RACIAL DISCRIMINATION AGAINST BLACK PEOPLE

IN THE BLIND SIDE MOVIE

FINAL TERM PAPER

RIKA FARIDA ASTARI

2018130020

STRATA ONE (S-1) ENGLISH LANGUAGE AND CULTURE DEPARTMENT

FACULTY OF LANGUAGE AND CULTURE
DARMA PERSADA UNIVERSITY JAKARTA
2021
 CHAPTER I
INTRODUCTION

1.1 Background of the Research

Racial discrimination is a social phenomenon that is still prevalent in

America. It can be seen from the number of disagreeable actions experienced by
African American, Asian, American Indian, Native Hawaiian and some other
racial groups besides the whites. This antagonism attitude towards minority
group is called prejudice that leads to discrimination acts. Blank, Dabady and
Citro in their Measuring Racial Discrimination, describes racial discrimination as
“a differential treatment on the basis of race that disadvantages a racial group and
treatment on the basis of inadequately justified factors other than race that
disadvantages a racial group” (2004:55). In this study, the writer would like to
choose racial discrimination against black people (as a member of African
American groups) in America reflected in The Blind Side movie, as the topic.

For about two centuries, trades of international slave have brought

million of Africans to America. They placed in plantations like cotton and
tobacco, some of them treated as contract labor by whites. They
performed a contract to work some years for paying cost trip to America.
The law status of African slaves was not clear. African slaves couldn‟t
get their freedom although they had given service for a period of long
time. After seeing increasing of black laborer amount and also their
important role for economic at the plantation in the South, the plantation
owner (whites) felt important to make law regarding the position of black
laborer.
In addition, racism which had been viewed primarily as a problem in
the Southern states, burst onto the national consciousness following the
Great Migration. Thousands of slaves freed themselves by running away.

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 In the South, slavery became more firmly entrenched and expanded
rapidly into the Old Southwest after the development of the cotton gin.
In the North, there is still no system of slavery with the blacks as second
class citizens. Discrimination against the color was one of the causes of
civil war between the states and North-South state. Although the system
of slavery, had been abolished after the defeat of the countries of the
South.
In 2006, there is a famous novel entitled The Blind Side: Evolution
of a Game by Michael Lewis which tells an extraordinary true story about
famous football athlete named Michael Jerome Oher Williams Jr. in
Tennessee who his background story is well-known in America and it
also depicted in the movie The Blind Side directed by John Lee Hancock.
The writer thinks that The Blind Side movie is a perfect depiction for this
study since it shows another scope of racial discrimination in 21th
century. In this movie, there are some scenes that show various forms of
an unpleasant treatment on the basis of race suffered by black people in
America.
In traditional sense based on its form, literature can be divided into
two categories: written and oral forms. The written form of literature
covers literary works such as narrative fiction (novel and short story) and
poetry, while the oral form includes drama as performance. Drama is
different from narrative fiction in that drama does not have narration. Yet,
the major literary aspects of drama are similar to those of narrative
fictions. Some of them are character, conflict, and setting. In modern era,
a different form of drama appears in the form of motion pictures or
movies. Different from other literary works, a movie informs the story
through its cinematographic elements. The combination of literary
elements and cinematography elements brings the motion pictures alive.
Andrew claims, “the study of cinema has consequently been bound up
with the theories of narrative” (1984:76). Both movies and other types of
literary works are similar in that they are made by humans as a reflection
of life including social problems.
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An example of social problems is racism which usually happens towards
minority groups in certain society. In Tennessee, the United States of America,
one of the minority groups is African American, and the majority group is The
White American. In social life, racism gives a gap between African American
and The White American or even rich and poor represented in The Blind Side

