A Representation of Gender Equity in Barrack Obama's Life Narratives

PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI

A Representation of Gender Equity in Barrack Obama’s
Life Narratives

A THESIS

Presented as a Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements

to Obtain the Magister Humaniora (M. Hum) Degree

in English Language Studies by

TRI SUGIARTO

Student Number: 106332018

GRADUATE PROGRAM OF ENGLISH LANGUAGE STUDIES
SANATA DHARMA UNIVERSITY YOGYAKARTA
2013

i

A THESIS
A REPRESENTATION OF GENDER EQUITY IN BARRACK OBAMA’S
LIFE NARRATIVES

by
TRI SUGIARTO
Student Number: 106332018

Approved by
Dr. FX Siswadi, M.A.

supervisor
Yogyakarta, 4 June 2013

ii

A THESIS
A REPRESENTATION OF GENDER EQUITY IN BARRACK OBAMA’S
LIFE NARRATIVES

by
TRI SUGIARTO
Student Number: 106332018

Defended before the Thesis Committee and Declared Acceptable

THESIS COMMITTEE

Chairperson :Dr. F.X. Siswadi, M.A.

____________________

____________________ ____________________
Secretary Members
: Dr. Novita Devi, M.S., M.A. (Hons) : 1. Dra. Sri Mulyani, M.A., Ph.D
2. Dr. Patrisius Mutiara Andalas, S.J ____________________

Yogyakarta, 25 April 2013
The Graduate Program Director
Sanata Dharma University

Prof. Dr. Agustinus Supratiknya

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STATEMENT OF ORIGINALITY

This is to certify that all ideas, phrases, sentences, unless otherwise stated, are the ideas, phrases, and sentences of the thesis writer. The writer understands the full consequences including degree cancellation if he took somebody else’s ideas, phrases, or sentences without proper references.

Yogyakarta, 4 April 2013
Tri Sugiarto

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Lembar Pernyataan Persetujuan Publikasi Karya Ilmiah untuk Kepentingan
Akademis

Yang bertanda tangan dibawah ini, saya mahasiswa Universitas Sanata Dharma:

Nama

: Tri Sugiarto

Nomor Mahasiswa : 106332018 Demi pengembangan ilmu pengetahuan saya memberikan kepada perpustakaan Universitas Sanata Dharma karya ilmiah saya yang berjudul:

A Representation of Gender Equity in Barrack Obama’s Life Narratives

beserta perangkat yang diperlukan (bila ada). Dengan demikian saya memberikan kepada perpustakaan Universitas Sanata Dharma hak untuk menyimpan, mengalihkan dalam bentuk media lain, mengelolanya dalam bentuk pangkalan data, mendistribusikan secara terbatas, dan mempublikasikannya di internet atau media lain untuk kepentingan akademis tanpa perlu meminta ijin dari saya maupun memberikan royalti kepada saya selama tetap mencantumkan nama saya sebagai penulis. Demikian pernyataan ini yang saya buat dengan sebenarnya.

Dibuat di Yogyakarta Pada tanggal 4 April 2013 Yang menyatakan

(Tri Sugiarto)

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ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

Alhamdulillahi rabbil alamin; all praises is to Allah Azza Wajalla, The
Almighty, The Most Beneficent, and The Most Merciful. Without His blessings, love, and guidance I would never finish writing this thesis.
I would like to dedicate my heartfelt gratitude to my supervisor, Dr. FX
Siswadi, M.A., for his patience, guidance, and supervision during the process of finishing this thesis. I owed him for the valuable time and energy that he spent in advising. My sincerest gratitude is also presented to Dr. Novita Dewi M.S. M.A. (Hons) who also patiently assisted me in the process of exploring the idea for my thesis since semester three. She also became one of my thesis examiners and gave many insightful thoughts. I thank Dra. Sri Mulyani, M.A., Ph.D and Dr. Patrisius Mutiara Andalas, S.J for spending time reading and giving constructive criticisms during the review and defense session of my thesis. They have broadened and sharpened my views on literary analysis and studies on gender and life narrative.
I am also indebted to Prof Dr. Bakdi Soemanto, Dr. B.B. Dwijatmoko,
M.A. and all lecturers in English Language Studies Sanata Dharma University who have widened my understanding on English literacy and literature.
My innumerable thanks are to my dearest friends in class B 2010; Mba k
Erni, Mbak Arien, Mbak Anjar (thank you for being very great sisters in KBI), Dame, Devi, Bu Erna, Mbak Orpha, Mbak Umi, Lelly, Rusdi, Fitri. I thank them for their incredible friendship.
I thank to Mbak Anna and Mbak Ruth for being the proofreader for this thesis. Their input and suggestion help me to improve.
I also thank Mbak Lely and Pak Mul for their help in the administrations and stuffs. They help me to manage my study in Sanata Dharma University well.
I am lovingly and humbly dedicated my gratitude to my Mamak and
Bapak, my elder sisters, my younger brother, and my brother in-law for their support and encouragement. To Kakak Majes and Adik Keke, this is the ticket for you to fly to Oom’s house!
Finally, I would thank my girlfriend Anies who always accompanies me with smiles. Her patience and support has ‘flooded’ me happiness. She inspires me to reach higher, dig deeper, dream bigger and pursue my passion in order to live a life that matters. May His blessings shower upon us and we can build a family together in this life and the afterlife (amen...).

