The Annex-Metaphor and the Nature of the 'Blind Self' in D. H. Lawrence’s “England, My England”

The article explores D. H. Lawrence’s technique of portrayal in the short story “England, My England” (1921) by applying the key terms annex-metaphor and “blind self” to Egbert, the central male character. The former term is coined by the author of the article as a means of understanding Lawrence’s treatment of his protagonist’s inner life. With the help of the daughter figure, the British author manages to shape the abstract character of notions, and to produce a figurative, volatile version of the father’s psyche. The latter concept, “blind self,” belongs to Lawrence himself, and can be transferred, the paper argues, from one character to another in the process of uncovering Egbert’s metaphorically shaped responses to different types of environment: the mystical, the social, the political. The idea of blindness is materialized as attraction towards nature, as denial of society or, on the contrary, as denial of the self, and, last but not least, as automatic response to the whims of history and national politics.

Этеокл как мужской персонаж трагедии Эсхила Семеро против Фив

This article analyzes the text of Aeschylus’s tragedy Seven against Thebes in the context of one of the main characters - Eteocles - as a male character. In the text of Aeschylus, Eteocles looks like a tough ruler who is endowed with certain masculine qualities. Moreover, through his words, the male character is sometimes expressed. This helps him save his hometown, but at the same time leads him to death. According to Eteocles, the men of Thebes in the face of the enemy must protect their Mother Earth with shields in their hands. In addition to identifying a warrior with a shield, Aeschylus, through the words of Eteocles, indicates that the place of the male protector is on the battlements and in the gates with towers. According to Aeschylus, Eteocles is the bravest master (king) of the Cadmeans. The use of the word ἄναξ in relation to Eteocles reflects the archaic nature of the story of Seven against Thebes. Eteocles as a male character is not just the bravest king of the Cadmeans, but he also pretends to be a wise ruler. According to Aeschylus, Eteocles is an almost exclusively positive male character, despite the fact that he indicates that evil has been done to Polyneices.

Conflicting Masculinities in Ha Jin’s Waiting: Talented Scholars and Ruthless Men of Action in China’s Mao and Post-Mao Eras

As a highly acclaimed novel for which Ha Jin won the U.S. National Book Award in 1999, Waiting covers the period from the early 1960s to the early 1980s, encompassing the Cultural Revolution through the early reform era. Its oft-noted central concern is the suppression of emotional life, and by extension humanity, in the totalitarian climate of Mao’s regime. This article offers a new reading, which foregrounds the novel’s use of masculinities as a central theme and driver of the plot. Through the prism of Kam Louie’s wen-wu (literary accomplishment – military prowess) dyad, this study focuses on Ha Jin’s critique of the socialist-era trajectories of two historically prominent Chinese male character types: the intellectually-oriented man of book learning and the physically-driven man of action. It shows how Waiting illuminates the conditions underlying a pervasive social and psychological paralysis of male intellectuals and the contrasting empowerment of a predatory class of nouveau riche entrepreneurs.

MALE AND FEMALE LANGUAGE FEATURES IN A STAR IS BORN MOVIE

Male and female often have their own language features that are also appear on the use of language in a movie. Lead male and female characters in A Star Is Born have their language features. This study is to discuss the language features in the movie and factors which underlie the occurrence of the language features. This is a qualitative study in which the data of this study are in the form of utterances produced by lead male and female characters in A Star Is Born movie. The data were collected by using a non-participant observation method and analyzed from the perspectives of Lakoff (1973) and Xia (2013) on language features, and Holmes (2013) on social factors. The result of the study shows that there are differences and similarities of lead male and female characters in using language. Both lead male and female characters use adjective feature to express their feeling and utilize swear word to show their emotion. Subsequently, in inviting each other, lead male character utilizes rising intonation, while lead female uses super polite form. Besides, in opening a show, the lead male character uses lexical hedges and fillers, while lead female applies super polite form. Nonetheless, the lead male character is inclined to use adverb and lexical hedges and filler in his utterance, while the lead female does not utilize those features. The occurrences of the language features in the lead characters are influenced by participants, setting, topic, and function.

