Rabu, 18 April 2012

THE STANDARD OF LIVING by Dorothy Parker

           This story by Dorothy Parker tells the reader about the desirability of two people who want to be rich people. The story began when there were two ordinary girls as the main and protagonist character namely Annabel and Midge. They became best friends almost from the day that Midge had found a job as stenographer with the firm that employed Annabel. Annabel worked two years longer in the stenographic department. She got wages of eighteen dollars and fifty cents a week while Midge was still at sixteen dollars. Both of them lived with their family. From their performance, they looked similar like twin girl. It was in the shape of their bodies, their movement, their style, and their adornments. They wore sexy and bright dresses. They used gaudy make up because they painted their lips and their nails. They also darkened their lashes and lightened their hair. Their conspicuousness made them look cheap and charming. Then, they walked across to Fifth Avenue. They preferred to spend their leisure time by having fun like eating out in expensive restaurant and ordering expensive food as if they were a rich girl.
            The raising action happened when one day Annabel had found a game “what-would-you-do-if-you-had-a-million-dollars”. Actually, it was an ancient game but Annabel set new rules for it and made it stricter. The game was like this. Supposing like somebody dies and leaves you a million dollars but you had to spend it by yourself.
            First, Annabel offered the game to Sylvia, another girl who worked in the office. Annabel explained the rules then asked “what would be the first thing you’d do?” However, Sylvia showed that she wasn’t interested in it. Therefore, here Sylvia is just a minor and antagonist character. Then, Annabel offered the game to Midge. Midge could play the game interestingly. She could create many innovations for the game. She played with seriousness. Midge decided that the first thing that she would buy with her million dollars would be a silver-fox coat. Hearing it, Midge was disappointed because she thought that silver-fox coats were so common. A few next days, the girls spoke infrequently even they never once played the game. Then one morning, Midge did apologize to Annabel. She had changed her mind that she would not buy a silver-fox coat but select a coat of mink. Annabel was happy. After that, they walked again along Fifth Avenue. They wanted to find a coat of mink. Suddenly, Midge changed her mind again because she thought that a coat of mink was too hot and fur. She saw a shop window. There was a string of pearls. They were interested in it. Then Annabel wanted to know the cost. She challenged Midge to ask the price. Midge agreed and went into the shop. There was a doorman who guided them. He was very polite and helpful. Midge and Annabel walked with a bitter disdain face. When the doorman offered favor, Midge said that they wanted to know the pearl’s price. Surprisingly, it was two hundred and fifty thousand dollars. It was an exceptionally beautiful necklace. However, they refused to see them because they just wanted to pretend as if they were a rich person. Without apology, they turned to go. The clerk opened the door and bowed as they swept by him. Here, the clerk is just a minor and protagonist character.
            The climax happened when Midge and Annabel thought that the clerk was angry. They felt embarrassed. After a while, they realized that they just pretended him. They were faint.
            The falling action happened when Midge found her spirit again. She spoke clearly and directly to Annabel that Midge offered the same game to Annabel. So, what would be the first thing that Annabel does?

            This story uses surprise method because the reader can’t guess the end of the story that Midge and Annabel will be disappointed because they thought that the clerk was angry at them. This story also uses the plausibility method because it shows the real thing. For example, it shows that Midge and Annabel actually the poor and ordinary people because it states “Annabel had worked up to the wages of eighteen dollars and fifty cents a week; Midge was still at sixteen dollars.”
            This short story is included in closed plot topic because there is no resolution at the end of the topic. This story is just over when Annabel challenged Midge with the same game after both of them were disappointed. It is stated in the last paragraph of this short story.
            The method of characterization in this story is telling and showing. It uses showing method because the writer tells the reader about Midge and Annabel. It is stated in the sentence “They looked conspicuous and cheap and charming”. The writer also uses the showing method to describe that Midge and Annabel were sexy and beautiful. It is stated in the sentences “And their skin was like the petals of wood anemones, and their bellies were as flat and their flanks as lean as those of young Indian braves.”
            In this story, the writer uses third person point of view. The writer also uses the omniscient because the writer knows everything of the story. There are many pronouns “she” and “they”. There is no pronoun “I”. Therefore, they are the proof that Dorothy Parker uses third person point of view.
            In this story, the place setting is in restaurant which is known in the first paragraph that “they ate sandwiches of spongy new white bread greased with butter and mayonnaise” there. The place setting also happens in Fifth Avenue as stated “they walked across to Fifth Avenue with their skirts swirled by hot wind, they received audible admiration”
            From the story “Standard of Living”, we as the reader can get the value that we have to be ourselves. We can’t force ourselves to be another people because it will be painful at the end. If we are just ordinary people, don’t be arrogant and act as a rich people even make a game and imagine that we can get a million dollars by unknown crazy old man and spend his money by ourselves. We still have many ways to make people become respect to us. We can show it by our good behavior, politeness, and low profile.