Yogyakarta, 25 April 2013
Tri Sugiarto

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“Verily, Allah SWT will never change the conditions of people as long as they do not change it themselves”

(Ar Ra’d:11)

“What you get by achieving your goals is not as important as what you become by achieving your goals.”

-Henry David Thoreau

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ABSTRACT

Tri Sugiarto. 2013. A Representation of Gender Equity in Barrack Obama’s Life

Narratives. Yogyakarta: English Language Study, Graduate Program, Sanata Dharma University

There are many researches on gender issue focusing on women and their efforts to work against patriarchal domineering system. Very few concentrate on men and show the example of their positive attitudes that are appropriate for the spirit of feminism. This research sees the need and presents the investigation on such topic.
This research investigates Barrack Obama’s life narratives namely Dream s

from My Father: The Story of Race and Inheritance and Audacity of Hope : Thoughts on Reclaiming the American Dream. It highlights the representation of

the “I” into the spirit of gender equity and also the factors that influence the narrator to represent the “I” into the paradigm.
This is a qualitative research using library research technique in collecting the data and descriptive analytical manner to present the result of the analysis. The data analysis is conducted using bell hooks’ visionary feminism and theory of life narrative.
Answering the first research question, it is found that “I” is projected to embody the spirit of gender equity in his practices. He does not stick to the domineering tradition of patriarchal masculinity that has been performed by the black men in American society. Instead, involvement in domestic chores, participation in nurturing, provision of a space for women to speak, and consideration for women in the decision making process, are the attitudes that he has performed. Indeed, he is found to be ambivalent some times. Yet, he can always repress and discontinue his desire to suit the hegemonic norm. He has shown that he has escaped from the deterministic images of black men and also has showed the transformation that a black man can do to build a better gender relation in the society.
Furthermore, for the second research question, it is revealed that the practices the narrator performs are triggered by the struggles and sufferings of women encircle his life. He believes that women have very big role for the family and the society and they are not deserved to be ill-treated. Seeing that his mother, maternal grandmother, paternal half-sister, and his female colleagues become the victim of man and his patriarchal tradition, the narrator believes that he will not practice nor continue the credo in his own life. Besides, the guilt and shame after witnessing the fraud made by his father and his male caretakers have also become the reason why the narrator projects the “I” into the spirit of gender equity. Because of their loyalty to the rules of patriarchal masculinity, the men have ‘suffered’ and lived unhappily. They always try to chase the images set by the patriarchal dominant system without ever predicting the damage that this tradition may generate for himself, his spouse, and his entire family.

Keywords: gender equity, life narratives, visionary feminism

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ABSTRAK

Tri Sugiarto. 2013. A Representation of Gender Equity in Barrack Obama’s Life

Narratives. Yogyakarta: Kajian Bahasa Inggris, Program Pasca Sarjana, Universitas Sanata Dharma

Ada banyak sekali penelitian pada isu gender yang berfokus pada perempuan dan usahanya dalam melepaskan diri dari penjara patriarki yang melemahkan. Sangat sedikit bisa ditemui bahwa laki-laki dan contoh perilakukanya yang mengandung semangat kesetaraan gender menjadi objek kajian. Penelitian ini mencoba menawarkan alternatif fokus penelitian pada isu yang sangat jarang dikaji tersebut.
Objek kajian pada penelitian ini adalah narasi kehidupan dari Barrack

