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THE INFLUENCE OF GENDER SCHEMA TOWARDS
DAWAN’S MIND DEVELOPMENT IN MIN FONG HO’S
SING TO THE DAWN
A SARJANA PENDIDIKAN THESIS
Presented as Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements
to Obtain the Sarjana Pendidikan Degree
in English Language Education
By
Clara Nusaca Novitri Zelmapulchra
Student Number: 131214094
ENGLISH LANGUAGE EDUCATION STUDY PROGRAM
DEPARTMENT OF LANGUAGE AND ARTS EDUCATION
FACULTY OF TEACHERS TRAINING AND EDUCATION
SANATA DHARMA UNIVERSITY
YOGYAKARTA
2017
PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI
i
THE INFLUENCE OF GENDER SCHEMA TOWARDS
DAWAN’S MIND DEVELOPMENT IN MIN FONG HO’S
SING TO THE DAWN
A SARJANA PENDIDIKAN THESIS
Presented as Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements
to Obtain the Sarjana Pendidikan Degree
in English Language Education
By
Clara Nusaca Novitri Zelmapulchra
Student Number: 131214094
ENGLISH LANGUAGE EDUCATION STUDY PROGRAM
DEPARTMENT OF LANGUAGE AND ARTS EDUCATION
FACULTY OF TEACHERS TRAINING AND EDUCATION
SANATA DHARMA UNIVERSITY
YOGYAKARTA
2017
PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI
A Sarjana Pendidikan Thesis on
THE INFLUENCE OF GENDER SCHEMA TOWARDS
DAWAN'S MIND DEVELOPMENT IN MIN FONG HO'S
SING TO THE DAWN
By
Clara Nusaca Novitri Zelmapulchra
Student Number: 131214094
Advisor
F.X. Ouda Teda Ena, S.Pd., M.Pd., Ed.D.
ii
Date
April 10,2017
PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI
A Sarjana Pendidikan Thesis on
THE INFLUENCE OF GENDER SCHEMA TOWARDS
DAWAN'S MIND DEVELOPMENT IN MIN FONG HO'S
SING TO THE DAWN
By
Clara Nusaca Novitri ZelmapulchraStudent Number: 131214094
\1ember
Member
III
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STATEMENT OF WORK'S ORIGINALITY
I honestly declare that this thesis, which I have written, does not contain the work
or parts of the work of other people, except those cited in the quotations and the
references, as a scientific paper should.
Yogyakarta, May 10,2017
The Writer,
Clara Nusaca Novitri Zelmapulchra
131214094
IV
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LEMBARPERNYATAANPERSETUJUAN
PUBLIKASI KARYA ILMIAH UNTUK KEPENTINGAN AKADEMIS
Yang bertanda tangan di bawah ini, saya mahasiswa Universitas Sanata Dharma:
Nama : Clara Nusaca Novitri Zelmapulchra
Nomor Mahasiswa : 131214094
Dcmi pengembangan ilmu pengetahuan, saya memberikan kepada PerpustakaanUniversitas Sanata Dharma karya ilmiah saya yang berjudul:
THE INFLUENCE OF GENDER SCHEMA TOWARDSDAWAN'S MIND DEVELOPMENT IN MIN FONG HO'S
SING TO THE DAWN
beserta perangkat yang diperlukan (bila ada). Dengan demikian saya memberikantepada Perpustakaan Universitas Sanata Dharma hak untuk menyimpan,menga1ihkan dalam bentuk media lain, mengelolanya dalam bentuk pangkalandata, mendistribusikan secara terbatas, dan mempublikasikannya di Internet ataumedia lain untuk kepentingan akademis tanpa perlu meminta ijin dari sayamaupun memberikan royalti kepada saya selama tetap mencantumkan nama sayasebagai penulis.
Demikian pernyataan ini yang saya buat dengan sebenarnya.
Dtbuat di Yogyakarta
Pada tanggal: 10 Mei 2017
Yang menyatakan,
ovitri Zelmapulchra
v
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ABSTRACT
Zelmapulchra, Clara Nusaca Novitri. 2017. The Influence of Gender Schema
towards Dawan’s Mind Development in Min Fong Ho’s Sing to the Dawn.
Yogyakarta: Sanata Dharma University.
This study discusses Sing to the Dawn novel by Min Fong Ho, which is
about a girl who has to fight for her right to study in the city. The objective of this
study is to reveal the influence of gender schema towards Dawan‟s mind
development. There are two research questions related to this study: (1) “What are
gender schemas that can be found in Min Fong Ho‟s Sing to the dawn?”, and (2)
“How does gender schema influence Dawan‟s mind development in Min Fong
Ho‟s Sing to the Dawn ?”.
The approach used in this study is psychological approach. The
psychoanalysis that is used is transference. Transference is a concept that refers
to our natural tendency to respond to certain situations in unique and
predetermined ways (American Psychoanalytic Association, 2016).
There are two findings in this study. The first finding is gender schemas as
a result of the internal factors and external factors. The internal factors come from
Dawan‟s own self who already thought that she cannot win the scholarship
because she is a girl. The external factors come from people around Dawan who
mostly think that a girl should not go to the city to study. The second finding is
the influence of gender schemas to Dawan‟s mind development. Dawan‟s mind
development consists of beliefs, desires, and actions. Dawan‟s beliefs can be
found in opinions, convictions, and hunches. Dawan‟s desires can be seen on
Dawan‟s thoughts when she wants to achieve her dream and to improve herself
and when she urges herself after she gets many rejections from people around her,
and stating of care to others. As a result of her beliefs and desires, she can act
appropriately and proves that she deserves the scholarship to get further education
in the city.
For the future study, the writer suggests the future researchers to
emphasize the study by doing the analysis towards the influence of gender
schemas towards Kwai‟s mind development as Dawan‟s brother. The writer also
suggests English lecturers to use this novel as learning material for Book Report
class and Prose class because it is a very good literature work to engage the
students interest towards English literature.
Keywords: gender, gender schema, mind development, novel
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ABSTRAK
Zelmapulchra, Clara Nusaca Novitri. 2017. The Influence of Gender Schema
towards Dawan’s Mind Development in Min Fong Ho’s Sing to the Dawn.
Yogyakarta: Universitas Sanata Dharma.
` Penelitian ini membahas novel Sing to the Dawn karya Min Fong Ho, yang
menceritakan tentang seorang anak perempuan yang harus memperjuangkan
haknya untuk belajar di kota. Tujuan penelitian ini adalah untuk mengungkapkan
pengaruh dari gender schema terhadap perkembangan pikiran dari Dawan.
Terdapat dua rumusan masalah penelitian yaitu: (1) Apa saja gender schema yang
dapat ditemukan dalam novel Sing to the Dawn karya Min Fong Ho?”, dan (2)
“Bagaimana pengaruh dari gender schema terhadap perkembangan pikiran Dawan
dalam novel Sing to the Dawn karya Min Fong Ho ?”.
Pendekatan yang digunakan dalam penelitian ini adalah psychological
approach. Psychoanalisis yang digunakan adalah Transference. Transference
merupakan konsep yang merujuk pada kecenderungan alami untuk merespon
situasi tertentu dengan cara yang unik dan telah ditentukan (American
Psychoanalytic Association, 2016).
Terdapat dua penemuan dari penelitian ini. Penemuan yang pertama adalah
gender schema dari faktor internal dan faktor eksternal. Faktor internal ditemukan
pada diri Dawan yang telah berpikir bahwa ia tidak dapat memenangkan beasiswa
tersebut karena ia adalah anak perempuan. Faktor eksternal ditemukan pada
orang-orang di sekitar Dawan yang sebagian besar berpikir bahwa anak
perempuan seharusnya tidak pergi ke kota untuk belajar. Penemuan yang kedua
adalah pengaruh dari gender schema terhadap perkembangan pikiran Dawan.
Perkembangan pikiran Dawan terdiri atas kepercayaan, keinginan, dan tindakan.
Kepercayaan dapat ditemukan dalam pendapat, keyakinan, dan dugaan yang
dilakukan Dawan. Keinginan Dawan terlihat dari pemikiran Dawan ketika ia ingin
menggapai mimpinya dan ingin memperbarui diri setelah ia mendapat banyak
penolakan dari orang-orang di sekitarnya, dan menunjukkan kepeduliannya pada
orang lain. Sebagai dampak dari kepercayaan dan keinginannya, ia dapat
bertindak dengan tepat dan membuktikan bahwa ia pantas mendapatkan beasiswa
untuk melanjutkan pendidikan di kota.
Untuk penelitian selanjutnya, penulis menyarankan peneliti selanjutnya
untuk mempertegas penelitian dengan melakukan analisis terhadap pengaruh
gender schema terhadap perkembangan pikiran Kwai sebagai saudara laki-laki
dari Dawan. Penulis juga menyarankan dosen Bahasa Inggris untuk menggunakan
novel ini sebagai materi pembelajaran untuk kelas Book Report dan Prose karena
novel ini sangat bagus untuk menarik ketertarikan mahasiswa terhadap sastra
Bahasa Inggris.
Kata kunci: gender, gender schema, mind development, right
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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
First of all, I would like to address my gratitude to Jesus Christ for His
blessings and guidance. I believe that I could not have done this thesis without His
blessings and guidance that are given to me since I was born until now.
My greatest gratitude goes to my family. I thank my father because he
always believes that I can finish this thesis in time and supports me whenever I
feel down. I also thank my mother because she always tells me that there is
nothing impossible in this world and encourages me to give my best in everything
I do. I thank my sisters and brother, Lala, Dinda, Dion, because they always
cherish me and accompany me both in hard times and good times.
My greatest gratitude also goes to F.X. Ouda Teda Ena who has been the
best advisor and he inspires me so much. He has taught me that I should not be
lazy to make my dreams come true. I thank him for his supports and advice
throughout these 4 years because he is also my academic advisor. I also thank
Sanata Dharma University for the chance to study at Sanata Dharma University
and have many meaningful experiences too.
My biggest gratitude and happiness goes to my closest bestfriends in
English Education Study Program, Cika, Hapri, Lolita, and Galuh. I thank Cika
because she always gives me her support by listening to all of my stories
patiently. I also hope that she can finish her thesis this year. I thank Hapri because
she always tells me that I have to relax in doing my thesis so that I will not get
frustrated. I thank Lolita because she always accompanies me to go to the library
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ix
to finish my thesis. I thank Galuh because she always cheers me up when I think I
am not good enough.
My gratitude also goes to my close friends in Class D 2013. The first
classmate to be thanked is Vero who has lend me her novel to be my research
object. I also thank Rosa Avia, Astri, Deta, Dian, Ensa, Erwan, Viko, Galih,
Marcel, Rosa Silalahi, Pinta, Retha, Tya, Tyas, Venia, Vian, Wisnu, Lolita, Cika,
Galuh, Hapri, and Yansen. I thank them because they have always been good
friends, partners, and companions throughout these 4 years.
