Sinopsis Bab 1 “Beautiful as the Day” pada Novel Five Children and It karya Edith Nesbit

Novel Five Children and It adalah novel yang menceritakan 5 tokoh dan peri. Kelima anak tersebut adalah, Cyril dikenal sebagai Squirrel, Anthea dikenal sebagai Panther, Robert dikenal sebagai Bobs, Jane dikenal sebagai Pussy, Hilary - adik bayi mereka, yang selalu mereka panggil Lamb, dan peri yang dipanggil sebagai Psammead. Setting tempatnya di pedesaan di daerah Kent, sebelumnya mereka tinggal di London selama 2 tahun. Ketika di London, mereka menganggap hidup mereka seperti di penjara, karena mereka tidak di ijinkan keluar oleh orangtuanya. Sepertinya, ini ada kaitannya bahwa tinggal di kota lebih diperhatikan dan banyak orang-orang di kota lebih menjalani hidup masing-masing. Juga, banyak orang yang tinggal di kota lebih memikirkan bagaimana caranya untuk menghasilkan uang. Sepertinya sari hal tersebut akan muncul beberapa tindak kriminal seperti mencuri, merampok dan lainnya. Tingkat kriminalitas di kota lebih besar dibandingan di desa, makanya banyak perumahan di kota memiliki pagar yang tinggi. Hal tersebut bisa jadi karena mereka tidak ingin di ganggu, atau mereka ingin menghindari tindak pencurian. Selain itu, di novelnya di ceritakan bahwa anak-anak di kota banyak yang nakal tidak seperti di desa ketika anak-anak nya melakukan kesalahan, bibi, paman atau saudaranya akan menjelaskan mana yang benar dan salah.

Mereka tinggal bersama Martha, pengurus rumah tangga baru, karena ayahnya pergi dalam perjalanan bisnis dan ibunya pergi mengunjungi nenek mereka yang sedang sakit. Ketika di London, mereka benar-benar diawasi oleh kedua orangtuanya, tapi ketika tinggal di desa, mereka dititipkan ke pengurusnya. Ini menunjukan kekhawatiran kedua orangtua mereka lebih sedikit ketika anak-anaknya tinggal di desa. Dan juga asumsi saya kehadiran dan ketidakhadiran orangtua mereka bisa mempengaruhi hasrat mereka ketika meminta permintaan ke si peri.

Dalam bab 1, “Beautiful as the Day”, ketika mereka bermain dipantai dan menggali pasir mereka menemukan peri yang “berbeda” dari peri biasanya. Peri itu seperti gabungan beberapa hewan. Matanya ada ditanduknya seperti siput, telinganya seperti kelelawar, tubuhnya gendut seperti laba-laba ditutupi dengan bulu-bulu yang lembut dan tebal menutupi lengan dan kakinya seperti seekor monyet. Saat mereka tahu bahwa peri itu bisa mengabulkan permintaan, 4 tokoh anak-anak itu(karena Lamb masih kecil, dia tidak dilibatkan dalam meminta permintaan kepada perinya) meminta menjadi “cantik” kepada si perinya. “Cantik” yang mereka inginkan ternyata menjadi orang yang dewasa. Karena Hilarry/Lamb tidak dilibatkan, dia satu-satunya yang tidak mengalami perubahan. Pada awalnya, hillary sempat takut untuk dibawa sama kakak-kakaknya, tapi salah satu dari mereka berhasil membujuk Hillary. Ketika mereka pulang kerumah, Martha hanya membawa Hillary dan mengusir yang lainnya, karena mereka berubah. Dalam bagian ini, tokoh Hillary dan Martha menjadi sorotan karena Hillary sebagai anak kecil percaya kepada 4 tokoh anak-anak tersebut, sedangkan Martha yang bisa dikatakan sudah dewasa menganggap pengakuan (mereka yang telah berubah menjelaskan bahwa mereka adalah anak-anak tersebut) itu bohong dan mengusir mereka.

