SUPERIORITY OF WHITE PEOPLE IN THE FILM UNCONDITIONAL
NUR FAIZAH
109026000127
ENGLISH LETTERS DEPARTMENT
LETTERS AND HUMANITIES FACULTY
STATE ISLAMIC UNIVERSITY SYARIF HIDAYATULLAH
i
Letters Department. Letters and Humanities Faculty. State Islamic University Hidayatullah Jakarta, 2016.
This research focuses on the analysis of the superiority of White people emerged in the film Unconditional. The method used is descriptive qualitative method by describing and analyzing the film, the writer also uses the postcolonial theory. All data are collected from the dialogue, the picture taken from the movie, and the movie script to support the analysis. This research aimed to show about the superiority of White people through Black people which operated in the film.
Unconditional (2012) is a drama film written and directed by Brent Mc Corkle, inspired by true events. The research findings is to show about the supremacy of White people and how White people tried to preserved their supremacy by showing their discrimination to Black people. The result of the research shows that Unconditional film is a medium that has been used to built hegemony and to preserved White people supremacy.
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DECLARATION
I hereby declare that this submission is my own work and that to the best of my knowledge and belief, it contains no material previously published or written by another person nor material which to a substantial extent has been accepted for the award of many other degree or diploma of the university or other institute of higher learning, except where due acknowledgement has been made in the text.
Jakarta, April 2016
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May peace and blessing of Allah by upon All of us
All praised be to Allah, the Lord of the universe and the creator of human tribes, who has been giving us His love, affections, health, and time in doing and completing the thesis. Peace and blessing may be upon to the greatest prophet Muhammad SAW and his family, companions, and all his followers.
First of all, the writer would like to express her sincerest gratitude to her beloved parents, Drs. Madina Amir and Dra. Taty Huryati, writer’s younger sister Laily Fadilah, the whole family of alm. H. Ardani Choiri and almh. Hj. Hayati Zahroh, it would never enough to thank to them, for all their love, support, prays, patience and for encouraging the writer with the values of life.
The writer also would like to thanks to Mrs. Pita Merdeka, M.A. as her advisor for her time, for giving invaluable details advices on doing the research and patiently guide the writer in the right direction, and her academic support to the writer to complete this thesis successfully.
The great gratitude is also dedicated to these following people:
1. Prof. Dr. Sukron Kamil, M. Ag., the Dean of Faculty of Letters and Humanities.
2. Drs. Saefudin, M. Pd., the Head of English Letters Department. 3. Elve Oktaviani, M. Hum., the Secretary of English Letter Department. 4. Inayatul Chusna, M. Hum., and Ida Rosida M. Hum., the writer’s
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5. All lecturers of English Letters Department for all sincerities and patience in lecturing the writer during her study at UIN Syarif Hidayatullah Jakarta. 6. Dearest friend of the writer, Aidah Nur Hayati, Desi Dwi Wulandari, Siti Fauziah, Siti Syarifah Tsanawiyah, Nur Sadiah, EgaYulina, Nur Khotimah, Dinan Ikramina, Khairunnisa, and Nailul Fadhilah. the writer thankful for their friendship, motivation and everything which had been giving to the writer.
7. All people who helped the writer in finishing this thesis, thank you for their kindness.
May Allah bless the writer and everyone who has great contribution in helping her completes this research. The writer realizes that this thesis is not perfect, so the writer accepts any suggestions and criticism for this thesis.
Jakarta, April 2016
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ABSTARACT ... i
APPROVEMENT ... ii
LEGALIZATION ... iii
DECLARATION ... iv
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT ... v
TABLEOF CONTENTS ... vii
CHAPTER I INTRODUCTION ... 1
A. Background of Study ... 1
B. Focus of the Research ... 4
C. The Research Question ... 4
D. The Objective of the Research ... 4
E. Significance of the Research ... 4
F. Research Methodology ... 5
1. Method of the Research ... 5
2. Data Analysis Technique ... 6
3. Instrument of the Research ... 6
4. The Unit Analysis ... 6
5. Time Research ... 6
6. Research Design ... 6
CHAPTER II THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK ... 8
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B. Postcolonial Theory ... 9
C. Racism ... 13
CHAPTER III RESEARCH FINDINGS ... 16
A. White People Superiority ... 16
B. Colonialism in Unconditional Film ... 27
CHAPTER IV CONCLUSION AND SUGGESTION ... 29
A. Conclusions ... 29
B. Suggestions ... 30
BIBLIOGRAPHY ... 32
1 CHAPTER I
INTRODUCTION
A. Background of Study
African American also referred as Black Americans or Afro-American, are
citizens or residents of the United States who have total or partial ancestry from
any of the native populations of Sub-Saharan Africa. The
geographical-origin-based term "African-American" commonly used interchangeably with "Black
American", although skin-color-based terms are sometimes considered
disparaging. African American constitutes the second largest racial and ethnic
minority in the United States. The life of African American in the United States
starts from a long time ago. There are also many important event happened in the
African American history.
African-American history starts in the 16th century with Africans forcibly
taken to Spanish and English colonies in America as slaves. During that period,
most of Black American was being discriminated. The word ‘discrimination’
often deals with African-American life and history. The word itself is derived
from the Latin noun ‘discriminatus’ and the Latin verb ‘discriminare’ which mean
“a cry out against an offense or wrong doing that may not clearly defined in law”1.
