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xiii ABSTRACT

Cipulanti,Ila. 2009. Marguerite’s perception about life as a black woman in Angelou’s “I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings”. Yogyakarta: English Education Study Program, Faculty of Teachers Training and Education, Sanata Dharma University.

This thesis analyzes Maya Angelou’s novel, entitled I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings. The story is about a black girl’s life. Her name is Marguerite Johnson. It is interesting to discuss this novel since it portrays a struggle of a young black girl as a major character. As a major character, Marguerite experiences many problems in her life and these experiences cause her to have her own perception about life as a black girl appears.

As this study focuses on Marguerite’s perception about life based on her experiences, the aim of the study is to answer two questions stated in the problem formulation. There are: (1) How is Marguerite’s life as a black woman portrayed in the novel? (2) What is Marguerite’s perception about life as a black woman?

In order to reach the aim, both psychological and sociocultural-historical approaches are applied. There are two sources to gather the data. The first is, Angelou’s I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, and the second is gathered from some books and the Internet sources.

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xiv ABSTRAK

Cipulanti, Ila. 2009. Marguerite’s perception about life as a black woman in Angelou’s “I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings”. Yogyakarta: Program Studi Pendidikan Bahasa Inggris, Jurusan Pendidikan Bahasa dan Seni, Fakultas Keguruan dan Ilmu Pendidikan, Universitas Sanata Dharma.

Skripsi ini menganalisa novel Angelou yang berjudul I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings. Novel tersebut menceritakan tentang kehidupan seorang gadis berkulit hitam. Dia bernama Marguerite Johnson. Hal tersebut menarik untuk diulas karena novel tersebut menggambarkan sebuah perjuangan seorang gadis muda sebagai tokoh utamanya. Sebagai seorang tokoh utama Marguerite mengalami banyak masalah dalam hidupnya, dan pengalamannya tersebut memunculkan persepsi Marguerite tentang kehidupan sebagai seorang gadis berkulit hitam.

Studi ini memfokuskan persepsi Marguerite tentang kehidupan berdasarkan pengalamannya., tujuan dari studi ini adalah untuk menjawab dua pertanyaan yang terdapat dalam rumusan masalah. Yaitu: (1) Bagaimanakah kehidupan Marguerite sebagai seorang gadis berkulit hitam yang tergambar di novel? (2) Apa persepsi Marguerite tentang kehidupan sebagai seorang wanita berkulit hitam?

Supaya mencapai tujuan, pendekatan psikologi dan pendekatan Sociocultural-historical diterapkan. Ada dua sumber untuk mengumpulkan data. Yang pertama adalah I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings-nya Angelou dan yang kedua dikumpulkan dari beberapa buku and sumber internet.

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i

MARGUERITE’S PERCEPTION ABOUT LIFE AS A BLACK WOMAN

IN ANGELOU’S “I KNOW WHY THE CAGED BIRD SINGS”

A Thesis

Presented as Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements to Obtain the Sarjana Pendidikan Degree

in English Language Education

By: Ila Cipulanti

Student Number: 021214094

ENGLISH EDUCATION STUDY PROGRAM DEPARTMENT OF LANGUAGE AND ARTS EDUCATION

FACULTY OF TEACHER TRAINING AND EDUCATION SANATA DHARMA UNIVERSITY

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vi

Page of Dedication

“…One side will make you grow taller, and the other

side will make you grow shorter…”

Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland (Lewis Carroll)

This thesis is dedicated to:

My beloved parents,

Ibu and Bapak,

And my dearest siblings,

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vii

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

First of all, I would like to thank God Almighty, Allah SWT, for the grace that has empowered me to finish this thesis. I thank God for accompanying me when I felt down and was hopeless, so that I could still smile and be stronger than before.

I would like to thank Drs. Bambang HendartoY., M. Hum., my major sponsor. I really owe a huge dept to him for his understanding of my difficulties and for giving me guidance and, encouragement from beginning until the

completion of the thesis. He has also guided me to write this thesis with care and effectiveness. Without his deep concerns, I am sure that this thesis would never be completed.

My special thanks go to all lecturers who have shared their knowledge and encouragement during my study in the English Education study program of Sanata Dharma University. Special thank also goes to all PBI staffs for their help and friendliness during my study in Sanata Dharma University.

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viii

Shifa, Brina, Vira and nephews Ling2 and Wildan, I thank them for being angels in our family.

This thesis is also dedicated to my Thunder “Akang” Guntur C, who has supported me in every single thing and who has always been my diary. I thank him for motivating, loving me, and giving “colors” in my life. He has encouraged me to stand for the hard life. To my Bos in Bumble bee course, Miss Sweet Suziong I would like to thank her for her support and the monitor without it, this thesis could not be accomplished.

Finally, I would like to thank all friends at the English Language Education Study Program ’02, such as Ary-Ifan, Simbahe”Ruri”, Nicken, Su-Galih, Regi, Arai for the support they have given me. To friends at KB 4, Nina-nino, Lilot, Ndari, Gita-gito, Ria-rio, mas Dicky, Yama and Shanty, I thank them for being my nice neighbors. To my teaching friends in Bumble Bee course: Ikas, Lita, Reni, Wuri, Bunga, Imel and Nina I thank them for supporting, helping and sharing with me many things.

Last but not least, I would like to thank all my friends in Cepu, my X-man, Adi Cilix, Wix’s, Didin, Ayik, and Ferro “Uviel” for giving me new “spirit”, for making my dream comes true. They always remind me to do my best in my life and their mocking is my power. I love them all.

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ix

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Page

TITLE PAGE ... i

APPROVAL PAGES ... ii

STATEMENT OF WORK’S ORIGINALITY ... iv

DEDICATION PAGE ... v

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ... vi

TABLE OF CONTENTS ... viii

CHAPTER II. REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE A. Review of Related Theories ... 8

1. Critical approach ... 8

2. Characters and Characterization ... 9

3. Perception ... 12

4. Racism ... 14

a) Definition of Racism ... 14

b) Racial Discrimination and Prejudice ... 15

B. The American society in 1930’s ... 16

C. The Criticism on Maya Angelou and Her Work ... 19

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x A. Marguerite’s life as a black woman as portrayed in the novel ... 26

1. Marguerite’s childhood ... 28

a) Living with her grandmother ... 28

b) Living with her mother Vivian Baxter in St. Louis ... 30

2.Marguerite’s adolescence ... 32

a) Living with her grandmother ... 33

b) Living with her mother ... 34

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xi

CHAPTER V. CONCLUSIONS AND SUGGESTIONS

A. Conclusions ... 57

B. Suggestions ... 58

1) The Suggestion for the Future Researchers ... 58

2) Suggestion for Teaching and Learning Activities ... 59

3) The implementation of I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings in teaching Speaking IV ... 60

REFERENCES ... 65

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xii

TABLE OF APPENDICES

Page

Appendix 1 The Biography of Maya Angelou ... 68

Appendix 2 The Summary ... 73

Appendix 3 Picture of Maya Angelou ... 76

Appendix 4 Novel’s Cover ... 77

Appendix 5 Lesson Plan for Teaching Speaking ... 78

Appendix 6 The Material for Speaking ... 80

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xiii ABSTRACT

Cipulanti,Ila. 2009. Marguerite’s perception about life as a black woman in Angelou’s “I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings”. Yogyakarta: English Education Study Program, Faculty of Teachers Training and Education, Sanata Dharma University.