 Mereka pergi dan menunggu hingga matahari terbenam. Mereka kembali kerumah saat mereka telah kembali ke keadaan semula menjadi anak-anak. Martha bilang bahwa ada 4 orang dewasa yang mengaku sebagai mereka dan mencoba menipunya, namun Martha tidak mempercayai mereka, dan untungnya  4 anak-anak itu telah kembali. Sepertinya perkataan anak kecil lebih dipercaya dibandingkan orang dewasa. Apa ada kaitannya bahwa orang dewasa karena telah menjalani banyak hal lebih “bisa” untuk berbohong dibandingkan anak kecil? Ini juga menjadi catatan penting, karena setiap mereka memiliki hasrat selalu diakhiri dengan nilai-nilai yang mereka ambil dari sana sebagai pelajaran untuk tidak sembarang meminta permintaan. Lalu, yang digarisbawahi juga kenapa keinginan mereka menjadi cantik harus menjadi dewasa? kemungkinannya, ketika mereka melihat diri mereka berbeda dari orang-orang disekitar mereka yang kebanyakan adalah orang-orang dewasa membuat mereka ingin mengikuti apa yang mereka lihat. 

Beautiful as the Day

In my thesis, I will discuss the trilogy novel by Edith Nesbit. One of them is “Five Children and It.” In that novel, in chapter 1 “Beautiful as the Day”, the children wanted to be “beautiful” and they asked to their Fairy Tale “Psammead” to grant their wish.

"I wish we were all as beautiful as the day” (Nesbit, 12)

Psammead granted “beautiful” to be “Grow up” and in the end when they came back to their home, Martha, who was their servant did not know them and drove away them. In “The Mirror Stage as Formative of the Function of the I as Revealed in Psychoanalytic Experience” by Jacques Lacan, he said that “The child at an age when he is for a time, however short, outdone by the chimpanzee in instrumental intelligence, can nevertheless already recognize as such his own image in a mirror”.  Although they still “child” but they can see themselves in the mirror or they looked each other to recognize themselves. Lacan, in his essay, also stated the child could recognize themselves in the child’s own body, and the persons and things around him. For example, the child from the age at 5 months, when at the age he should crawl on hands and knees, but he wanted to stand up. It showed that he (the child) saw he person around him who can stand even run, and he wanted to follow that person. It same with the children in the novel “Five Children and It”, they wanted to be beautiful when they saw people around them, and one of them is Martha (the servant). It seems they wanted to do by their own selves, then they did not know what to do so that they came back to their home, but Martha did not notice and drove away them.

There are some points in this first chapter of “Five Children and It” that I want to find out. Why they want to be beautiful as an adult? When they became adult, why Martha did not know them even drove away them? Is it related that an adult can make a lie but the child not?

sources:

Nesbit, E. (1993(reprint)). Five Children and It. Hertfordshire: Wordsworth Edition

Lacan, Jacques. “The Mirror Stage as Formative of the Function of the I as Revealed in Psychoanalytic Experience”.

Touch and Go

I shall never forget, pretty little heart of light
We are only here for a moment before run away
I would very soon move, they would very soon forget
Impressed ones at the first sight before these all fade away

It seemed as though, I really had nowhere to go
The passers by gave no care, seemed forget me
They had no time to love

It seemed as though, the people acted as cold as snow
The crowds left me felt so strange, it's killing me
I know that all we know do is touch and go

I came back to the town, where you never met a soul
It's true I lived in a very remote part of this town

It seemed as though (really nowhere to go)
I really had nowhere to go (the passer by gave no care)
The passers by gave no care, seemed forget me
They had no time to love

It seemed as though (oooohh......)
The people acted as cold as snow
The crowds left me felt so strange, it's killing me
I know that all we know do is touch and go

It seemed as though (Really nowhere to go)
I really had nowhere to go (the passers by gave no care)
The passers by gave no care, seemed forget me
They had no time to love

It seemed as though (People acted as cold as snow)
The people acted as cold as snow
The crowds left me felt so strange, it's killing me
(Killing me) (felt so strange)
I know that all we know do is touch and go

It seemed as though
passers by gave
Seemed forget me
Is touch and go

Adapted from the song "A whole New World"

created by:
Lia Arisyanti
Nurul Fitriani
Muhammad Firman
Novita Sari dewi
(Poetic Devices)

The Difference about Representation

I started what about representation and presentation in 380 BCE by Plato. He stated in one of his works “Republic” that representation is made of the nature of God and heroes. He also added that God is always to be represented as he truly is, whatever be the sort of poetry, epic, lyric or tragic, in which the representation is given. Representation, Plato reasoned, are mere substitutes for the things themselves. (Mitchell, 14) I think the meaning of representation that Plato said is about someone represented for herself/himself/itself not another one or something else.