Relasi antara Pergeseran Peran Pencari Nafkah dan Krisis Maskulinitas dalam Cerpen “Huruf Terakhir” karya Benny Arnas

This research aims to show the masculinity crisis experienced by a male character (a husband) due to the shift role of breadwinner in marriage in the short story "Huruf Terakhir" by Benny Arnas. This research is essential because it can demonstrate the impact of the wife's involvement to work in the public domain towards the husband's condition. This research is qualitative research by utilizing the concept of gender. Data collection techniques are carried out through document tracing on a short story "Huruf Terakhir" by Benny Arnas as the corpus. The data obtained was analyzed using descriptive analysis method. The results showed that shifting role of breadwinner can cause a man (a husband) to experience a crisis of masculinity such as loss of independence, confidence, courage, assertiveness, and emotional control. The shifting role as breadwinner is also shown to open the opportunities for repression in women. Therefore, the research on the short story "Huruf Terakhir" is expected to contribute to the study of gender-sensitive literature, especially since it is able to show masculinity traits associated with the role of breadwinner can complicate men’s position and potentially hinder women's freedom.

MITOS JAKA TARUB DAN NIÚLÁNG ZHINÜ: KAJIAN BANDINGAN

AbstrakTujuan penelitian ini untuk membandingkan mitos Jaka Tarub yang berasal dari Indonesia dan mitos Niúlángzhinü yang berasal dari Tiongkok. Terdapat tigamasalah utama yang akan dibahas, yaitu (1) skema aktan dan fungsional mitos Jaka Tarub dan Niúláng Zhinü, (2) perbandingan struktur cerita kedua mitos, dan (3) makna mitos terhadap tradisi budaya masyarakat setempat. Pendekatan yang digunakan adalah pendekatan objektif, dengan menggunakan teori struktural A.J. Greimas untuk menganalisis struktur cerita kedua mitos yang diteliti. Hasil penelitian menemukan bahwa terdapat persamaan pada tema cerita, ide awal permunculan konflik, dan persamaan aktansial pada subjek tokoh utama laki-laki dan objek tokoh utama perempuan, sedangkan perbedaan terdapat pada fungsi aktan sender (pengirim), helper (penolong), opposant (penentang), dan akhir cerita. Tradisi budaya yang ada pada masyarakat menjadi ciri khas dan warisan budaya yang terbentuk akibat pengaruh dari makna mitos yang diceritakan secara turun-temurun.Kata kunci: Jaka Tarub, Niulang Zhinu, Strukturalisme, Greimas, Tradisi Budaya AbstractThis research purpose is to compare Jaka Tarub myth that originating from Indonesia with Niúláng Zhinü myth originating from China. There are 3 main problems that will be discussed, (1) the schematic of the actan and functional myths of Jaka Tarub and Niúláng Zhinü, (2) comparison of the story structure of the two myths, and (3) The meaning of myth to the cultural traditions of the local community. The research used a objective literature approach, and using the structural theory of A.J Gerimas to analyze the structure of both myths. The results found that there are similarities in the theme of the story, the initial idea of conflict appearance, also the similarity on the subject, which is the main male character and the female main character as the object, while the differences are in the function of the sender, helper, opposant and the ending of story. Cultural traditions that exist in society become cultural heritage that was formed as an influence and significance meaning of the myth that was passed down for generations.Keywords: Jaka Tarub, Niulang Zhinu, Structuralism, Greimas, Cultural Traditions

The Incomes of the Plutocrats in a Comparative Perspective

We now move to examine the top of the income distribution and begin by asking whether Mr Darcy, the central male character in Jane Austen’s novel Pride and Prejudice, would be regarded as a plutocrat today. If his income were converted to contemporary amounts it would be some £600,000. We show that Mr Darcy would need to earn some £8 million to be as rich as his nineteenth-century predecessor relative to the average wage. To understand how those super-high incomes arise, we introduce the Paretian distribution which we do first informally and then more formally. It is a distribution of this form which could produce what we see, a few very highly paid individuals whose incomes—up in the stratosphere of the super-rich—would still be very spread out. We use the Paretian distribution to estimate the number of plutocrats in the US, the UK, and China and show the incomes of the richest of the rich.

“Queering” the Nation?

