Chapter I introduction background to the study

Research Outline

A. Kind of oppression experienced by Maya: Sexual Oppression

A.1 Sexual Harassment
A.2 Raped Action

B. The triggers of Maya’s Oppression:

B.1 Sociological
B.2 Ideological
B.3 Biological
B.4 Economic
B.5 Anthropological
1.8 Analysis Sample
1.8.1 Sexual Oppression
When Maya and Bailey were taken by her mom Vivian to St. Louis, they lived with her mother’s boyfriend, Mr. Freeman. Maya thought that he could be a good father for her and Bailey. One night Maya had a nightmare then her mom took her to sleep in her bed. Mr. Freeman, Vivian, and Maya slept together in a bed.
“One morning she got out of bed for an early errand and I fell a sleep again. But I awoke to a pressure, strange feeling on my left leg. It was too soft to be a hand, and it wasn’t the sensation in all the years of sleeping with Momma. It didn’t move, and I was too startled too. I turned my head a little to the left to see if Mr. Freeman was awake and gone, but his eyes were open and both hands were above the cover. I knew, as if I had always known. It was his “thing” on my leg.” (1969:75)

Generally, if a family sleep together in one bed, or a mother, her daughter and her son sleep together in one bed will not cause any problem if the children are minors. However, in this case, Maya as Vivian’s daughter, she is ten years-old child but not assumed as minor because of her posture which is not looked as a little girl in her age. Due to such condition, Maya experiences sexual harassment from Mr. Freeman, as she mentions on “But I awoke to a pressure, strange feeling on my left leg.” The incident happened when Vivian went to work in early morning, she left Maya and Mr. Freeman in bed alone. Vivian did not realize what happened to Maya then.

“Something strange that she felt. Something means too soft to be a hand” is Mr. Freeman’s “thing” that touches her leg, and after that the sensation is different than Maya ever felt since she sleeps with her mom. Afterwards Maya was startled, to assure Mr. Freeman, Maya turned her head and see Mr. Freeman’s “thing” in her legs. Physically they interact with skin to skin touch, Mr. Freeman’s “thing” touched Maya’s legs and it was a form of sexual harassment to Maya. This is the first time that Maya experienced sexual oppression that was harassed by Mr. Freeman.
Maya had sexual oppression twice; the harassment and her raping action. As can see in the quotes below:
“his legs was squeezing my waist. "pull down your drawers.” (1969,p.78)
This quotation tells when Maya raped by Mr. Freeman, Maya tried to describe Mr. Freeman action to her by mentioned that” his legs was squeezing my waist.” It means that Mr. Freeman hand touches the part of Maya’s body such as her waist and it is Mr. Freeman’s clue that he wants more than before. Afterward, Mr. Freeman told Maya to pull down her “thing”, he said “pull down your drawers.” It meant that he tried to drop his “thing” and open Maya’s “thing”. Mr. Freeman depicted Maya’s “thing” as the drawers. Mostly adult acted tenderly to the minors in order to dispel the fears and made them comfortable, as Mr. Freeman depiction on Maya’s “thing”, he tried to make Maya not to afraid with him and keep Maya comfortable with his action. Overall, Mr. Freeman tried to act softly with his words and tried to make Maya followed what Mr. Freeman wanted. Physically, Mr. Freeman doing rape action to Maya.

According to the explanation of sexual oppression experienced by Maya above, the writer will analyze through Sexual politics by Kate Millett as the trigger.