This thesis analyzes Maya Angelou’s novel, entitled I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings. The story is about a black girl’s life. Her name is Marguerite Johnson. It is interesting to discuss this novel since it portrays a struggle of a young black girl as a major character. As a major character, Marguerite experiences many problems in her life and these experiences cause her to have her own perception about life as a black girl appears.

As this study focuses on Marguerite’s perception about life based on her experiences, the aim of the study is to answer two questions stated in the problem formulation. There are: (1) How is Marguerite’s life as a black woman portrayed in the novel? (2) What is Marguerite’s perception about life as a black woman?

In order to reach the aim, both psychological and sociocultural-historical approaches are applied. There are two sources to gather the data. The first is, Angelou’s I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, and the second is gathered from some books and the Internet sources.

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xiv ABSTRAK

Cipulanti, Ila. 2009. Marguerite’s perception about life as a black woman in Angelou’s “I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings”. Yogyakarta: Program Studi Pendidikan Bahasa Inggris, Jurusan Pendidikan Bahasa dan Seni, Fakultas Keguruan dan Ilmu Pendidikan, Universitas Sanata Dharma.

Skripsi ini menganalisa novel Angelou yang berjudul I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings. Novel tersebut menceritakan tentang kehidupan seorang gadis berkulit hitam. Dia bernama Marguerite Johnson. Hal tersebut menarik untuk diulas karena novel tersebut menggambarkan sebuah perjuangan seorang gadis muda sebagai tokoh utamanya. Sebagai seorang tokoh utama Marguerite mengalami banyak masalah dalam hidupnya, dan pengalamannya tersebut memunculkan persepsi Marguerite tentang kehidupan sebagai seorang gadis berkulit hitam.

Studi ini memfokuskan persepsi Marguerite tentang kehidupan berdasarkan pengalamannya., tujuan dari studi ini adalah untuk menjawab dua pertanyaan yang terdapat dalam rumusan masalah. Yaitu: (1) Bagaimanakah kehidupan Marguerite sebagai seorang gadis berkulit hitam yang tergambar di novel? (2) Apa persepsi Marguerite tentang kehidupan sebagai seorang wanita berkulit hitam?

Supaya mencapai tujuan, pendekatan psikologi dan pendekatan Sociocultural-historical diterapkan. Ada dua sumber untuk mengumpulkan data. Yang pertama adalah I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings-nya Angelou dan yang kedua dikumpulkan dari beberapa buku and sumber internet.

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CHAPTER I

INTRODUCTION

Chapter one consists of background of the study, problem formulation, objectives of the study, benefits of the study and definition of terms. Background of the study describes the reasons for the need of analyzing the topic and my personal reason for choosing the topic. Problem formulation gives the general description of the problems that will be analyzed in the study. Objectives of the study explain the goals of this study. The last part is the definition of terms. In this section, some terms that are related to the study will be defined.

A. Background of the Study

The USA in 1930’s had faced the great depression. It was one of the most tragic periods in American history. Americans suffered from economic hardship, and African Americans were particularly hit hard. Thousands of black men and women in search for the better future for themselves and their families at that time found themselves confused in a brutal struggle for jobs, housing, and education. Since their economic status was worse, they also increasingly faced brutal violence, race riots, and transparent racial discrimination and segregation.

According to Black Protest Documents and Analyses, around 1930’s American society had bad condition. In the southern America, the social condition was dominated by the impacts of great depression, racial discrimination, and terror against the minority groups. The major sectors of economy were not

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expanding; business people were not investing funds to build new plants, or to hire more workers to produce more goods. Therefore, unsold inventories were stacking up in warehouses, investments were shrinking, laborers were being sent home, and customer purchases were dropping off (289).

The depression hit the Blacks hardest of all Americans since they had always been at the lowest level of the economy. They were fired from their jobs as employees and were replaced by the Whites. Discrimination practices based on race and gender was forced. Even in the south, there were many places with a sign” No Niggers, Mexicans or Dog allowed”. The Blacks and other racial minorities suffered more that the Whites.

Hughes states “Black roots in American history were planted in institutionalized slavery” (143). It means that even though slavery was banned and ended the Blacks still had a low status. The fact was that the blacks were still paid cheaply as human labors. The Blacks already faced their hard time, which was fighting against slavery. After the end of slavery, they had to keep fighting for their own self respect and better status and the same role in society.

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life. Literary work can be in the form of novels, poems, prose and dramas. Most of literary works come from the writer’s inspiration or perception about life.

There are some novels that tell the stories about the Blacks’ life. The authors portray the blacks’ life, their struggle, their suffering, and their problems in society in their novels. One of the novels that portray the Black’s life is Maya Angelou’s I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings. Maya Angelou is one of the black writers. In this novel she tells a story based on her family background and her surrounding. Angelou reflects her childhood life by writing the story about a black young girl named Marguerite Johnson. Marguerite has to suffer from racial discrimination because she is Black.

This story begins with Marguerite’s childhood. She is born as Marguerite Johnson on April 4, 1928, in St. Louis, Missouri, from Bailey and Vivian Baxter Johnson. When she is three years old, because of her parents’ divorce, and Marguerite and her brother, Bailey Jr., are sent to live with their grandmother Mrs. Annie Henderson in Stamps, Arkansas. Mrs. Henderson operates a general store, and the children's life revolves around the members of the all-black community who gather at the store to shop and talk. Marguerite already dreams of becoming a movie star. Connected with the idea of beauty, Marguerite describes images of blond hair and blue eyes as the ideal of beauty, and says her appearance is merely a "black ugly dream" that she will wake out of. When she is a child, Marguerite ever dreamt of being born as a white girl with blonde hair, because she thinks the life would be easier if she is a white girl.

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event and the court proceedings that follow cause Marguerite to stay away from everyone except Bailey, and leads her mother to return the children to Stamps. Marguerite starts to grow, and during that process she starts to recognize that being a black is not as bad as she has always imagined.

After graduating from the eighth grade, Marguerite, along with Bailey, rejoin her mother in San Francisco and stay there for the rest of her teenage years. She drops out of school, works as a conductor on the streetcar system. When she asks for the personnel manager, she gets a run-around because she is black woman. Then she gets the man's name, and is still determined to get the job, and finally, she fills out an application, takes some tests, and is hired as the first black streetcar conductor in San Francisco.