This article explores how gendered Chineseness is represented, circulated, and received in Huangmei musical films for audiences in martial-law Taiwan. Focusing on Love Eterne (1963), the analysis examines how theatrical impersonations in the film provided a “queer” social commentary on aspects of Chinese nationalism that conflicted with the Kuomintang's military masculinities. Love Eterne features dual layers of male impersonations: diegetically, the female character Zhu Yingtai masquerades as a man to attend school with other men; nondiegetically, the actress Ling Po performs the male character Liang Shanbo, Zhu's lover. In addition to the “queer” imagination generated by Ling's cross-dressing performance, the author considers how the feminine tone of Love Eterne allowed the Taiwanese audience to escape from masculine war preparations. Although the Kuomintang promoted Ling as a model patriotic actress, it was her background, similar to many Taiwanese adopted daughters, that attracted the most attention from female audiences. This female empathy and the queer subjectivity arguably disturbed the Kuomintang's political propaganda. Hence, this study adds to the breadth of queerness in studies on the cinematic performance of same-sex subjectivities and invites new understandings of queer performance in Love Eterne as a vehicle that can inspire alternative imaginings of gendered selfhoods and nations.

The Impact of divorce on the main male character, Steve Miller, as reflected in Nicholas Sparks’s the last song

The Last Song written by Nicholas Sparks is a novel that tells about family conflict that begins from the divorce between the parents and involves their children. The children must face the reality about their parents’ divorce when they are at the age of ten and seventeen. Not only for their children, but the divorce also brings an impact to the main male character, Steve Miller, in this novel. There is misunderstanding at the beginning in children’s comprehension about the causes of the divorce in their family. But after they know, especially the daughter, everything has changed between the main male character and his children. The aims of this study are to analyze the cause of the divorce and the impact of divorce on male male character, Steve Miller, as reflected in Nicholas Sparks’s The Last Song. The writer uses psychological approach to analyse the cause and the impact of the divorce on the main male character, Steve Miller, as reflected in Nicholas Sparks’s The Last Song. The writer also uses qualitative research method. The primary data are taken from the copy of novel The Last Song (2010) in the form quotation, phrase, and clauses or in the form of sentences that are related to the points discussed in this research. While, the secondary data are taken from all the analysis and criticism related to the novel. This secondary data of this research are also taken from some library documents and internet sources. The result of this study shows that the cause of the divorce in Nicholas Sparks’s The Last Song is because the male main character’s wife had affair with the stranger that he does not know before. It makes the communication with his wife is rarely done. It also involves their children and makes the relationship between father and daughter is broken. Not only to the relationship between the family members, but this divorce also give effects to the main character’s psychological and physical states.

МИФОЛОГЕМЫ РУССКИХ СКАЗОК: СЛЕДЫ ОЛИЦЕТВОРЕНИЯ И ОБОЖЕСТВЛЕНИЯ ЗЕМЛИ

В статье рассматриваются мотивы сказок, в которых содержатся черты представлений о земле как о живом существе (зооморфном или антропоморфном), наделенном особой магической силой. С данной точки зрения анализируется, в частности, семантическая основа образов крупных копытных животных в сказках типов № 511 и 1892 (по указателям Андреева-Аарне и СУС). Привлечение сравнительных параллелей позволяет проследить вероятное развитие образа «живой земли» из зооморфного в антропоморфный (через объединяющий их мотив прорастающего сквозь лоно чудо-дерева). Выявляются отголоски представлений о «цепи перерождений» души умершего, связанных с почти несомненным олицетворением земли в образе сказочной царевны, владевшей мифическими «источниками жизни» – чудесным деревом с его живительными плодами и возрождающими водами. Рассматриваются и вероятные истоки взаимосвязи образов царевны и змееподобного существа, изначальная функция которого в древности реконструируется как связанная с идеей воз/перерождения. Прослеживается также отражение сказкой социальных сдвигов, в ходе которых мужской персонаж из более раннего олицетворения души предка трансформируется в героя-победителя, в том числе – и могущественной царевны-богатырши. The article examines the fairy tales’ motifs which present the earth as a zoomorphic or anthropomorphic creature endowed with magic power. From this point of view, the author analyses the semantic base of ungulate characters in the tales of types 511 and 1892 (according to ATU and Comparative index of Plots). The comparative study allows us to trace the probable development of the motif of the “alive earth” from its zoomorphic personification to an anthropomorphic one (through the uniting motif of the tree sprouting through a womb). The study reveals the echo of the idea of the “chain of rebirth” of a dead person’s soul, connected with an almost undoubted impersonation of the earth as a fairy-tale princess who owned the mythical lifesprings: reviving waters or a magic tree with reviving fruits. The paper also considers the probable origin of interconnection between the characters of the princess and the snake-like creature: their reconstructed original function is connected with the idea of rebirth/reincarnation. The author also traces the reflection of social changes in fairy tales. A male character transforms from a personified ancestor’s soul to a hero, including a hero who defeated a powerful princess.