My next gratitude goes to my PPL friends in Kolese de Britto. They are
Ines, Cahyo, Agnes, Ana, Bruder Anton, Sella, and Stephani. I am so grateful
because they have been my new family since I did my PPL. I have learned that
hardworking never betrays the result from them.
Finally, I thank everyone who has helped me in finishing this thesis that I
cannot mention their name one by one. I will always remember them and their
contribution to my life. May God bless them all and fill their lives with happiness
and gratitude.
Clara Nusaca Novitri Zelmapulchra
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
Page
TITLE PAGE .................................................................................................. i
APPROVAL PAGES ...................................................................................... ii
STATEMENT OF WORK‟S ORIGINALITY ............................................... iv
PERNYATAAN PERSETUJUAN PUBLIKASI ................................................ v
ABSTRACT .................................................................................................... vi
ABSTRAK ........................................................................................................ vii
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ............................................................................ viii
TABLE OF CONTENTS ................................................................................ x
LIST OF APPENDICES ................................................................................. xii
CHAPTER I. INTRODUCTION
A. Background of the Study ................................................... 1
B. Research Question .............................................................. 4
C. Significance of the Study ................................................... 4
D. Definition of Terms ............................................................ 5
CHAPTER II. REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE
A. Review of Related Studies ................................................. 7
B. Review of Related Theories ............................................... 9
1. Gender Schema Theory ................................................. 9
2. Theory of Mind .............................................................. 12
C. Theoretical Framework ....................................................... 14
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CHAPTER III. METHODOLOGY
A. Object of the Study .............................................................. 16
1. The Summary about the Work Sing to the Dawn ........... 16
2. Special Record of the Work ............................................ 17
B. Approach of the Study ......................................................... 18
CHAPTER IV. ANALYSIS
A. Description of Dawan ........................................................... 21
B. Gender Schemas in Sing to the Dawn Novel ........................ 23
1. Gender Schema as a Result of External Factor ................ 23
2. Gender Schema as a Result of Internal Factor ................. 35
C. Dawan‟s Mind Development ................................................ 40
1. Beliefs .............................................................................. 41
a. Opinions .................................................................... 41
b. Convictions ............................................................... 43
c. Hunches .................................................................... 44
2. Desires ............................................................................. 46
a. Wants ........................................................................ 46
b. Urges ......................................................................... 48
c. States of Caring about Something ............................ 52
3. Actions ............................................................................. 52
CHAPTER V. CONCLUSIONS, IMPLICATIONS, AND SUGGESTIONS
A. Conclusions ........................................................................... 54
B. Implications ........................................................................... 56
C. Suggestions ............................................................................ 58
REFERENCES ................................................................................................... 59
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LIST OF APPENDICES
Appendix Page
Appendix A The Summary of Sing to the Dawn Novel .......................... 61
Appendix B Biography of Min Fong Ho ................................................. 62
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CHAPTER I
INTRODUCTION
This chapter includes the background of the study, research question,
significance of the study, and definition of terms. The background of the study
part contains the description of the topic and the rationales that are used related to
Sing to the Dawn novel as the primary data and gender schema theory. The
research question section contains two research questions which are going to be
analyzed and discussed. The significance of the study part shows the significance
why the study is worth doing. It reveals the purpose of the study which has a
relation with the formulated problem in this study. The last is the definition of
terms. In this section, specific terms used in this study are defined.
A. Background of the Study
According to Unger (1979), gender is defined as social label, the traits and
behavior that are regarded by the culture to men and women (as cited in Brannon,
1996, p.11). People are categorized into two genders which are men and women.
There can be found stereotypes on men and women‟s characters in our society.
The roles of men and women are differed by the stereotypes. Wood (1994) states
that:
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Three themes that describe how media represent gender. First, women
are underrepresented which falsely implies that men are the cultural
standard and women are unimportant or invisible. Second, men and
women are portrayed in stereotypical ways that reflect and sustain socially
endorsed views of gender. Third, depictions of relationships between men
and women emphasize traditional roles and normalize violence against
women (p.31).
Those three themes in media show that there are still stereotypes in differing men
and women‟s role in this society. Men are seen to be superior than women based
on the gender role stereotypes. Men need to have a better education than women.
Often time, women are considered as inferior gender and men are the superior
gender. Davis (1990, in Wood, 1994, p.33) defines that “women are portrayed as
passive, dependent on men, and enmeshed in relationships or housework.”
Women are seen as passive gender because they are supposed to obey and follow
what men say. People also underestimate women‟s roles because they are not
independent like men.
Nowadays, parents often treat their children based on this stereotype. In
fact, children should not be treated differently because their childhood is the
important phase in someone‟s psychological mechanism. Bell (2005) states that:
Regardless of sex differences, the mechanisms by which boys and girls
develop adjustment problems may differ, due to differences in biological and
psychological development, as well as to the gendered culture(s) in which
children develop (p. 3).
The culture can also influence the psychological development for the children.
Bem (1981, in Vasta, 1998) states that a schema is a cognitive representation of
the general structure of something familiar. The gender-schema model proposes
that, children develop schemas for “boy” and “girl”. Sex categorizations which are
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commonly known as boys and girls can also play the important role in children‟s
development. Early psychoanalytic theory emphasized unresolved childhood
experiences that result in adult depression (Bell, 2005, p.30). There should be
resolved childhood experiences to result a better way of thinking when someone
has already been an adult. Pillow (2012) states that “children notice their own
mental states, draw analogies between their actions and experiences and those of
others, and learn the prevalent ways of describing behavior in their culture” (p.
62). Children relate their actions based on their experiences. They also learn how
to behave appropriately based on their culture.
Many literary works, such as novels, are used to show the influence of
gender role stereotypes in our society. Fox (1993) states that:
Everything we read...constructs us, makes us who we are, by
presenting our image of ourselves as girls and women, as boys and men.
Without doubt, the impact of the school and literature in the formation of
identity among youth is great, especially informing their views on gender
differences (p. 84).
It means literary works, especially which are written, have a strong influence to
the readers. Those works encourage the readers to construct their own image of
girls and boys, especially the gender differences.
Those statements represent the action in which people still treat their
children based on their gender. Categorizing children and treating them based on
their sex-type are problematic. Therefore, gender gaps in earnings can decrease or
limit the resources available to meet children‟s rights, such as health care,
adequate nutrition and education (UNICEF, 2006, p.40). By conducting this
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study, the writer encourages the readers so that they can learn to be better in
treating their children based on those considerations.
B. Research Questions
There are two research questions that are used in this study. They are:
1. What are gender schemas that can be found in Min Fong Ho‟s Sing to the
Dawn?
2. How does gender schema influence Dawan‟s mind development in Min
Fong Ho‟s Sing to the Dawn?
C. Significance of the Study
This study is very useful and beneficial for many parties. The significance
of the study are:
1. This study can be used as a reference for future study about gender schema
and child psychology.
2. This study will contribute to literature study, especially children books,
that have relation to gender schema.
3. This study helps the society to learn on how to treat their children wisely
without categorizing children‟s actions based on their gender.
4. This study helps the teachers as educators to understand how to treat their
students appropriately without categorizing their genders.
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5. This study helps parents to understand that they are the first people that are
in contact to the children so they need to know how to treat their children
appropriately.
D. Definition of Terms
There are some terms used in this study. The definition of those terms are
described in this section. They are:
1. Gender
According to Unger (1979), gender is defined as social label, the traits and
behavior that are regarded by the culture to men and women. The social label is
about the characteristics that the culture describes to each sex and sex-related
characteristics that individuals assign to themselves (as cited in Brannon, 1996, p.
11). Sherif (1982) states that gender is “a scheme for social cartegorization of
individuals” (as cited in Brannon, 1996, p. 11).
2. Gender Schema
Bem states that a schema is a cognitive representation of the general
structure of something familiar. The gender-schema model proposes that, early in
life, children develop schemas for “boy” and “girl”. These schemas result
principally from two factors. One is the child‟s inborn tendency to organize and
classify information from the environment. The other is our culture‟s heavy
emphasis on providing gender distinguishing cues (such as clothing, names, and
occupations), which make these concepts easily identifiable (1981, in Vasta,
1998).
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3. Mind
Harris (1991) describes that the understanding of mind is not the work of a
theory, it is a "work of the imagination" . He notes that even young children are
very good at pretending and imagining and says young children (and adults)
understand others' minds by simply imagining what the other feels, thinks, and
wants (as cited in Bartsch, 1995, p. 175).
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CHAPTER II
REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE
This chapter consists of review of related studies, review of related
theories, and theoretical framework. Review of related studies is used to review
the studies that have been done previously and to show the difference between
this research and those researches in the past. Review of related theories is about
theories that are relevant to this research. The last part is theoretical framework
which summarizes the theories and reviews used in this study.
A. Review of Related Studies
Martin (2004) states that children are considered as gender detectives who
are very curious to search for cues about gender, especially about who should or
should not engage in a particular activity, who can play with whom, and why
girls and boys are different. Cognitive perspectives on gender development
assume that children are being active to search for many ways to find the
meaning of something and make sense of the social world that surrounds them.
They do all of those things by using the gender cues provided by society to help
them interpret what they see and hear (p.67). In 1997, Grolnick, Deci, & Ryan
states that many studies show children of parents who are more autonomy
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supportive, more likely to spontaneously explore and extend themselves rather
than children who have more controlling parents (as cited in Ryan, 2000, p.59).
Miller (2002) explains that in natural settings, it is difficult to assess the
role of cognition because patterns of behavior are also influenced by children‟s
prior experiences. Nevertheless, a few longitudinal analyses have shown that once
children know gender stereotypes, their personal preferences show the gender type
more. In her study, it has been difficult to generate neutral stimuli because
children appear to seize on any element that may implicate a gender norm so that
they may categorize it as male or female. Experimental research also suggests that
young children are quick to jump to conclusions about sex differences, even on
the basis of only a single instance (as cited in Martin, 2004, p. 69).
Killen (2015) states that current research on conscience examines how
young children develop mechanisms for inhibiting negative behavior and
promoting positive behavior as a result of internalizing parental norms.
Conscience is conceptualizedas an inner guidance or self-regulatory system
involving an integration of moral emotion and conduct (with limited focus on
cognition). This emphasis is partly on the development of a mutually responsive
orientation between the parents and child that sensitizes the child to learn proper
conduct, codes of caring for others, and committed compliance. This is
exemplified by Kochanska‟s research on conscience (Kochanska & Aksan, 2006)
as well as Thompson‟s research on early childhood morality (Thompson, 2014).
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B. Review of Related Theories
In order to do this study, there are many theories related to the topic of the
study. These theories used as tools to analyze the novel later. The theories are:
1. Gender Schema Theory
Before gender schema theory appears, there is Piaget‟s theory about the
cognitive structures. Piaget believes that intelligence is a process which is not
about something that a child has but something a child does (1968, in Vasta, 1998,
p. 33). Children‟s intelligence can be understood by seeing their actions or how
they operate something. Piaget states that schemes involve two elements. They are
an object in the environment and the child‟s reaction to the object. A scheme is a
psychological structure that reflects the child‟s underlying knowledge and guides
his or her interactions with the world. The child‟s intelligence is defined by the
nature and organization of these schemes (or other cognitive structures during
later development).