She experiences some role confusion in this period such as questioning her sex roles. She thinks that she is different from the normal girl at her age because of that perception she ever feels that she is a lesbian. She decides to get a boyfriend, to prove to herself that she is a woman; so, she asks a good-looking neighbor boy to have sex with her, and they do. There is no pleasure or mystery in the experience, and it does not settle her mind either. However, a few weeks later, she finds out that she is pregnant. Then she returns to school, and graduates just before the birth of her son, Guy Bailey Johnson. Her son shows that she is not a lesbian. Marguerite has the baby and continues to live with her family. Marguerite loves the baby, and is proud that it is hers alone.

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Sings. Besides, there are many other interesting points that can be the matter of discussion but I only focus on the perception of Marguerite as a black woman.

B. Problem Formulation

After reading the novel, I found some interesting problems to discuss in this study. This study focuses on the perception of Marguerite about life as a black woman in the novel. The problems of the study are formulated as follows:

1. How is Marguerite’s life as a black woman portrayed in the novel? 2. What is Marguerite’s perception about life as a black woman?

C. Objectives of the Study

The objectives of the study are to understand and realize that someone’s experiences in facing reality can build some perception about life. Thus perception that is built depends on the events or experience from someone’s life. Some perception may be different with the other.

To find out the answer to the questions put forward in the problem formulation, the first is dealing with how Marguerite’s life as a black woman portrayed in the novel and the second is dealing with Marguerite’s perception about life as a black woman.

D. Benefits of the Study

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especially American literature and Maya Angelou’s I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings.

For the students of English language Education study program, this study hopefully may give them knowledge about American Literature and give them understanding of Maya Angelou’s I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings. For the teachers of English Education study program, this study could be used as one of teaching references. The novel can be used as teaching material for teaching literature classes.

This study is also beneficial, especially for me because I have had experiences of how to analyze a novel and have had an understanding about perception of life from books of references for the study.

E. Definition of Terms

There are terms that need clarifying before I discuss the topic further. Some misunderstanding and ambiguities of terms will be avoided by giving a definition.

1. Perception

According to Borger and Seaborne perception is an awareness of the environment, through which a person processes incoming sensory data in some way in order to arrive at useful impressions of his surroundings (105). So there are processes happening in the mind before someone can get an image of something in his/her surroundings.

So in this study perception is defined as a result and an idea that appear during the processing of someone’s life after they face and get an image of their surrounding.

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According to Arnold M. Rose racism is defined as the unfair treatment of people who belong to a difference race: violence behavior toward them and also the belief that some races of people are better than the other (962).

So in this study racism is defined as an unfair treatment of people to people of a certain race that is considered lower than their.

3. Character

Abrams says that character is the person in a dramatic or narrative work, endowed with moral and disposition qualities that are expressed in what they say the dialogue and what they do the action (20). It means the person presented a dramatic or narrative work who is interpreted by the readers as being endowed with moral and dispositional quality that are expressed in what they do the action.

Holman says that a character is defined as “a brief descriptive sketch of personage who typifies some definite qualities” (163). It refers to the types of person; therefore, one person is different from the others. It is the author model that processes certain characteristics so we can recognize a personification of real characters in the real world.

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8

CHAPTER II

REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE

This chapter is divided into three parts. The first is a review of related theories, the second describes the criticisms and sources and the third is theoretical framework. Review of related theories, gives a brief explanation of the theories as the basis of the analysis such as theory of the critical approach, theory of character and characterization, theory of perception and racism, and the briefly American society in the 1930’s. The criticisms include the sources from which the criticisms are taken.

A. Review of Related Theories

1. Critical Approach

Rohrberger and Woods Jr. (6-17) in Reading and Writing Literature divide theory of the critical approach into five approaches, and they are explained as follows:

a. The formalist approach

This approach is concerned with demonstrating the harmonious involvement of all the parts to the whole and with pointing out how meaning is derived from structure and how matters of technique determine structure.

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This approach asserts the necessity for an appreciation of the ideas and personality of the author to an understanding of the literary object. They attempt to learn as much as they can about the life and development of the author and to apply this knowledge in their attempt to understand.

c. The Sociocultural-Historical Approach

Two factors are present here. First, accuracy in the presentation of historical facts is of value to the historian, but not necessarily to the author. Second, a work of literature might have historical significance, but not necessarily literary significance.

d. The Mythopoeic Approach

Critics who make use of the meopoeic frame of reference seek to discover certain universally recurrent if human thought, which they believe find expressive in significant works of arts.

e. The Psychological Approach

This approach involves the effort to locate and demonstrate certain recurrent patterns. In applying this theory, we must be careful not to take the part for the whole and reduce a piece of literature to a mere statement of behavior pattern. 2. Characters and Characterization

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get from his presentation. That is why a character should be credible or a character is believable. In other words, the reader will accept them as believable people.

Based on Henkle’s theory (88-97), character can be categorized into two. They are major characters and secondary characters. A major character is the most important and complex in the literary work, such as a novel. He/She can be identified from the complexity of his/her characterization and more attention is given to him/her either by the other character or by the reader. Therefore, the reader gives the great attention to the major character for the sake of understanding of the experiences of the novel.

Secondary characters are who have limited function in the novel. The function of the secondary characters is to occupy the world in the novel, which looks like real life condition. Besides, they can be functioned as a point of reference if they are to see the major character’s greater intensity when the secondary character has the same emotional state as the major one or take apart in a situation which is the same with the major one’s, which is called as an “analogue”. At any rate he/she maybe less sophisticated, so his/her responses to the experience will be less complex and interesting.

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Based on Murphy’s theory in his book Understanding Unseen (161-173) there are some ways in which an author attempts to make his character understandable to and come alive for his readers. Those are:

a. Personal description

The way in which the author describes a person through his appearance and clothes.

b. Characters as seen by other

The way in which the author describes a person through the eyes and opinions of others.

c. Speech

The author can give readers an insight into the character of one of the persons in the novel through what the person said.

d. Past life

Knowing something about a person’s past life also can help the reader shaping a man’s characteristic.

e. Conversation of others

People’s opinion about a person can be a clue to the reader in characterizing a man.

f. Reactions

The way a person reacts to various situations and events shows the characteristic of a man.

g. Direct comment

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h. Thoughts

The author gives the reader a clue by direct knowledge of what a person. i. Mannerism

The author describes a person’s mannerisms habits or idiosyncrasies, which may also tell reader something about the man’s character.

3. Perception

The purpose of this thesis is to find out Marguerite’s perception about life as a black woman. Therefore, the theory of perception is important to support the analysis.

a. Definition

Reymert, Carlson, and Miller (4) state that emotion and value system are factors that influence someone to perceive something. According to them, emotion is someone’s reaction and nothing else but reaction. It will effect our behaviors, attitudes, and of course our perception toward something. When we experience a bad emotion or negative emotion, such as anger, jealousy, and another bad emotion toward something, we will perceive anger, jealousy as bad and negative. Meanwhile, when we have a good or positive emotion, such as gladness, happiness, we will perceive those as positive and good. Value system is a behavior standard that takes place in a certain environment.