Aristotle says that representations differ from one another in three ways: in object, manner, and means. The "object" is that which is represented; the "manner" is the way in which it is represented; the "means" is the material that is used. (Mitchell, 13) in this matter, subject represented object. Example; in his real life Laurence Oliver become himself, but in the stage he was playing as hamlet. He represented Hamlet in the stage but he still existed as himself.

In modern times, it also become a crucial concept in political theory, many people wants to be governed by representative, every political group or cause wants representation, every government claims to represent. (Pitkin, 3) so that there is shift in the meaning of representation in which someone wants to be represented someone else. As Mitchell said, that representation is always of something or someone, by something or someone, to someone. For example; in some countries, including Indonesia used the “representative government”. What I knew if someone wants to be represented someone else/group is on conditions; he/she is native, from the same group (the labor represented some labors), she/he can convey their aspirations. The legitimate is the agreement from people about represented/representative, and it is written in the laws is not it?

In the fact, in Indonesia some people who represented other people not appropriate with their occupations, such as the economist represented the labor or the doctors. The question is “what represent what” in that situation?

References

Mitchell, W.J.T. 1995. Representation.

Pitkin, Hanna. 1967. The Concept of Representation.

Plato. Republic, Book 10.

UAS Introduction to American History

After I read one of the reading materials on syllabus, the title is “What to the Slave is Fourth of July? By Frederick Douglass, and I searched about what condition after that, many occurrences happened in America. Douglass wrote his work in 1852 where he criticized how the Black People treated, whereas, America at that time had declared “independence” on 4^th of July 1776. 4 years later, in America seem did not change anything. In 1860 and 1865, there had occurred a civil war. First, on November 6, 1860 - Abraham Lincoln, who had declared "Government cannot endure permanently half slave, half free..." also stated about free for the slave. Many wars in America also occurred, for example Texas war, Dakota war before 1865, and after 1865 in Hawaii exactly in 1893.

In January 1893, a revolutionary "Committee of Safety," organized by Sanford B. Dole, staged a coup against Queen Liliuokalani with the tacit support of the United States. At that time, in the end Hawaii actually did not want annexation. President Grover Cleveland sent a new U.S. minister to Hawaii to restore Queen Liliuokalani to the throne under the 1887 constitution, but Dole refused to step aside and instead proclaimed the independent Republic of Hawaii. Cleveland did not want to with force. After his presidential, he changed by William. He negotiated a treaty with the republic in Hawaii, and after that American-Spanish war occurred. In the 1959, finally Hawaii became one of the countries of United States and as the 50^th state. I think the situation about Hawaii was same with Texas. History repeat its self means that before what happened in Hawaii, in Texas also occurred the same way. They were the country did not want annexation but independence. Then, the war broke out, if in Hawaii was American-Spanish war, in Texas was American-Mexico war. In the end, both of countries organized into a formal U.S. territory.

In 1865, United States began with industrial and agricultural power. After U.S gained victory over Southern secessionists in the Civil War, the United States became a united and powerful nation with a strong national government. During the Civil War, many states joined United States. I think many states in U.S means some lands that produced many profits. When U.S as frontier, farming there growth very constantly. In the end, by the late nineteenth century, the United States had become a leading global industrial power. In the 19^th century, the word Globalization spread over the world, but there is question, globalization or global hegemony? I think the answer is in our selves. Globalization began after capitalist development replaced Anti-communism or Anti-Soviet. Unconsciously or consciously, we realize that in our minds we think about capitalist ways. 2 weeks ago, Pak Ari had said we could not change capitalist. Perhaps, what it means that in this situation If U.S that still control anything like the world bank, IMF, WTO, Economy even politics. The example of politics is Democrat party in Indonesia, is that party followed the party in U.S isn’t it? Food, fashion, education, and many things came from U.S we could not or yet changed that system.

