Against the Stereotypes of Black Identity in Toni Morrison’s "Jazz"

A reading in Postcolonial Perspective

This thesis entitled Against the Stereotypes of Black Identity in Toni Morrison’s Jazz, a reading in Postcolonial perspective. Meanwhile, the theory of Homi K. Bhabha which focused on the stereotype concept used by the writer. The writer is Kanti Sulistyowati. The writer tries to discuss and analyze the story of African American, which exposes the issue on stereotypes through the characters of Joe Trace and Violet Trace that attached to them.

The analysis divided into three section. The first is about stereotypes of African American that are dividing into two parts, a stereotype as a murderer and stereotype as troublemaker. The second is about the practice of stereotyping which dividing into three sections; the construction of ‘otherness’ and exclusion, stereotyping and power, and the role of fantasy. The last is about contesting the stereotypes that take a point on reversing the stereotypes and the positive and negative images.

The first point of this analysis is to spotlight the practiced of stereotype as murderer and troublemaker. A murder is directly attached to identify Joe although no one saw Joe murdered somebody. The portrait of Africa reflects the portrait of Harlem ( an African zone). It means that Harlem with its Black community is seen as Africa in the scene of unmitigated savagery, cannibalism and licentiousness in it. The Blacks who inhabit Harlem are portrayed as naturally cannibal or murderer. The stereotype as troublemaker is described by the writer as well as the other practiced of stereotype based on the construction of ‘otherness’ and exclusion, power, and the role of fantasy. It makes conceivable enough through the argument given by the writer and another supported concept by Stuart Hall.

Based on her research question, it can conclude that the writer seems to focused on the way of stereotype practiced in the real life and compared to the novel. It makes the analysis looks so simple in the context of complexity beyond the other problem in the society. Yet, we can find interesting point from this statement that, the practiced of stereotyping still exist although in the super power country like America.

Looking from the grammar that used by the writer, we as the reviewer could not find and manage the crucial grammatical error on her thesis. The writer of the thesis carefully check some grammatical mistakes but in some sentences there are mistakes related to punctuation, colon, full stop, and another particle point of the grammar.

As a whole, the analysis is a repeating the same matter that actually useless to focus on the way stereotyping contested in the novel. From the beginning until the end of the analysis, the writer shows the same reason that mixed with expert opinion as the basic supported concept. Another interesting point in this thesis is the opinion given by the writer seems believable based on the data and the theory of some expert. However, it dominantly states by the expert only and the writer adding it as she states by her self.

The method which used by the writer is qualitative research, but in the analysis the writer only looks in the perspective of simple argument that related to the concept of stereotype not the application of power ruled by the whites. The character who is considered as the ‘other’ is excluded from people around him or her and is exposed in negative sense of binary form. While the character who is often required to be both in negative and positive sense of binary form, means that there is ambivalence. In our opinion, the writer missed this concept in her analysis. Overall, this thesis inspired us to analyze the problem in the eyes of our sensitivity not in the eyes of another perspective. But as the entity, the theory itself can supported our opinion to make our analysis get focus to the matter we are configure as a framework.

ANALYSIS ON “THE ECSTASY OF RITA JOE”

The Ecstasy of Rita Joe is a lyric documentary about a young Indian girl who comes to the city only to die on Skid Row, a victim of the white man’s violence and paternalism. The Ecstasy of Rita Joe describes the extreme brutality of life in the city, as experienced by a young native woman. It is a deliberate reminder that native Canadians enjoy much less than full participation in their vaunted social, educational, and justice systems.

How Rita Joe faces the problem in a desolate world of prostitution and drug addiction in the hope of finding a better life in the city relate to the historical aspect of the work's timing; this was one of the first works about Native Canadians mounted on a stage and taken seriously.

The background of Rita Joe who ever stayed in reservation has a big impact to her psychological development. The course of mental processes is automatically regulated by the "pleasure-pain principle"; and pain is thus is some way related to an increase of excitation and pleasure to a decrease. In the course of development the original pleasure principle undergoes a modification with reference to the external world, giving place to the "reality-principle," whereby the mental apparatus learns to postpone the pleasure of satisfaction and to tolerate temporarily feelings of pain.

According to the most recent psychoanalytic views, the mental apparatus is composed of an "id," which is the reservoir of the instinctive impulses, of an "ego," which is the most superficial portion of the id and one which is modified by the influence of the external world, and of a "super-ego," which develops out of the id, dominates the ego and represents the inhibitions of instinct characteristic of man (Ernest Jones, Papers on Psycho-Analysis (1923)). It is a basic of paternalism culture which treats and placed woman as the subject of sexual pleasure.