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Seaborne perception is an awareness of the environment, through which a person processes incoming sensory data in some way in order to arrive at useful impressions of his surroundings (105). So there are processes happening in the mind before someone can get an image of something in his/her surroundings.

Meanwhile, Stone and Nielsen (193-194) divide perception into two parts. First part is the type I perception. It is the stage when the sensations are structured into a figure-ground relationship. Second is the type II perception. It is when the sensations that are structured and are called concepts, eventually become organized into “schemata” and will be structured into “ideas”. It means, when the sensations are structured they will be organized into elements that are arranged well and they will be continued by arranging them into ideas.

b. Factor Causing Someone’s Perception

Some factors may cause someone to have a certain perception. According to Gibson, Donnelly, and Ivancevich (138-141) there are three factors that influence someone to have a perception of something. They are stereotype, characteristics, and needs.

1. Stereotype

Stereotype is a subjective statement. When people tend to have this stereotype on particular thing, they tend to have attention to the thing that suits to their stereotype and neglect others that do not match with their perception. They make classification based in their expectation. This stereotype often reflects the wrong perception.

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The characteristic of the people will effect their perception on an object. It is also a mental process having perceptions that happen in our mind when we perceive an object. We will perceive based on our characteristic.

3. Need

Need and expectations influence perception. It seems suitable with the reality in which we often do something based on our need.

In addition, according to Bootzin, Loftus, and Zajonc (122), culture and motivation are other aspects that influence someone’s perception. They state that experiences of a culture may lead its members to develop perceptual biases, a phenomenon called cultural relativism. Motivation is affected by fulfillment of people’s need. The more important the need is, the more people are motivated to do something. It is a psychological process, which reflects the interaction among attitude, need, perception, and decision of the person.

4. Racism

The purpose of this study is to find Marguerite’s perception about life as a black woman. Racism is one of the problems in Marguerite’s life, because she is born as a black woman. Therefore, the theory of racism is important to support the analysis.

a. Definition of Racism

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physical characteristics. Such physical characteristics have no inherent significance, but only such significance as is socially attributed to them in a given society (360).

Comas, in his book Racial Myths states that racism is quite different from a mere acceptance or scientific and objective study of the fact of race and the fact that of the present inequality of human groups (52-53). Donnelan writes that racism threats one group of people less favorable than another because of color, religious belief, or ethnic origin. It was once widely held that human beings belonged to different ‘races’ of people, which were defined according to physical characteristics. Racism is rooted in the belief that some ‘race’ is superior to others. Feeling of racial superiority led Europeans to colonize countries in Asia, Africa, America, and the Caribbean, and exploited their economies (1). So colors of skin, religious belief, or ethnic origin in society cause racism problems that are significant for the minority groups of race. And those problems cannot be avoided because there are so many groups of races in the world.

b. Racial Discrimination and Prejudice

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When discrimination appears, prejudice, an aspect of racism will appear. Prejudice is defined as an attitude, usually emotional, acquired without, or prior to educate against socially defined races (The New Encyclopedia Britannica360). So, it means that prejudice is a part of discrimination. Prejudice is also an aspect of racism so it will appear when discrimination appears in society.

David Milner states that, if prejudicial attitudes have almost certainly existed since groups of people first distinguished themselves from one another. Essentially, they are irrational, unjust or intolerant dispositions towards other groups (5). So prejudice is naturally appears in society if there are different groups of people that have differentiate.

According to Beteille prejudice and discrimination based on race seem to be a common feature of many societies of both the past and present. The importance of race in race stratification has been tightened by some factors. One of them was slavery (295). Thus in the past or in the present, prejudice and discrimination known as slavery are a common trait in society.

B. The American Society in the 1930s

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finances to make new plans, rent more workers and produce better. Indeed, the opposite was true. Unsold inventories were stacking up in warehouses, investments were lessening, laborers were being sent home, and consumer purchases were reducing off. At that time, both black and white people experienced many hardships (Ku Klux Klan).

During the time period preceding the American Civil three groups of white people appeared with three very different views on the social placement of African Americans in the 1930’s society. Some called for never-ending discrimination against a lesser race, others wished for equal legal rights but no political rights, and an even smaller group hoped for total equality for all races and colors. Black people also had three extremely different views on the role they should play in the social order. A large group of “low class” blacks just wanted to get by, the older generation was content with the current societal arrangement, while the majority desired equality but went after it in a peaceful manner (Jennifer Briggs).

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were poor and dependent upon the help of family, white people, or government officials. At that time the Whites had better life than the Blacks. Social status of the Whites was higher than the Blacks; it was seen in their job position. The Whites could get a job easier than the Blacks; they had more opportunities to work as employees. Besides, a large majority of the white men in the South believe blacks needed to learn their place and remain there. Though whites never said just what this place was, they showed it to them by limiting education, by discrimination on the streets and railroads, and barring them from public parks, public libraries, and public amusements of all kinds (Jennifer Briggs).

Besides, during the great depression, Black Americans almost fell apart. Business tightened their belts and fired the Black employees. The depressions hit the Black hardest of all Americans since they had always been on the lowest rank of the economy. One problem seemed to show itself quite often among African-Americans and that was a complaint of extreme hunger. Many ex-slaves commented on how much better and more they had to eat previous to the liberation. Because many of black population were suffering from malnutrition and starvation, it was very hard for them to enjoy this newfound freedom. Another common complaint was the lack of housing. Some of the older blacks who worked inside the houses of their masters were able to stay there as hired workers, but those who were strictly farm hands, the vast majority of the slaves, had no place to go except in inhumane and unhealthy huts.

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Whites. For example in 1935, in Detroit, St. Louis, New York, and Birmingham the amount of Blacks on liberation was much higher than Whites, in Detroit four times as many, and in St. Louis, New York and Birmingham three times as many. Every one was hit by this condition. This condition was very hard for them, especially for men. Because they had to responsible to provide for their families, it was embarrassing to keep on ask for assistance. In that situation the percentage of women working increased slightly during the depression. Traditionally female fields of teaching and social services grew. Blacks, women and unskilled lost their job first; Whites and managerial personnel were next (Issues of Race in the 1930's).

Discriminatory practices based on race and gender was forced. In the South, signs went up “No Niggers, Mexicans or Dogs allowed”. Blacks and other racial minorities suffered more than the Whites. In 1930’s, fifty percent of Blacks was jobless. Nevertheless, Elanor Rooselvelt championed black rights, and New Deal programs prohibited discrimination. It continued in the South. However, as a result a large number of black voters switched from the Republican to the Democrat party during the depression. The great depression and the New Deal changed forever the relationship between Americans and their government. Government participation and responsibility in caring for the poor and regulating the economy came to be expected (Black Protest 289).