Like I had said above, that in 1865 United Stated began with Agricultural power from farming, industry like transportation, technology, and the development in Film, writer, even the system. So that what happened in 1865, before 1865, and after 1865 give the impact very significant in U.S state until now.

Work Cities

http://www.historyplace.com/civilwar/

http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/americans-overthrow-hawaiian-monarchy

http://americanhistory.about.com/library/timelines/bltimelinetexasind.htm

http://www1.umassd.edu/specialprograms/mideastaffairs/global1.htm

Draft 2 Essay Amhis

The Difference Presenting the Concepts and Issues of Discrimination Blacks in the Context of the Concept of Independence in the American National Philosophy by Martin Luther King and Frederick Douglass

After I read “I have a dream” by Martin Luther King, I, maybe we realize that there is something wrong about “free” in America at that time. The date of 4^th of July 1776 seem like no value for the black people. In this essay, I will discuss about the difference presenting the concepts and issues of discrimination blacks in the context of the concept of independence in the American national philosophy by Martin Luther King and Frederick Douglass. I see that between both of them showed different ways to express their feeling about Black People. First, I will talk about the difference from way of their speaking. The second, I will discuss about these from their ideology or social condition.

The second, what does their social conditions can affect to their writings or speaking? After I read their biography, I found some interesting story between them. King was born on January 15, 1929, in Atlanta, Georgia. King became a Baptist minister and civil-rights activist. I found in the website¹ that King had some bad things in his life. Perhaps, everybody have two sides in their life. King’s family was African-American Baptist church. FBI Director J. Edgar Hoover had long been suspicious about potential influence of Communists in social movements such as labor unions and civil rights. Hoover directed the FBI to track King, and the SCLC, in 1957. In this condition, I think is so contrast, he became a pastor, but join communist community. If I see Douglass biography, he was different with King. Douglass was born in a slave cabin, in February, 1818, near the town of Easton, on the Eastern Shore of Maryland. He lived with difficult things. He prohibited taught reading by his mistress, because he was a slave.

I think, their backgrounds make them different in their speech about freedom for the black people. Douglass, lead his life as slave make him has an experience about that. Many Douglass’ works were about slave. If I think about these, I remember the different about Fanny Fern and Kartini. Fanny Fern became a feminist activist after she had experiences about difference between man and women’s position. In “Independence”, “Working Girls of New York” she mentioned how women were treated at that time. So that what she was fought is about what she had. In other hand, nn Emancipation (in Kartini’s word):

It was not only the voices from outside, from the civilized, reformed Europe that I had heard that made me long for changes to the present situation. Already in my childhood when the word ‘emancipation’ did not yet resonate in my ears … there awoke in me a longing that gradually became stronger and stronger: the longing for freedom and independence (Coté, 2005: 56).

Kartini did not have experiences about difference in societies like fanny Fern. She learned many things from the Batavia. In Kartini’s words:

I am burning with excitement about this new era and yes, I can say that, even though I will not experience it in the Indies, as regards my thoughts and feelings, I am not part of today’s Indies, but completely share those of my progressive white sisters in the far-off West (Coté, 2005: 23).

Kartini’s condition was same with King’s. They did not have experiences, but they lead “Freedom” and many people now regarded they were hero for “Free”.

What I found anything else is King plagiarized the “I Have a Dream” speech from one given at the Republican Convention in 1952 given by Archibald J. Carey, Jr., an African-American lawyer, judge, alderman, diplomat and clergyman from the south side of Chicago.

Work Cities

King, Martin Luther. 1963. I have a Dream.