Bem (1981, in Aubry et al, 2003) explains that children develop an
extensive associative network of knowledge about the gender norms of their
culture, called gender schemas. Gender schemas affect the way children process
new information relevant to gender. The theory also proposes that the
phenomenon of sex typing derives from gender-based schematic processing which
is from a generalized readiness to process information on the basis of the sex-
linked associations that constitute the gender schema.
Bem (1981, in Vasta, 1998) states that a schema is a cognitive
representation of the general structure of something familiar. The gender-schema
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10
model proposes that, children develop schemas for “boy” and “girl”. These
schemas result principally from two factors. One is the child‟s inborn tendency to
organize and classify information from the environment. The other is our culture‟s
heavy emphasis on providing gender distinguishing cues (such as clothing, names,
and occupations), which make these concepts easily identifiable. Bem‟s (1985, in
Harter, 2006) gender schema theory describes how the initial labeling of one‟s
gender leads the young child to look to the culture where they learn that gender
distinctions are very important. It causes them to attend to the content of gender
roles for males and females (p.516). While learning that boys are expected to be
strong, brave, and assertive but girls are expected to be good, nice, and quiet, boys
and girls acquire gender schemas. They adopt the characteristics that the culture
considers appropriate for their gender.
Bem also comes up with gender schema theory, which changed gender
from being seen as individual traits, but instead shows how society tended to
measure gender in a bipolar way as either more masculine or feminine depending
upon such things as clothes, body movements, hobbies, employment, etc. which
she termed „cultural fictions‟ (as cited in Kilvington & Wood, 2016, p. 24). This
theory is about sex typing between boys and girls that happen in their childhood.
Hendrix & Wei (2009) explains that :
The early gender bias experiences that children encounter can shape their
attitudes and beliefs related to their development of interpersonal and
intrapersonal relationships, access to education equality, participation in
the corporate work world, as well as stifling their physical and
psychological well being (as cited in Aina, 2011, p.11).
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This explanation shows that experiences have strong influence to boys and girls‟
attitudes and beliefs. The attitudes and beliefs are related to their roles in the
society, especially to the access to get education equally.
Martin & Halverson (1981) states that gender schemas are interrelated
networks of mental associations representing information about the sexes.
Schemas are not passive copies of the environment, but instead they are active
constructions, prone to errors and distortions. Two types of schemas are initially
formulated as the superordinate schema and the own-sex schema. The
superordinate schema contains listlike information about the sexes. The own-sex
schema is defined as a narrow schema containing detailed action plans for self-
relevant information (as cited in Lamb, 2015).
Golombok (2002) states that gender schemas refer to organized bodies of
knowledge about gender, and are functionally similar to gender stereotypes.
Gender schemas influence the way we perceive and remember information about
everything around us. As a result, we pay greater attention and are more likely to
remember information that is in line with our gender schemas than the opposing
information (p. 130). This gender schema has a relation to gender stereotypes and
it influences our way of thinking towards everything around us.
Valian (2005) assumes that one way that gender schemas affect women is
in women‟s perception of themselves as worth less and entitled to less. The
schemas conversely affect men by leading them to see themselves as worth more
and entitled to more. Also, through the chores they are given to do in childhood,
women become accustomed to act for others‟ good and to labor for love; while
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men become accustomed to be recompensed for their labors (p.205). The core
content of the psychological gender schemas for females does not logically entail
any of the beliefs making up hostile or benevolent sexism. The content of gender
schemas can be used to shore up hostile and benevolent sexism, but it does not
imply any form of sexism. Even individuals whose explicit beliefs are not
(hostilely or benevolently) sexist are subject to gender schemas (p.200).
2. Theory of Mind
According to Bukatko (2008) theory of mind is the awareness of the
concept of mental states of a person and the others (p.288). Some researchers,
Baron-Cohen (1995), Fodor (1992), Leslie (1994) argue that the theory of mind is
an innate, prepackaged, modular form of knowledge that becomes more
elaborated as child‟s cognitive sklls developed (as cited in Bukatko, 2008, p.288).
Other researchers, Ruffman et al. (2002) believe that a theory of mind arises from
the child‟s socialization experiences, especially those that encourage an
appreciation of others‟ mental states (as cited in Bukatko, 2008, p.288). This
theory is a key cognitive attainment that becomes the bridge between someone
and his social world.
According to Silva (2014), the mind is defined and represented in terms of
the interplay of dynamic instincts: the drive for sensual gratification, the drive
towards egoistic and narcissistic pursuits and the drive towards both aggression
and self-destruction (p. 121-122). On the contrary, Perner (1991) explains that the
children must appreciate the relation between a symbolic representation which
means conceptualizing beliefs as representations that stand for situations in the
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world and may differ from the actual state of affairs, and its referent to understand
the mind (as cited in Pillow, 2012, p. 85). Others have argued that the executive
function is related to the development of children‟s theory of mind. Executive
function includes abilities involved in self-regulation, such as directing attention,
resisting distraction, controlling motor responses, inhibiting inappropriate
responses, and planning. Carlson and Moses (2001, in Pillow, 2012) suggests:
One aspect of executive function, inhibitory control, is particularly
important for children‟s understanding of beliefs. They view inhibitory
control and understanding of beliefs as related in two ways: (a) inhibitory
control enables the acquisition of the concept of belief, and (b) inhibitory
control facilitates the expression of children‟s false belief understanding
(p. 85).
There is a "belief-desire" understanding of mind and action. According to
Davidson (1963), beliefs are defined as a general category of thoughts
encompassing knowledge, opinions, guesses, convictions, and hunches, that is, all
mental states that attempt to reflect something true about the world. More broadly,
thoughts include not only serious beliefs but also fanciful ideas, states of
imagination, and dreams—mental states that represent fictional worlds. Desires
are also to be understood as a general category including wants, urges, and states
of caring about something; that is, a whole range of "pro-attitudes" toward or
about something (as cited in Bartsch, 1995, p. 5). The underlying structure of our
common sense conception of mind requires consideration of both desires and
beliefs. People do things because they desire something and believe some acts
will achieve it. According to this sort of analysis, the center of a theory of mind is
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14
conceptual triad of constructs actions, beliefs, and desires (Bartsch, 1995). Olson,
Astington, & Harris (1988, in Bartsch, 1995) defines theory of mind:
So what is a theory of mind? The events to be explained and predicted
are talk and action (some would say behavior). The theoretical concepts are
those of belief, desire, intention, and feeling. And, third, these concepts may be
used to explain and predict the events in the referential domain, namely talk
and action. (p. 113)
Wellman (1993) explains that it is obvious that children's understanding of
beliefs and desires is intimately related to their understanding of other mental
phenomena such as emotions and perception (As cited in Bartsch, 1995, p. 146-
147). Pinker (1997) states that the mind is organized into modules or mental
organs, each with a special design that enables it to be an expert in one area of
interaction with the world. The module‟s basic logic is specified by our genetic
program. Their operation is shaped by natural selection to solve problems of the
hunting and gathering life led by our ancestors in most of our evolutionary history
(as cited in Bjorklund, 2007, p. 7).
C. Theoretical Framework
The writer uses some theories to answer the two formulated research
questions. Those theories are gender schema theory by Bem (1981) and theory of
mind by Davidson (1963). To solve the first problem, the writer uses the theory of
Gender Schema by Bem (1981, in Vasta, 1998). Bem (1981) states that a schema
is a cognitive representation of the general structure of something familiar. The
gender-schema model proposes that, early in life, children develop schemas for
“boy” and “girl” These schemas result principally from two factors. One is the
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child‟s inborn tendency to organize and classify information from the
environment. The other is the culture‟s heavy emphasis on providing gender
distinguishing cues (such as clothing, names, and occupations), which makes
these concepts easily identifiable (as cited in Vasta, 1998). This gender schema
theory will be implemented to analyze how Dawan experiences the encourages
with the people in her environment and the culture in which she lives. The
experiences and culture create gender schema such as stereotypes towards girls‟
rights compared to boys. Then, to answer the second research question, the writer
uses the "belief-desire" understanding of mind and action from Davidson (1963,
in Bartsch, 1995). He states that the center of a theory of mind is conceptual triad
of constructs actions, beliefs, and desires (p. 5).
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CHAPTER III
METHODOLOGY
This chapter includes the object of the study and the approach of the study.
The object of the study includes the summary of the work, special record of the
work, and awards achieved by the author. The approach of the study discusses the
characteristics, procedure, application, and the purpose of the approach.
A. Object of the Study
The object of the study is the novel entitled Sing to the Dawn by Min Fong
Ho. This object of the study delivers the summary of the object of the study,
special record about the object, and also awards behind the work.
1. The Summary about the Work Sing to the Dawn
This novel was first published in 1975 by William Morrow & Co. Sing to
the Dawn consists of one hundred and sixty pages. Min Fong Ho is a Chinese-
American writer. Min Fong Ho has won many prizes from her novels and mostly
her novels are about children fiction.
Sing to the Dawn novel tells the reader about Dawan, a young village girl
who lives in Thailand. She wins a scholarship to study in a city school. Her
brother, Kwai, places second and is initially jealous. Kwai‟s jealousy causes a
conflict between the two previously-close siblings. This hostility is further
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17
exacerbated by Dawan's father, who feels that the city is not a place for a girl.
Dawan faces obstacles at every turn, and eventually overcomes these obstacles
and proves to herself and to others that she is fully capable of handling the
scholarship and she can take the responsibility to improve her village later. Min
Fong Ho shows the gender role discrimination that becomes a common thing for
our society. Even in education field, gender role stereotypes also influence men
and women‟s in getting the appropriate education for themselves.
2. Special Record of the Work
There are some special records about the literature works entitled Sing to
the Dawn by Min Fong Ho. This novel has been made a movie, TV, and also
theatrical adaptions and those works are:
a. The animated feature film, Sing to the Dawn, co- produced by MediaCorp
Raintree Pictures, the Media Development Authority of Singapore (MDA),
Infinite Frameworks (IFW) and a new financing partner, Scorpio East
Pictures, is set to hit the big screens in June 2008! This inspirational
animation is based on the award-winning novel of the same title by
Minfong Ho.The movie was localised into an Indonesian version with the
title "Meraih Mimpi" and released on Indonesian cinemas on 16 September
2009. (“Infocomm”).
b. Sing to the Dawn was adapted into a critically acclaimed musical by
Singaporean composer Dick Lee in 1996 and was directed by Steven
Dexter. The musical has proved extremely popular after its initial run, and
has been restaged several times, including a restaging by the Singapore
PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI
18
Management University's production house in 2003 and a joint production
between Raffles Institution and Raffles Girls' School in 2004.
(“Infocomm”).
c. First prize, Council of Interracial Books for Children, 1975, for Sing to the
Dawn.
d. First prize, Annual Short Story Contest of Singapore, Ministry of Culture,
Singapore, 1982.