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I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings is the first autobiography of Maya Angelou among five volumes of her epic life story. As the first autobiography, it has received much critical attention. The story tells about Angelou’s childhood raped by her mother’s lover and subsequent struggles to survive an impoverished youth in the racist, sexist Southern America in 1930’s.

The first autobiography has made Angelou become the First African American woman who has made the bestseller list. Furthermore Bantam Book congratulated Maya Angelou for being the first longest running into two years on the New York Times Nonfiction Best Seller List.

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fact, the encountering might be the very experience, which creates the vitality and the power to endure (123-124)”.

Another reader, Bianca White, states that Maya Angelou is a very inspirational African-American figure. She endures many childhoods and early life struggles from being raped to losing her ability to speak. However with love and supports of her fears and handicapped and her brother, Bailey, Maya slowly overcome her fears and handicapped (Bianca White).

In addition, one of the teachers who use the novel I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings named Shelia Finalisyon says that she was “surprised” by and “proud” of the mature way her students eagerly and enthusiastically discussed the book. Moreover, she testified that it had great literary value, and by reading it her students learned about grammar and vocabulary, as well as life lesson about relationship, families and racism (Finalisyon).

D. Theoretical Framework

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23 CHAPTER III

METHODOLOGY

This chapter is divided into three parts; they are subject matter, approach and method of study. The subject matter concerns the novel and the focus of the analysis in the thesis. The approach describes the psychological approach and the sociocultural-historical approach supporting the analysis of the main character’s life as a black woman in I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings. Method of study concerns the steps used in completing the study.

A. Subject Matter

The subject matter of this study is Maya Angelou’s I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings. The book was written in 1969 and became the best seller in the United States. This book was published by Random House, Inc., in 1970. It consists of 35 chapters of 246 pages. And then, Bantam Books also published this book in 1988 with the same chapters’ number and pages.

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B. Approach

In doing the study, two approaches proposed by Roghberger and Woods Jr. are applied. Those are the psychological approach and the socialcultural-historical approach. I use those approaches because I want to answer the questions in the problem formulation. The sociocultural-historical approach helps me understand what has happened in historical background Maya’s life in reality at that time. The significant idea of this approach is that the only way to look at the real work is in the reference to the civilization that produces it. The accuracy in presentation of historical fact is of value to the historian. The psychological approach helps me know what the main character’s perception about her life experiences. In analyzing someone’s perception, it will be proper to apply the psychological approach because it deals with the state of mind of the character.

C. Method of the Study

The method used in this study is library research. It means that primary and secondary data were gained by reading and taking important notes from books relating to the problems help me in analyzing the novel. The data were taken from some books to collect information about literature and its elements and also some books were about racism and American women. I focused on the major character Marguerite Johnson and her perception about life as a black woman.

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order to understand it and to get idea of the novel I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings. I tried to find also criticism of the author, found some books about race and racism and the black American society and their history and some other sources, which assisted the work’s analysis

In attempt to look for the answer to the problem formulated in the previous chapter, the next step was compelling the data that had been found out according to its arrangement in the problem formulation. The analysis was based on psychological approach, sociocultural-historical approach, theory characterization, theory of racism, and theory of perception. The analysis about American society in the 1930’s was used to understand what happen and gain a better picture of the social condition at that period in relation to the social issue arose in the story. Some criticisms about Maya Angelou and her work were read. I also consulted some terminologies to appropriate encyclopedias, handbooks and internet sites. In analyzing the problem of this study incidents, and dialogues from the story would be used as proofs or evidences.

After making the analysis, conclusions of the study based on the results of the analysis were drawn and some suggestions for the readers and the next researchers were also given so that they would analyze the novel better.

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26 CHAPTER IV

ANALYSIS

This chapter is divided into two parts. The first part describe about Marguerite’s life as a black woman as portrayed in I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings. The second part is an analysis on Marguerite’s perception about life as a black woman in I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings.

A. Marguerite’s Life as a Black Girl as Portrayed in the Novel

Based on Henkle’s theory, Marguerite is the major and main character in the novel since she appears most of the time and experiences problems and conflicts. Moreover, a main character is given more attention from the author or by the other characters. Based on Murphy’s theory of character and characterization, as a character, Marguerite Johnson is characterized as compelling. Sometimes her speech is real and always changing, naive and sometimes reflective.

One event that describes Marguerite’s naive is when Mr. Freeman molests and rapes her. She thinks that Mr. Freeman loves her as her own father.

Then he dragged me on his chest with his left arm, and his right hand was moving so fast and his heart was beating so hard that I was afraid that he would die. Ghost stories revealed how people who died wouldn’t let go of whatever they were holding (61).

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In this part we can see that Marguerite is a naive girl. She does not know whether Mr. Freeman’s behavior is good or bad. When Mr. Freeman ignores her she feels disappointed and even she misses his attention and his touch.

Marguerite is an imaginative person. Marguerite nevertheless feels that people judge her unfairly due to her graceless appearance. Feeling misunderstood, she fantasizes that she is a blond-haired, blue-eyed girl trapped in a “black ugly dream” and will soon wake up and reveal her true self. It is shown when Marguerite is wearing a dress that her Momma makes for her and she imagines that she is a real white girl.

I was going to look like one of the sweet little white girls who were everybody’s dream of what was right with the world. Hanging softly over the black Singer sewing machine, it looked like magic, and when people saw me wearing it they were going to run up to me and say,” Marguerite [sometimes it was ‘a dear Marguerite’], forgive us, please, we didn’t know who you were,” and I would answer generously. “No, you couldn’t have known. Of course I forgive you” (1-2).

These quotations show us that Marguerite even imagines if she is a white girl. She becomes a black girl because of fairy stepmother who hates her. Marguerite thinks that being a white girl causes everybody to adore her. For her, wearing such a dress can transform her into the ideal girl she wants to be.

Marguerite is also a smart girl. Marguerite loves to read a lot of book especially literary work. However Marguerite always gets good achievement in her study. It is described in the novel that she does a smart student.

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moved up a grade because our teachers thought that we country children would make our classmates feel inferior-and we did (52).

To know more deeply about her life, this section is divided into two parts. The first is Marguerite’s childhood and the second is Marguerite’s adolescence.

1. Marguerite’s childhood

This part consists of Marguerite’s life during her stay with her paternal grandmother up to her stay in her mother’s house in St. Louis and then back to her grandmother’s store.

a) Living with her grandmother

Maya Angelou’s I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings is a story of a growing up black girl in South America. The setting of the story takes place in the 1930s in a rural, segregated town called Stamps, Arkansas. Based on the Black Protest (289) at that time southern America was facing the great depression. Around 1930s the southern American social condition was dominated by great depression, racial discriminations, terror against the minority group. Arkansas where Marguerite lives is a part of the South America.

