<<

PHILOSOPHICAL VALUES FOUND IN TONE BY YZ CHIN

Diah Anita Pusparini Program Studi Pendidikan Bahasa Inggris STKIP PGRI Pasuruan [email protected]

Abstract: is more important than just a historical or cultural artifact. It introduces us to new worlds of experience and not merely a depiction of reality; it is rather a value-addition. A work of literature can be valuable in several ways: entertainment value, political value, artistic value, cultural value, historical value, philosophical value, value, and ethical value. This article‟s focus is intended to discover the philosophical values stated or implied in a . Which in the end, the values found in the short story were related on how ones explore the nature of human knowledge, how ones know something, what ones can know about something, interact with the world, know the world, a special attitude, and a state of mind. Keywords: philosophical values, short story, literary work

INTRODUCTION experience. Books and literature are being learnt as well as enjoying the comedies and the tragedies of "The difficulty of literature is not poems, stories, and plays; and even to write, but to write what you grow and evolve through our literary mean; not to affect your reader, journey with books. but to affect him precisely as you Ultimately, readers may wish." -- Robert Louis Stevenson discover meaning in literature by looking at what the author says and Literature is a term used to how he/she says it. Readers may describe written or spoken material. interpret the author's message. In Broadly speaking, "literature" is used academic circles, this decoding of to describe anything from creative the text is often carried out through writing to more technical or the use of , using a scientific works, but the term is most mythological, sociological, commonly used to refer to works of psychological, historical, or other the creative imagination, including approach. works of , drama, , and Whatever critical paradigm nonfiction. used to discuss and analyze Literature represents a literature, there is still an artistic language or a people: culture and quality to the works. Literature is tradition. But, literature is more important because it speaks, it is important than just a historical or universal, and it affects the readers. cultural artifact. Literature Even when it is ugly, literature is introduces us to new worlds of beautiful.

20 Why Is Literature Important? fact, lays the foundation of an "Literature adds to reality, it does enriched life; it adds 'life' to 'living'. not simply describe it. It enriches the necessary competencies that daily life requires and provides; What Is Value? and in this respect, it irrigates the The phrase "values of deserts that our lives have already literature" refers to those qualities of become." - C.S. Lewis, a British poems, stories, , etc. that make scholar and novelist. them worthwhile to read. If readers feel the reading time is well spent, As stated in the quotation by then it can be said that a work has C.S. Lewis, literature not only value for them. If reading the work describes reality but also adds to it. was a complete waste, then it might Yes, literature is not merely a be there has been no value for them. depiction of reality; it is rather a What Is There To Value? value- addition. Literary works are A work of literature can be valuable portrayals of the thinking patterns in several ways. and social norms prevalent in society. They are a depiction of the Literature if reading it . . . different facets of common man's has . . . life. Classical literary works serve entertainment is an enjoyable way to as a food for thought and a tonic for value pass the time. imagination and creativity. political can change the way Exposing an individual to good value people live with and literary works, is equivalent to influence each other. providing him/her with the finest of educational opportunities. On the other hand, the lack of exposure to artistic helps us contemplate classic literary works is equal to value the nature of beauty depriving an individual from an and human creativity. cultural sheds light on the opportunity to grow as an value place and time of the individual. It is through reading author of the work. such great literary and poetic historical helps one understand works, that one understands life. value the past and how the They help a person take a closer world has evolved. look at the different facets of life. philosophical explores human In many ways, it can change one's value knowledge, how we perspective towards life. Lives of know and what we brilliant achievers and individuals, moral value know.teaches a lesson that who have made a valuable will inspire the reader contribution to society, are sketched to live a better life. in their biographies. Literature, is ethical helps us asks questions definitely, much more than its value related to the standards literary meaning, which defines it of a "good" life. as 'an acquaintance to letters'. It, in

21 Philosophical Value knowledge. We need the passion Literature has philosophical of love to start and keep value if reading it gives occasion questioning the things that are to explore the nature of human either too familiar or too removed knowledge, how we know and from everyday concerns. The what we can know. These continuation of this striving points questions are central to the to the essence of wisdom. Its production of art because any artist posture is a passionate search for must interact with the world in wisdom, not the possession of it. order to represent it, whether Nothing great has ever been lyrically in a poem or through accomplished without passion. in fiction; he must, to Thus, knowledge proves again less some extent, know the world. But defining for philosophy than its it is hard to be certain about what posture. In western tradition, it is we know or even whether we can not possible to attain wisdom as a know anything at all. Some final equilibrium. Consequently, explore philosophical issues pretty philosophy is a state of mind deeply because they are often a (inquisitive) rather than a source of crisis that can create particular kind of knowledge. great drama and raise intriguing Love Wisdom questions. If a work invites the Emotion Cognition readers to think about perception, Striving Accomplishment making sense of our place in the Attitude State of Mind world, or self‐awareness, then we can say that it has philosophical value. In response to such works, Here, it can be said that there are we tend to look inward and seven aspects to be analyzed. They wonder, "Who am I?" are: 1. Explore the nature of human knowledge Philosophic Attitude 2. How we know something The very meaning of 3. What we can know about the word philosophy (derived from something the Greek compound philo + 4. Interact with the world sophia) points at once to a special 5. Know the world attitude of a philosopher and 6. A special attitude her/his objective. According 7. A state of mind to this etymology, "philosophy" is In this occasion, the has "a love of wisdom" which means the opportunity to analyze the that it combines both cognitive and philosophical value of a short story emotional dimension of our mind. entitled “TONE”. TONE a short "Love" is named first and it is not story written by YZ Chin and it was knowledge - it is a craving and taken on-line from the internet. This striving to attain the object of love. story was chosen because it told But striving to learn precedes