Obama yang berjudul Dreams from My Father: The Story of Race and Inheritanc e dan Audacity of Hope: Thoughts on Reclaiming the American Dream. Dari dua

narasi tersebut, penelitian ini mencoba melihat bagaimana Barrack Obama (narator) menggambarkan tindakan "saya" yang mengandung semangat kesetaraan gender, dan menjelaskan apa saja faktor yang memengaruhinya untuk mewujudkan tindakan yang mengandung semangat ideologi tersebut.
Penelitian ini merupakan penelitian kualitatif menggunakan teknik pengkajian pustaka untuk mengumpulkan data, dan metode deskripsi analitis dalam menyajikan hasil penelitian. Dalam menganalisa data, teori visionar y feminism dari bell hooks dan teori narasi kehidupan akan digunakan.
Dari menjawab pertanyaan pertama, ditemukan bahwa tindakan “saya” sesuai dengan semangat kesetaraan gender. Dia tidak melakukan tradisi patriarki seperti yang telah dan biasanya dilakukan oleh laki-laki hitam si dalam masyarakat Amerika. Berbeda dengan mereka, didalam narasi kehidupannya narator menunjukkan bahwa “saya” berpartisipasi aktif membantu aktivitas rumah tangga, menjaga dan mengasuh anak, memberi kesempatan perempuan untuk “berbicara”, dan mempertimbangkan suara mereka dalam mengambil keputusan. Tidak dapat diabaikan bahwa kadangkala terdapat sebuah ambivalensi dalam tindakan yang “saya” lakukan. Akan tetapi, “saya” selalu mampu menahan keinginannya untuk berperilaku sesuai dengan norma yang diharapkan dalam masyarakat patriarki. “Saya” menunjukkan bahwa dia telah terlepas dari jaring imaji yang disandarkan sebagai karakter laki-laki hitam. Dia menggambarkan sebuah perubahan yang bisa dilakukan oleh seorang laki-laki hitam untuk mewujudkan masyarakat dengan hubungan gender yang lebih baik.
Selanjutnya, dari pertanyaan kedua ditemukan bahwa faktor yang membuat “saya” memegang teguh perilaku kesetaraan gender adalah perjuangan dan pederitaan yang dialami perempuan yang dekat dalam kehidupannya. “Saya” percaya bahwa perempuan mempunyai peran yang sangat penting untuk keluarga dan masyarakat dan dia tidak boleh mendapatkan perilaku yang tidak baik. Akibat dari tradisi patriarki, Ibu, nenek, saudara perempuan dan rekan kerjanya mengalami kesedihan dan penderitaan. Selain itu, dari masa lalunya, “saya” belajar bahwa tradisi maskulinitas berdampak buruk bagi laki-laki dan

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perempuan. “Saya” merasakan bahwa kebiasaan memegang teguh tradisi patriarki yang dilakukan oleh kakeknya, ayah kandung dan ayah tirinya, membuat mereka menjadi laki-laki yang gagal, baik secara profesi ataupun sebagai kepala rumah tangga. Olehkarena itu, “saya” tidak ingin melakukan kegagalan yang sama. Dia membangun kebiasan yang baik baginya dan orang-orang yang ada disekitanya, yaitu dengan bertindak sesuai dengan semangat kesetaraan gender.

Kata kunci:kesetaraan gender, narasi kehidupan, feminism visionary

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

Page

Title

i

Approval

ii

Ratification

iii

iv

Statement of originality

Lembar pernyataan publikasi

Acknowledgment Motto vvi vii viii ix
Abstract Abstrak Table of content List of figures xi xiv

CHAPTER I. INTRODUCTION

A. The Background

1

7

B. The Statements of problems

C. The Scope

8

D. The Significance

9

E. The Method

10

12

F. The Definition of some related terms

CHAPTER II. LITERATURE REVIEW

A. Review of related studies B. Review of related theories
14 18

xi

1. Visionary feminism

18

20 25 26 29 29 33 36
2. General overview of life narrative a. Black man’s life narrative b. Autobiography and memoir
C. Overview of Research Object
1. Obama’s Life Narratives summary 2. The Obama’s Extended Family
D. Theoretical Framework

CHAPTER

III. THE “I” FOR GENDER EQUITY

A. Involvement in the domestic responsibility B. Participation in nurturing
38 49 56
.
C. Provision of a space for women to speak D. Consideration for women in the decision

making process

64

68

E. Concluding remark

CHAPTER IV. THE GENESIS OF “I”’S RECONCILIATION

A. The struggle and suffering of women

71

B. The profound disappointment to the male caretakers 77 C. Concluding remark

CHAPTER V. CONCLUSION
BIBLIOGRAPHY

89 91 100

xii

LIST OF FIGURES

Figure
1.