Douglass, Frederick. 1852. What to the Slave is Fourth of July?

http://www.biography.com/people/martin-luther-king-jr-9365086

http://www.therightperspective.org/2011/01/11/the-dark-side-of-martin-luther-king-jr/#sthash.7tgtctI8.dpbs ¹

http://www.frederickdouglass.org/douglass_bio.html

Draft Essay American History

The Difference Presenting the Concepts and Issues of Discrimination Blacks in the Context of the Concept of Independence in the American National Philosophy by Martin Luther King and Frederick Douglass

After I read “I have a dream” by Martin Luther King, I, maybe we realize that there is something wrong about “free” in America at that time. The date of 4^th of July 1776 seem like no value for the black people. In this essay, I will discuss about the difference presenting the concepts and issues of discrimination blacks in the context of the concept of independence in the American national philosophy by Martin Luther King and Frederick Douglass. I see that between both of them showed different ways to express their feeling about Black People. First, I will talk about the difference from way of their speaking. The second, I will discuss about these from their ideology or social condition.

Respon dari Mata Kuliah Intro American History

Ketika saya lagi cari-cari bahan buat essay, saya jadi kepikiran sesuatu. Gak ada hubungan dengan essay saya sih :D tapi saya mau tanya, Pak ari bilang kita gak usah menentukan mana yang benar dan salah, saya keingetan kejadian 11 september 2001. Entah siapa yang membuat kejadian seperti itu, namun saya merasanya ada pengaruh ke kehidupaan saya, sempat maksudnya. Karena saya terlahir dengan agama Islam, dan memilih jalan Islam, kejadian 11 September itu cukup berpengaruh menurut saya. Bagaimana tidak, setelah kejadian itu, banyak orang di dunia tidak menyukai dengan Islam, ya dampaknya orangtua saya yang pernah mengaji di organisasi yang membenci Amerika melarang saya menggunakan produk apapun dari Amerika, bahkan dia berhenti merokok karena dugaanya rokok buatan amerika (bisa jadi) lalu apakah setelah melihat kondisi seperti itu kita masih tidak perlu menentukan mana yang benar dan salah? Apa karena, ketika kita tahu kita tidak bisa melakukan apapun? Bagaimana dengan tulisan? Bukankah itu bisa memberikan pengaruh cukup signifikan juga? Apakah akan terliat naïf, ketika kita mengungkapkan sesuatu yang benar atau salah dalam sebuah tulisan? (untuk menjauhkan fitnah sih maksudnya)

Cerpen

Kutukan Bau Badan

Setiap orang apalagi cewek tentu sangat keganggu dengan yang namanya BB, eits bukan Blackberry. Itu sih mau banget kali yah. BB ini adalah masalah Bau Badan. Uuuh, siapa coba yang betah kalau disampingnya ada orang yang mempunyai masalah begituan. Gue sebut Bau Badan adalah sebuah kutukan, karena secara gak sengaja gue yang mengalaminya. Sial banget kan? Dari kecil sampe kuliah semester 4, gue nggak pernah punya masalah yang namanya BB. Walaupun mandi gue gak sehari 3x atau lebih, bahkan gue pernah juga nggak mandi dalam sehari, tapi badan gue gak bau. Semenjak gue ditingkat 3, entah kenapa kelenjar keringet gue rasanya banyak banget. iyuuuuuh

Kutukan? Sepertinya nama itu layaknya gue ada di gunung hejo purwakarta, terus gue gak sengaja ngomong yang nggak-nggak lalu si penghuni marah dan gue dikutuk. Haha nggak gitu juga sih. Kutukan ini kalo kerennya karma kali ye. Awal masuk kuliah, gue mulai aktif yang namanya organisasi. Yang namanya organisasi gak mungkin sendiri kan? Kecuali organisasi di sebuah perusahaan yang namanya kuburan, mungkin aja gue sendiri ngejagain makam-makam. ~kok perasaan ngomonginnya kearah ghaib-ghaib mulu~ ok gue skip. Di sebuah organisasi, asik sebuah kayak apa aja ye.. gue dikelempokin, sekelompok nya 5 orang. Karena gue adalah salah satu orang yang funny, lucu, dan tidak sombong haha #lebay tentu kelompok gue paling asik kece abis, dan kadang membuat gue agak sedikit sombong, jangan sampe orang lain gabung. Salah satu temen sekelempok gue yang sama-sama di organisasi yang artinya temen gue juga ~yakali gue tau~ suka ikut bareng kan sama gue dan yang lain. pertama sih gak ada masalah, tapi lama-lama gue jadi keganggu juga. Sorry, badan dia bau banget. Gue biasa manggil dia dengan sebutan baba, nama asli dia sih beby. Baba singkatan dari bau badan #sumpahjahat tapi si beby nggak tau sih. Gue mulai cerita sama temen-temen sekelempok gue, kalo gue gak betah dengan bau badan si beby.

