bar in the night after Ken dies. He gets angry because the stranger unintentionally spills his drink. Joao yells and shouts at the stranger

(picture 20) and punches him in the face and they fight (picture 21).

Picture 20 (01:36:49) Picture 21 (01:36:54)

Based on the explanations above, at the beginning, Joao releases his anxious feeling that he gets from his workplace and losing his job by yelling, shouting, or cursing to the people around him. After Ken’s death, he became more aggressive. He releases his anger not only by yelling, shouting, or cursing but he also initiates physical contact.

In Freudian defense mechanism what Joao does is called displacement; shifts of the unpleasant feeling from one object to another more suitable and acceptable object or subject (Holonen and

Santrock 381). In this case, Joao replaces his anxious feeling in a form of anger to people around him by yelling, shouting, or cursing. This happens because he is being threatened by the external world (the

situation at his workplace and his fear of losing his job), so that, his ego tries to overcome his fear and anxiety by being angry.

Joao’s anxiety is arising more after Ken’s death. His anxiety cannot be reduced by displacing it into anger anymore so, his ego starts to run other defense mechanism and in this case rationalization.

As Schultz stated, “If you are involved in a number of displacements, a reservoir of undischarged tension accumulates, and you will be driven to find new ways of reducing the tensions” (Schultz 54). In rationalization, people tend to constructs a logical justification in order to reduce the anxiety.

Joao : I didn't tell you, but I got an offer from AP a few days ago. They want to send me to Afghanistan. I'll be leaving next month. It's what I've always wanted.Viv? Viv : Mm-hmm? Joao : Will you marry me? Viv : Yup. (01:37:06 - 01:37:35)

In order to reduce his anxiety, Joao tries to avoid the memory of

Ken by leave to Afghanistan to take another assignment or job as a photographer. He can be a local photojournalist but he chooses to leave to Afghanistan (see dialogue above). Leaving to Afghanistan is Joao’s way to reduce his unpleasant feeling or anxiety. He said that leaving to

Afghanistan is what he always wanted but it is just his logical justification, the fact is he cannot handle the terrible memory of the late Ken. He is avoiding the true reason behind it in order to reduce anxiety.

c. Greg

Greg, the new guy, always looks afraid when he is working. It

happens because he is new to work in this kind of place. He needs time

to adapt to the situation. Although he looks afraid when he works

people around him think that he is a brave man.

In Freudian defense mechanism, it is called reaction formation. In

reaction formation, the ego transforms an unacceptable impulse into an

opposite impulse (Holonen and Santrock 381). In this case, Greg

unconsciously transforms his fear of the situation at his workplace to

become unaware of it.

As the writer previously mentions that at the beginning of the

movie Greg takes pictures inside the dangerous hostels. No one will

come to the hostels alone but Greg does it. He takes the pictures to The

Star and no one believe that he really go to the hostels alone. Robin,

the photo editor, asked him:

Robin : Why did you go out there today? Greg : Because it scared me. Robin : Because it scared you? Do you always do things just because they scare you? Greg : Not always, but sometimes. (00:18:40 - 00:18:54)

From the dialogue above, it can be concluded that Greg goes to the

hostels because he feels scared of the situation. He has no options

about that. If he does not take pictures in there then he will not be able

to get the job. Moreover, what Greg does is his reaction formation in

the form of braveness. It can be explained that Greg’s ego feels his id

(fear) but he transforms it into courage. So he can take pictures in the dangerous place.

Not long after his picture of the burning man won the Pulitzer

Prize. He always looks unpleasant and angry if someone sees his picture (the burning man) in ‘negative’ way. It can be seen from the dialogue between Greg, Alf, and Sonny after he received his Pulitzer below.

Alf : So, congratulation, Greg. That was awesome. Greg : Oh, thank you. I appreciated that. Sonny : Ah, fuck, Greg. Screw your award. Your fucking photograph, it’s everywhere. The government is using it to show how we animals cann govern ourselves. How the fuck do you like that? Alf : Sonny, leave it. Sonny : Even the ANC says. It’s a white man’s photo taken for white man’s purposes. Alf : Sonny, it’s not his fault. Greg : Is that what you think? Alf : Let him enjoy his moment, man. Greg : Sonny, is that what you think? Alf : Forgive him, Greg. (00:48:14 - 00:48:45)

Alf is a black man photographer and Sonny is his colleague. From the dialogue above it can be seen that Greg looks angry with what

Sonny say about his picture. Sonny says that his picture is a white man’s photo taken for white man’s purposes he also says that Greg picture is used by the government to show how they cannot govern themselves like animals. Greg’s happy face became flat after Sonny says so, he unpleasant and became angry after that. If Sonny still says

his argument about Greg’s picture there might be fight between them.

Fortunately, Alf is there as a ‘mediator’.

Picture 22 (00:48:13) Picture 23 (00: 48:31)

Greg looks really upset and angry about it but he can do nothing.