So, that discrimination is a different act or treatment to another citizen based on
skin color, ethnic, religion, or economy. After the United States came, Black
1
2
people continued to be enslaved and treated as inferiors. These circumstances
were changed by Reconstruction, development of the Black community,
participation in the great military conflicts of the United States, the elimination
of racial segregation, and the Civil Rights Movement.
In 1960, many of Black students in Woolworth, North Carolina, had a lunch
at a place that still embraced the idea of segregation and refused to leave. This
action obtained media’s concern and inspiring similar action in the south. In 1963,
the civil rights movement committee held a rally called “The Great March on
Washington”, the greatest rally in American history where more than 200.000
people gathered in Washington DC to show their commitment and proclaim about
the civil rights and economic rights for African American. In that rally, Martin
Luther King Jr delivered his historical speech “I Have a Dream”2 to advocate
about civil rights and racial harmony.
Although Civil Rights Movement in America has begun since 19th century,
American social condition about the discrimination of Black people society still
existed. With the existence of slavery prohibition, Black people happened to still
undergo some discrimination. This problems, occurs one decade after their
freedom has guaranteed. In 20th century, O’Callaghan said, “segregation
occurs-separating Blacks from the rest of the community and refusing them many of the
rights enjoyed by other people”.3 The problem of social discrimination and
2
“I have a dream that one day on the red hills of Georgia the sons of former slaves and the sons of former slave owner will be able to sit down together at the table of brotherhood.” Is one part of Martin Luther King’s historical speech “I Have a Dream”. (Posted by http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/01/17/i-have-a-dream-speech-text_n_809993.html accessed on may 27, 2016)
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relationship between black and white people can be seen through journal,
newspaper, novel, or even film. One of the film that focuses on Black and White
relationship is Unconditional.
Unconditional is a 2012 drama film written and directed by Brent Mc
Corkle, inspired by true events. The film is based on the actual story of Joe
Bradford, who grew up in a rural area of Tennessee.4 When he developed kidney
disease, Joe and his wife Denise were forced to move to a low-income area
of Nashville. When they arrived, they were confronted by the needs of the
underprivileged children in their neighborhood. Joe and Denise began to reach out
to them and also started directing a choir of inner-city children. Many of the
fatherless children embraced Joe, who became known as Papa Joe. Together with
his wife, he founded Elijah's Heart, a non-profit organization, in 2005 to help
children in need.5 The story of Joe Bradford then made into a film entitled
Unconditional.
The film was about the story of Samantha Crawford and Joe Bradford who
were the most unlikely childhood friends, growing up in a farm town where Black
and White did not mix. In America back then, Black people was extremely
unwelcomed. Samantha Crawford was the only kid who welcomed a Black kid,
Joe Bradford, as a friend. Over the time, they lost touch. Sam grew up as a success
children’s author, while somehow Joe ended in a slum area helping fatherless
4
Tennessee became the 16th state of the union in 1796 and known as a state with the history of Its slavery. In Tennessee, Slavery was widely expanded between 1790 and 1835. (http://www.history.com/topics/us-states/tennessee. Accessed on September 8th, 2016)
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children. Sam and Joe met again after Sam helped Keisha, Joe’s upbringing child,
from a car accident.
The film shows about the discrimination that still happened to the Black
people even years after the civil rights movement. It also shows on how the
superiority of White people still exists. The writer will also analyze this film using
postcolonial theory to know about the discrimination of Black people and White
people’s supremacy that emerges in this film.
B. Focus of the Research
Based on the background of the study, the writer focuses the research on
White People superiority through Samantha Crawford Character using
postcolonial theory.
C. Research Question
Based on the limitation of the above problems, the writer formulates the
problem in a research question, as follows:
How does the superiority of White people emerges in the film?
D. The Objective of the Research
The objective of this research is to show the superiority of White people
portrayed by Samantha Crawford in the film Unconditional.
E. The Significance of the Research
The writer hopes the research can give significant information to the readers
about superiority of White people in the film Unconditional especially to them
research can give useful contribution to the student of English Letters Department,
Faculty of Adab and Humanities, Syarif Hidayatullah State Islamic University.
F. Research Methodology
1. The Method of the Research
The writer uses descriptive qualitative method to analyze the film
Unconditional. Qualitative research is research that describes the object in
the form of reports.6 Qualitative research is actually a research procedure
which produces descriptive data from what is stated by the respondent
through writing and behavior data.7 Qualitative method sees the correlation
between the word and the sentence that shaping a certain meaning, and
analyze the correlation and experimental.8 Through this method, the writer
analyzes and identifies the characters of Samantha Crawford and Joe
Bradford who represent Black people and White people in this film. The
writer first watches the film thoroughly. Second, the writer makes notes and
quotations of the dialogues from the film by mentioning Samantha
Crawford and Joe Bradford’s characteristic, then the writer starts to analyze
the data findings by looking for evidences to support her arguments, and
relates it to the representation theory by Stuart Hall. After the writer
analyzes the corpus, the writer will conclude the result of the research and
then give some suggestions to the next researcher. The writer uses some
sources in this research. First is Unconditional film as the main source.
6
Koentjaraningrat, Metode-Metode Penelitian Masyarakat (Jakarta: PT. Gramedia Pustaka Utama, 1997), p.29.
7
Soejono Soekanto, Pengantar Penelitian Hukum (Jakarta: Rineka Cipta, 1986), p.32. 8
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Second is the script of Unconditional film. The last is from books, internet,
journals, and thesis.
2. Data Analysis Technique
The writer uses descriptive analysis technique by watching carefully
and analyzing the film based on relevant theories and supporting data.