“Anyone, please tell her.. I beg you”

“aku gak enak say kalo ngomong ke dia”

Akhirnya gue mulai ngedumel ke diri gue, mulai ngejauhin dia. Soalnya gue gak tahan, gak tahan harus deketan sama dia, jalan bareng dia. Setelah lama gue keluar dari organisasi itu, gue mulai hang out bareng temen kampus gue. Gue ngerasa lebih betah sama mereka. Gue lebih fokus ke belajar, gak ke organisasi. Mereka tentunya gak punya masalah BB.

Tapi, masalah kayaknya gak berhenti sampe situ aja. Inilah awal kutukan datang ke gue. Salah satu temen kampus gue namanya sopia nyuruh gue nginep dikosan dia selama 1 bulan. Dia minta gue nemenin dia, soalnya dia sering sendiri dikosan. Entah kenapa tiba-tiba dia mendadak nyariin kosan baru buat gue. Soalnya, sebenenrnya gue secara tidak langsung seneng saat dia ngajakin nginep dikosan dia, karena gue udah gak betah dikosan lama gue. Finally, gue nyari kosan baru, gue pikir sopia bantuin gue nyariin kosan baru karena dia kasihan gue gak betah dikosan lama, trus gue mikirnya dia ngerasa keganggu juga.

Waktu itu gue penasaran nanya ke dia, alesan dia kenapa nyruh gue nyari kosan baru

“lo bau bor”

“ah, sumpah?” kaget gue

“selama ini gue sebel, ngedumel sendiri tapi gue juga cerita ke yang lain soal badan elo yang bau”

Oh God, gue seolah kesambar petir, angin puting beliung, badai tsunami. Selama ini gue ngerasa paling wangi saat gue di organisasi, dan sekarang gue dibilang bau? Gue baru inget, kalo selama ini gue si gadis yang memperhatiin penampilannya perlahan berubah karena ngeliat kondisi temen-temen di organisasi yang sedikit agak jorok kalo gue harus bilang. Mereka pake baju rumah berhari-hari dipakai aktivitas, dan dipakai tidur pula. Macam mana ini… dan selama gue nginep di kosan sopia, kelakuan gue kayak gitu. Jelaslah si sopia ngerasa gak tahan, sampe nyariin kosan baru buat gue.

Gue juga inget, kalo gue suka ngedumel ke si baba eh beby maksud gue. Kayaknya ini kali ya yang namanya kutukan si Bau badan buat gue. Gue si cewek yang diprotes karena terlalu wangi, akhirnya diprotes karena terlalu bau. Gue ngerasa bingung, jadi gue mesti gimana? Wangi atau bau?

Ok, fine. Gue lebih milih pengen wangi. Bukan buat narik perhatian cowok ya please, tapi buat kepentingan gue sebagai cewek. Hidup gue kan gak akan mahasiswa selamanya #amitamit dah. Ntar kan gue nikah, punya suami ~kalo gak ada suami, kagak nikah-nikah kali~

“Bor, cewek tuh penting jaga tubuhnya, bukan buat siapa-siapa tapi buat dirinya sendiri. Islam kan ngajarin kebersihan itu sebagian dari iman, dan gue pikir lo lebih tau hal itu” papar sopia

Big thanks to Sopia, sekarang gue nyadar selama mungkin 1 semester atau setahun mungkin gue ada masalah dengan badan gue. Dan ini gak akan terulang lagi. 1 hal lagi yang penting, gue gak akan ngedumel, ngehina, atau ngomongin orang yang beda atau jelek dari gue. Gue takut kena lagi kutukan. Terlebih kutukan bau badan….

Ramadhan tahun ini, gue mempelajari berbagai hal dan gue seperti terlahir kembali menjadi diri gue yang dulu #lebay