The Blind Side is a movie based on a real life story of an African American
teenager named Michael Oher who lives in Tennessee. This movie is special
since it represents a condition of an African American teenager and his struggle
to be accepted in society by showing his talent in sport. The acts of racism
towards him can be handled by having achievements in sport. Eventually, the
society can accept his presence into their group eventhough he comes from the
minority group. To analyze further about the racism towards Michael Oher and
its relation to sports and social integration in groups, communities, and social
lifes, the thesis is entitled “RACIAL DISCRIMINATION AGAINST BLACK
PEOPLE IN THE MOVIE THE BLIND SIDE”

1.2 Identification of the Problem

Based on the background of the problem, I identify the problem of the
research as how characters of Michael Oher I identified research problems
such as how Michael Oher's character was discriminated against, as a
black people. The result shows that racial discrimination in this movie
emerges because Michael comes from a black race. Michael proved that he
could be freed from the bullying and being capable to equally stood next to
white people in America with his strong determination and hard work. The
sociological approach is used to analyze the extrinsic aspects such as racial
discrimination that is suffered by Michael Oher.

1.3 Limitation of the Problem

Based on the identification of the problem, I limit the problem of the
research will focus on seeing the causes and types of racial discrimination
acts towards Michael Oher as black people in The Blind Side movie.
The writer will also analyze the intrinsic aspects such as characters,
setting,
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conflict, and cinematic elements, particularly camera distances.

1.4 Formulations of the Problem

Based on the limitation of the problem, I formulate the problem of the research:
1. What are the causes of racial discrimination acts towards Michael Oher in
The Blind Side movie?
2. What are the types of racial discrimination towards Michael Oher in The
Blind Side movie?

3. How does the main character struggles against his racial problem in The
Blind Side movie?

1.5 Objectives of the Research

Based on the formulations of the problem, I aim to achieve the objectives of the
research Racial Discrimination Against Black People In The Blind Side Movie. In
order to reach this aim, there are several steps that must be performed such as:
1. To analyze tha causes of racial discrimination acts towards Michael Oher in
The Blind Side movie.
2. To show the types of racial discrimination racism towards Michael Oher in
The Blind Side movie.
3. To identify the main character’s efforts to overcome his racial problems in
The Blind Side movie.
1.6 Methods of the Research
Based on the theoritical framework of the research, I use conduction
through showing and telling methods. And I use qualitative approaches
with a simple analysis characterization, setting, and plot. Those are study
of literature, and interpretative characters of the research. It refers a way of
conducting, and conceiving the research. The secondary source of the
research, The sources uses are a movie, printed books, articles, journals
and dictionaries. I also uses electronic media to find the books, journals,
and websites about John Lee Hancock‟s movie which can not be found on
printed version.
The writer also uses sociological approaches to analyze the extrinsic
element of the movie. It examines literature in the social context in which
it is written or received.

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1.7 Benefits of the Research

The benefits expected from the study are as follows:

1. Theoretical Benefit
The result of this research will give contribution to the world of literature,
beside development; especially in the study of “The Blind Side”.
2. Practical Benefit
This study is expected to give deeper understanding about the movie
especially in an individual psychological approach.

1.8 Systematic Organization of the Research

Based on the benefits of the research, this thesis has several systematic
organizations of the research to arrange it, as follows:

CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION
This chapter consists of the introduction, such as,
background of the research, identification of the problem,
limitation of the problem, formulation of the problem,
objective of the research, method of the research, benefits of
the research, and systematic organizations of the research.
CHAPTER 2 FRAMEWORK OF THE THEORIES
This chapter consists of the framework of the theories, such
As; Concept of representation, Ideology, Character and
Characterization.
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CHAPTER II
FRAMEWORK OF THE THEORIES