Furthermore, the writer will use some form of dialogue quotations and
images from the film. Quotations that have been selected will be used to
answer the questions contained in the problem.
3. Instruments of the Research
The instruments of the research is the writer herself as the subject by
watching the movie, collecting the data obtained relating to the relationship.
4. The Unit Analysis
The unit analysis of the research is Unconditional film, directed and
script written by Brent Mc Corkle, and produced by Jason Atkins and J.
Wesley Legg. The film was released on September 2012.
5. Time Research
The writer began this research on August 2016, and took place in the
library of Syarif Hidayatullah State Islamic University and the library of
Adab and Humanities faculty.
6. Research Design
To get clear image of this research the writer divides this researchinto
Chapter 1 Introduction contains of The Background of the Study, Focusof The Study, Research Question, Significant of the Study, The Objectives of
Research and Research methodology. The Sub-Chapter contains The
Method of the Research, The Technique of Data Analysis, The Instrument
of Research, The Unit of Data Analysis, The Time and Place of Research,
and Research Design.
Chapter II The Theoretical description contains of Previous Research and Concept. The Sub chapters contains of the explanation of Character and
Characterization, and Representation theory.
8 CHAPTER II
THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK
A. Previous Research
Many researcher has used postcolonial theory to analyze many literary
work, one of them is a thesis by Rendy Septiadi R entitled “supremasi kulit putih
dibalik kemenangan orang kulit hitam dalam film Djanggo Unchained (2012)
sebagai kritik terhadap ideology post-racial di Amerika. This thesis discussed
about the relationship between Djanggo and Dr.King Schultz, a treasure hunter
who saved Djanggo’s life and another white people, to symbolize a representation
of white people’s supremacy to show a process of hegemony to preserved white
people’s supremacy and also to show on how Djanggo’s character being a subject
to preserved white people’s supremacy. It means that this thesis discussed about
how Djanggo Unchained film could be seen as a response about post racial
society and to study on the meanings of symbolization slavery abolishment
propaganda in this film.
Another research using postcolonial theory is also a thesis written by
Helendra entitled “A postcolonial analysis of the main character in the novel the
reluctant fundamentalist (2007) by Mohsin Hamid”. This thesis analyzed the
cause of identity arouses in the main character who struggles with his feelings to
While in Unconditional film, the writer will analyze about superiority that
emerges in the film. Even though racism value has almost gone, the superiority
sill could be seen from the main character, Samantha Crawford.
B. Postcolonial Theory
The term Post-colonial was originally used in 1970’s, definition of term
postcolonial is constantly debated in different term. For example, the prefix “post”
makes the problem more complicated because it brings the meaning of “event
after” in two sense time, which came after and ideological, in the sense of place.
The second implication that is opposed by the critic these terms: if the imbalance
of the colonial government could not be eliminated, then the colonialism was over
premature.9 However, it is view in terms of area and time, indeed literally
colonialism is over, and now we are in the postcolonial. It causes the colonies
already spread throughout the world, then the whole world is a region and time of
the postcolonial. From this considerations we can see that the term postcolonial
inadequate in defining the current reality of the countries that ever be colonized,
because the process of mastery over the forms and the new system has not
stopped.10
Postcolonial studies is one of a growing academic study after the 1980’s.
This development as a result of critical thinking theory and postmodern though
Nietzhe inherited, such as: Heidegger, Derrida, Michael Foulcalt, Bataille,
Edward W. Said, and others. There are similar characteristics and the main
9
Ania Loomba, Colonialism/Postcolonialism, (London and New York: Reutledge), 1998 p. 1
10
Mudji Sutrisno and Hendar Putranto, Hermeneutika Pascakolonial; Soal Identitas,
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characteristic of critical theory, and postmodern social theory is useful to raise
awareness and insight enable changes in socio-cultural environment in a rational
and more humane. It is the evident in postcolonial studies. Therefore, the
purposed Akhyar that critical theory and postmodern has large contribution in
growing awareness among scientists.11
Postcolonial theory is a set of theories in the field of philosophy, film,
literature, and another field which learn the legality of culture which related with
colonialism. Postcolonial theory in the study of literature is understood as a
strategy that generates question, which can help to identify the signs of
colonialism in critical texts and literature and assess the nature and significance of
the effects of textual sign. Postcolonial discourse not only revolve around literally
texts published in the colonial period but also in the post of colonialism.
Study postcolonial tries to focus on relation between government with the
colonized countries, while the relation between colonizer and colonized is the
hegemonic relationship, which colonizer is the superior group than the colonized
is the inferior side. From the hegemonic relation between colonizer and colonized
it creates the term domination and subordination, and from this relation it creates
the unpleasant portrays about colonized as the barbaric, uncultured, unwished,
mystic, irrational, and primitive.12
In this era, the concept of colonialism as a colonizer or domine, that forming
“new community” it might make unfair. Colonialism is not an identical process in
different parts of the world but everywhere it locked the original inhabitants and
11
Akhyar Yusuf Lubis, Dekonstruksi Epistimologi Modern: Dari Posmodernisme, Teori Kritis, Poskolonialisme, Hingga Cultural Studies, (Jakarta: Pustaka Indonesia Satu, 2006), P. 199
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the newcomers into the most complex and traumatic relationship in human
history.13 Further, Ania Loomba points out that the process of forming a new
community in the new land means un-forming or re-forming the original
communities. Loomba concludes this definition stating that the colonialism means
the conquest and control of other people’s land and goods. It is not only the
expansion of various European powers in non-European countries/areas but a
recurrent and widespread feature of human history, and involved a wide range of
practice including trade, plunder, negotiation, warfare, genocide, enslavement and
rebellions. The phenomenon of colonialism were produced through a variety of
writing-public and private record, letters, trade document, government papers,
fiction and scientific literature. These practices and writings are an important part
of all that contemporary studies of colonialism and post colonialism try to make
sense of.14
Ania Loomba points out the changed picture of modern European
colonialism that enriched the different kind of colonial practices which altered the
whole globe. The modern colonialism developed in addition with extracting
tribute, goods and wealth from conquered countries, a new and complex
relationship and engendered a flow of human and natural resources between
colonized and colonial countries to grow profit for them. Loomba adds ahead that
European colonialism has applied a variety of techniques and patterns of
domination as well as it produced the economic imbalance, necessarily for the
growth of European capitalism and industry.