Rabu, 11 April 2012

“First Confession” –Frank O’Connor


“First Confession” –Frank O’Connor
This paper is done to fulfill English Prose assignment

Analyzed by:
Risvi Uly Rosyidah
Sumti Chusna
Latifatul Maslikha
Sulistiyani
Sri Hidayatus Sholihah

Class: C

PARAPHRASE
            In the short of “First Confession” by Frank O’Connor, the writer has us look at the story from the boy, point of view. He is a seven year-old. He is a boy who must make his first confession before he can take his first communion. Jackie is a young boy who lives with his family as well as he hates grandmother. Jackie is stressed because grandmother has moved from the country to live with his family. He is disgusted by the woman’s love of porter beer, she is messy to eat potatoes with her hands and her favoring is his sister, Nora. Nora is his sister. Jackie feels his sister and his grandmother side against him and makes his life unbearable. The climax of the story is Jackie want to kill his grandmother. In the middle Jackie tell to the priest that he has a planning to kill his grandmother.  Jackie was horrified to confess to the priest but after he got telling the nervousness lost. The priest realizes that however awful the truth is you must always tell it. Jackie was not afraid to tell the priest the whole truth, when other children as his age may have lied. 

PLOT
The story began when Jackie’s grandmother lived together with his family. She had a jug of porter and a pot of potatoes for her dinner. In this story, Jackie had sister. Her name was Nora. She sucked up the grandma for the penny she got every Friday out of the old age pension, a thing that Jackie could not do. The problem was rising when Jackie felt jealous of Nora. One day in dinnertime, Nora called Jackie but he hid under the table and took breadknife for protection. Nora was surprised then blamed Jackie. Nora thought that Jackie wanted to kill her. Fortunately, his parent came and saw his action. They blamed him, and for days after that his father didn’t speak to him and mother barely spoke to Nora. Jackie was heart scalded. Moreover, Jackie was still a child. He was still 7 years old. Then, there was an old woman named Ryan, said that Jackie had to make his first confession and communion. Ryan told Jackie about hell. Jackie was afraid because of his sins. She also told that the frightening priest would look for the fellow who did many sins. Jackie had to mention his sins unless they were always on his mind. The climax happened when Jackie was really scared facing the priest and confessing his sins. The priest didn’t know whether he could get rid of Jackie at all today. Then the falling action happened when the priest had never been angry. He invited Jackie walked out the chapel yard. The priest was very nice to Jackie. At the end of the story, Jackie felt happy because he wouldn’t die in the night. He could go back to his house meeting his family again.
v  The conflict happened in this story:
1.      Person Vs person. It means that Jackie Vs Nora, his parents, his grandma, priest, Ryan.
2.      Person Vs Self. It means that Jackie had problem with himself when he wanted to make sure whether he had to make his first confession or not.
v  Plot is told in Chronological order.
v  This short story has closed plot because it has ending.
v  The story has unity as its element of plot because from the beginning until the end of the story just tell about his first confession.

POINT OF VIEW
Point of view: First person point of view, omniscient point of view
For example:  I was too honest (paragraph 2)
                        When I was playing with bill..
                        I stayed there till Mother came….
                        I was heart-scalded
Omniscient point of view is narrator knows everything about all the character that develops in the story. Jackie as I knows about all the characters in this story based on his explanation in the first and following paragraph. For instance; “She had a fat, wrinkled old face,,,,(his grandma character).

CHARACTER
Characters:
         Main characters :
Jackie    : 7 years old boy who hates his sister and grandmother and is afraid for his first confession
         Minor characters :
Nora      : mean older sister, gets a penny from Gran every week
Gran     : Jackie’s grandmother
                 A country woman
              She favors Nora over Jackie
              She likes porter, potatoes, salt fish
              She uses snuff
Ryan      : old woman who prepares children for their First Communion
               A religious woman
              A rich woman
               She is interested in talking a hell
Priest    : hears Jackie’s first confession and takes pity on him, kindly young man
Mother  :  She favors Jackie over Nora
Father    : He favors Nora over Jackie

SETTING:
·         Place: school, chapel yard, church, dining room
·         Time: 3 o’clock, Saturday
·         Condition: frightening, jealous, unfair, not harmonious.

Jumat, 06 April 2012

Secret


Entah knp nyawa baru itu tiba2 datang merasuk
Memberi seteguk air kehidupan…
Memberi secercah harapan di antara kegelisahan…
Memberi sebongkah kedamaian di antara peperangan…
Mencoba memperbaiki tatanan yg tlah mendarah daging
Tuk menjadi lebih baik…

Malam yang dingin oleh hembusan angin tlah mnjadi saksi…
Saksi datangnya segala ilmu & petuah…
Saksi begitu berharganya sebuah komunikasi…

Meski sebuah tembok China besar membentang
Menutupnya dengan ketidaktahuan
Semua hancur oleh penasaran
But however, it’s still a secret…


                                                                   Leces, January 16th 2011 (00.40)