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of the Whites was higher than the Blacks. That position was seen in their job position (Issues of Race in the 1930's).

It is described in the novel that Marguerite also experiences some of those conditions. The problem between the Blacks and the Whites appears in Marguerite’s life. It is shown when she starts reading and enjoying literature Shakespeare. Her grandmother does not like her reading Shakespeare’s because he is a White.

Bailey and I decided to memorize a scene from The Merchant of Venice, but we realized that Momma would question us about the author and that we’d have to tell her that Shakespeare was white, and it wouldn’t matter to her whether he was dead or not. So we chose “The Creation” by James Weldon Johnson instead (11).

According to David Miller (5), prejudicial attitudes have almost certainly existed if groups of people first distinguished themselves from another. Essentially, they are irrational, unjust or tolerant dispositions towards other group. For example, in the novel when Marguerite goes into the White part of the town to buy fresh meat with her Momma, she feels that she does not like the town, as the White people are unfriendly and strange for her.

But I couldn’t force myself to think of them as people. People were Mrs. LaGrone, Mrs. Hendricks and Rex. Whitefolks couldn’t be people because their feet were too small, their skin too white and see-throughy, and they didn’t walk on the balls of their feet the way people did-they walked on their heels like horses (21).

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According to Donnelan (1), racism threats one group of people less favorable than another because of color, religious belief or ethnic origin. It is shown when Marguerite witnesses White girls mock Momma.

“They came finally to send on the ground in front of Momma. At first they pretended seriousness. Then one of them wrapped her right arm crook of her left, pushed out her mouth and started to hum. I realize that she was aping my grandmother. Another said, “Naw, Helen, you ain’t standing like her. This here’s it.” Then she lifted her chest and folded her arms and mocked that was Annie Anderson. Another laughed, “Naw, you can’t do it. Your mouth ain’t pooched out enough. It’s like this.” (24)

In Marguerite’s mind, she starts thinking and questioning her grandmother’s attitude toward the white girls who have mocked her. Here the theme of racial differences becomes very apparent. Even though Momma owns the land they live on, she cannot warn the white girls for their rudeness or disorder. Marguerite feels that being a black girl is only inferior.

When Christmas comes, Marguerite and Bailey get presents from their parents, who they have not heard of since they are sent off to Stamps. Neither Marguerite nor Bailey feels happy. They are very sad because their parents have suddenly reappeared in their life. Nevertheless, the following year, Marguerite’s father comes to Stamps to see his children and take them to their mother’s house in St. Louis.

b) Living with her mother Vivian Baxter in St. Louis

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brothers. Although she is a nurse, she just earns extra money. She is very beautiful and charming. It makes Marguerite think that her mother is too pretty to be her mother because her mother is nearly white.

We were both fearful of Mother’s coming and impatient at her delay. It is remarkable how much truth there is in the two expressions: “struck dumb” and “love at the first sight.” My mother’s beauty literally assailed me. Her red lips (Momma said it was a sin to wear lipstick) split to show even white teeth and her fresh-butter color looked see-through clean. Her smile widened her mouth beyond her cheeks beyond her ears and seemingly through the walls to street outside. I was struck dumb. I knew immediately why she had sent away. She was too beautiful to have children. I had never seen a woman as pretty as she who was called “mother.”(49-50)

Marguerite seems to admire her mother afar. Marguerite falls in love with her mother at the first sight. In St. Louis Marguerite finds different ways of living. That place is full of people who like gambling and people who do not know each other. Not so much social relation happens.

Marguerite and her brother enroll in Toussaint L’Ouverture Grammar school. On the first day of their school, she and her brother feel not confident, but after few days they enjoy their school well. Even though they are black, in the school Marguerite and Bailey are clever students. This makes their friends and their teachers shocked.

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supported and protected by their uncles and grandparents and feel safe in their home in the close circle. This prevents her from racism and prejudice of being a black.

Unfortunately, her mother’s boyfriend, Mr. Freeman, rapes her. According to Briggs, Black environment was also familiar with a lot of social problems such as rape, child abuse, and some other criminal behavior (Briggs). This event makes Marguerite disconnected to her understanding of a child and the world that she faces.

After that accident Mr. Freeman is violently murdered. Marguerite’s family underground criminal associates kill him. Crimes indeed exist in the Black society. ‘The police said, “Seems like he was dropped there. Some say he was kicked to death”’(72). However, Marguerite thinks it is her fault. Since that tragedy Marguerite stops talking to everyone but Bailey.

When she refuses to speak after a few months, she is punished and then she and Bailey are sent back to her grandmother’s house again. Marguerite is happy to be back though her brother is not. Life becomes muted and pale to Marguerite, and she cannot remember a lot of people from the town. People think that her silence is just sadness at being taken away from the city.

It is described in the novel that most of the weeks in stamps is a matter of repetition. In Stamps, on Saturday people come into town, dress up, give their children some money to spend. However, Marguerite and her brother have to do a lot of chores on Saturday.

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This part consists of Marguerite’s life in her adolescence during her stay with her grandmother in Stamps up to her stay with her mother again in San Francisco.

a) Living with her grandmother

Marguerite’s childhood influences her life. When she is a teenager she still admires her grandmother “Momma Henderson” for her power and strength. Besides, Momma is also a religious person. In the novel, Stamps is described as a religious place. For black people in Stamps faith gives them a sense of self righteousness that someday they will win over the white people and be recognized by God as better and more faithful people. It is ironic, in a way that the black people of Stamps think that white people will not go to heaven because “the lord loved the poor and hated those high cast in the world”. That reason makes the black people feel better about their status and their economic hardship.

In the novel we could learn from Momma’s way in leading her family according to stern Christian values and strict rules. She gives her grandchildren life lesson that will greatly influence them in their later life. Momma is a religious and discipline woman.

“THOU SHALL NOT be dirty” and “thou shall not be impudent” were the two commandments of Grandmother Handerson upon which hung our total salvation.

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Racism appears stronger in Marguerite’s adolescence. It is described when Bailey tells Marguerite, Momma and Uncle Willie that he has seen a dead black man fished out of the pond and very decayed.

“… He was wrapped in a sheet, all rolled up like a mummy, then a white man walked over and pulled the sheet off. The man was on his back but the white man stuck his foot under the sheet and rolled him over on the stomach.”

He turned to me. “My, he had no color at all. He was bloated like a ball.”(We had had a running argument for months. Bailey said there was no such things as colorlessness, and I argued that if there was no such color there also had to be opposite and now he was admitting that it was possible. But I didn’t feel good about my win.) “The colored men backed off and I did too, but the white man stood there, looking down, and grinned. Uncle Willie, why do they hate us so much?”