13
Ania Loomba, Op., Cit, p. 2 14
12
According to Loomba, post-colonialism emphasizes concepts like,
hybridity, fragmentation, and diversity. It is a kind of reaction to colonialism
which does not allow for differences between distinc kinds of colonial situations,
or the workings of class, gender, location, race, caste, or ideology among people
whose lives have been restricted by colonial rule. Loomba states further that
post-colonial refers to specific groups of (oppressed or dissenting) people or
individuals (within them) rather than to a location or a social order and
post-colonial theory has been accused of, as it shifts, the focus from locations and
institutions to individuals and their subjectivities, post-coloniality, like patriarchy,
is articulated alongside other economic, social, cultural, and historical factors, and
therefore, in practice, it works quite differently in various parts of the world.
Ania Loomba argues that the tensions about power and subjectivity have
become central to the study of colonialism. The concept of colonial discourse is
introduced to re-order the study of colonialism. Edward W. Said has introduced
Orientalism as to inaugurate a new kind of study of colonialism. Loomba argues
about colonial discourse which may help the readers to understand social
happenings and their relationship with the discourse. According to Loomba,
discourse analysis makes it possible to trace connections between the visible and
the hidden, the dominant and the marginalized, ideas and institutions. It also
allows us to see how power works through language, literature, culture, and
institutions which regulate our daily lives. Loomba states that colonial discourse
studies today are not restricted to delineating the workings of power they have
colonized. Colonial discourse studies present a distorted picture of colonial rule in
which central effects are inflated at the expense of economic and political
institutions. Loomba adds further that colonial discourse studies erase any
distinction between the material and ideological, because they simply concentrate
on the latter.
C. Racism
Race is understood as combining certain physical characteristics – above all,
skin color to differentiate the social classes and position in the society. ‘Race’ for
cultural studies is a signifier indicating categories of people based on alleged
biological characteristics, including skin pigmentation. Thus, the distinctiveness
of the cultural studies approach to the topic lies in its treatment of race as a
discursive – performative construction; that is, race is taken to be a form of
identity. Race is understood not as a universal or absolute existent ‘thing’ but
rather as a contingent and unstable cultural category with which people identify.
However, racial categories are not entirely arbitrary either; rather, what they mean
is temporarily stabilized by social practice. Understood as a form of identity, race
does not exist outside of representation but is forged as a meaningful category in
and by symbolization in the context of social and political power struggles. The
concept of racialization refers to the way in which social relations between people
have been structured by the signification of human biological characteristics.15
Race is a problematic category. The anthropological description of human
races as Caucasians, Negroid and Mongoloid is based on identifiable genetic. But,
15
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given the possible genetic variation within races and the effects of migration,
resettlement and intermarriage, the existence of races, as such, is itself often
disputed. This accounts for the frequent use of the term in inverted commas; the
implication being that it is a social and ideological construction and not a fact of
biological nature, the result is one form of racism. A racism description is used to
brand such groups with the stereotypes that mark them as inferior.16 We, as a
society, particular meanings and ideas to different skin colors and physical
characteristics, which make up the bulk of our definition of race. Psychologist,
Beverly Daniel Tatum, borrowing from Van de Berghe, defines race as ‘“a group
that is socially defined but on the basis of physical criteria,’ including skin color
and facial features”.17
By the nineteenth-century, it was widely taken for granted that the human
race was divided into superior whites and inferior others. With such natural gifts,
it would seem only right that white people should establish colonies across the
globe. Moreover, as fryer points out, ‘racism was not confined to a handful of
cranks. Virtually every scientist and intellectual in nineteenth-century took it for
granted that only people with white skin were capable of thinking and
governing.18
The differences of physical characteristics are very apparent in America,
especially in Southern America which very strong with the issue of racism. In the
slavery era, black people often become slave in white community. This problem
16 Peter Brooker,
A Glossary of Cultural Theory, (London: Arnold, 2003), pp.226-227. 17
Beverly Daniel Tatum, Why are All the Black Kids Sitting Together in the Cafetaria? And Other Conversations about Race. (New York: Basic Books, 1997), p. 16.
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happened for centuries. The relationship of black and white people doesn’t run
smoothly. Black and white people always distrust each other. White people do
have prejudice over black people. They think black people are related to criminal
hideous, because black people live in slum area, have no proper education, and are
majority have drunkard. Conversely, black people are positioned lower than black
people.