B. Approach of the Study
The study uses a psychological approach to analyze the novel. Freud (in
Brannon, 1996, p.6) emphasizes the role of instinct and physiology in personality
formation and he finds that instincts provide the basic energy for personality and
that child‟s perception of physical differences between boys and girls was a
pivotal event in personality formation. Freud sees childhood experiences within
the family explains how physiology interacts with experience to influence
personality development.
Burman (2008) explains that psychoanalytic approaches feature is used to
highlight how concepts of childhood closely connect with those of dominant
cultural understandings of both emotion and memory. Psychoanalytic theory is
used as an interpretive framework to understand what is at stake in the dynamics
of child-vieewing and child-saving. Bornstein (2001, in Burman, 2008) explains
that:
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Humanitarian interventions realised through children generate
complex emotional as well as economic relationships, with ambiguous
personal and political effects. These include fostering a transnational
belonging at the expense of sometimes engendering local jealousines and
inequalities, while the dynamic of individual empowerment they institute
can, paradoxically, work to disempower parents. (p. 14).
The psychoanalysis that is used is Transference. Transference is a concept
that refers to our natural tendency to respond to certain situations in unique,
predetermined ways--predetermined by much earlier, formative experiences
usually within the context of the primary attachment relationship (American
Psychoanalytic Association, 2016). Transference is what is transferred to new
situations from previous situations. In psychoanalysis, old reactions constitute the
core of a person's problem, and that he or she needs to understand them well in
order to be able to create choices that are more useful.
Freud states that the word "transference" to refer to “this ubiquitous
psychological phenomenon, and it remains one of the most powerful explanatory
tools in psychoanalysis today, both in the clinical setting and when psychoanalysts
use their theory to explain human behavior” (APA, 2016). Transference describes
the tendency for a person to base some perceptions and expectations in present
day relationships on his or her earlier attachments, especially to parents, siblings,
and significant others. Thus transference leads to distortions in interpersonal
relationships, as well as nuances of intensity and fantasy. This approach helps the
writer to analyze Dawan‟s mind development because mind has relation to
psychology. The influence of gender schema towards Dawan‟s mind development
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is studied by relating psychological approach to Dawan‟s thoughts that appear in
the novel.
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CHAPTER IV
ANALYSIS
This chapter presents the result of the study. This chapter is divided into
three parts. The first part is about the description of Dawan, the main character of
Sing to the dawn novel. The second part is about Gender Schema that can be
found in the novel. The third part is about Dawan‟s mind development, in relation
to gender schemata.
A. Description of Dawan
According to Abrams (2005) characters are people that are presented in the
dramatic of narrative work, who are interpreted by the readers as being endowed
with moral and disposional qualities that are expressed in how the characters say
and what they act (p. 2). The readers understand and identify the characters by
reading statements that explain the characters. The statements can be about the
actions that are done by the character or the characters‟ sayings. In addition,
Abrams (1985) states that there are two characters in the novel, the first is a major
character which is the main character who always appears in the whole story of
the novel and the second is a minor character which does not fully appear in the
story and their roles just to support the development of the major character (p.20).
Boyd (2012) states that in fictional literature, authors use many different types of
characters to tell their stories. The first is a dynamic character which is a person
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who changes over time, usually as a result of resolving a central conflict or facing
a major crisis. Most dynamic characters tend to be central rather than peripheral
characters, because resolving the conflict is the major role of central characters.the
second is a static character which is someone who does not change over time; his
or her personality does not transform or evolve.
In this novel, Dawan is considered as a major character. Dawan always
appears in the whole story which means she appears from the beginning of the
story until the end. There are also conversations that are about her eventhough she
is not included in those conversations. Dawan is also a dynamic character because
she is the central character and she changes over time as a result of facing a
central conflict.
Dawan, a young village girl, wins a scholarship to study in a city school.
Her brother, Kwai, places second and is initially jealous. His jealousy causes a
conflict between the two previously-close siblings. This hostility is further
exacerbated by Dawan's father, who feels that the city is not a place for a girl.
Dawan faces obstacles at every turn, and eventually overcomes these obstacles .
She proves to herself and to others that she is fully capable of handling the
scholarship and the responsibility it entails. The conflicts in this novel are mostly
about Dawan, the major character. Dawan also changes over time, from a
pessimistic person into an optimistic perso. Therefore, she is the dynamic
character in this novel.
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B. Gender Schemas in Sing to the Dawn Novel
To find out gender schemas that can be found in this novel, the writer uses
theory by Bem (1981, in Vasta, 1998). In this theory, schemas result principally
from two factors. One is the child‟s inborn tendency to organize and classify
information from the environment. This factor is classified as the internal factor.
The other is the culture‟s heavy emphasis on providing gender distinguishing cues
(such as clothing, names, and occupations), which make these concepts easily
identifiable (as cited in Vasta, 1998). This factor is considered as external factor.
The writer finds that there are internal factors and external factors that
create gender schemas. The internal factors come from Dawan‟s herself who
thinks that she does not deserve the scholarship because she is a girl. The external
factors come from people around Dawan. They are Dawan‟s father, Dawan‟s
mother, Kwai, Noi and Ghan, the old monk, Dawan‟s grandmother and Bao. The
external factors seem to be the strongest affecting factor to create gender schemas.
1. Gender Schema as a Result of External Factor
These external factors that create gender schema come from many parties.
As what Bem (1981) states that the culture emphasize on providing gender
distinguishing cues (such as clothing, names, and occupations), which make these
concepts easily identifiable (as cited in Vasta, 1998). The culture is defined as
beliefs that are inherited in the society that makes the people have their own
schema towards boys and girls. In this novel, the writer finds that there are gender
schemas that are resulted from characters around Dawan. Those people are
Dawan‟s father, Dawan‟s mother, Kwai, Noi, Ghan, the old monk, Dawan‟s
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24
grandmother, and Bao. Dawan‟s father, Dawan‟s mother, Kwai, Noi, Ghan, and
the old monk are the characters who oppose Dawan‟s optimism to study in the
city. There are two characters who support Dawan from the beginning until the
end of the story. They are Dawan‟s grandmother and Bao.
a. Dawan’s Father
Dawan‟s father is the first person who forbids Dawan to go to the City and
get a better education. He believes that no girl should learn more while all they
can do is just taking care of home and the children.
Dawan found strength in it and continued haltingly, “I won the prize.
I can go to the City and study some more now.” She stole another glance at
her father. “Can‟t I?”
Dawan addressed the puddle again, “Please, can I? ...”
“And Kwai? What about Kwai? He won nothing?” Her father‟s voice
was rough, and yet tinged with a hard wonder. Dawan sensed the pain in her
father, and dared not look directly into his eyes.
“There is only one prize,” she whispered.
There was a long pause, then he spat out, “You took your own
brother‟s chance away from him!” (p. 28 and 30).
From the conversation, it can be concluded that Dawan‟s father gives more
expectation to his son, Kwai, rather than to Dawan. He is very disappointed and
angry when he knows that the one who gets the scholarship is Dawan. For him,
Dawan cannot do anything for the family if she gets the scholarship because she is
a girl. Dawan‟s father only focuses on Kwai because he certainly knows that his
boy can make him proud. Moreover, he points out that Dawan takes Kwai‟s
chance to go to the city. In this case, he regrets his decision to take Dawan to
school if he knows that Dawan will get a chance to study more in the city. This
conversation shows that Dawan‟s father does not want her daughter to get better
education and the one who should have chance to study more, should be his boy.
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“ If you‟d won, of course it‟d be different,” the father answered. “You‟re a
boy, and more schooling would have been useful for you.” He paused, then
added wistfully, “And useful for me too. Why, you could come back and
help me to...” (p. 55).
This statement goes to Kwai when the whole family of Dawan are eating
dinner together. Dawan‟s father shows his disappointment towards the result. For
him, it will be useful if the winner of the scholarship is Kwai, instead of Dawan.
Kwai is seen as someone that can bring the change to the family‟s fate. Dawan‟s
father hopes that Kwai can bring a better situation for the whole family if he gets
the scholarship and goes to the city. He creates a schema that a boy will always be
useful for the family instead of a girl because a boy is still seen as a superior. If a
boy gets a better education, there will be a better life for the family, while a girl
who gets a better education is believed as something useless.
“But what right does your sister have? She‟s only a girl,” the peasant
retorted roughly (p. 103).
This statement appears right after Dawan‟s father is angry because he
finally knows that Kwai places at the second rank and Kwai does not tell him
about that. In addition, he keeps forcing Kwai to take Dawan‟s chance because he
thinks he has a power to forbid Dawan to go to the city. He knows that Kwai will
go to the city if Dawan cannot take the scholarship because he places at the
second rank. Dawan‟s father still thinks that Dawan has no right to get better
education because a girl should not be smart and will always end up staying at
home. For the society, a boy should be given more chance rather than a girl
because he can bring the change and be more useful.
Dawan hesitated, then retorted with a defiant, “Well, why not?”
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26
“Why not!” the big farmer shouted at her, “Damn it, I‟ll tell you
why not!” Dawan could see the veins on his neck as he shouted. “Because
you‟re only a girl, because there‟s nothing you can do, even with a fancy
education, because...” (p. 105).
Dawan‟s father still insists that Dawan has taken his brother chance to get
the scholarship. He states that Dawan forces her brother to let her go to the City
and get a better education while the fact is that she is only a girl. So, when Dawan
asks the reason behind her father‟s rejection, her father states that a girl cannot do
anything even if she gets more education rather than a boy. A girl is seen as a
useless person and cannot do great things to bring the change for the family.
b. Dawan’s Mother
In this novel, Dawan‟s mother is a character that shows how women are
inferior rather than men. Women can only follow what their husbands say and
often times do not have their own point of views.
“You should not encourage her so!” Dawan‟s mother called from the
veranda. “You know her father won‟t let her go. She‟ll be even more
disappointed if you praise her now. At least spare her that.” (p. 30).
Dawan‟s mother actually cares of what Dawan feels toward her father‟s
rejection. She does not want Dawan to expect more because she knows that her
husband will not give permission for Dawan to go to the city. Dawan‟s mother
creates a schema about women who will always follow their husbands‟ opinions.
When her husband thinks that Dawan should not get the scholarship, she will have
that thoughts too in her mind because all she can do is supporting her husband‟s
statement. She has no right to ignore or reject it.
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27
“I see what you‟re up to!” she shouted to the grandmother, “You‟re going
to try and talk Noi into arguing for Dawan in front of her father, aren‟t
you?” She brushed a wisp of hair away from her forehead, and Dawan
noticed small beads of sweat there. “You think that Noi will trot on over
and convince my husband, just like that, to let Dawan go off to the City
school? There‟s no hope in that, old woman! His heart was too set on his
son going. He‟ll never think it right for Kwai‟s sister, a mere girl, to go in
his place.” (p. 31)
This statement appears while Dawan‟s mother is arguing with Dawan‟s
grandmother. Dawan‟s grandmother is going to go to Noi‟s house to talk to Noi so
that Dawan can get support from her while talking to her father. Noi is Dawan‟s
cousin who has ever lived in the city. Dawan‟s mother is very angry to Dawan‟s
grandmother because she has already frustrated that they will not be supported by
Noi because her husband has already had his own view that cannot be changed
easily. For her, a girl should not fight for her right because there is no use of doing
that. She thinks that Dawan‟s father cannot be convinced that Dawan should go to
the city while the only thing that becomes his priority is his son, Kwai.