Name of figure

Page

36

The chart of Obama’s extended family

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CHAPTER 1
INTRODUCTION
A. The Background

The late twentieth century saw the emergence of many protest movements in America. One of them was the Feminist Movement. They fought against gender discrimination and the subordination of women in the existing patriarchal society. They thrust themselves into a whirlwind of chauvinistic hostility, a storm fraught with danger and antagonism, and boldly declared their opposition to the tradition. They took to the streets and expressed their demand for equal rights¹. They insisted that gender discrimination against women in politics, employment, and other important sectors is in contradiction with basic human rights and that this injustice must stop.
Through these intense efforts, changes were successfully made. Women gained better social positions in many different parts of the public sphere. They achieved the right to vote, to access higher education, to work in any profession, to join the military, and to control their own bodies. This movement was one of the great success stories of the twentieth century.
Nevertheless, this successful movement only transforms the lives of half of the female population in America. The other half continues to experience discrimination. They still face domestic violence, ‘harassment’ in public or the work place and other forms of victimization. For example, it is reported that the wage and care-giving gap between men and women still exists. Women earn

¹Cynthia Harrison. “From the Home to the House: The changing Role of Women in
American Society”. U.S. Society and Values Electronic Journal of the U.S. Information Agency. Vol. 2 (1997), Marcy Bounds Littlefield, “ Black Women, Mothering, and Protest in 19^thCentury American Society”, The Journal of Pan African Studies, Vol. 2 (2007)

about 75 percent of what their male counterparts do, and more are likely than men to support and raise children at home².
One of the reasons for this partial victory has something to do with the refusal of female feminist activists to ‘cooperate’ with men. They refuse to involve in their activities men because men are the central source of gender inequity in the society. They believe that the movement for gender equity is solely their responsibility. However, hooks asserts that this perspective is incorrect and the women must transform it. In order to change the current condition of gender inequity, women need to welcome the idea of working with men³. They must be able to regard them as their partners in order to achieve and maintain their goals. hooks explains that men’s attitude is indeed the cause of this inequality.
Men always believe in their superior position to women. As suggested by Pease, they adhere to the stereotypes of traditional masculinity which is the need to seek material success, to build physical and psychological strength, show leadership and invulnerability, to oppress fear, to control emotion, to become tough and independent, and that these are contingent on the oppression of women⁴. Therefore, the change among men is fundamental to women achieving complete liberation and a gender equal position⁵. Feminist women need to involve men and educate them to understand that feminist values can also empower them. Men well versed in the spirit of feminist thought can cooperate with women to promote the

²Ann Friedman, “Will Obama Fight to Close the Gender Gap? “The Atlantic on the Web
1 March 2011, 28 March 2013, http://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2011/03/will-obama- fight-to-close-the-gender-gap/71907/ retrieved on 8 October 2011.
³bell hooks, Feminism for Everybody: Passionate Politics (Canada: South End Press,
2000) 67
⁴Bob Pease, Men + Gender Relation (Victoria: Tertiary Press, 2002) 22 ⁵As it is mentioned in The Platform for Action adopted at the Fourth World Congress on
Women, in Beijing in 1995 said: “The advancement of women and the achievement of equality between women and men are a matter of human rights and a condition for social justice and should not be seen in isolation as a women’s issue”

2

equity and aware that their participation will not only liberate women, but also give them the freedom to lead happy, satisfied and complete lives⁶. hooks believes that one of the media that changes, educates and invites men to work together for gender equity is literature⁷. She explains that it is a tool that can describe the nature of feminism and provide clear directions to everyone about the subject. It can motivate the men to work for any gender related problem in the community. Warton in Wellek and Warren also states that literature can be a useful media, a source book for understanding and preserving the most picturesque and expressive representation of manners in a society⁸. It can present positive instructions helping the men to reconsider their behaviors in the dominant patriarchal society effectively.
Nevertheless, there are limited feminist literatures and researches that address or inform boys and men about the ways in which they may build a nonsexist male identity⁹. Literary works written by many authors mostly deal with the depiction of women’s struggle to change their subordinate and powerless position. They highlight men’s sexism as the reason for their oppression. For example, some well-known works from female writers like Morison’s Beloved, Woolf’s The Awakening, or male writers such as Ibsen’s A Doll’s House, Bernard Shaw’s Arms and the Men, only describe the efforts of women to struggle against the domineering patriarchal society. They do not provide a vision of exactly what men should do in their culturally-given position of power, what attitudes and behaviors are acceptable to the spirit of gender equity.