The conflict happened between black and white people caused difference
point of view about the problem in community and physically. Often we hear
about riot and fight between races, this also experienced by black people in
America. For about two centuries (since seventeenth century) black people had
become slave by white people. The slavery system greatly influenced how whites
16 CHAPTER III
RESEARCH FINDING
Unconditional film is about a young lady named Samantha Crawford who
met her childhood friend Joe Bradford. Although the film was taken from the real
life of Joe Bradford, they took Sam as the main character as we can see that she is
the narrator of the film. The whole plot is also about her struggle of life to find her
lost happiness after she lost her husband. This film showed may prove on how in
21st century, black people discrimination still happened and how White people
superiority still exist. The existence of Black people discrimination and White
people superiority in Unconditional film happened in many ways.
A. White People’s Superiority
In Unconditional film, Joe Bradford, a Black person, and Samantha
Crawford, a White person, were described as a childhood friend that unexpectedly
met again after they grown up. Joe helped Sam to find her happiness and to go on
chasing her dreams after the grief of the death of her husband, while Sam helped
Joe in many ways even since they were kids. Unlike the other White and Black
people relationship, Joe and Sam have a very strong bond to help each other. They
were a childhood friends living in a place where the racism value were still high.
It was a time when Black people cannot have a same facilitation as the White
people. But, Joe Bradford was one of the Black people that went to a school with
In the beginning of the film, thinking about the unfair death of her husband,
Sam was trying to commit suicide. On the other hand, Joe’s upbringing child,
Keisha, just got a car accident. Sam heard Macon’s (Keisha’s brother) scream and
hurriedly help Keisha and bring her to the hospital.
Picture 1 (00:06:17)
From the picture above, we could see how Sam helped Keisha. She was holding
up Keisha and it showed at the film in a slow motion. Not only she got Keisha to
the hospital, Sam also showed her affection when she was checking Keisha’s
condition, but unfortunately, Keisha was sleeping. So, she just made a promise
with Macon, Keisha’s brother, to see them again at their place tomorrow morning.
Before the accident, Macon and Keisha got into a store in one day when it
was raining. Macon tried to steal some food because they were hungry, but they
got caught by the officer and they ran away. Unfortunately, Keisha got hit by a
car. This shows on how black portrayed as poor people and the portrayal of Black
people as criminals.
Despite being in 21st century, even years after the civil right movement, Joe
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majority, but no one accept him as a friend. His teacher introduced him to the
students at lunch. She smiled as she was talking to the students, but afterwards,
she told Joe to find a seat with scornful eyes. Joe was confused. Nobody seems
want to sit with him. There was even a girl who mocked him and called him an
afro19. When he seems to find a seat, a kid told Joe that the seat has taken that
there is no room for him, Although the seat is spacious. Joe took a courage to sit
beside the kids, but the kids leave him. Only Sam stayed at the seat, over Joe to
trade food, and even make a promise to trade again tomorrow. Below are some
pictures which portray the discrimination that Joe’s face.
Picture 2 (00:09:46) Picture 3 (00:09:42)
Picture 4 (00:09:59) Picture 5 (00:10:06)
After the school, Sam got tripped by the kid who left the seat besides Joe.
Not only he hates to be with an afro, he also hates the people who was friend with
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an afro. Joe saw Sam being tripped, tried to help her. He declare a fight with the
kid who trip Sam. The kid who trip Sam mocked Joe by saying
“I’m gonna talk real slow so you can understand me” Dialogue 1 (00:11:29)
His saying Just prove on how he looked into a black people as brainless and
fool so if he talk too fast, the black people won’t understand him. Joe then give a
punch to that kid, this scene just showed on how black people was represented as
a rude people and like to pick a fight to everyone
Macon called Sam in the morning telling her they were out of the hospital
and that she was lying to him for not coming. Sam feels sorry for has not coming
yet and promise them to come with some snacks. Sam, then comes to Macon and
Keisha’s home.
Picture 6 (00:18:14)
From the picture, Sam came to Keisha’s house and brought some food for
her and her brother Macon. Keisha wrote her gratitude to Sam on her note book as
she was not able to speak. Sam was also happy to help. This occasion showed that
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that she would help whoever they are as they need her help, no matter where their
color or where they came from.
In front of Macon and Keisha’s house, there was an old lady drinking
alcohol and smoking as most of black people was described as drunkards. She
could not believe her eyes for seeing a white people coming to the slum area. She
thanked her for helping the kids. Sam replied by saying anybody would have done
it. Maddy says that nobody would have done it because they are black. Maddy’s
words means that there will be no one especially white people would help Black
kids that needed help which means that her perspective of White people who
would help only people from the same class. It can be seen from the dialogue
below:
Maddy : It’s a good thing what you done for my babies.
Sam : Well, anybody would’ve done it.
Maddy : Aw, no, they wouldn’t.
Dialogue 2 (00:18:49 – 00:18:57)
Sam came to met detective Miller, the person who proceed Sam’s husband’s
death, to tell him about her suspicion to Macon and Keisha’s neighbor, Tee. She
thought that Tee was her husband’s killer because he is a mechanic and has a red
sweater (those things are in the description of Sam husband’s killer). Detective
Miller then told her that he already interrogated every mechanic in the
neighborhood where her husband found dead, but detective Miller, on the
contrary, said that all the bangers wear red and that Sam is only grasping on
Det. Miller : Look, I’m no racist, but I am a realist. This is The Commons. They throw a party if a boy makes his 21st birthday, because he’s defying the odds. Did you ever play with pit bull pups? They’re so cute, cuddly. Then they grow up. They become what nature intended them to be. They can’t help it. I think about those kids you picked up, and I wonder what they might become.