Finally her mother sighed heavily and muttered, “It is not my place to say
anything.” She turned her gaze back to the baby on her hip, avoiding
Dawan‟s eyes. (p. 32).
While stating this hopeless statement, Dawan‟s mother actually wants to
help Dawan to get her father‟s permission. However, she thinks that she has no
right to decide whether Dawan can go to the City or not. A woman has no power
to resist against her husband eventhough she wants to do it. She knows that
Dawan can still go to the city and should not be forbidden just because she is a
girl. As a woman, she cannnot make any decision by herself and all she can do is
just following her husband command.
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At the end of Chapter Three in this novel, Dawan‟s mother finally decides
to accompany Dawan to get Noi‟s support. She still thinks that she cannot
convince her husband by herself or by asking grandmother‟s support. She knows
that she needs Noi‟s support because Noi is the one from her family who had ever
lived in the City before. She encourages herself to fight for Dawan‟s right to get a
better education because she believes that Dawan can also bring change to the
family eventhough she is a girl.
c. Kwai
Kwai is Dawan‟s brother and also known as Dawan‟s rival to get the
scholarship. Kwai is disappointed because the one who wins the scholarship is
not him, but his own sister, Dawan.
“It‟s fine for you to spout off ideals like that,” her brother interrupted
rudely, his voice growing louder and sharper at every sentence. “But what
can you do to bring them about? You‟re only a girl. You won‟t be able to
fight, or to argue loudly, or to lead people in times of crisis. All you‟re
good at is studying --- that‟s how you got the scholarship in the first
place.” (p. 51).
Kwai used to be close to Dawan and they often share their ideas together.
They usually support each other and it is seen when Kwai asks their father to
permit Dawan to go to school with him in their village. However, after the result
comes out, Kwai makes a distance with his sister. He even underestimates his
sister‟s capability to bring the change for their family and their village.
Eventhough Dawan has explained that she wants to get better education because
she needs the knowledge to improve their village and also their lives, Kwai still
insists that, as a girl, Dawan cannot achieve her dream because she will not be
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29
able to fight, to argue, or even to lead people. For him, all girls can do is just
studying but they cannot apply it to get a better life.
“Why go and study more when all you‟re going to end up doing sooner or
later is cook and raise babies anyway, like Mama?” he demanded,
punctuating every few words by hurling a pebble onto the smooth river
surface (p. 111).
Kwai states this statement when he meets Dawan on the day she will leave
the village to study in the city. Once again, Kwai is in doubt to let his sister take
the scholarship and go far away from their village. He questions the reason why
Dawan should learn far away from home and he believes that Dawan will end up
having fate like any other girls in the village.
d. Noi and Ghan
Noi is Dawan‟s cousin. She and her husband, Ghan, have ever lived in the
city before. She lives in the city to work there and earn three times more money in
the city than anyone can earn in the village.
She listened more closely to the adult conversation, and heard Noi saying,
“But what can a young girl hope to learn, alone in the City? There is
nothing good or healthy there, my Aunt. She will only become bitter and
angry.” (p. 35).
That conversation is only between Dawan‟s mother, Noi and Ghan. The
gender schema refers to a young girl who is seen as someone fragile that needs to
be protected. Nobody trusts a girl to leave alone, especially in the city, a place
where there is no relatives and families. People do not expect anything to a girl
who studies in the City because for them, it is useless. Furthermore, a girl is not
an independent person, like a boy, so it will be hard for close family to let girls
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30
live independently in the city. In addition, Noi describes the city as a place that
creates tough life which is not the same as what is in people‟s imagination.
“That is true,” Ghan confirmed. “There is no sense in a young girl going
off into the City alone.” (p. 35).
To suppport her wife, Ghan states the same statement about how a girl
should not leave the village to live alone in the city. Noi and Ghan has the same
opinion about the city because for them, that place is not appropriate for a girl to
live alone. It will be different if the one who lives alone in the City is a boy. There
will be more supports for him because boys are trusted and know how to manage
themselves and feed themselves. By the time a girl has a chance to live in the city,
there will be more contradictory opinions towards it rather than pro opinions.
“But that‟s exactly the point,” Noi broke in sharply. “She doesn‟t have to
go to the City, does she? She can go to school here.” (p. 35).
From the statement above, the writer finds that Noi creates her own point
of view about how a girl should get education. Girls may get more education, yet
they are not expected to do many things for the society by earning the knowledge
from school. Noi keeps insisting that there is no reason for a girl to study in the
city because they can still learn in the village. Moreover, the city is seen as a
dangerous place for her because she has been through tough life in there. For her,
it will be better for a girl to live in the village and keep doing her fate to cook and
raise the baby, rather than going through tough life in the city which is full of
unfairness and injustice for poor people like villagers.
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31
“You see what happens when you try to have your own way, Dawan? In
the long run, it‟s not worth it to fight with boys. You‟ve only got a cut leg
now, but next time it may not be your own brother you‟re fighting with,
and you may be hurt even more. Believe me, it‟s painful in this world to
get in the way of men.” (p.87).
Noi is in the market to help Dawan when Dawan‟s leg gets hurt. It is
injured because Kwai is very angry to her and pushes her away. Noi seems to be
angry to Dawan because Dawan still struggles to get support to talk to her father,
while her own brother is very angry to her. The gender schema that can be found
in Noi‟s statement is that girls should not fight the boys because girls are weak
and have no power. Girls should just obey and accept what the boys say. Once
girls try to resist boys, they should accept the consequences of getting hurt.
Therefore, many girls gives up their chance if it means they have to counter boys.
e. The Old Monk
When Dawan almost gives up to find any supports so that her father can
permit her to go to the city, she has an idea to ask the old monk to talk to her
father. Her father respects the old monk so much, that is why her father might
allow her to go if the one who talks to him is the old monk.
Like a tired breeze through dry weeds, the old monk sighed softly. “How
can I help you do something that I don‟t believe in? You‟re still young,
child, but I don‟t think you should waste any more time dreaming such
futile dreams. What can a mere schoolgirl hope to achieve anyway? Be
satisfied with that...” (p. 75).
The old monk used to think wisely. For him, to make a change, someone
does not need to go to the city and gets education there, especially if that person is
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32
a girl. He clearly states that he believes a girl should not waste her time to
improve herself. Having a dream to get better education in the city is a fustile and
impossible thing to achieve. The old monk also states that a girl should just accept
what is available for them and not expect more. It means, girls should not have a
chance to learn more because they need to be grateful of their fates and be
satisfied with that.
In addition, the old monk is actually a neutral person who just accepts the
condition in the village. The old monk does not want to help Dawan because he
does not want to be involved in internal conflict in Dawan‟s family. For him, what
Dawan‟s father does can be justified because it is not safe for a girl to live alone
in the city which full of strange people and far from home. Although at the
beginning, the old monk seems to underestimate Dawan‟s role as a girl, at the end,
he states his opinion wisely, yet still shows gender schema about how a mere girl
should not waste her time to dream a fustile and useless dream while there are so
many things to be grateful in the village.
f. Dawan’s Grandmother
Unlike the other characters who show their opposite opinions toward
Dawan‟s scholarship, Dawan‟s grandmother consistently shows her support to
Dawan from the beginning until the end of the novel.
“Child,” she said, touching her granddaughter‟s hand lightly, “I‟m proud
of you.” (p. 30).
Gender schema that appears in this Dawan‟s grandmother‟s statement is
about the equality of boys and girls. In her eyes, both Dawan and Kwai, whoever
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33
get the scholarship, will always make the family proud and she will support it no
matter what. Dawan‟s grandmother shows that she is really proud of Dawan‟s
achievement of getting the scholarship eventhough Dawan‟s father shows the
opposite response. She encourages Dawan to talk to her father again and find
some supports so that Dawan‟s father can change his mind about boys and girls
should have the equal chance to get more education in the city.
The old woman grunted, and squeezed Dawan‟s hand firmly. “Now don‟t
you start being scared all the time too, child! Your mother‟s bad
enough...let‟s not have two rabbits in the house! Besides, what is there to
be afraid of?” (p. 102).
This time, Dawan‟s grandmother shows that a girl should not just follow
what is commanded to her and what people say. She convinces Dawan that she
does not need to be afraid of achieving something that she believes. Dawan should
be brave to fight for her right to get better education and make changes to her
village by studying more knowledge in the city. Dawan‟s grandmother says
„rabbit‟ which refers to girls or women who are seen as inferior gender that do not
even have chance to speak up their mind. She does not want Dawan to grow up to
be a common girl in the village who cannot even dare to struggle for their own
improvements.
In a voice slow and heavy with age, the old woman said, “You have a long
life ahead of you yet, child, and this is just the first step. If you‟re this
timid now how on earth are you going to face all the struggle still before
you? Gather yourself together, and face the world out there with clear bold
eyes. You hear me?” (p. 116).
Grandmother is a supportive character who always sees the positivity in
everything. For her, a girl, especially Dawan, still has a long journey of life.
PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI
34
Eventhough someone is a girl, it does not mean she has to stop walking when
superior people say they have to stop. Girls have their right to get a better life and
be given the same chance to make changes. Dawan‟s grandmother wants to show
that going to the City is only the beginning of Dawan‟s responsibility towards her
life. A girl should be brave and independent so that she can face all of the
obstacles and problems that may appear later. Moreover, it is possible for a girl to
take a risk and learn on how to improve themselves, just like what the boys do.
g. Bao
Bao is Vichai‟s sister who sells lotus buds and caged sparrows every
morning in the market. Vichai is Dawan‟s classmate at the school. Dawan has just
met Bao in the market when she wants to buy lotus bud for the old monk but the
only person who wants to sell it in ten pennies is only Bao.
Bao nodded excitedly. Taking a deep breath, she blurred out, “We girls
have always had to stand aside and let our brothers do all the challenging
things. And when we become wives, we‟ll have to stand aside for our
husbands. And when we‟re mothers, we‟ll stand aside for our children.”
(p. 78-79).
Bao states a gender schema that refers to girls‟ roles in their society. Girls
are described as figures who are only created to accompany boys in their life.
Girls are not created to stand in their own feet and be independent. Girls should let
boys do challenging things because girls are considered as weak and dependent
people. It can be seen from the statement that Bao wants to point out how girls are
not even trusted to do many things boys do. Girls and women are there in the
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35
society to follow men and obey what men say to them. Women rely too much on
men and cannot decide their own path in life.
However, Bao adds a statement:
“You‟ve earned your chance for flying to a bigger world, to pursue your
own ideals. Don‟t yield to your brother now. You have to push forward
and struggle if you want to be free, and equal to your brother.” (p. 79).
