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Class Struggle As the Impact of Oppression Seen in Clifford Odets' Waiting for Lefty

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Class Struggle As the Impact of Oppression Seen in Clifford Odets' Waiting for Lefty CLASS STRUGGLE AS THE IMPACT OF OPPRESSION SEEN IN CLIFFORD ODETS’ WAITING FOR LEFTY: A MARXIST STUDY AN UNDERGRADUATED THESIS Presented as Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Sarjana Sastra in English Letters By Hardian Putra Pratama Student Number: 054214066 ENGLISH LETTERS STUDY PROGRAMME DEPARTMENT OF ENGLISH LETTERS FACULTY OF LETTERS SANATA DHARMA UNIVERSITY YOGYAKARTA 2010 CLASS STRUGGLE AS THE IMPACT OF OPPRESSION SEEN IN CLIFFORD ODETS’ WAITING FOR LEFTY: A MARXIST STUDY AN UNDERGRADUATED THESIS Presented as Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Sarjana Sastra in English Letters By Hardian Putra Pratama Student Number: 054214066 ENGLISH LETTERS STUDY PROGRAMME DEPARTMENT OF ENGLISH LETTERS FACULTY OF LETTERS SANATA DHARMA UNIVERSITY YOGYAKARTA 2010 i IMAGINE [John Lennon] Imagine there’s no heaven It’s easy if you try No hell below us Above us only sky Imagine all the people living for today Imagine there’s no country It isn’t hard to do Nothing to kill or die for And no religion, too Imagine all the people living life in peace Imagine no possession I wonder if you can No need for greed or hunger A brotherhood of man Imagine all the people sharing all the world You may say I’m a dreamer But I’m not the only one I hope someday you’ll join us And the world may live as one iv ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Great praise I address to the Lord for everything I have in my life. My great gratitude goes to my parents, Bartolomeus Bul Hartomo Panditadi and Benedicta Asteria Kristin Kumalawati, who can never stop supporting and asking about my thesis all over the time. I also thank to my brother, Bernardus Hardika Christiawan, and my sister, Fransiska Neny Kris Harmastuty for their enormous helps. Great gratitude is sincerely addressed to Dewi Widyastuti, S.Pd., M. Hum. for her helpful guidance and advices so that I can go deeper to the analysis of this thesis. I also would like to thank to my co-advisor, Tatang Iskarna, S.S., M. Hum who has given helpful suggestions and Drs. Hirmawan, M. Hum for the unforgettable thesis defense. I also would like to thank my academic advisor, Adventina Putranti, S.S. M. Hum. who directs me during this years. I would like to thank all of the 2005 lads for the unforgettable memories we experienced together. Especially for Yoseph Bayu, Yemima Aji, Buntara Adi a.k.a. Pethux, Christian Budi, Bruno Mukti, Stephanus Wangsa, Ian, Elisabeth Ria, Galih Asri, Cindy Abrams, Riana, Della Putri. I also would like to thank to the “Veterans”: Adit 04, Wawan 04, Mbahe 04, Galeh 04, Silas 04, and Tony 04. My special gratitude is sincerely addressed to Fransiska Chandra Leonita for the love, supports, and cares she gives. She is the great inspiration for me when I encounter a dead end. v Last but not least, I would like to thank everyone who have given me supports and helps. I cannot mention their names one by one, but I will always remember their names. Hardian Putra Pratama vi TABLE OF CONTENTS TITLE PAGE…………………………………………………….............. i APPROVAL PAGE……………………………………………………… ii ACCEPTANCE PAGE………………………………………………...... iii MOTTO PAGE………………………………………………………….. iv ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS……………………………………………... v TABLE OF CONTENTS………………………………………………... vii ABSTRACT…………………………………………………………….... ix ABSTRAK………………………………………………………………... x CHAPTER I: INTRODUCTION A. Background of the Study…...………………………………………….. 1 B. Problem Formulation…………..…………………………………….... 4 C. Objectives of the Study…………..……………………………………. 4 D. Definition of Terms……...…………………………………………….. 5 CHAPTER II: THEORETICAL REVIEW A. Review of Related Studies……..…….………………………………… 6 B. Review of Related Theories……………………………………………. 9 1. Theory of Character………………………………………………… 9 2. Theory of Characterization…………………………………………. 10 3. Theory of Marxism…………………………………………………. 12 a. Theory of Social Class……………………………………………. 14 b. Theory of Oppression………………………………………….... 15 c. Theory of Alienation……………………………………………... 17 d. Theory of Class Consciousness………………………………….. 21 e. Theory of Class Struggle…………………………………………. 23 C. Theoretical Framework……..…………………………………………. 24 CHAPTER III: METHODOLOGY A. Object of the Study………..…………………………………………... 26 B. Approach of the Study…..…………………………………………….. 27 C. Method of the Study……………………………………………………. 28 CHAPTER IV: ANALYSIS A. The Description of the Characters.………………………………….... 28 1. The Group of Proletariat………………………………………….. 30 2. The Group of Capitalists…………………………………………… 41 B. Oppression Experienced by the Oppressed Characters…………... 44 1. Economic Oppression……………………………………………… 46 2. Social Oppression………………………………………………….. 51 3. Legal Oppression………………………………………………….. 