Luận văn thạc sĩ insights on pursuit for meaningful life in selected works of toni morrison

INSIGHTS FOR MEANINGFUL LIFE

IN SELECTED WORKS OF TONI MORRISON

A Dissertation Presented to the

Faculty of the Graduate School

Batangas State University

Batangas City, Philippines

In Partial Fulfillment

of the Requirements for the Degree

Doctor of Philosophy in English

by

VU THI QUYNH DUNG

2015

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APPROVAL SHEET

This dissertation entitled “INSIGHTS FOR MEANINGFUL LIFE

IN SELECTED WORKS OF TONI MORRISON” prepared and submitted by

VU THI QUYNH DUNG in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the

degree of Doctor of Philosophy major in English has been examined and is

recommended for Oral Examination.

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ABSTRACT

Title: Insights for a Meaningful Life in Selected Works of Toni Morrison

Author: Vũ Thị Quỳnh Dung

Course: Doctor of Philosophy

Major: English

Year: 2015

Adviser: Dr. Maria Luisa A. Valdez

Summary:

This dissertation aimed at presenting how the selected works of Toni

Morrison manifest the sufferings of black women in terms of racial

oppression, gender inequality, emotional abandonment, and women’s

sufferings; the sources of strengths and motive of women’s resistance as

shown in the love between mother and children, husband and wife

relationship, freedom and equality, and self-identity; and the manner how

the women in the world portrayed in the novels express resistance to the

different forms of violence. Likewise, it shows the implications of the themes

pursued in the novels to the study of the meaningful family life among

Vietnamese students.

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In dealing with the works, the qualitative method with content analysis

based on the Sociological and Philosophical Approaches and the theory of

Viktor Frankl’s Meaningfulness of Life were employed.

The study found out that mostly, the black female characters

experienced humiliation and suffered an acute isolation in a white racist

society that has marginalized them; Black women always resisted every sort

of oppression with different sources of strength and motives; Oppressed

women resisted and revolted in various ways, such as verbal, physical, and

armed resistance with different manners such as violence, non-violence or

acquiescence; and the themes pursued in the novels will change the way

Vietnamese students think and act, and foster students to hold campaigns

and propaganda focusing on promoting the values of a meaningful family life,

a life of prosperity, equality, happiness, progress, a life without prejudice and

violence.

The dissertation can be used as reference for students of Literature in

the Contemporary American Literature course. Vietnam’s Ministry of Education

and Training, the educational institutions may integrate the insights on the

pursuit of meaningful family life in the academe that will also inspire them to

spawn activities in the curricula. This paper will also make members of the

community understand that life is never made unbearable by circumstances,

but only by lack of meaning and purpose.

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ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

This dissertation appears in its current form due to the assistance

and guidance of several people. The researcher would like to offer her

sincere thanks to them for their assistance and guidance has helped her

during the whole period of study.

First and foremost, she offers her sincerest gratitude to her

supervisor, Dr. Maria Luisa A. Valdez, the Dean of Colleges and Head of the

Graduate School of the Batangas State University ARASOF Nasugbu

Campus, the researcher’s dissertation adviser and editor, who has

supported her though out the conduct of her dissertation with her patience

and knowledge. Without her this research, too, would not have been

completed or written. One simply could not wish for a more accommodating

and admirable supervisor.

The researcher also owes her gratitude to Dr. Matilda H. Dimaano for

her highly intellectual abilities to give excellent advise and detailed review

during the preparation of this study.

She would also like to express her gratitude to Dr. Amada G. Banaag,

Dr. Felix M. Panopio, and Dr. Myrna G. Sulit, the Members of the Panel of

Examiners, for their thorough dissection and candid remarks that drew up

the essential and relevant dimensions in this research.

Her gratitude is also for Dr. Remedios P. Magnaye, the Graduate

School Secretary, for her words of encouragement and kind gestures.

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She would like to give expressions to her gratitude to all the teachers

of the Graduate School of Batangas State University of the Philippines for

their valuable lectures that inspire her to carry out the research.

She would like to seize this opportunity to thank the Philippines

Government which sends each time with the utmost willingness skilful and

qualified teachers to Thai Nguyen University. The cooperation between the

two countries should be a lesson for other Asian countries to improve

education and achieve integration.

She is indebted to Thai Nguyen University of Agriculture and Forestry

of International Training and Development Center (ITC) for accepting her as

a Doctor of Philosophy Student and for its guidance and supports during the

course.

She greatly appreciates the financial assistance and spiritual supports

of Hung Vuong University, of Foreign Language Department, of her dear

colleagues and students for her and her family during her PhD. study.

She is grateful to To Loan Nguyen and her family to help her in the

search of documents while they were in Germany.

She cannot finish without thanking her family. She warmly thanks and

appreciates her parents for their encouragement and looking after her

children in the process of study.

She wants to express her gratitude and deepest appreciation to her

loving husband and two sweet daughters. Without their supports and

encouragements, she could not have finished this work.

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DEDICATION

To my dear husband, Mr. Pham Dinh Hung,

my loving children Pham Que Chi and Pham Khanh Nguyen,

and my respected parents

without whom this dissertation would not have been completed.

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

Page

TITLE PAGE

APPROVAL SHEET.............................................................................. i

ABSTRACT .......................................................................................... ii

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT...................................................................... iv

DEDICATION....................................................................................... vi

LIST OF MATRICES ........................................................................... ix

LIST OF FIGURES ............................................................................... x

CHAPTER............................................................................................. 1

I. THE PROBLEM......................................................................... 1

Introduction ................................................................1

Statement of the Problem..........................................7

Scope, Delimitation and Limitation of the Study........8

Significance of the Study .........................................11

II. REVIEW OF LITERATURE .................................................... 13

Conceptual Literature ..............................................13

Research Literature .................................................40

Theoretical Framework............................................50

Paradigm of the Study .............................................52

Definition of Terms...................................................54

III. RESEARCH METHODOLOGY ............................................. 57

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Research Design .....................................................57

Treatment of Materials.............................................58

IV. PRESENTATION AND ANALYSIS OF THE NOVELS ... Error!

Bookmark not defined.