Dialogue 3 (00:26:35 – 00:27:10)
Those words of Detective Miller proved that he strongly held on to the
thought of White people’s point of view about racism value and that Black people
are criminals. A racism description is used to brand such groups with the
stereotypes that mark them as inferior.20 It was even very rare for Black people to
reach 21 years old because of the rate of criminality happened in Black people’s
environment. He also thought that Black people were just a bunch of criminals by
comparing them with a pit Bull dog which was very cute when they were little but
became a brutal when they grew up as being a brutal is their nature. Just like
Black people, which when they grew up, they become criminals as the nature
intended to be and that they cannot changed it. Detective miller even used the
term “down there” to called the slum area where Sam’s husband found dead to
justify Black people’s place.
Sam, as the portrayal of White people’s superiority could be seen when Joe
was playing with Sam in a woods and told Sam that his dream was to be a
Samurai. Unexpectedly, Joe was attacked by a snake while he and Sam was
playing. Sam went to find someone to helped Joe.
20
22
Picture 7 (00:31:20)
The picture showed when Joe was attacking a snake. Unfortunately, Joe got
bitten by the snake, so Sam went to go find someone to get Joe to the hospital.
She even waited for him to get conscious. Sam also gave Joe a picture of him that
she drew to cheer him. This situation portrayed that Sam not only accepted Joe as
a friend, but she also cared for him. Sam helped Joe to get treated from the
snake’s poison and get him to the hospital.
In the hospital, Joe was with his grandmother and asking whether his father
will come to see him or not. Joe also asked his grandma about why his father did
not love him. This portrayed Black people’s family life which most of them have
no father.
In Unconditional film, the relationship between Black people and White
people has been potrayed as a harmonious relationship. However, Black people’s
inferiority and White people’s superiority is still exists. In example, when Sam
Picture 8 (00:37:48) Picture 9 (00:37:06)
From the picture 9 above, Sam was trying to give a surprise to Keisha, so she was
taking her to the horse’s stable because Keisha wished to see a horse for she
cannot see a real one as she lives in a slum area. Sam showed Joe and the children
her farm which is very beautiful unlike the slum area that they lived in.
In the farm, Joe told Sam and his kids that he was once being in a jail. This
jail, were divided between Black and White people. Joe and his friend were
moping the floor while people from the white side keep cursing on them with
country music21 as the background. Joe’s friend was complaining about the
country music and asking for some respect from the White prisoner because he is
a Black man and know nothing about country music, but the White prisoner
disgraced him by spitting some dirt on the floor. Joe’s friend then took avenged
by stopping the music that played. Unexpectedly, the jail bars with white people
in it suddenly opened for the police officer, which all of them were White, felt
disgraced on how a black prisoner stopped the country music that played. They
told the White prisoner to give some lesson for the Black prisoner saying that it
21 Country music, also called country and western, style of
24
was a free time. Joe then turned on the music again while singing along with it.
The white prisoner and police officer startled about a Black man knowing and
singing country music, so they got calmed. As could be seen in the pictures
below.
Picture 10 (00:53:13) Picture 11 (00:53:18)
Picture 12 (00:53:21)
The discrimination of White people in jail was clearly seen as they divided
the prison’s cell for Black people and White people. They also divided them in
many things like their eating space and their gathering place. All the White people
in that prison, whether the prisoner or the officer, have this superiority point of
view on how they see Black prisoner as a lower class even though they are also
prisoner just like the Black one. The discrimination of Black could be seen from
White prisoner : Keep on walking, young buck.
Joe : No, sir. I think I’ll be fine just right here.
White prisoner : We got rules here. That’s why you gotta move it. Now, scat before I get angry.
Dialogue 4 (00:49:43 – 00:49:56)
We, as a society, particular meanings and ideas to different skin colors and
physical characteristics, which make up the bulk of our definition of race.
Psychologist, Beverly Daniel Tatum, borrowing from Van de Berghe, defines race
as ‘“a group that is socially defined but on the basis of physical criteria,’ including
skin color and facial features”.22
Joe’s appearance in Unconditional film was portrait as a Black man with
black skin and a curly dark hair, he also lives in a rural area where most of the
residences were from broken family and most of the children are fatherless kids.
In contrary, Samantha’s appearance was portrayed as a woman with red hair and
bright skin, she also lived in a farm of her own with beautiful view and broad
land. From the portrait of the two characters, the differences between Black and
White people have clearly shown. It has been a common situation that Black
people always describes as the inferior character
Sam lived in a beautiful big house in a farm with her husband. When her
husband alive, they used to ride horse together and enjoying the beautiful sight of
their home. They could also make have a camp and made a campfire near their
house. In contrary, Joe’s neighborhood described as a slum area with many
unmaintained house with rough graffiti and broken windows. The contrast
between the two neighborhood of Black people and White people shows on how
22
26
Black people is an inferior as they lived in a slum area unlike White people who
lived in a beautiful farm. The contrast between the two neighborhood can be seen
from the pictures below.
Picture 13 (00:15:40) Picture 14 (00:16:10)
Picture 15 (00:20:02) Picture 16 (00:20:07)
Sam is a children book author and she has a gallery where she used to write
her children book and draw some pictures for the book. Her job as an author
shows that she, as a White person, is a well educated woman. Below is a picture
Picture 17 (00:14:16)
The discrimination received by the Black is an evidence at how the White
believe themselves as superior. Black as criminal, foolish, poor, lives in slum
area, drunkard, helpless, and uncultured are characteristics given by the White, as
the superior race. Their ability to define other races shows that the White are still
consider themselves superior than the Black.
