The African American ‘Olympian’
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perpustakaan.uns.ac.id digilib.uns.ac.id CHAPTER III ANALYSIS A. Allan Trumbull: The African American ‘Olympian’ Olympus is the home for the Ancient Greek gods and goddesses that signify the power of an institution and the persons in it. What happened if the Olympus is struck by a catastrophic event? The Olympus Has Fallen film tells how the Olympus (i.e. The White House) and the Olympians (i.e.s the President, the Vice President, etc.) are falling due to a terrorist attack that gives impact to the stability of the world, especially in the Korean Peninsula. This part of the research explains the meaning behind the title of the film Olympus Has Fallen and what it means to the characters in it, especially African American, since the uniqueness of this film is an African American who becomes one of the „Olympians'. Historically, it means a lot for African Americans since they come to America as slaves, and then now, in film Olympus Has Fallen, one of them becomes the Acting President of the United States through the character Allan Trumbull. Greek has a great influence towards the United States, from the name of cities (e.g. Philadelphia in Pennsylvania and Syracuse in New York), the architecture of buildings and monuments (e.g. Lincoln Memorial, Capitol Hill), and the United States system of democracy. The United States Secret Service agents who are responsible for President's security use the Greek mythology term as a codename. The word „Olympus' from the title Olympus Has Fallen is the commit to user 44 perpustakaan.uns.ac.id digilib.uns.ac.id45 Secret Service codename for the White House. It is a standard rule for the Secret Service in giving codename to buildings and officers, even President's family members. As stated in the first paragraph, according to the ancient Greek mythology, Olympus is a sacred mountain in Greece where the Ancient Greek deities live and they are led by the king of gods, Zeus. In the film, Olympus is the White House, and the „Olympians' refer to the President and his staffs running the United States government. Olympus symbolizes power and the highest authority. It is similar to the White House as the core power of the superpower government of the United States that has a major influence to other countries globally. Moreover, it shows the same spirit to what happens in the reality when Olympus Has Fallen was in pre-production in 2012. President Obama in his speech in Colorado says that America is stronger, safer, is respected in the world and indispensable nation in the world affair. And so, the man who leads in the „Olympus' possesses the ultimate power, the President. In the United States presidency history, the white people always take charge as the ultimate leader. It is very interesting to discuss an African American holding the most powerful position in the white-dominant country. As Barack Obama has done in 2009 to become the first African American President, in the film Olympus Has Fallen, the character Allan Trumbull is an African American House Speaker of Representatives who eventually becomes the Commander in Chief of the United States. A long struggle from slaves into the „Olympian' is a remarkable achievement for African Americans. Becoming a property of their owner is their first encounter incommit America to .user The slavery itself ends due to the perpustakaan.uns.ac.id digilib.uns.ac.id46 Abolition Act and The Civil War in 1865. Later on, the Fourteenth Amendment in 1867 opens the opportunity for African Americans to gain their citizenship. Sadly, that opportunity is overshadowed by the great wall called „the Jim Crow laws'. It leads to the discrimination and racial segregation towards African Americans for about a century. The pivotal era of African American is when the Supreme Court passes the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and Voting Rights Act of 1965. These two Acts provide a full recognition of African Americans as true American citizens and open the way of African American like Allan Trumbull to reach the highest ranking officer in the government. The film depicts the fall of the „Olympus‟, The White House, by the terrorist. Apparently, an African American politician steps up and becomes the Commander in Chief of the United States. The word „Fallen‟ from the title Olympus Has Fallen symbolically refers to the fall of the white people who dominate the White House. The film depicts the fall of the White House by the terrorist attack and Allan Trumbull comes as an African American president who tries to restore the sovereignty and the power of the „Olympus‟. In the context of mythology, it is a pivotal moment in the film when a black person becomes „the king of the Olympus‟ since Greek mythology depicts gods and goddesses to be whites. It is similar to what happens in the history of American presidency because most of the presidents of the United States are white people until Barack Obama takes charge in the White House. The characteristics of „Olympus‟ or the White House in terms of the domination of white people is fallen due to the fact that African Americans or any othercommit races to userand ethnicities can lead the country. perpustakaan.uns.ac.id digilib.uns.ac.id47 Allan Trumbull is the leader who is responsible for the rising of the „fallen Olympus‟. He has the quality of an Olympian. In addition, he is the master planner and the ultimate decision-maker to every U.S. government‟s actions to win against the terrorist. which will be explained in detail in the point B about the leadership of Allan Trumbull. It is no longer an issue for African American to work as a president inspite of the color of their skin. In Olympus Has Fallen, when Allan Trumbull is appointed as the Acting President of the United States, his identity as an African American is not becomes his or any other people's concern. The 3 U.S Code section 19, the constitutional regulation that makes him become the acting president does not concern to any racial identity to be an acting president. Allan Trumbull's manner as he is appointed as the acting president shows that he only worries about the condition of the president and the vice president. The following dialogue shows Allan Trumbull's reaction to his appointment as the acting president of the United States, Lynne Jacobs : Mr. Speaker. As both the President and the Vice President of the United States are unable to discharge the duties of their offices, I‟m officially placing you under Secret Service protection. You are the Acting President of the United States. Allan Trumbull : Are they alive? Lynne Jacobs : They are. (Minutes: 00:46:02) The people inside the crisis room show no objection during Allan Trumbull's inauguration as the Acting President (see figure a.1). The medium shot and the camera panning the crisis room capturescommit tothe user emotion of the people around Allan perpustakaan.uns.ac.id digilib.uns.ac.id48 Trumbull and there is no sign of protest towards Allan Trumbull. In addition, none of the people within the crisis room become the leader of the operation in saving the president until Allan Trumbull arrives in this scene. As Allan Trumbull stepping into the crisis room, all of the people in the room are standing up. The people show their respect to Allan Trumbull because he is the highest-ranking officer in the country who can run the presidential works. The scene indicates that these days Americans are no longer caught up by the idea of African American being the second class citizens in the past. The wall of discrimination is crumbled and Americans embrace the African Americans as American citizens equally as the whites or any other races in America. Inspite of the color of his skin, Allan Trumbull has his right to be the acting President and leading the operation to save the president because constitutionally speaking, he is the second in the line of succession of the presidency in case of the absence of the president from work. Figure a.1. Taken from the same scene (see figure a.1), as a black leader, Allan Trumbull's main concern is no longer about racial equality or protection to African Americans but the safety of the president and a country. He is now an „Olympian' who leads a whole nationcommit and to userpossesses power that influences the perpustakaan.uns.ac.id digilib.uns.ac.id49 world's condition. His range of power is not only about the African Americans' importance, but also beyond it, the All-Americans' importance. In Allan Trumbull situation from the film, he knows that the president is in trouble and it is his main priority as the Acting President to get the president out of the terrorist-occupied White House. Back in the Civil Rights movement, African American leaders such as Martin Luther King Jr. or Malcolm X question the African Americans' position in the society since they are alienated by their own country. They asks for the sake of their own life. On the other hand, Allan Trumbull's first words after his inauguration as the Acting President of the United States are, "Are they alive?” He asks about the condition of the president, the vice president, and others. The paradigm of African American is changing. The White House attack from Olympus Has Fallen is as monumentally horrific as the 9/11. The United States citizens as the multicultural country with the various races and ethnicities blend into one, Americans, when the twin towers have been collapsed.