Fictional characters ANALYSIS OF ALEXANDER AND AMALIA JENNINGS LAFARGE IN RITA DOVE’STHE DARKER FACE OF THE EARTH
Abstraction
The Darker Face of the Earthby Rita Dove is chosen to be the focal point of this analysis which specified into two characters—Alexander and Amalia Jennings LaFarge. There are some unsimilarity between Alexander and Amalia Jennings LaFarge in the features and their position of societal category. The aims of this analysis are to place, describe and analyze attitudes, gestures, and traits of Alexander and Amalia Jennings LaFarge. The writer uses descriptive as the method of this analysis and applies New Criticism theory to analyze the features of these character based from the play. New Criticism theory needs a close reading and examines anything that necessary to this analysis merely based from the text in the book of this play. The consequence findings show that there are alone features found within Alexander and Amalia Jennings LaFarge such as spiritual, attention, smart, and so forth. These characters named as Alexander and Amalia Jennings LaFarge played by the writer herself and this analysis hopefully assist the writer besides the readers to do better apprehension in each characters and creates grasp from the histrion to these characters.
Keywords: Fictional characters, Characteristics, New Criticism, Drama
Introduction
Literature is a work of art that is expressed in words. Literary work may hold the same elements with other plants of art, but every work of art has alone individuality and particular significance. Literary plants are grouped into four classs or types. Literary plants have four types which are narrative, play, poesy, and prose ( Roberts, 1983: 54 ) . The writer choses play that is set to be played on the phase. As one type of literature, play is a alone class, “The narrative in a play told like a adult male speaks to another and there are interactions between characters lively unlike novels and poesy where merely the writer tells the narrative. The characters in the play are variant like the characters are non ever human but animate beings or objects can besides be used as a character. It all depends on the wants of the writers want to use ” ( Iwuchukwu, 2008: 46 ) . Character makes play become alive. Fictional characters in the literary plants express the head, duologue and human behaviour in general through conversation and function with the signifiers of interaction between characters that exist in that play ( Roberts, 1988: 64 ) .
This analysis discusses the play of Rita Dove entitledThe Darker Face of the Earthwhich noted as one of Dove’s celebrated play and got inspired from the myth ofOedipusas seen in the struggle that has similar with the narrative of the Greek MythOedipus.The Darker Face of the Earthpublished in 1994 and premiered at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival in Ashland, Oregon in 1996. This play besides later produced at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C. , the royal National Theatre in London and in many other locales ( Oakes 110 ) .The Darker Face of the Earthreflects the struggles that occur in the 17th century, a pre-civil war epoch, where bondage and poorness dominate at that clip. The writer chooses this play because there are many characters found and each character has different traits. This assorted traits make this play go more complex and interestingly to be discuss. The writer merely focuses on Alexander and Amalia Jennings LaFarge because these characters are played by the writer on a staging play for drama category in English Department.
Analysis
This chapter intends to analyse the characters of the playThe Darker Face of the Earthget downing from the word picture of Alexander so the major character, Amalia Jennings LaFarge. The writer gives brief account of each character that mentioned above and adds character analysis worksheet in order to do the readers easier to understand. The theory that used in this analysis is New Criticism. This theory is one of literary attacks which is normally used to construe the significance of a literary work ( Tyson 136 ) . Every information are collect from the formal elements of this play, which is the word picture of characters that presented from their duologues and their gestures information. These word pictures support the writer to say the subject of this play.
- Alexander Characterization
CHARACTER ANALYSIS WORKSHEET
Fictional character Name: Black lovage
ACTOR Name: Capritia Dirgantari
1. CHARACTER Age: In prologue: 40 old ages old ( page 1889 )
In act I and II: 60 old ages old ( page 1897 )
2. PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS
Skin tone: Black ; a nigga ( 1895 )
3. Occupation: A slave on Jennings Plantation ( page 1887 )
4. Trait: a-? Firm ( page 1889 )
a-? Religious ( page 1889 ; 1894 ; 1943-1946 )
a-? Dignified ( page 1889 )
a-? Understanding ( page 1898 )
a-? Care ( page 1903 ; 1904 ; 1944 )
a-‘socialize ( page 1889 ; 1903 ; 1904 ; 1911 ; 1932 ; 1933 ; 1943-1946 ) , the writer found that Alexander got conversation with another slaves on Jennings Plantation in some scenes.
a-? Protective ( page 1903 ; 1904 ) , the writer found that Alexander does non like the fledgling, Augustus because he seems like a wild nigga and Alexander began to surmise Augustus. Black lovage shows his disfavor by did non speak excessively much to Augustus and quipped him in page 1944.
5. Interest: The writer did non happen any stand out of his involvements because in this play he describes small grounds of what are his involvements. Based from his traits, the writer concludes that his involvement is to maintain other slaves save ( page 1903 ) and quit from his drilling everyday life as a slave ( page 1911 ) .