This statement means Dawan has to fight for her right to get a better
education. She has been given chance to learn more knowledge in the City, which
not many of girls from the village may get. „Flying‟ does not mean literally flying
like a bird does. If the cage door is already opened, someone is free to fly.
Dawan‟s door is opened because she has given chance to get the scholarship. It
means, she should not be afraid to fly because she has been free now to improve
herself. It is now her responsibility to push herself and struggle for her right to be
equal to her brother and use the chance to be useful for her life, her family, and
her village.
2. Gender Schema as a Result of Internal Factor
The internal factor appears in Dawan‟s herself. At the beginning, she
becomes a pessimistic girl who cannot see a chance for her to go to the city. After
she knows that she is the winner of the scholarship, she becomes an optimistic girl
who wants to fight for her right to get better education.
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36
a. Pessimism
Dawan is so pessimistic about her own capability to get the scholarship.
Then Kwai understood, and sat down next to her again, "Is it because
today that marks come in and we find out who won the scholarship that
you don't want to go? Sister, are you afraid of finding out? ( p. 11).
From Kwai‟s statement, it can be inferred that Dawan does not want to
move and go to school because she does not want to find out the winner of the
scholarship to continue the school in the city. She looks worried and afraid of the
announcement because she is not sure that she can win the scholarship.
After a while, she glanced at her brother and asked, “What if you did do
best in our village, Kwai? You will go, won‟t you?” (p. 11).
Dawan‟s pessimistic attitude is shown in this statement where she responds
her brother‟s question. She is very sure that her brother, Kwai, will win the
scholarship because he used to be the best in their village and he can go to the city
without thinking further or facing any obstacles. When her brother assumes that
she is afraid to face the result, she cannot answer it quickly because she needs a
few minutes to give response. However, she does not give any answer towards her
brother‟s question. She states another questions that show her uncertainty of her
capability to win the scholarship.
“He likes you more,” she insisted in a low voice. “Especially today,
when you will receive the government scholarship.”
“ Stop talking as if I had already won that scholarship!” Kwai
interrupted. There are plenty of other students in our village who might get
it, you kow.”
“ Like who?” Dawan challenged.
Kwai fell silent, as if he was mentally considering every member of
his class who might win. Finally he blurted, “How about you, Sister? You
could win.”
“Me?” Dawan flushed. “But I‟m a girl.” (p. 13 - 14)
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37
In Dawan‟s statement, „he‟ refers to their teacher at school. According to
Dawan, their teacher focuses on Kwai more than the other students. The teacher
often talks about many problems that appear in their village with Kwai. Dawan
thinks that the teacher really wants Kwai to get the scholarship. Moreover, Dawan
also makes her own gender schema when she states that she will not go to the city
and win the scholarship because she is a girl. For her, the one who deserves the
scholarship must be a boy. She underestimates herself as a girl compared to Kwai
who has more chance to win the scholarship.
“You know why,” Dawan said without looking at her brother, her hand
clenched tight over the edge of the wooden bridge. “I‟m a girl, Kwai.” (p.
14)
At the end of Chapter One from Sing to the Dawn novel, Dawan once
again gives a statement about how she underestimates herself. She creates her
own schema about a girl‟s right. For her, she is just a girl who should not go to the
city and get a better education there. She believes that her teacher will choose
Kwai instead of her because she thinks that it will be easier for a boy to be sent to
the City. In this case, Dawan realizes that eventhough she always gets good marks
in the class and studies harder than Kwai does, there is still no possibility to get
the scholarship. This schema influences her way of thinking.
PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI
38
b. Optimisim
The teacher tells the whole class about the winner of the scholarship. The
one who gets the scholarship is Dawan which is a surprising news for everybody.
That cheerful voice seemed to ring in her ears now, as her bare feet trailed
along the path, toward home. “Kwai already knows the „good news‟,” she
thought to herself uneasilty, “and he hates me for it.” (p. 25)
Dawan knows that Kwai is so disappointed because he cannot win the
scholarship. While Dawan is surrounded by a crowd of curious and chattering
classmates, she saw her brother, Kwai, is standing alone in the doorway and
silently watching her in the middle of her admirers. Seeing him standing there,
Dawan thinks that Kwai is not happy for her. Once again, she feels she does not
deserve the scholarship.
Her heart sank: her father would be in an even worse mood than usual,
making her news that much harder to break. She tried to speak, but the fear
in her heart chained down her words (p. 27-28).
At that time, Dawan is afraid of telling her father about the news. She
knows that her father will be angry when he knows that the one who wins the
scholarship is herself and not her brother. Her father has many expectations
towards Kwai because Kwai is a boy. This condition creates a schema in Dawan‟s
self that she cannot get her father‟s support to go to the City to get a better
education, unless she is a boy. As a girl, it is frightening to speak to her father,
especially when the news that she wants to share is a „bad‟ news for her father.
She looked up at him appealingly, and continued, “How can I give up my
one chance? You know Father has already said that this will be the last
year he will pay for my school-fee. If I don‟t use this scholarship I won‟t
be able to get any more schooling. But you‟ll have many more chances
yet. He said he‟ll send you to school as long as you want to go on
studying.” (p. 50)
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39
This statement goes to Kwai after Kwai tells Dawan that he actually places
at the second rank, right after his own sister. Kwai says that he will be sent to the
City if his sister cannot go to the City. Dawan is so surprised to hear that
information because she is afraid that Kwai will tell their father that he places at
the second rank. While Dawan is arguing with her brother, she directly creates a
schema about gender stereotypes. She tells Kwai that she needs to go to the City
because there will be no chance for her to study again, while Kwai has many
chances to learn because their father will not hesitate to pay for his study in the
village. For Dawan, she should take the scholarship because her father does not
want to pay further for her study if she keeps studying in the village. The
scholarship is the one and only chance for her, as a girl, to get a better education.
And Dawan herself? What could she do? She was just a girl. Wouldn‟t she
grow up just to be a wife and a mother? What could she do with more
learning? (p. 56)
A schema about gender stereotypes appears in Dawan‟s mind. She
questions her role in her society as a girl. In her society, a girl is destined to be a
wife and a mother without having better education. For them, there is no use of
getting better education because girls cannot do anything for the society. A boy is
expected more to make changes in the society. Dawan tries to think about what
she can do if she gets better learning. In this case, she is really in doubt about her
right to be more than just a wife and a mother because girls are inferior and boys
are more superior.
“... I can read now only because I was given a chance to, when my brother
helped talk our father into letting me study years ago and...” (p. 63)
PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI
40
This statement shows that Dawan will not get a chance to study if her
brother does not talk to their father. For Dawan, she is just a girl who has no
chance to study because she will end up staying at home for her whole life. She
thinks that her role is not that important for her father. The schema is more about
how influential boys are. In this case, Kwai can easily influence her father to let
Dawan go to school. If Dawan herself tells her father about how she wants to go
to school, her father will not accept her wish.
C. Dawan’s Mind Development
To answer the second research problem, the writer uses theory of mind by
Davidson (1963). He states that center of a theory of mind is conceptual triad of
constructs actions, beliefs, and desires (as cited in Bartsch, 1995, p. 5). The writer
correlates gender schemas that have been found in the novel to those three center
of theory of mind which are beliefs, desires, and action. In this section, the writer
describes how gender schemas influence Dawan‟s mind development from the
beginning of the story until the end.
1. Beliefs
According to Davidson (1963), beliefs refer to a general category of
thoughts involving knowledge, opinions, guesses, convictions, and hunches. (as
cited in Bartsch, 1995, p. 5). Those are all the mental states that reflect something
true about the world. The writer finds some kinds of beliefs that are found in the
PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI
41
novel, especially from gender schemas. Beliefs that are found in the novel are
opinions, convictions and hunches.
a. Opinions
Opinions are parts of beliefs that influence Dawan‟s mind development.
There are some gender schemas that are considered as opinions which contribute
to Dawan‟s mind development. Those gender schemas are found in statements
from many characters in Dawan‟s life. The gender schemas are constructed and
then influence Dawan‟s mind, especially her opinions towards the equality of
gender in her village.
Their parents had considered it foolish and wasteful to send girls to school.
It was not until Kwai had started school himself and kept insisting that his
sister be allowed to join him that Dawan was finally permitted to go too.
(p. 14).
The quotation above is about Dawan‟s parents‟ opinion which is related to
education for their son and daughter. It can be seen that there is no equality
between boys and girls for them because education is only for boys. Dawan, as a
girl, is actually not meant to be permitted to go to school, like her brother, Kwai.
Their parents never intend to send Dawan to school because the only one who will
be sent is Kwai. Dawan is finally allowed to get education because Kwai asks
their parents to send Dawan to school with him. If Kwai does not ask their parents
to do so, Dawan would never be given a chance to study at school.
For Dawan‟s parents, it is useless and foolish to send their daughter to
learn something at the school. They do not expect anything to Dawan, while they
expect many things from Kwai because he is a boy. A boy should get more
knowledge rather than a girl, so Dawan‟s parents only allow Kwai to be sent to
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42
school at the beginning. They say it is foolish to send girls to school because for
them, girls cannot do many things to improve their family‟s life, while boys are
believed to bring a better life to the family. It is also considered as wasteful
because they think that they will waste more money if they have to send Dawan to
school too, and Dawan will not give anything to them as a feedback.
As a result, Dawan also thinks the same way about her chance to go to
school. It can be seen from her statement to Bao when Bao gives her compliment
about her scholarship.
“It‟s not that people are born smarter or dumber than one another. It‟s the
way different chances have been given or denied people that makes them
so different after a while. I can read now only because I was given a
chance to, when my brother helped to talk to our father into letting me
study years ago and...” (p. 63).
When Bao praises Dawan after she knows that Dawan gets the scholarship,
Dawan responses wisely. She gives her opinion towards her luck to get education
at school. Similar to her parents‟ opinion, she also believes that she is just lucky
because she has a brother who can ask their parents to give her chance to go to
school and study many things there. For her, getting the scholarship does not
mean that she is smart. She improves her capability at school to the fullest, so that
she can get the first rank at school. Dawan believes that her chance to be sent to
school in the village leads her to the chance to get the scholarship to study in the
city.
b. Convictions
Conviction is one of belief that can be found in the novel. This kind of
belief is different from opinions because conviction is more strict than opinions
PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI
43
and it is also harder to be changed. Dawan‟s conviction is influenced by the old
monk‟s statement. It can be seen in the old monk‟s quote:
“Well then, once you realize that things of this world don‟t last, then you
also see that they are not really important. So you learn to stop wanting
ordinary things, and are able to concentrate on the higher truths...” (p.73).
The old monk gives the understanding from Buddha‟s life to Dawan when
she tells him about how she concerns on her village‟s condition which full of
unfairness and poverty. She tells the old monk that she wants to study in the city
so that she can improve the village when she finishes her study in the city. The old
monk keeps talking that nothing lasts forever to Dawan because he actually does
not think that Dawan can go to the city. He thinks that Dawan should be grateful
of her life in the village and not go to the city to get a better education.