V. SUMMARY, CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATION.... 175

Summary ...............................................................149

Findings..................................................................150

Conclusions ...........................................................152

Recommendations.................................................153

BIBLIOGRAPHY ……………………………………………………….

APPENDICES .................................................................................

APPENDIX A: Summary of Song of Solomon

APPENDIX B Summary of Tar Baby

CURRICULUM VITAE

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LIST OF MATRICES

Matrix 1: Summary Matrix of the Themes in the Selected Novels p.149

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LIST OF FIGURES

Figure 1: Conceptual Paradigm of the Study p.64

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CHAPTER I

THE PROBLEM

Introduction

The purpose of one’s life is a question often asked by many people as

they ponder on the reasons for their existence. Indeed, life is considered as

an expression of one’spurpose for being. The reason epitomizes the wisdom

that is within all things. To illustrate this, it is the power within a seed, when

planted in the garden and grows gradually towards the self-actualization of

its reason for being. Everything has a purpose, a time and a season.

Autumn is an inspiring illustration of the fulfillment of many plants as people

enjoy the bountiful fruits and vegetables that are harvested in the cycles or

seasons of life (Society of Kabalarians of Canada Website, 2014).

Philosophers, psychologists, spiritual leaders, as well as researchers

have all pondered on the thought of what makes life worth living. The

responses are diverse based on one’s ideological, cultural, social, or

religious, and professional backgrounds. Psychiatrist Viktor Frankl once

wrote that life is never made unbearable by circumstances, but only by the

absence of meaning and purpose. For most individuals, feeling happy and

finding life meaningful are both essential and mutually connected goals. But

people also pondered if happiness and meaning always harmonize. It

seems unconvincing, given that many of the things that people regularly

choose to do are unlikely to upsurge their daily happiness.

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Contemplating, finding and clarifying their life’s purpose and core life

intentions can help people to move with greater focus and clarity every day

of their lives. In these challenging times, setting clear intentions and

developing and refining life’s purpose can make it much easier for every

individual to surpass difficult situations. There are countless ways to find

and develop life’s purpose and intentions. There are also a number of useful

resources to help men on this path of discovery and to inspire them to be all

that they can be and to lead them to an ever richer and fuller life.

A substantial way to start exploring one’s life purpose and intentions

is to pause for a moment and ask oneself about the most important to men’s

lifeand what are their deeply-held values and beliefs. Though both can be

valuable, there is a difference between life purpose and life intentions. One’s

life purpose is generally a single statement related to the overall reason that

man feels a person is here. This could be the greater purpose behind their

being alive and their existence in the world. Both life purpose and life

intentions can be rich and valuable in helping to move through the

challenges life brings men, though some will prefer focusing on one over the

other. If people find this process somewhat challenging, they might do best

to focus on one first.

Different people hold different viewpoints about meaningful life.

Generally, if they possess these five things namely: a faith in God, a

meaningful family life, a meaningful career, bosom friendship, and the

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positive contribution to the society, their life will be significant. Those five

important components foster one another to strengthen the lives of men.

For women, a part of a meaningful life is derived from the liberation of

their own lives. Throughout the world, governments have committed to

achieve the equality between men and women. Women now take part more

in the workforce, have more legal rights and more opportunities of

education. However, their status in many countries still remains

considerably inferior of men in many aspects of life. In developed countries,

women are still suffering from unequal wage in the workplace, from sexual

harassment; the prevalence of men in political, economic, and other fields.

Likewise, in developing countries, women’s traditional roles are still

family-focused with domestic chore, bearing and rearing children, taking

care of her household. In addition to those obstacles, they are also

oppressed with race discrimination, sexual violence and domestic violence.

As a result, many of them struggle to fight against those so as to pursue a

better life.

Similarly, there is a great improvement as regards status of

Vietnamese women since the foundation of the country in 1945. Women

attended schools and universities increases considerably. They take part in

almost all fields of employment which include politic, economic and cultural

sectors. In recent decades, gender relations and attitudes also shift rapidly.

In terms of families, women are more respected as well as in society. In

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terms of housework, men now are more willing to share with their mothers,

sisters and wives.

Since Vietnamese people are influenced by Confucian philosophy that

embraces the patriarchal values, women lead the life of three obedience

and four virtues which emphasized the male domination and stresses

female subordination. Consequently, discriminations, violence, obstacles

and gender disparities were experienced by women. Their work at home

and at work were not recognized and appreciated. They are expected to

perform noble job of a mother and a wife in the families as well as of a

citizen in the society. Their efforts and contributions to family and society

were not recognized and they were not accorded with sympathy from the

population. Hence, the reason for the search for a meaningful family life of

Vietnamese women about human beings is motivated.

With reference to the foregoing, literature may be used as a writer’s

channel is sharing their philosophical thoughts on meaningful existence. It is

about human beings and the reflections of their various experiences, ideas,

and their daily passions. Through literature, readers look back on their

memories, writers share their experiences, and the readers learn life’s

lessons through other people’s experiences. People find stories designed to

portray human life and action through some characters who, by their words,

action and reaction, convey certain messages for the purpose of education,

information and entertainment in literature. It is impossible to find a work of

literature that excludes the attitudes, moral and values of the society. This

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