B. Colonialism in Unconditional Film
Racism is an issue that has been marked in America for a long time. The
extremely big issue of racism gives a different impact in society. Although slavery
has been forbidden, the racism issue still exists in another form. For example, the
difference of monthly fee between black people and White people, human
trafficking, and symbolization in literature.
The unconditional film portrays about discriminative treatment that still
occurred to the Black people even years after the civil rights movement. This film
displays the superiority of White people through Black people.
Study postcolonial tries to focus on relation between government with the
28
hegemonic relationship, which colonizer is the superior group than the colonized
is the inferior side. From the hegemonic relation between colonizer and colonized
it creates the term domination and subordination, and from this relation it creates
the unpleasant portrays about colonized as the barbaric, uncultured, unwished,
mystic, irrational, and primitive.23
Gandhi said that the hegemonic relation between colonizer and colonizes
creates the term domination and subordination. The term colonizer in this film
referred to White people’s characters such as Samantha Crawford and Detective
Miller, while the colonized referred to Black people’s characters such as Joe
Bradford, Keisha, Macon, etc. The domination of White people shows on how this
film defines Black people. White people in this film have the power and
subjectivity to determine Black people in class society. The hegemonic
relationship between Black people and White people shows on how White people
as the superior group has power through the inferior one which is Black people.
The reflection of power and subjectivity of White people in this film prove
on how this film still has this colonialism issue. The subjectivity shows is when
White people see Black people as uncultured and primitive. They showed that
Black people in this film is just a group of fool people and criminals who live in a
slum area.
23
29 CHAPTER IV
CONCLUSIONS AND SUGGESTIONS
A. Conclusions
Unconditional is a film about the story of Samantha Crawford and Joe
Bradford who were the most unlikely childhood friends, growing up in a farm
town where Black and White did not mix. In America back then, Black people
was extremely unwelcomed. Samantha Crawford was the only kid who welcomed
a Black kid, Joe Bradford, as a friend. Over the time, they lost touch. Sam grew
up as a success children’s author, while somehow Joe ended in a slum area
helping fatherless children. Sam and Joe met again after Sam helped Keisha, Joe’s
upbringing child, from a car accident, This film is based on a true story of Joe
Bradford.
One of the messages in this film is about the freedom and equality between
race by showing Sam and Joe whom represent Black people and White people has
a harmonious relationship. Unlike a common relationship between Black people
and White people in America which Black people was presented as a lower class
community, the harmonious relationship between Samantha Crawford and Joe
Bradford was a relationship that was still rare to find. Joe Bradford and Samantha
Crawford helped each other. Since their first met, Sam and Joe already made a
good friendship, despite on how Joe was being bullied by almost everyone in his
school. Joe and Sam coincidentally met again several years after, and thus they
continued their friendship. They helped each other’s problem and comforted each
30
This can be accepted only from the explicit view. If this film being analyzed
deeper, this film shows about how White people tried to preserved their
supremacy by showing the discrimination of Black people that portrays when Joe
was a school kid who had no friends and being called an afro by his friend. This
discrimination also showed about how Detective Miller’s vision about Black
people, saying that they were going to be a criminals like what a Black people
should have be. There is also some discrimination happened when Joe was in jail.
Like how the jail has divided the prison cell for Black and for White. This film
also portrays the superiority of White people by showing how Sam helped Keisha,
proving that she has power over a helpless little Black kid. The superiority also
showed when Sam brought Joe and his kids to her farm and shows the Black
characters about how beautiful and wide her house is compare to their house. This
proves has clearly shows about what this film trying to show and what really
happened in the film are quite different.
The result of this analysis is to prove that Unconditional film is a medium
that has been used to built hegemony and to preserved White people supremacy.
This can be seen from the superiority of White people through Black people that
has been the focus of this analysis.
B. Suggestions
There are many other problems that has not been analyzed about
Unconditional film before. One of them is about the character of Sam. In the true
story of Joe Bradford, Sam is only a childhood friend of Joe. Based on the
after the release of this film. Meanwhile, in Unconditional film, Sam is the main
character. She becomes the center story of this film while at the end of the film, a
narrator said that this film is based on the true story of Joe Bradford. Therefore,
the writer suggests to analyze about Sam’s character and what message does this
film try to deliver by showing a fictional character of Sam as the center of the
story. The writer also hopes that this research could give significant contribution
32
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Cliff, Virgil A. and W. August Low. Encyclopedia of Black America. New York:
Mc Graw Hill Inc, 1981.
O’Callaghan. An IllustratedHistory of the USA. London: Longman, 2004.
Koentjaraningrat. Metode-Metode Penelitian Masyarakat. Jakarta: PT. Gramedia Pustaka Utama, 1997.
Soekanto, Soejono. Pengantar Penelitian Hukum. Jakarta: Rineka Cipta, 1986.
Farkhan, Muhammad. Proposal Penelitian Bahasa & Sastra. Jakarta: Cella, 2007.
Loomba, Ania. Colonialism/Postcolonialism. London and New York: Reutledge, 1998.
Sutrisno, Mudji and Hendar Putranto. Hermeneutika Pascakolonial; Soal Identitas. Yogyakarta: Kanisius, 2004.
Lubis, Akhyar Yusuf. Dekonstruksi Epistimologi Modern: Dari Posmodernisme, Teori Kritis, Poskolonialisme, Hingga Cultural Studies. Jakarta: Pustaka Indonesia Satu, 2006.
Gandhi, Leela. Teori Poskoloial: Upaya Meruntuhkan Hegemoni Barat. Translated, Yogyakarta: Qalam, 2001.