He asks his girlfriend, Robin, to go home early.

Robin : Greg. Slow down. Slow down. Greg. Greg, stop. Greg. Greg. Stop. Greg, stop it. Stop it! What's wrong with you? Greg : Nothing. Robin : Doesn't seem like nothing. Greg : I'm sorry. It's all fucked up. I win this prize and then the ANC publicly accuses me of being a state spy. I fucking hate them all. All of them. The... Inkatha, the comrades, this place. I fucking hate it all! Robin : Greg. Greg. It's okay. Okay. (00:51:36 - 00:52:34)

The dialogue above tells about what happened when Greg and

Robin at their home. Greg tries to seduce Robin in a wild way whereas he never does this before. It happened because of Greg feels uneasy about something and it turns out related to his picture. Besides, Sonny makes him uneasy and angry, so that Greg replaces his emotion from

Sonny to Robin. In Freudian defense mechanism what Greg does is called displacement; shifts of the unpleasant feeling from one object to another more suitable and acceptable object or subject (Holonen and

Santrock 381). In conclusion, Greg’s superego is too threatening for

him but his ego can overcome it by using reaction formation and

displacement as his defense mechanism. d. Kevin

Kevin Carter is a drug addict. All the members of The Bang Bang

Club are uses drugs and alcohol but Kevin is the worst. Using

substances (alcohol, marijuana, hash, cocaine, crack cocaine and

heroin) as a coping mechanism is a strategy journalists employed to

numb out and self-medicate the psychological stress they were

experiencing (Buchanan and Keats 133). He uses the drug to repress

the horrible situation at his workplace that causes him anxiously. In the

Freudian defense mechanism, it is called repression. If the ego being

threatens by unpleasant feelings, thoughts, or external world, the ego

tends to repress it from the conscious mind into the unconscious mind.

Kevin’s repression also finds another way to be released. It is in

the form of a dream. Feist and Feist stated that repressed drives may

also find an outlet in dreams, slip of the tongue, or one of the other

defense mechanism (Feist and Feist 35).

Greg : You okay? Kevin : No. No. Greg, I, I keep having this dream and in it, I'm dying. Greg : I think you've had one pint too many, bru. Kevin : No, it's... I'm getting... I'm getting crucified and there's this big fucking lens that just keeps zooming in on me. Greg : Yeah? Kevin : Yeah! Greg : It's just a dream, Kev. Kevin : I wake up screaming my head off. Greg : Kev... What am I supposed to say? Kevin : I don't know.

Greg : Maybe you need to see a doctor. Kevin : Yeah, yeah. (00:49:07 - 00:49:53)

From the dialogue above, Kevin tells that he has a bad dream.

Freud explained that some nightmares or anxiety dreams appear as a result of dream censor mechanisms having failed, allowing some of the anxiety connected with forbidden impulses to emerge (Snowden 58).

Snowden added, Freud explained that dream has two contents: (1) the manifest contents; the part that is consciously remembered; (2) the latent contents: the disguised part that is not remembered before analysis. It can be said that Kevin’s dream is the repression of his anxiety that appears in the manifest content of his dream because he still remembers what the dream is, moreover, the cause of the dream itself still hidden under the latent content of his dream.

Furthermore, because of his addiction, he lost his job (see the dialogue above) and became a freelance photographer. After losing his job Kevin become more anxious. He is consuming drugs more often than usual.

Picture 24 (01:18:22)

In some other day, Kevin goes to Sudan with Joao to capturing a famine in there. He photographs a little girl, bending over with hunger and dehydration, as she is eyed by a nearby vulture and this picture is the Pulitzer Prize winner (picture 24). His Pulitzer Prize-winning photograph became controversial among other people.

Kevin : I knew that when... when I was taking it, there was something special, yeah. Journalist 1 : Do you have a name for the picture? Kevin : I don't name my pictures, but my friends, they, uh, they named it The Budgie Picture. Journalist 2 : Kevin, many of our readers have asked about the fate of the young girl. Kevin : The fate? Journalist 3 : What happened to the little girl, Kevin? Kevin : I... I don't know exactly... She... Journalist 4 : Did you chase the vulture away, Kevin? Kevin : Yeah, the vulture, yeah... After... After I got the, uh, picture... Journalist 5 : Kevin, you didn't pick her up? Journalist 1 : That's not his job. Journalist 5 : Since when are journalists exempt from helping people? Kevin : I'm not saying I'm exempt from helping people. I think my picture did more than that. Journalist 5 : Why not just make sure she was safe? Journalist 2 : Kevin, no one is saying you shouldn't have taken the photo. Journalist 3 : Did you just leave her in the desert to die, Kevin? Journalist 1 : And you see no problem with the choice you made?