1. 
   Sociological
   

The first is pointed to Maya’s power as a girl and a child, and Mr. Freeman power as a man and father in Sociological aspects.
Millett Stated that relationship between men and women constitutes the power of patriarchal system. (1970, 23) It means that Patriarchy in the context, is a system in a family which led by father and ownership over wife and or wives and children. Mr. Freeman’s role in Vivian’s family was only as Mrs. Vivian’s boyfriend. However, because she believed in him, she regarded Mr. Freeman as a father of her children. Those all are included to the family context whereas Mr. Freeman could do anything to Maya because he was like a father who had full ownership and control over Vivian’s family. He had a power to abuse Maya sexually and threatened her. As can be seen in below:

“We was just playing before.” …if you scream, I’m gonna kill you. And if you tell, I’m gonna kill Bailey.”(Angelou, 12: p.78)

The quotation above tells when Mr. Freeman wanted to rape Maya. When Mr. Freeman did the sexual harassment, he threatened Maya after the sexual harassment had done. When Mr. Freeman raped Maya, he threatened Maya in the beginning before he raped her. Afterward he assured Maya “ We was just playing before.” In order to notice her that they have done it before. The words “if you scream” is a warning to make Maya followed his instruction. Subsequently, Mr. Freeman begin to took the control the words” I’m gonna kill you” is obviously representing Mr. Freeman’s power that he would kill Maya whenever he wanted, and also the words” I’m gonna kill Bailey” clearly explains that Mr. Freeman as a father not only could kill Maya but also, he could kill her lovely brother Bailey. Generally, People could kill and raped anyone not only in the family scope, but in outside of it, like in society and it is called patriarchal system because a man controlled and affected to the women oppression such as sexual oppression.
In the story, Maya’s was a victim. She was a child, 10 years old, black African-American girl. She could not tell anyone what she had through. As explained before, Maya was threatened by Mr. Freeman. She could not defend herself as a black African-American girl. As Millett stated “the father nearly total ownership over wife or wives and children,..” It means Maya as a child was owned by Mr. Freeman as a father. Obviously Maya was under control and she was afraid of Mr. Freeman’s threat and she could not fight him. Sociologically, Maya become oppressed because she is a black woman and a daughter in family.

2. 
   Ideological
   

The next analyses focused on Maya’s mindset when she thought that heroes were always men. It will be analyzed through sexual politics by Millett in Ideological aspects.
For the next week, this was the hardest part for her. Mr. Freeman didn’t talk to her and Bailey, rather he listened to The Shadow instead. Maya read more than ever in order to release her stress.
“Horatio Alger was the greatest writer in the world. His heroes was always good, always won and were always boy” (Angelou 11:p.75)

This is monologue of Maya when she read in the library alone. Mostly people read the book as self-console or hobby, sometimes people read the book in very detailed manner, that every word in the book is easily to remember, and therefore people affected by the book. Maya read a lot, in this condition Maya tried to relate her condition with the book that she had read, and also correct the idea which exist in the book and Maya assumed” His heroes was always good, always won and were always boy” That was her imagery of Mr. Freeman in his position. Maya thought Mr. Freeman will be a good father who will take care of her, Bailey, and Vivian. However, Mr. Freeman proved that her thought was wrong. Maya read Horatio Alger’s book and thought that heroes are always won and are always men, like Mr. Freeman that always won Maya’s body whenever he wanted and always seemed as a good hero or as a father because Vivian never knew what he did to Maya.

That is related to Sexual Politics by Kate Millet in Ideological Aspects. In Ideological aspect Millett disputes sex role between men and women, assures that men tend to be masculine which have dominant role whereas women mostly tend to be feminine and have subordinate role, All of them constructed by patriarchal societies (1970,26). It means that in sexual politics, ideologically, Millett explained that status between men and women is definitely different. Men have superior status and women has inferior status. Maya’s mindset about hero was always men and it obviously explains what Millett stated about men have that is a superior status. We know hero is always be the role model because he is brave, kind, strong, masculine, savior, always win, etc. All of them could be called as superior status of hero. Whereas compared to herself, Maya had a mindset like that because she realized that she has nothing, even she could not tell anyone about her oppression. Maya’s inferior status was obviously showed after she was raped. Rape is an inferior action that drops women’s chastity. Maya’s silent is also included as inferior status because as a female she could not express what she thought and her chastity was tarnished because of the rape. Ideologically, she become oppressed because her mindset that the men always be the heroes, it represented the man (Mr. Freeman) always have superior status, therefore Maya being raped and the way she cannot tell to anyone about her oppression is inferior of her status.