Moreover, the old monk has also stated:
Like a tired breeze through dry weeds, the old monk sighed softly. “How
can I help you do something that I don‟t believe in? You‟re still young,
child, but I don‟t think you should waste any more time dreaming such
futile dreams. What can a mere schoolgirl hope to achieve anyway? Be
satisfied with that...” (p. 75).
The old monk states that he does not believe that a girl should get a better
education. He convinces Dawan that she should not go to the city to achieve
something useless there because she is just a girl. Once again, the old monk tells
Dawan that she has to be satisfied with her condition in the village. These
statements from the old monk influence Dawan‟s mind development, especially
her conviction towards her chance to go to the city.
What, after all, was the sense of trying so hard, of hoping and arguing, if in
the end the only result would be more frustration? If Kwai were the one
going to study in the City, things would never be this difficult for him:
should she just graciously give in to him now then? (p. 77).
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44
Dawan starts to lose her hope to get supports, so she talks to her father and
gets his permission. She thinks about the old monk‟s statement about how she
should let her dreams go because it is just a futile dream for him. Dawan almost
gives up on her dream to get a better life after studying in the city. She takes into
consideration the old monk words that encourage her to be satisfied with her
condition in the village. She is frustrated because even the old monk does not
want to help her to talk to her father.
c. Hunches
The hunches cannot be found explicitly from the novel. The writer can find
some gender schemas that trigger Dawan‟s mind development in the field of her
belief. Most of those gender schemas are from Noi‟s statement about her
experience in the City.
“I could tell you some things about the young girls in the City that would
make your teeth fall out, my Aunt,” she said bitterly (p. 41).
Noi once lives in the village and she experiences tough and bitter life there.
She warns her aunt, Dawan‟s mother, that Dawan should not go to the city to
study because the city is a dangerous place for her. Noi keeps saying that city is
not a place for a young girl like Dawan. A girl is not treated well and appropriate
in the city, according to Noi. This statement influences Dawan‟s mind in a
positive way.
Stirring uneasily, Dawan asked, “If things are so unfair in the City, how
will remaining in our little village ever change anything?” (p. 42).
From Dawan‟s statement above, the writer infers that Dawan becomes
more curious about the city and it creates the new belief about the city. She makes
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45
hunches about how she can change her village‟s current condition to be better if
she can go to the city and get more knowledge there. She becomes more critical
and sees the positive side of the unfairness condition in the city for a girl like her.
She is guessing what will happen to her in the city if she has not been given a
chance to really go to that place. Dawan creates her own belief towards the city
while Noi is insisting not to help her to get her father‟s permission.
She began to wonder if it was right for her to assert herself, to stand
in Kwai‟s way. Perhaps her father was right after all; with more schooling,
Kwai could find good jobs, and earn some money to help the family.
Maybe someday he might even become strong and important, and have the
power to change the injustices in their village and in the country.
And Dawan herself? What could she do? She was just a girl.
Wouldn‟t she grow up just to be a wife and a mother? What could she do
with more learning? (p. 56).
Dawan starts to make hunches towards her capability to get the scholarship
and study in the city. She supposes that she does not deserve the scholarship and
the one who deserves it is actually Kwai because Kwai is a boy. She
underestimates herself by acknowledging her future role as a woman who can
only cook and raise the babies. She cannot see herself as a capable person to do
the same things like the boys may do. She thinks that she cannot bring the change
when finally she comes back to the village after studying in the city school.
2. Desires
In addition to beliefs, desires is also the center of Dawan‟s mind
development. According to Davidson (1963), desires are to be understood as a
general category including wants, urges, and states of caring about something (as
cited in Bartsch, 1995, p. 5). Those three parts of desires are also known as a
PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI
46
whole range of "pro-attitudes" toward or about something. Desires can also be
seen as an attitude which encourages someone to do something and bring faith to
someone‟s decision and action.
a. Wants
In this novel, the writer finds that Dawan‟s desire to go to the city and
study many things there. Dawan really wants to get the scholarship at the
beginning, but she keeps her dream in her heart. When finally the teacher
announces the winner of the scholarship, which is her, she does many efforts to
get supports from many parties.
“ I mean, that‟s why I want so badly to go to school in the City. As it is
now, all we ourselves know about are the little bits and pieces of
unfairness that we have experienced. It‟s hard to change things, even the
smallest thing, without changing the overall pattern that these things are a
part of. I keep thinking that there must be a whole order to this, a system
with rules and laws all mapped out in it. And I want to study how the
system works and moves, and then I think I could help to find a better
one.” (p. 43).
Dawan really wants to go to the city because she knows that everything in
there has been more advanced than in the village and there are many useful things
that are taught in the city school. Dawan knows that villagers need to know more
things to improve their own life. She thinks that she can fight for her people if she
has gained more knowledge in the city. Moreover, for Dawan, villagers like her,
only know a little about things, that is why they experience injustice and never
live a fair life.
She knows that getting the scholarship means she bears responsibilities.
There are injustice and unfairness in her village that need to be changed, so she
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47
has to learn more than what are taught in the village school. When finally she
understands and analyzes the system that causes poverty in her village and creates
injustices, she can help improving the village to be better. Everyone in the village
can get what they deserve. By learning more in the city, she wants to find a new
system which is fairer and useful for her own people. Dawan knows that it will be
hard to change the system that has been in her village before, but she believes that
she can do it, she will encourage people in the village to work together right after
she finishes her study in the city.
“I want to see for myself,” she said. And her voice was soft, but firm. (p.
46).
Dawan knows that the city is heartless and cruel according to Noi and her
husband, Ghan. They have experienced it when they once live in the city. She
knows that they have a tough life there because they have to work for rich people
and never get paid fairly. However, Dawan still wants to try it by herself, to see
the city by herself. She wants to get through it and challenges herself to deal with
the situation in the city.
After thinking that she needs to challenge herself to struggle in the city,
Dawan starts to convince her father by herself.
“Only that I hope you will be as fair and kind towards me as my brother
has been, Father,” she said softly (p. 105).
Dawan learns how to ask her father‟s permission politely. She also finds
bravery to speak up her mind to him when they are debating about the
scholarship. She sees that her father has been unfair to her just because she is a
girl and Kwai is a boy. She begins to state that she wants her father to treat her as
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48
fair as he treats Kwai eventhough she is not a boy. Moreover, she dares to say the
unfairness that has already been done by her father towards her. She wants her
father to know that she is also a human who has right to be fight for.
b. Urges
This kind of desires is different from wants. Urges can be described as
supports that come from the inside of Dawan. Dawan urges herself right after she
finds out that there are many people who are opposite to her optimism to study in
the city.
“Mother, I am going now,” Dawan said, her voice small but determined.
(p. 32).
Dawan states this statement right after her grandmother supports her and
asks her to go to Noi‟s home. She realizes that her mother does not even support
her after listening to her news because her mother is afraid of her father. Yet,
Dawan stands still and reinforces herself to go to Noi‟s house so that she can ask
Noi to talk to her father. Actually, Dawan is scared to her father and starts to
underestimate herself after being scolded by her parents. After getting support
from her grandmother, she decides to go and find outside supports rather than
from her own inner family.
Listening to Noi‟s bitter words, Dawan felt a dread of the City for the first
time (p. 42).
Dawan is very shocked to hear the city‟s situation as Noi describes it to
her. It is because Noi used to tell how beautiful and great the city is to all people
she knows. Noi finally admits that she has been telling them a lie when Dawan‟s
mother tells her that Dawan gets a scholarship to go to the city. Noi tells Dawan
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49
many things that lead her in a doubt. Noi‟s intention to make Dawan afraid is
successful because Dawan almost gives up at that time. When Noi tells her that
the situation in the village is much better than in the city, Dawan loses her hope to
get Noi‟s support.
However, Dawan understands more about the reason why the city becomes
the most heartless place for Noi and Ghan.
And seeing the three of them together like this in their shady hut, Dawan
suddenly understood why they had returned to their village, and had hated
the city, the crowded, ugly, heartless city (p. 45).
Eventhough Dawan feels insecure when Noi tells her that the city is not a
good place for young girl like her, Dawan realizes that Noi states those
frightening opinions towards the city because she has been through hard life and
the unfair life there. Noi cannot even fight for her right because she goes to the
city only to work without gaining some knowledge there. Dawan urges herself
right after she sees how suffering Noi‟s family is. She suddenly finds her strength
again to fight for her scholarship because she thinks that she can change Noi‟s
family‟s sorrow, and also people in her village who are the victim of injustice, by
studying useful things in the city.
“You know Father has already said that this will be the last year he will
pay for my school-fee. If I don‟t use this scholarship, I won‟t be able to get
any more schooling.” (p. 50).
Dawan realizes that her condition as a girl, forces her to choose whether
she has to give the scholarship up or fights for it until her father gives his
permission. She actually considers the fact that her father never intends to send
her to school if Kwai does not ask him to do that. Dawan knows that her father
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does not expect much on her study because she is not a boy who is trusted to
improve the family‟s condition. Dawan encourages herself to fight for her right to
get better education in the city because she knows that her father cannot pay for
her school-fee in the village. She needs to take the scholarship if she still wants to
get education.
At that time, Dawan‟s family is in the crisis because her family has to pay
the rent for the rice-fields by giving many sacks of rice to the landlord‟s tax
collector. Dawan sees this situation as an unfair situation for all people in the
village because they have to prepare sacks of rice while there is not enough rice
for the family itself. Dawan knows that many people are suffering because of this
cruel situation. That is why she promises to improve the village when she gets
enough knowledge on how to make changes.
Instead of the crisis in the village, Dawan urges herself to struggle more
because she gets underestimated by her brother, Kwai. Kwai is still jealous to
Dawan because he wants to get the scholarship too.
“I‟m every bit as good as you are! Shut up!” (p. 51).
This statement appears when Dawan is in argument with her brother,
Kwai. Kwai underestimates her capability and he states that he is not sure that
Dawan can bring an improvement to their village after she finishes her study in
the city. After listening to Kwai who has just mocked her, she finds herself
changing to be a confident girl. She knows that she can do what most boys do and
she believes that she is not that bad to do many useful things for the village later.
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Her desire to get her right to study becomes greater when she finds her
confidence.
Dawan felt a strong need to struggle for her right but knew this new will
and determination would count for very little, without some outside source
of support (p. 56).
Dawan‟s situation seems impossible to be dealt with because her father has
his own point of view and the fact that she is a girl. She knows that the only way
to get through this situation is only by fighting for her right and winning her
father‟s trust on her. Since women‟s role is not seen as the important one, Dawan
has to find outside supports instead of her mother and her grandmother‟s supports.
Her father might change his mind if Dawan can ask some people to help her in
arguing with her father. She cannot fight alone by herself because her father will
not consider it and might stand still on his own opinion.
“All right, Grandmother, I‟ll be strong, and brave.” (p. 102)
This statement shows that Dawan has been sure to herself and not afraid
anymore to challenge herself. She knows that she cannot win her father‟s heart if
she does not even trust herself that she deserves the scholarship. She becomes
stronger after experiencing many rejections from people and seeing people
underestimating her capability to study in the city. She is braver to face her father
and tell her father that it is her right to get a better education. Meanwhile, she does
all of those things to improve their life in the village, and not only for her own
satisfactory.