Kevin : I don't see a problem with the choice. I went there as a photographer. I took a great photograph. (01:21:36 - 01:22:41)

During an interview about his Pulitzer winning (see dialogue above), other journalists ask him about the fate of the girl whom he photographed in Sudan but he always changes his answer. It is becoming a dilemma for him: as a photographer who takes a picture of events and as a human being who helps others who needs help.

A couple of days after that interview Ken gets shot while capturing the untrained peacekeepers who cannot use the guns properly. Ken’s death is affecting his colleague, especially Kevin. Its makes Kevin’s anxiety became unbearable. He shuts himself from the others and weeks later he committed suicide.

The reason Kevin take his life is because he cannot handle any pressure that threatening his id anymore: (1) the horrible situation that he sees almost every day at his workplace, (2) losing his job, (3) his dilemma of being a photographer who can only watch people die and capture it without doing anything else, and (4) the death of his best friend, Ken. At first, Kevin repress his anxiety by consuming drugs but at the time goes by and his anxiety became more arose the repression slips into another form which is a dream. But Ken’s death really makes him down and makes his id overwhelm so he cannot repress the anxiety anymore. The result is the ego tries to fulfill the id’s demand by being together with Ken (see Kevin’s last will in the previous

chapter) because it can make him not experience any threatening memories anymore. It can happen because the id has no contact with reality, yet it strives constantly to reduce tension by satisfying instinctual desires (Feist and Feist 27).

CHAPTER VI

CONCLUSION AND SUGGSETION

A. Conclusion

The Bang Bang Club is a biographical drama film written and directed by

Steven Silver and released in 2011. It is adapted from the autobiographical

book The Bang Bang Club: Snapshot from a Hidden War co-written by Greg

Marinovich and Joao Sliva. This film is about four war photographers

capturing the final days of apartheid in South Africa, they are known as The

Bang Bang Club. Those four photographers are Greg Marinovich, Kevin

Carter, Ken Oosterbroek, and Joao Silva.

The four of them work at a dangerous place and faces the horribles of the

war almost every day. It may cause a psychological condition to them. In

order to deal with such a situation, the four of them use several defense

mechanisms. In this research, the writer tries to elaborate on how they use

such defense mechanism by (1) analyze the characters and (2) applies the

psychoanalysis approach.

According to the explanation in the previous chapter, the writer can

conclude that the four photographers work in the same location but they

experience different kinds of situations that caused them to feel anxious. The

First is Ken Oosterbroek, the responsibility as a chief photographer makes

him ignorance and cold-hearted towards the environment in his workplace. It

is the way he defends himself from the unpleasant feeling. It happens because

his superego, in this case, is his responsibility as a chief photographer, is

more dominant than his id, so his ego tries to fulfill the superego demands.

He also, more familiar with the situation at the war because he works longer than the others at The Star so that he knows how to handle that situation. That is why he uses a more mature defense mechanism than the others which is intellectualization. In the middle of the film, Ken gets shot at his chest when takes pictures of the peacekeeper and he dies. Ken’s death makes the big loss for other Bang Bang Club members.

Second, Joao Silva, he is a freelance photographer at The Star who afraid of losing his job. The fear of losing his job makes him easily lost his temper.

In the Freudian defense mechanism, it is called displacement. He displaces his fear of losing his job by getting angry with the people around him.

Another defense mechanism that he uses is a rationalization. He rationalizes or justifies the reason he leaves to Afghanistan logically by he always want to there but the true reason is he cannot handle the memory of Ken’s death that makes him feel uneasy.

The third is Greg Marinovich, this is his first time to work as a photographer at war. He needs time to adapt to the new place and situation. In his adaptation, he always looks afraid and overwhelms but he tries his best to take the picture so that he can get the job. After he used to the new place and situation, he faces another situation that makes him feel uneasy. He cannot forget a picture of a man that burnt alive that he captured. The memory of it always haunted him. Therefore, this picture won the Pulitzer Prize. There is

Sonny, a black photographer, who says that his picture is a white man’s photo

taken for white man’s purposes and is also used by the government to show

how they cannot govern themselves like animals. He looks angry by it but he

displaces his anger to Robin, his girlfriend. In the Freudian defense

mechanism, it is called displacement.

The last photographer is Kevin Carter, he uses drugs as his repression of

the unpleasant feeling that he gets from his workplace. As time goes by, some

situations make him feel uneasy, such as losing his job, his dilemma of being

a photographer who can only watch people die and capture it without doing

anything else, and the death of his best friend, Ken. He cannot handle those

threatening situations and committed suicide.

B. Suggestion

The writer suggests the readers who interest in this film apply different

theories and approaches in order to give a different perspective to the research

such as racism and political issue. The last, the writer hopes this research

could give the contribution and information to the students in English Letter

Department who want to analyze the character’s defense mechanism in the

film using psychoanalysis theory by Sigmund Freud.

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APPENDIX

The Bang Bang Club film poster.