A. Concept of Representation
The concept of representation has come to occupy new and important
place in the study of culture. Representation connects meaning and language to
culture. Representation means using language to say something meaningful about,
or to represent, the world meaningfully, to other people. Representation is an
essential part of the process by which meaning is produced and exchanged
between members of a culture. It does involve the use of language, of signs and
images which stands for or represent things. It is the link between concepts and
language which enables us to refer to either the „real‟ word of objects, people or
events, or indeed to imaginary worlds or fictional objects, people and events.9
Through representation, the meaning of a language in a culture exchanged.
It depends on how that culture gives meaning to that language because one culture
from others is different. Language is one of the „media‟ through which thoughts,
concept, ideas and feelings are represented in a culture. Meanings can only be
shared through our common access to language. So language is central to meaning
and culture and has always been regarded the key repository of cultural values and
meanings.
According to Stuart Hall, representation is the production of the meaning
of the concept in our minds through language. In part, we give things meaning by
how we represent them – the word we use about them, the stories we tell about
them, the image of them we produce, the emotions we associate with them, the
ways we classify and conceptualize them, and the values we place on them.
In Studying Culture a Practical Introduction, representation is one of the
key practices produced. There are three possible senses to the word represent:
1. To represent means to study in for as in the case of country‟s flag,
which when flown at a sporting event. The flag stands for or
symbolizes an action: distinguish France from China or Ireland to the
USA.
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In Britain, the Royal Standard represents or symbolizes the royal from the
institution of monarch.
2. To represent means to speak or act on behalf of, as in the sentence a
spokes person on behalf of lesbian mothers voiced the concern of the
group on television‟. Members of parliament represent the concerns of
their constituents. A person who represents a group in this case may
also serve a symbolic function. An example might be the Pope, who
speaks and acts on behalf of the Roman Catholic but might also stands
as symbol of Roman Catholicism.
3. To represent means to re-present. In this sense, a biography, historical
writing re-presents the events of the past. Equally phonographs re-
present a moment or event which has already occurred- it presents the
occasion again. A photograph or painting can also, of course, represent
someone or something in the sense of standing for. Posters of rock
stars, religions painting and public statues all fulfill this function.
Images that function in this way are said to be iconic.
From those three senses of the word „represent‟, the last meaning of the
word re-present is the appropriate meaning for this research, because The Blind
Side film re-presents the relationship of black and white people through Anne
Tuohy and Michael Oher characters. When we represent something, we
paraphrase it, translate it, summarize it, and expand on it – in a nutshell, we
interpret it.
Usually, the representation is understood as a description of something
that is inaccurate or distorted reality. Representation not only means "to present",
"to image", or "to depict". Both ideas stand together to explain the notion of
representation. "Representation" is a way in which the sense of what is given to
the objects depicted. Old concept of representation is based on the premise that
there is a gap of representation that explains the difference between the meaning
given by the representation and the true meaning of objects depicted. This occurs
between representations and objects depicted. Contrary to the standard
understanding that, Stuart Hall argues that the representation should be

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understood from the role of active and creative people interpret the world.
"So the representation is the way in which meaning is somehow given to the things,
which are depicted through the images or whatever it is, on screens or the words on
a page which stand for what we're talking about."
According to Stuart Hall (1997), representation is one of the important
practices of producing culture. Culture is a very broad concept, involving cultural
'experience sharing'. Someone said to derive from the same culture if the people
who were there to share the same experience, share the codes the same culture,
speak the 'language' the same, and share the same concepts.
In this discussion, representation refers to the construction of all forms of
media (especially mass media) on all aspects of reality or the reality, like people,
objects, events, to cultural identity. This representation may take the form of
words or writings can be seen even in the form of moving images or movies. The
concept of representation itself is seen as a product of the process of
representation. Representation not only involves how cultural identities are
expressed (or rather constructed) in a text but also constructed in the process of
production and reception by the society who consume cultural values represented
earlier.
In the case of film as representation of culture, the film not only construct
a certain cultural values in its own right, but also about how those values are
produced and how that value is consumed by people who saw the film. So there is
such a process of exchanging cultural codes in the act of watching movies as a
cultural representation.
To show or express what we thought into language and to understand by
others, there are two processes of representation or system of representation. First,
system, which all sorts of object, people, and events correlated with a set of
concepts or mental representation, which we carry around in our heads. Second,
sign is organized into language it is the existence of common languages which
enables us to translate our thoughts or concept into words, sounds or images, and
then to use these, operating as a language, to express meaning and communicate
thoughts to other people.