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c. States of Caring about Something
Mostly, this kind of desire appears when Dawan has to face her lovely
brother, Kwai. Kwai and her used to be very close before they know that the
winner of the scholarship is Dawan.
Why must it be this way, Dawan wanted to cry out. Must one person‟s joy
be based on another‟s sorrow? Why must someone be left behind when
another spurts ahead? Why can‟t we develop together, and move forward
together? (p. 107).
Dawan loves her brother more than anything in this world. Eventhough
Kwai gets angry to him and pushes her away, Dawan still cares to her brother and
considers his feeling so much. For Dawan, Kwai‟s happiness is beyond
everything. She has ever told Kwai that she will support Kwai eventhough the
winner of the scholarship is Kwai and not her. She really wants to win the
scholarship with her brother so that there will be no problem arises between them.
She does not want to hurt her brother‟s heart by going to the city when he knows
that her brother also has the same dream with her.
3. Actions
According to Bartsch (1995) “actions, as a part of the triad which
constructs the mind development, lead to discernible outcomes in the world, and
these outcomes in turn can provoke reactions of predictable sorts” (p. 6). The
outcomes can also be considered as reactions towards the belief and desire. In this
study, the writer finds that there are Dawan‟s actions appears because of her belief
and her desire. Dawan‟s actions are very dynamic because she often changes her
mind and it influences her actions.
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At the beginning, Dawan starts to act bravely by telling her father about the
winner of the scholarship which is her. This action is a result of her desire to study
in the city and her belief that she also has the right to get the scholarship.
Rejection from her father makes Dawan lose her hope. Yet, she gets supports
from her grandmother and her mother. Her next action is that she goes to Noi‟s
house with her mother to ask for Noi‟s help. Her desire to go to the city leads her
to convince Noi that she will be greater if she studies in the city which is more
advanced than the village.
Dawan‟s action also appears when she has her own initiative to find the old
monk and ask for his help. She knows that her father respects the old monk and
maybe wants to listen to the old monk‟s opinion towards her scholarship.
Although this action leads her into rejection again, she does not give up at that
time because she gets support from Bao. After that, she tells her brother, Kwai,
that she actually wants to get support from Kwai too.
Then, Dawan does the final action by telling her father that she deserves
the scholarship. She gives her argument that a girl should be given a chance to
learn. She tells her father to give her chance and let her try to improve herself by
studying in the city. This action brings her to the solution of her problem because
her father finally allows her to go to the city and starts to trust her as a girl who
can also has right to learn more knowledge.
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CHAPTER V
CONCLUSIONS, IMPLICATIONS AND SUGGESTIONS
This chapter consists of three parts. They are the conclusions, implications
and the suggestions. The conclusions are related to the gender schemas and their
influences that can found towards Dawan‟s mind development. The implications
provide the writer‟s reflection and the implication of the study to education. The
suggestions consist of the suggestions for the future writers and English teachers.
A. Conclusions
The first finding is about the description of Dawan. In this novel, Dawan is
considered as a major character. Dawan always appears in the whole story which
means she appears from the beginning of the story until the end. Moreover,
Dawan is also a dynamic character because she is the central character and she
changes over time as a result of facing a central conflict.
Dawan, a young village girl, wins a scholarship to study in a city school.
Her brother, Kwai, places second and is initially jealous. Kwai‟s jealousy causes a
conflict between the two previously-close siblings. This hostility is further
exacerbated by Dawan's father, who feels that the city is not a place for a girl.
Dawan faces obstacles at every turn, and eventually overcomes these obstacles.
She proves to herself and to others that she is fully capable of handling the
scholarship and the responsibility it entails. The conflict in this novel is mostly
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about Dawan, so she is the major character. Dawan also changes over time, from a
pessimistic person into an optimistic person, so she is a dynamic character in this
novel.
The second finding is about gender schemas that are found in the novel.
Those gender schemas is divided into two which are gender schemas as a result of
internal factor and gender schemas as a result of external factor. The internal
factor comes from Dawan‟s self. Dawan is a pessimistic person before she knows
that she is the winner of the scholarship. She constructs her own gender schema
when she thinks she cannot win the scholarship and keeps insisting that she
cannot win her father‟s heart because she is a girl. After knowing that she is the
winner of the scholarship, she becomes more optimistic eventhough she gets
many rejections.
There are many parties that contribute in those external gender schemas.
The first is Dawan‟s father who believes that no girl should learn more while all
they can do is just taking care of home and the children. The second is Dawan‟s
mother. In this novel, Dawan‟s mother is a character that shows how women are
inferior rather than men. The third is Kwai which is Dawan‟s brother, her rival to
get the scholarship. Kwai points out that Dawan does not deserve the scholarship
because all she can do is only studying without knowing how to practice what she
learns. The fourth is Noi and Ghan who state that nobody trusts a girl to leave
alone, especially in the City, a place where there is no relatives and families. The
fifth is the old monk who states that, to make a change, someone does not need to
go to the City and gets education there, especially if that person is a girl. The sixth
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character is Dawan‟s grandmother who says that girls have their right to get a
better life and be given the same chance to make changes.. The seventh person is
Bao who says that a girl should not be afraid to fly because it is her responsibility
to struggle for her right to be equal to her brother and use the chance to be useful
for her life, her family, and her village.
The third finding is about how gender schemas influence Dawan‟s mind
development. There are three stages that construct Dawan‟s mind development,
which are beliefs, desires, and actions. Dawan‟s beliefs can be found in opinions,
convictions, and hunches. Then, Dawan‟s desires can be seen on Dawan‟s
thoughts when she wants to achieve her dream and to improve herself, when she
urges herself after she gets many rejections from people around her, and stating
of care to others. As a result of her beliefs and desires, she can act appropriately
and proves that she deserves the scholarship to get further education in the city.
B. Implications
This section provides the writer‟s reflection and the implication of the
study. The writer reflects the meaning and the moral values that can be found in
the novel, then correlates them into the real situation nowadays. The implication
of the study has a relation to education.
1. Reflection
Dawan is a character who has influenced my way of thinking. There are
many aspects from Dawan that strengthen me to be a better girl. The first thing
that I get from Dawan‟s character is that I have to be an optimistic girl
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eventhough life is getting harder to deal with. There are many problems in life,
but I should always see possibilities in every problem. I should not give up easily
when I have to face problems which are difficult to be solved. Dawan has taught
me that being optimistic helps me to improve myself because it brings confidence
in me.
The second thing that I get is that I have to be grateful of my condition
right now. Dawan has to fight for her right to study, while I can get that chance
without even struggling. I have to be grateful because my parents have enough
money to pay the school fee so that I can be an educated girl. Dawan inspires me
to always see the positivity in every condition and to fight for many unfortunate
girls out there who do not have chance to study like me.
The third thing that I get is I have to treat people equally. I should not
classify people based on their race, religion, gender, and so on. This novel teaches
me that genders should be treated the same. Children should have the same
chances and rights. Girls, especially village girls, should also get the same chance
to get better education like boys. The differences should be used as a tool to unite
people.
2. Implications
This study can be implicated to education field because it is about gender
problems that are commonly found in our society. This study can be used as a
material to teach character building for the students. To build an appropriate
character in children‟s mind, the teachers may use this study to engage the
students‟ attention to the the problems towards gender equality.
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C. Suggestions
In this part, the writer provides suggestions for future researchers who are
interested in Sing to the Dawn novel and suggestion for English teachers in using
this novel as a learning material to teach English.
1. Suggestion for Future Researchers
There are many aspects that can be studied from this novel. This study only
analyzes the influence of gender schemas towards Dawan‟s mind development.
The writer suggests the future researchers to emphasize the study by doing the
analysis towards the influence of gender schemas towards Kwai‟s mind
development because Kwai is the second major character.
2. Suggestion for English Teacher
Sing to the Dawn has been known as a novel that is required to be read by
Semester 1 students of English Education Study Program, especially for Book
Report class. This novel is a very good literary work to engage the students
interest towards English literature. What makes this novel special is that the
English language that is used is easy to be understood so that the students can
easily read the book and follow the story without facing many problems in
understanding the language. The story plot is also easy to follow. Therefore, this
novel is recommended to be used as learning material for Book Report class and
Prose class.
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Appendix A
The Summary of Sing to the Dawn Novel
The story is about a young Thai girl called Dawan, who wins a scholarship
to study in a city school. She faces the disapproval of her father who thinks that
studying is not for girls and she should give the scholarship to her brother, Kwai,
as he gets the second rank in the test. Dawan tries many ways to convince her
father to let her pursue her studies.
Dawan tries to convince her father that he should give her a chance to
study. When she approaches anyone for help, she keeps on failing, but she never
gives up. She continues to do so and finally succeed in her mission. Even though
she fails many times, she manages to convince her father by herself in the end.
After getting her father‟s permission, she almost changes her mind to go to the
city because she is afraid of losing her memory of singing together at the dawn
with her brother. However, Dawan decides that she has to go because it is her
responsibility to study in the city and improve the village‟s condition in the future.
The story ends with Dawan sitting on the bus going to the city. When she
passes the bridge, she sees her brother, Kwai, singing the song that they used to
sing every dawn. Then, she sings together with Kwai until she cannot see Kwai
anymore. She looks at the lotus flower her grandmother gives her to convince her
to go. As she sees it unfold, she becomes more convinced that her grandmother is
right about the fact that she should go to the city like the unfolding lotus.
http://tajsmkis.blogspot.co.id/2016/01/sing-to-dawn-minfong-ho.html
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Appendix B
Biography of Min Fong Ho
Ho Minfong (b. 7 January 1951, Rangoon, Myanmar -), an award-winning
author of literature for children and young adults. Ho won the Cultural Medallion
Award, the highest arts accolade in Singapore, in 1997. Although Ho is a
Singaporean, she has spent most of her life abroad, living in Taiwan, Laos and
Cambodia and using them as setting for her stories. She is currently based in the
United States.
Ho was raised in Thailand in an idyllic countryside, a pleasant childhood
that left a deep impression on her adult life and her writing career. She considers
Chinese as her first language and the "language of my heart" because as a child,
her China-born parents had communicated to her both chidingly and lovingly in
Chinese. As she grew older, she picked up Thai from the busy streets,
marketplaces and temple fairs of Bangkok. Thai then became a functional
language. She learned English only later on in school, and thinks of it as the
"language of my head".
Ho was educated in schools in Bangkok and then in Taiwan. She went on
to study economics at Cornell University, USA, where she earned her Bachelor's
and a Master's degrees. Her writing career began at Cornell, when she penned her
thoughts to overcome homesickness. A compendium of notes about how she
missed her home became the basis of her first book, Sing to the Dawn, which was
published in 1975. Upon graduating from Cornell, Ho returned to Singapore and
stayed there for some time.
http://eresources.nlb.gov.sg/infopedia/articles/SIP_433_2005-01-14.html
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