Rita Joe with little schooling and poor English, she cannot support herself and becomes entrapped in prostitution. Being entrapped in prostitution made her desolate and of course it disturbs her psychological condition. In the circumstance of asking for fair law, the violence of white culture is to blame, to be sure, but so is the patriarchy of Native culture. Over expectation leads her ambition of being a success in the city turns into desolate and guilty feeling.

Someone who has a bad experience in the past give a strong influence in his or her emotional condition, and it probably appears in the future when something happen and closely relate to the memories of that bad experience. Rita Joe with her bad experience in desolate world of prostitution and drug addiction, made her psychological condition dropped. It often appears and disturbs her in the circumstance of asking for the fair law in a court of justice.

Several attitudes or actions related to Rita Joe’s life in George Ryga’s The Ecstasy of Rita Joe might appear as the effects of white man’s violence and paternalism. In some cases it can create generosity or hope to a better life. But in the novel it can caused Rita Joe to feel deep anxiety and depression. It leads her to the world of prostitution and drug addiction as a way for a better life. “Loss is the phenomenal state we experience when these types of events occur; it is the disquiet that, over time, becomes the source not only of anxiety and depression but also of hope and generosity” (Harvey, 2).

Furthermore, Harvey argues that loss is the fundamental human experience that underlies many emotions, both negative and positive. Rita Joe’s attitudes in The Ecstasy of Rita Joe show us that she gives negative emotions toward the feeling of being a victim of white man’s violence and paternalism. All her attitudes in the previous section which is caused by white man’s violence and paternalism show that she suffers from psychological disorder, that is anxiety and those are some of his ways in reducing her psychological problems.

Rita Joe was a landmark in more ways than one. It was - and remains - a play for all seasons and for all peoples. It created controversy about the co-opting of minority voices, by a majority culture in Canada. Rita Joe helps the readers to listen with their hearts – and when hearts are open, ears can hear.

Sets of Electronic Equipment as Social Status Symbol in the Perspective of Psychoanalysis and Capitalism (2)

The combination of carnal and libidinal will form the desire, because the manifestations of these two factors represent the carnal and libidinal factor too. For instance, the desire to possess the brand new sophisticated mobile phone (carnal) made someone feel confident and feel sense of pride in front of the public (libidinal), the desire to possess the latest sophisticated notebook (carnal) made someone feel pride when they walk with this portable computer in their hands (libidinal), etc.

There are two kinds of consumer in the capitalist society; the first is consumer who buys and uses the product by considering its function or utilities as the main consideration, they consume the product only the function aspect of the product and the second is consumer who buys and uses the product with its value, they consume the product not only the function but the prestige of the product as the main consideration to up date the trend.

The kinds of the second consumer which make the product-sets of electronic equipment-change its value become sets of social status symbol. We can see this phenomenon how the teenager show their identity through the latest i-pod or CD player with a large memory capacity, Rolex watch, popular America trade mark, the brand new mobile phone with a lot of feature that actually superfluous for them, or a family shows their identity through the sophisticated home theater, DVD, etc.

These sets of electronic equipment (commodity) actually insert with social status code by its exclusiveness. But in Asia, especially in Indonesia the people can shows their identity through the product although the product is piracy. The manufacturer in Indonesia even produce the product which identically almost the same with the original ones. Ironically, they feel pride with the product as long as they can imitate the western style, because it’s a part of social status symbol and the lack of desire fulfilled. They will feel more confident with the product which consider as social status symbol no matter it’s the original ones or it’s just the imitation product.

The sophisticated electronic equipment such as mobile phone, disc man, Rolex watch, or the brand new audio visual product, etc has a form of individualism treats. Every new product that launched in the market seems cut off the existence of the old product before. The product stimulates the consumer; even teach them to be trendier because it’s the way to socialize nowadays.

Design not always means the process of produce the product by the industries but it turns to the producing of culture. In this globalization era, the function of electronic equipment which relates to the communication tools becomes important. Every new invention in the term of technology field, especially electronic equipment, for the first launching to public inclined to be the high class people possession. It happened because the cost of the research very expensive that means the product is very expensive too, it can not achieved by the ordinary people or lower class people.

Designer often create cooperation with shareholder and the manufacturer to insert the idiom or high class social code through the product to strengthen the exclusiveness image. A new code that will creates a new life style in the society.

Capitalism uses the fast exchange way to keep the existence of the product. The product comes and disappeared as fast as possible to be exchange in the market. Capitalism even forces a person to get bored with something which is call old style when they launch the new ones. The progress spirit of modernism turns to the spirit of desire to be up date. In this case we could see that for the first time, high tech needs a high cost so the product is for the high class people only.