Uncle Willie muttered, “They don’t really hate us. They don’t know us. How can they hate us? They mostly scared.”(167)

From that quotation racism again shows itself in Stamps and the inability of Uncle Willie or Momma to explain it or confront it to Bailey’s argument shows how deep it is. To them racism becomes something that cannot be understood. Momma and Uncle Willie do not want to answer the question, or may be cannot face the truth themselves. Therefore, Marguerite thinks that is why Momma decides to send her and Bailey to their mother to protect them from the extreme racism. They know that Marguerite and Bailey will not be able to accept and live with the way things are there, so it will be better for them to leave the South.

b) Living with her mother

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the past event. Again in this part, Marguerite and her brother feel that Momma abandons them. Momma leaves Marguerite and Bailey to the parents they barely know. It makes Marguerite and Bailey feel nervous. In San Francisco Marguerite and her brother live with their mother in a small apartment in Oakland for a while, and her Grandmother Baxter and two of their mother’s brothers are nearby. Marguerite and her brother enjoy being with their mother and her cheerfulness makes it easy to bear the cramped conditions. Marguerite considers her mother as a very tough woman. For example, her mother shouts her business partner because of getting disorderly and cursing her. World War II starts while Marguerite and Bailey are in San Francisco, and her mother marries Daddy Clidell, who is the first father Marguerite knows. They move to San Francisco and the Baxters stay at the house in Oakland.

According to Briggs (1) in the thirties a large majority of the white men in the South believe blacks needed to learn their place and remain there. Though the Whites never said just what this place was, they showed it to them by limiting education, by discrimination on the streets and railroads, and barring them from public parks, public libraries, and public amusements of all kinds. It is described in the novel when Marguerite transfers to George Washington High School, a school that has only three black students, with the rest being white. The students are bolder than she is and many are better educated and they intimidate Marguerite.

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expected to do anything except becoming a wife and a mother. They only earn a low level job to survive, as that shown in the novel (152). For example, it is difficult for Marguerite to get a job even as a streetcar conductor. The bad treatment is experienced by Marguerite when she wants to get a job on the streetcar. Marguerite tries to get the job even though her mother tells her that the white people will not hire her because of her colored skin. Marguerite has to face the bad treatment at the office when she meets the receptionist.

The classified pages of the morning papers had listed advertisement for motorettes and conductorettes and I reminded her of that. She gave me a face full of astonishment that my suspicious nature would not accept. “I am applying for the job listed in this morning’s Chronicle and I’d like to be presented to your personnel manager.” While I spoke in supercilious accents, and looked at the room as if I had an oil well in my own backyard, my armpits were being pricked by millions of hot pointed needles. She saw her escape and dived into it.

“He’s out. He’s out for the day. You might call tomorrow and if he’s in. I’m sure you can see him.” Then she swiveled her chair around on its rusty screws and with that I was supposed to be dismissed (226).

The receptionist’s treatment shows that she does not really like Marguerite who wants to apply the job. Her attitude really makes Marguerite feels she will not be accepted.

B. Marguerite’s Perception about Life as a Black Woman as Portrayed in

the Novel

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1. In Her Childhood

In this part, Marguerite perception about life as a black woman that appears in her childhood will be discussed. This part consists of Marguerite’s perception in her childhood during her stay with her grandmother in Stamps up to her stay with her mother again in San Francisco

a) Living with her grandmother

1) Marguerite’s perception of her appearance as a black woman

According to Reyment, Carlson, and Miller, emotion is someone’s reaction and nothing else but reaction. It will effect our behaviors, attitudes, and of course our perception toward something. When we experience a bad emotion or negative emotion toward something, we will perceive bad and negative. Meanwhile, when we have a good or positive emotion, we will perceive it as positive and good (4).

It is described in the novel that when Marguerite is a child she perceives that being a white girl is better than a black girl. She thinks that this world belongs to the white people and she is in the wrong place. She thinks that she does not belong to the world where she lives in. Therefore, she perceives that being a black girl is “a displacement” in the world. Marguerite also feels that growing up as a black girl is more difficult than as a white girl (p.3). Her appearance as a black girl is not beautiful and her blackness is not right and a cruel fairy stepmother causes it.

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Because I was really white and because a fairy stepmother who was understandably jealous of my beauty, had turned me into a too big Negro girl, with nappy black hair, broad feet and a space between her teeth that would hold a number-two pencil (2).

According to Gibson, Donnelly, and Ivancevich (138-141) the characteristic of people will effect their perception on an object. They will perceive things based on their characteristic. They also state that when people tend to have this stereotype on particular thing, they tend to have attention to the thing that suits to their stereotype and neglect others that do not match with their perception. They make classification based in their expectation. This stereotype often reflects the wrong perception. It is described in the novel that Marguerite perceives that the problems are just the skin’s color and economic status. She only thinks that being white people is more beautiful. Marguerite perceives that as a black girl is a mistake.

Later on, some events that Marguerite has experienced with her Momma make her bad perception about life of a black woman become stronger than before. One of the events is when some white girls mock Momma.

They came finally to send on the ground in front of Momma. At first they pretended seriousness. Then one of them wrapped her right arm crook of her left, pushed out her mouth and started to hum. I realize that she was aping my grandmother. Another said, “Naw, Helen, you ain’t standing like her. This here’s it.” Then she lifted her chest and folded her arms and mocked that was Annie Anderson. Another laughed, “Naw, you can’t do it. Your mouth ain’t pooched out enough. It’s like this.” (24)

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only watch the white girls mocking Momma and then cry (24-26). In Marguerite’s mind, she starts thinking and questioning her grandmother’s attitude toward the white girls who have mocked her. “….How could Momma call them Miz? The mean nasty things. Why couldn’t she have come inside the hill? What did the prove? And then if they were dirty, mean and impudent, why did Momma have to call them Miz? (26)”.

Bootzin, Loftus, and Zajonc state that experiences may influence someone’s perception. They state that experiences of a culture may lead its members to develop perceptual biases, a phenomenon called cultural relativism (122). It is described in the novel when Marguerite faces that event she perceives that being a black girl is only inferior. Marguerite thinks if she grows up as a white girl she will be better than she is.

When Momma sees Marguerite crying, she only asks Marguerite to wash her face and act as if nothing happens. Momma looks beautiful for her and she gets conclusion about what has happened, Momma has won (26-27). This event shows Marguerite that being a black girl is not “a displacement” in the world she lives in. Marguerite learns from her Momma that there is nothing wrong with her skin color. Being a black is not “a displacement”. It is only a matter of finding a way to survive. As a number of an inferior group in the society, she only has to learn some ways to survive.

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Kendrick’s physical appearance to Bailey’s. Louise Kendrick is the first girl who makes Marguerite unconfident with her physical appearance again. Marguerite thinks that Louise looks exactly like Bailey. “I had never noticed before, but she looked exactly like Bailey. Her hair was “good”-more straight than kinky-and her features had the regularity of objects placed by a careful hand” (118)).