22 about how a teenage girl, who to be responsible with the research apparently deaf, survive in dealing results. with her teenage life as such friendship and relationship. FINDING AND DISCUSSION This article is intended to There are two parts of finding discover the philosophical value stated here. They are the stated or implied in the short story. philosophical values of life and the As well as motivating the English philosophical values of love. Education students to love and get used to read literary works such as short stories or novels. By doing The philosophical values of life such things, it might ease them “To be honest, I quite like my when they have to fulfill any deafness. It was not easy the assignment related to reading first few years after the car literary works. accident and the stupid exploding air bag, but now it‟s become something that makes METHOD me special among my friends”. The method used by the (Paragraph 3; line 1). writer was a descriptive design focusing on content analysis. As From this sentence, Sandy stated by Djiwandono (2015) that a implies that she always tries to content analysis is used to analyze a admit the reality that had happened literary work, especially in a in her life. Accepting the fact is her linguistic research or applied key to enjoy her life, with her linguistic. While the content being deafness which is (6) a special analyzed was, a short story entitled attitude. No one likes nor wants to TONE written by YZ Chin which be deaf. But Sandy struggles to like was taken from the internet. The it, and eventually she can do it well. writer focused in analyzing the It is clear that the philosophical life philosophical values used or written of Sandy is enjoying the fact and by the author in the short story. The struggle to love it. instruments needed in collecting the data were documentation and “I mostly just read lips because human instrument. The it was easier to pick up than documentation was the literary signing”. (Paragraph 9; line 1). work or the short story itself, while This sentence implies that there the writer herself was as the human is always a way out in every trouble. instrument. These kinds of As human, people have to be instruments can be said simple optimistic to find a way for every because it often does not need the trouble. People have to search the interference of the third party way out as what Sandy did in the because the writer herself who has story. Sandy was a deaf girl, but she finally decided to use reading lips as

23 the way to understand someone‟s “If a tree falls in a forest, and speech. She can prove that she no one hears it, does it make a settled up the case of her life by sound? If two people argue, doing so. Here, the philosophical and one of them doesn‟t hear value of her life is that she tried to the argument, can the damage always find the way out of any cases be undone?” (Paragraph 59; as to show how to (1) explore the line 1). nature of human knowledge in order to keep up and (4) interact This sentence represents the with the world. fifth aspect which is (5) “know the world”. It shows that in having a “Our first birthday was his communication, it needs both sides twenty third. I got him a pair of to listen to each other in order to tickets to the Rammstein concert. understand the message in the I knew he loved that band. When conversation. People won‟t have a I flashed the ticket, he started smooth conversation if they give no exclaiming and laughing, but attention to each other. People talk they abruptly stopped”. in different tone to represent their (Paragraph 9). feeling. Just listen to their tone to know whether they are angry, To celebrate the first anniversary happy or flattered. of their relationship, Sandy wanted to celebrate it by inviting Colin to “I have few nice memories of Rammstein concert, and Colin felt the last months of the surprise and happy. It is clearly relationship.” (Paragraph 72; stated that Sandy wanted to share the line 1). happiness with Colin, by watching a In living this wonderful life, live concert though she might not be we can‟t avoid in remembering the able to enjoy the concert due to her events that are happened in our life, hearing imperfection. Life is to enjoy called memory. Some memories are the moment of love and an nice to be remembered, but some anniversary of a relationship will be other might not be nice to be nothing without any celebration even remembered. We might also have when sacrifice is needed. As a lover, some valuable memories from they thought that it is a must to which we can learn something in prepare something for happiness. order to have a better life. Here, we Happiness needs , not only can say that the more experience or waiting. The one who is creative to memory we have, the more set happiness which is the integration of (3) what we can know (5) we know the world. about something, of course, will be able to avoid sadness in his life which will be a positive (7) state of mind.