Baeer , Chris. Sage Dictionary. London; Sage Publication Inc, 2004.
Brooker, Peter. A Glossary of Cultural Theory. London: Arnold, 2003.
Tatum, Beverly Daniel. Why are All the Black Kids Sitting Together in the
Cafetaria? And Other Conversations about Race. New York: Basic Books,
1997.
Smedley, Audrey. Race and the Constructionist of Human Identity. (1998), March 21, 2011.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/01/17/i-have-a-dream-speech-text_n_809993.html
http://elijahsheart.com/whoweare/papajoe/
https://www.britannica.com/art/country-music.
About Unconditional Film
Release Date : September 21st, 2012
On DVD : December 3rd, 2013
Genre : Christian Drama
Director : Brent Mc Corkle, Bryn Higgins
Writer : Brent Mc Corkle, Joe Fisher
Running Time : 1 Hour 32 Minutes
Budget : $ 700.000
Box Office : $ 1.005.800
Film Review
Samantha Crawford is a children's storybook writer. Or at least she was.
She's lost any desire to craft colorful books of hopeful lessons and happily ever
afters. Since her husband was gunned down in a dingy back alley, Sam's life has
become empty, pale and brittle. Sorrow has consumed this pretty young woman to
the point where she's thinking of snuffing that life out, tonight, while the rain
pours down.
Young Keisha and her older brother Macon have seen their share of life's
36
It was such a horrific sight that it stole the young girl's voice away, and she has to
scratch out anything she wants to say on a little pad of paper. Her brother acts like
he doesn't care. But he does. And to prove it, he takes to stealing food from the
nearby convenience mart, tonight, while the rain pours down.
Joe Bradford has had more misery in his life than any of them. He nearly
died in prison after getting caught doing a stupid online prank. And he's lost the
use of both kidneys to boot. In spite of all the medications and dialysis, Joe knows
that he's slipping closer and closer to a painful and fateful end, possibly tonight,
while the rain pours down.
Of all these sufferers, Joe is the only one who knows a simple truth about
making it through ache and agony. And so, as he desperately plugs himself into
the dialysis machine, he grits out a call for help: a soft plea that God's hand might
somehow move tonight, while the rain pours down. And It does. God's hand
moves for them all.
Positive Elements
Sam may be depressed and forlorn, but that doesn't stop her from leaping up
to help when she sees that young Keisha has been hit by a car. She rushes the girl
to the hospital. And it's there that she runs into her old friend Joe. It's this
combination of "happenstance" that begins a process of healing for all involved.
As a boy, Joe dreamed of being a samurai hero. As an adult he's physically
limited, and so the leaping samurai part is a problem. But he certainly is a hero to
a group of young school kids who look to him for guidance, encouragement, love
them on to good grades and wise choices, assuring them that they're "never
alone." And boy do they know it. One troubled kid even tearfully asks Joe to be
his father.
Joe sums up his philosophy of never giving up in the tough times by saying,
"One thing I learned along the way is that it ain't a dead end if it takes you
somewhere you needed to go." Sam joins in (or maybe I should say she slowly
gets dragged in) and helps with the kids. She receives an even bigger blessing in
return than they.
Through a positive turn of events and Sam's help, Keisha regains her voice.
Joe talks of two times that Sam saved his life. Macon admits and apologizes for
his theft and other poor choices.
Clearly attempting to illustrate the awfulness of racism, Joe is told to "stay
with his own kind" while in prison. When a black inmate is holding a white
prisoner, Joe is told to "spit in this cracker's face." He refuses.
Spiritual Content
Joe speaks of being in solitary confinement and reaching out in faith to God.
Through a colorful cartoon bird's story, Sam paints a picture of life's storm clouds
and fears. And when the little bird breaks through the dark clouds, it finds that the
sun is still shining above, raising the question, "What if God's love is like the sun,
constant and unchanged?" A suspected killer admits to the spiritual impact
someone's kindness and sacrifice had on his life.
When young Keisha starts learning how to verbally communicate again, her
38
had told God she would stop smoking and drinking if He'd give the girl back her
voice.
Negative Elements
A white police detective exposes his racism by saying that nothing good can
come out of the mostly black "projects." He compares black children to "pit bull
pups." When Sam first gets to know Keisha and Macon, the young boy is always
trying to "play" her for treats like candy bars and pizza. Later, when Sam needs
Macon to keep his mouth shut about a stupid choice he saw her make, she bribes
him with the same. Sam spots a guy she believes to be her husband's killer and
foolishly breaks into his house to look for evidence.
Conclusion
During the credits, Unconditional tells us that 28% of all children in the
world live without their biological father, and that 24.7 million live in the U.S.
The movie's mission? To stir up interest in helping and caring for the most
unfortunate of those kids, using a true story as its inspiration. But it does more
than "just" that.
Employing the considerable talents of actors Lynn Collins (John Carter,
X-Men Origins: Wolverine) and Michael Ealy (Underworld: Awakening, For
Colored Girls), Unconditional shows us a woman's journey from the deepest
despair to the edges of real joy. It lets us revel in the (sometimes lifesaving) gift
that friendship can be. It affirms the value that fathers have in families. It gives us
There are a few forced moments. The logic falls apart at times. (As it does
in so many films.) But much like one of Sam's cheerful little picture books, this
little film's light-but-deft message of consistent grace and loving service fits very
naturally amidst its color and charm.
At one point, a character shares her philosophy that "there truly is enough
love to go around. All you have to do is share it." Unconditional gives that simple