6. Ambition: The writer did non happen any of his aspirations because there is no clear grounds that Alexander articulation to assail Louis and Amalia.
The writer found different and similarity to Alexander’s traits. The different trait is comparing to Alexander’s protective trait. For the writer herself, she has no leery to new comer because she thinks that new comer has a alone word picture to be discovered shortly. The writer is a adult female, so there are some troubles in showing the gestures and modulation of Alexander. The writer thinks that Alexander has similar traits in self-respect and socialize. Even if Alexander a slave, he still presents a good mid-fortiess adult male should move. Black lovage shows his function as the oldest slave in this play to caring and guarding younger slaves. It is similar with the writer that she is the oldest adult female between her folks. To make a better relationship with everyone, the writer agreed with Alexander. Alexander maintain socialize with everyone particularly with the colleagues. By this same trait, the writer feel supported and can easy conceive of how the writer should move when presenting in play.
- Amalia Jennings LaFarge Characterization
CHARACTER ANALYSIS WORKSHEET
Fictional character Name: Amalia Jennings LaFarge
ACTOR Name: Capritia Dirgantari
1. CHARACTER Age: In prologue: Close to 20 old ages old ( page 1889 )
In act I and II: 40 old ages old ( page 1897 )
2. PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS
Skin tone: White ( page 1889 )
3. Occupation: Owner of Jennings Plantation ( page 1890 ; 1902 )
4. Trait: a-? Attractive ( page 1889 ; 1913 ; 1937 ) , other characters besides express that she is attractive, such as when Hector reveals his feeling towards Amalia in page 1913 and 1937.
a-‘smart ( page 1889 ; 1923 ; 1939 )
a-? Consistent ( page 1890 ; 1891 ; 1893 ; 1902 ; 1942 )
a-? Bossy ( page 1901 ; 1920 ; 1950 )
a-? Care ( page 1891 ; 1896 ; 1921 ) , the writer found that Amalia did non desire to be like her male parent who raise his kid wrongly—in this instance, Amalia is a different Southern Belle.
a-? Free-spoken ( page 1891 ; 1919 ; 1920 ; 1924 ; 1949 )
a-? Underestimate ( page 1890 ; 1892 ; 1895 ; 1920 ) , the writer found that Amalia underestimates to some characters, such as Louis ( page 1890 ) and Augustus ( page 1920 ) .
a-? Manipulative ( page 1890 ; 1896 ; 1941 ; 1954 ) , the writer found that Amalia feign to be strong many times in forepart of anyone to conceal her true feelings, it presented in her gestures and her conversations.
a-? Flirty ( page 1892 ; 1893 ; 1925 ; 1943 )
a-? Hazard taker ( page 1892 ; 1895 ; 1926 ; 1956 )
5. Interest: Story-telling ( page 1920-1925 )
6. Ambition: The writer assumes that Amalia has aspiration in happening her true love, harmonizing to what Amalia have done—she takes hazards by holding matter with slaves.
The writer thinks that there is a different trait when comparing with Amalia’s blunt trait. For the writer herself, she feels uncomfortable when stating something bluffly to other people. The writer assumes that Amalia is a romp so there is no problem when moving as her on the phase. The writer feels accord with Amalia’s consistence. This similarity makes the writer ( histrion ) feels encouraged to play this character. The writer plays Amalia on Act II in the last scene. It is when Amalia eventually realize that it is all her mistake and kill herself in forepart of Augustus, and this action makes the writer interested to move every bit good as possible. The writer thinks that Amalia’s variant traits are interesting to be present on phase.
Decision
Conclusion intends to follow up the consequence of this analysis. New Criticism theory that is used to analyse playThe Darker Face of the Earthis capable in uncovering how the formal elements, in this instance the word picture being used as a support to understand the subject of this play. The subject of this play is “someone demands to fight to accomplish his/her life-time wish by taking any risks” . The writer found that even Alexander is the minor character, he still has of import function to nowadayss that slaves need their freedom and slaves are human excessively. And for Amalia Jennings LaFarge, she is a strong character that has a really of import function in this play because she is the 1 who start the struggle by holding matter with slaves and she is the 1 who deciding the struggle by self-destruction. The writer concluded that every character has their ain function to back up the plot line and the subject of this play.
Mentions
Iwuchukwu, O.Elementss of Drama. National Open University of Nigeria. Victoria Island, Lagos. 2008.
Oakes, Elizabeth H.American Writers: American Biographies Facts on File Library of American History. New York: Infobase Publishing, 2004.
Roberts, Edgar. V.Writing Subjects about Literature. New Jersey: Prentince Hall, Inc. , 1983.
Tyson, Lois.Critical Theory Today: A User-friendly Guide. New York: Garland Publishing, Inc. , 1999.