Louise’s presence makes Marguerite question her physical appearance again. Louise Kendrick is also a girl, the same as she is. However, Louise becomes her close friend. Their relation teaches Marguerite that she can have another person to trust beside Bailey.

b) Marguerite’s perception about parents’ love.

In the beginning of the story, Marguerite feels that her parents do not want her and her brother; they also have set their mind that their parents have died. That perception is gone when one Christmas day comes and they suddenly receive a gift from their parents. Everyone would expect that they would be happy to receive any word or presents from their parents, but for Marguerite and her brother it brings up far more pain for them. The abandonment is one of the feelings that really influences their childhood and undermines their happiness.

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cheers her up with the thought that perhaps their mother is preparing to come and get them, and the thought of that makes both happy.

One day her father appears and takes her and her brother to go with him. But, when her father tells them that he is just taking them to their mother’s house in St. Louis. They feel hurt. Marguerite shows her feeling when suddenly her father says if they are seeing their mother.

‘’how are you going to feel seeing your mother? Going to be happy?” he was asking Bailey, but it penetrated the foam I had packed around my senses. Were we going to see her? I thought we were going to California. I was suddenly terrified. Suppose she laughed at us the way he did? What if she had other children now, whom she kept with her? I said, “I want to go back to Stamps.”(48)

Marguerite’s perception about the abandonment appears. She feels not being loved. This is one of feelings that really influences Marguerite’s love perception in her childhood and also undermines her and Bailey’s happiness.

According to Reyment, Carlson, and Miller (4) emotion and value system are factors that influence someone to perceive something. In the novel Marguerite feels shocked and sad when her father suddenly reappears in her life. She also feels hurt when her father tells her that she and her brother will be taken to her mother. From that emotion Marguerite perceives that her parents do not really love and want her and her brother. Marguerite feels that her father will abandon her and her brother again.

b)Living with her mother

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According to Gibson, Donnelly, and Ivancevich, need and expectations influence someone’s perception. It seems suitable with the reality in which we often do something based on our need, (138-141). It is shown that the problem of physical appearance bothers Marguerite when she meets her mother. “Mother dear” is a name that Marguerite use to call her mother. For little Marguerite her mother’s appearance reminds her of how different she is from her and Bailey. She also feels that she is not her mother’s real daughter because they do not look like. She understands that she knows why her mother has sent her away.

I knew immediately why she had sent away. She was too beautiful to have children. I had never seen a woman as pretty as she who was called “Mother.” Bailey on his part fell instantly and forever in love. I saw his eyes shining like her; he had forgotten the loneliness and the nights when we had cried together because we were “unwanted children.” He had never left her warm side or shared the icy wind of solitude with me. She was his Mother dear and I resigned myself to his condition. They were more alike than she and I, or even he and I. they both had physical beauty and personality, so I figured it figured (50).

According to Gibson, Donnelly, and Ivancevich we will perceive based on our characteristic (138-141). Marguerite’s unconfidence with her appearance also effects her perception on her mother and Bailey’s appearance. She feels that she is ugly.

2) Marguerite’s perception about parents’ love

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Finally he was quiet, and then came the nice part. He held me so softly that I wished he wouldn’t ever let me go. I felt at home. From the way he was holding me I knew he’d never let me go or let anything bad ever happen to me. This way probably my real father and had found each other at last. (61)

According to Gibson, Donnelly, and Ivancevich (138-141) need and expectations influence perception. As a child Marguerite really needs her parents’ love. She never feels her parents’ affection. So, she thinks that Mr. Freeman’s treatment is parts of parents’ affection. So far, Marguerite has been able to trust adults to look after her and protect her. When Mr. Freeman holds her, she perceives that parents love just like the way Mr. Freeman does. Marguerite perceives that the hug is a father’s hug to the daughter. But, here that trust is violated in a terrible way, and as a child, it is hard for Marguerite to understand. Marguerite has always lacked for figure of a father, and sees Mr. Freeman as a replacement of her real father. All she wants from him is love and acknowledgement, but unfortunately, that is not what she gets from him.

2. In her adolescence

When Marguerite is a teenager her perception about life is grown through her experiences that she has faced in her childhood. She starts to feel and face more conflicts and problem in her life. As a black woman, marguerite perceives that she has a hard life and many problems in her life.

a) Living with her grandmother

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When Marguerite gets toothache, she also has to face the unfair treatment from a white dentist. The white doctor rejects to treat her. Even though her grandmother tries to beg him but he keeps rejecting to treat Marguerite.

He was choosing words the way people hunt for shells. “Annie, you know I don’t treat nigra, colored people.”

“I know, Dentist Lincoln. But this here is just my little grandbaby, and she ain’t gone be no trouble to you…”

“Annie, everybody has policy. In this world you have to have a policy. Now, my policy is I don’t treat colored people” (159-160).

That event makes Marguerite realize that as a black person she has to face that unpleasant experience. Not only that, Dentist Lincoln also says the inappropriate words for black people. It is shown when her momma tries to insist dentist Lincoln to examine Marguerite. “He let go of the door and stepped nearer Momma. The three of us were crowded on the small landing. “Annie, my policy is I’d rather stick my hand in a dog’s mouth that in a nigger’s” (160).

According to Bootzin, Loftus, and Zajonc (122), culture and motivation are other aspects that influence someone’s perception. It hurts Marguerite deeply to see her Momma resign herself to the insults. Marguerite wants Momma to throw away her ideas of racial subservience, react to those people like the equal, or even superior figure that she is. Marguerite perceives that either a tough woman cannot stand up for a white’s insult.

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Racism also appears when Bailey tells Marguerite, Momma, and Uncle Bailey about a dead black man fished out of the pond. He sees a white man standing over the body and smiles, which disturbs him. Bailey wants to know why white people hate black people so much, and black people never do wrong. At that time Momma and Uncle Willie cannot answer Bailey’s question (167). From that event Marguerite thinks that Uncle Willie and Momma decide to send them to their mother to protect them from the extreme racism they would have to endure when getting older.

2) Sex is a bad thing

According to Bootzin Loftus, and Zajonc (122), experiences can make someone perception appears. An experience can influence someone perception. It is described in the novel, for example, when Marguerite receives a valentine gift from Tommy Valdon, a nice boy from the town. Marguerite reacts negatively, because her experiences has led her to think that a male having interest in her is necessarily a bad thing. Although she is still young, it is obvious that being raped has made her very wary and distrustful of boys. Marguerite thinks that male and female relationships only in concern sex.

Another example is when Marguerite knows the relation between Bailey and Joyce, a girl 4 years older than him. When Bailey and Joyce decide to play house and Joyce suggests having a real sex rather than just the child’s play he has been engaging in. Marguerite is scared that Bailey even thinks of doing this, although Bailey and Joyce do not actually do it.

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