24 The Philosophical Values Of Love “I smiled down at my autographed books.” (Paragraph “Within two months, Colin and 56; line 1). I were dating”. (Paragraph 2; line 3). These sentences reflect that smile represents the good feeling This occasion is a chance for from the heart. Smile will make its them to (1) explore the nature of line on our face when we love the human knowledge. In this case, things that we see, listen or even the Sandy tried to bring back her life activity that we do in fulfilling our after the accident by making a desire. Those smiles reflect the (6) relationship. She believes that this special attitudes of a human being will regain her confidence in facing as a respond to a certain situation. her life. She will prove that she can live normally with her condition, including having a boyfriend. CONCLUSION Philosophy is a hidden concept “A few weeks after the book of the people. It can be in the form of reading, Colin and I fought for purpose, reason and background of the first time. He wanted to the people‟s thought. It means that cancel a dinner we had planned there is always a philosophy in every long ago. The reason was the people‟s acts. As a hidden concept of premiere of his India film maker the people, philosophy must be friend‟s first movie.” designed ahead before applying into Every person has his/her own (6) some real activities, why and what for special attitude in responding to a people do that. Related to the short certain condition. When we cannot story analyzed above, the writer understand one‟s special attitude, concluded some philosophical values sometimes it will result mis- in the area of life and love as below: communication or fight. This way, 1. In life, people are expected we need to explore the nature of to sincerely accept human knowledge in order to have a everything happened in life. good communication and a good It is the key of happiness. relationship. This way, it will be Reality is a part of life and possible to recognize be positive thinking on it. People should also learn to (2) how we know something. like and love even thebad “His smile was beautiful.” reality they have. In the (Paragraph 24; line 1), “I twisted story, Sandy tries to deal around to smile up at him, a with her deafness. Even smile as bright as I felt inside.” though she gets problems (Paragraph 53; line 4), previously, finally she can live with her deafness well. 2. In life, people cannot avoid the bad thing happened in

25 their life, including people, they do not have to accidents. Please believe be pessimistic. They must that there is always blessing be struggling to live their in disguise, there is always life by doing the thing that a way out in every disaster. the normal people do, This is a good philosophy including loving someone. of life that people must be Of course, sometimes we creative to always find the are in down, but we have to way out in every problem get back to the real track as they face. In the story, soon as possible. Sandy, in Sandy as the deaf girl use the story, is dating with reading lips in Colin to prove that she can understanding someone‟s do the same thing as the speech in order to survive normal girl does. in living among the 5. Loving an abnormal girl is an community. Successfully, occasion to explore the she has no problems in nature of human communication. knowledge. By doing so, we 3. In life, people search for will know one’s special happiness. But, what if we attitude and it is one of the do not find it in a long way? ways for knowing the The answer is that we world. In this story, Collin create the happiness to be had the chance to explore existed. Life is not waiting the nature of human for the happiness coming, knowledge by having a but creating the happiness relationship with Sandy. to be with us. So, in life Collin also tried to people have to search and understand Sandy‟s special create the happiness. Sandy attitude – her hearing in the story sometimes imperfection. Unfortunately, invites Colin to watch life the relationship ended concert and Colin also because they have a different invites Sandy to visit for a state of mind. book signing and reading events with Sandy‟s All in all, a short story can be favorite a book writer. It categorized into a literary work means that they always which has philosophical values when create for their own after reading the story, the readers happiness. are able to explore the nature of 4. In love, the normal people human knowledge, recognize how sometimes will build a love ones know something, what ones can relationship with the know about something, how to abnormal one. It is, interact with the world, know the probably, what we call as world, a special attitude, and a state love is blind. As abnormal

26 of mind through reading and Lombardi, Esther. 2012. comprehending the story. Literature, (Online), (http://classiclit.about.com/od/lit erar yterms/g/aa_whatisliter.htm, REFERENCES: diakses 15 April 2012). Oak, Manali. 2011. Importance of Chin, YZ. 2012. TONE, Literature, (Online), (Online), (http://www.buzzle.com/articles/ (http://www.eastoftheweb importance-of- com/short-stories/UBooks/ literature.html,diakses 15 April Tone.shtml, diakses 7 April 2012). 2012). Zunjic, Dr. Bob. 2012. What is Djiwandono, Patrisius Istiarto. 2015. Philosophy?, (Online), Meneliti itu Tidak Sulit: (http://www.uri.edu/personal/szu Metodologi Penelitian Sosial njic/philos/whystudy.htm,diaks dan Pendidikan. es15April 2012. Yogyakarta: Deepublish. Gainesville State College. 2012. Values ofLiterature,(Online), (https://web.gsc.edu/fs/mhorton/ cou rses/f08/engl2132/handouts/2132 val ue.htm#philosophical, diakses 14April 2012).

27