53 C. Class Struggle as the Impact of the Oppression…………………. 55 1. The Experience of Alienation……………………………………… 55 2. Liberating the Class Consciousness……………………………….. 63 3. The Class Struggle………………………………………………… 66 vii CHAPTER V: CONCLUSION…………………………………………. 70 BIBLIOGRAPHY………………………………………………………... 72 viii ABSTRACT HARDIAN PUTRA PRATAMA. Class Struggle as the Impact of Oppression Seen in Clifford Odets’ Waiting for Lefty: A Marxist Study. Yogyakarta: Department of English Letters, Faculty of Letters, Sanata Dharma University, 2009. Class struggle is a collective effort of an oppressed class against the class that oppresses them. In this case, the proletariat against the capitalists. They conduct the class struggle because they want the welfare in their life. The study about class struggle is interesting to be discussed. All the people, regardless their class origin and their life background, are supposed to have the welfare. Through Waiting for Lefty, Clifford Odets tries to portray that situation. In order to get the main analysis of the study, the writer analyses the description of the characters that are divided into two main classes namely the proletariat and the capitalists. The next step is the writer analyses the oppression done by the capitalists toward the proletariat. Soon after that, the writer analyses the class struggle done by the proletariat. The writer uses library research method in this study. The writer uses book as the main source and internet as the supporting source. Theories which are applied in this study are theory of character, theory of characterization, and theory of Marxism that includes theory of social class, theory of oppression, theory of alienation, theory of class consciousness, and theory of class struggle. The writer uses Marxist approach to analyze the class struggle as the impact of oppression. The result of the analysis of this study shows that in the capitalism society, there are two main classes existing within. The former is the class of capitalist. The latter is the class of proletariat. The capitalists oppress the proletariat in order to gain the profit as much as possible. When the proletariat is getting miserable caused by the oppression done by the capitalists, they do the class struggle in order to gain the equal welfare with the capitalists. This class struggle is done after they experience some phases. The first phase is the alienation as the result of the oppression. Because of the oppression that results in the form of alienation keeps coming, they get the class consciousness as one united class tortured by another class, which is the class of capitalist. As an oppressed class, they feel that they have the same enemy so that they need to struggle to overthrow the oppressor class altogether. The influence of Marxism is obviously seen through the portrayal of class struggle done by the proletariat against the capitalists who crudely oppress them. ix ABSTRAK HARDIAN PUTRA PRATAMA. Class Struggle as the Impact of Oppression Seen in Clifford Odets’ Waiting for Lefty: A Marxist Study. Yogyakarta: Department of English Letters, Faculty of Letters, Sanata Dharma University, 2009. Class struggle adalah sebuah usaha kolektif dari sebuah kelas yang tertindas untuk melawan kelas yang menindas mereka. Dalam hal ini, kelas proletar melawan kelas kapitalis. Class struggle dilakukan karena mereka ingin mendapat kesejahteraan di dalam hidup mereka. Studi tentang class struggle sangat menarik untuk dibahas. Kesejahteraan selayaknya didapatkan oleh semua lapisan masyarakat tanpa mempedulikan asal kelas dan latar belakang hidup mereka. Lewat Waiting for Lefty, Clifford Odets berusaha menggambarkan keadaan tersebut. Untuk mendapatkan analisis utama studi ini, penulis menganalisis penggambaran para tokoh yang terbagi menjadi dua kelompok utama yaitu kelas proletar dan kelas kapitalis. Selanjutnya, penulis menganalisa tentang penindasan yang dilakukan oleh kelas kapitalis terhadap kelas proletar. Kemudian penulis menganalisis tentang class struggle yang dilakukan oleh kelas proletar. Penulis menggunakan metode penelitian pustaka di dalam studi ini. Penulis menggunakan sumber utama dari buku dan internet sebagai penunjang. Teori yang digunakan dalam buku ini adalah teori tentang tokoh, teori penokohan, dan teori Marxisme yang mencakup teori kelas sosial, teori penindasan, teori alienasi, teori class consciousness, dan teori class struggle. Penulis menggunakan pendekatan Marxist dalam menganalisis class struggle sebagai akibat dari penindasan. Hasil dari analisis menunjukkan bahwa di dalam masyarakat yang menganut sistem kapitalisme, ada dua kelas utama yang berada di dalamnya. Kelas pertama adalah kelas kapitalis. Kelas yang kedua adalah kelas proletar. Kelas kapitalis menindas kelas proletar karena mereka berkepentingan untuk mendapatkan untung sebanyak – banyaknya.. Ketika kelas proletar merasa penindasan yang dilakukan oleh kelas kapitalis
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