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Generally, there are three different approaches of representation. They are
the reflective, the intentional and the constructionist approaches to representation.
In the reflective approach, meaning is thought to lie in the object, person, idea or
event in the real world, and language functions like a mirror, to reflect the true
meaning as it already exists in the world.
The second approach to meaning in representation argues the opposite
case. It holds that it is the speaker, the author, who imposes his or her unique
meaning on the world through language. Words mean what the author intends
they should mean. This is called the intentional approach. It means in using
language, the speaker who determines about the world‟s meaning.
The third approach recognizes this public, social character of language. It
acknowledges that neither things in themselves nor the individual users of language
can fix meaning in language. Hence it is called the constructionist
approach. In constructionist approach, it is not about the material world, where
things and people exist, and the symbolic practices and processes through which
representation, meaning and language operate. It is not the material world which
conveys meaning, but it is the language system or whatever system that people
using to represent the concepts. It is social actors who use the conceptual system if
their culture and the linguistic and other representational system to construct
meaning, to make the world meaningful and to communicate about the word
meaningfully to others.
In constructionist approach, it is not about the material world, where
things and people exist, and the symbolic practices and processes through which
representation, meaning and language operate. It is not the material world which
conveys meaning, but it is the language system or whatever system that people
using to represent the concepts. It is social actors who use the conceptual system
of their culture and the linguistic and other representational system to construct
meaning, to make the world meaningful and communicate about the world
meaningfully to other.
In this research, the writer uses constructionist approach because this
research analyzes the representation of relationship black and white people with
issue of racialism in America through the character of black and white people in
the film to construct their meaning about the issue.
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Then, from this representation of relationship black and white people is

also appeared an ideology about it. The writer will explain the ideology which is
related with representation of relationship black and white people through Anne
Tuohy and Michael Oher characters in next page.

B. Ideology
Ideology has a connection to representation because ideology and
representation are both included in cultural studies. Ideology is a crucial concept
in the study of popular culture. Graeme tuner calls it „the most important
conceptual category in cultural studies‟.
Ideology, according to John Storey in his book Cultural Theory and
Popular Culture, can be defined into five meanings. First of all, ideology can refer
to a systematic body of ideas articulate by a particular group of people. For
example, we could speak of the „ideology of the Labour Party‟. Here we would be
referring to the collection of political, economic and social ideas which inform the
aspirations and activities of the party.
The second definition suggests a certain masking, distortion, concealment.
Ideology is used here to indicate how some cultural text and practices present
distorted images of reality.
The third definition of ideology (closely related to, and in some ways
dependant on, the second definition) uses the term to refer to „ideological form‟.
This usage is intended to draw attention to the way in which texts (television
fiction, pop songs, novels, feature films, etc.) always present a particular image of
the world. This definition depends on a notion of society as conflictual rather than
consensual, structured around inequality, exploitation and oppression. Texts are
said to take sides, consciously or unconsciously, in this conflict. Popular culture is
thus, as Hall (2009) claims, a site where „collective social understandings are
created‟: a terrain on which „the politics of signification‟ are played out in
attempts to win people to particular ways of seeing the world
 The fourth definition is to see ideology not simply as a body of ideas, but
as a material practice.
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The ideology here is encountered in the practice of

everyday life and not simply in certain ideas about everyday life. The last definition
of ideology is the terrain on which takes place a hegemonic struggle to restrict
connotations, to fix particular connotations, to produce newconnotations.
In this research, the writer uses the third definition of ideology because
this usage is intended to draw attention to the way in which texts (television,
fiction, pop songs, novels, feature film, etc.) always present a particular image of
the world. It also depends on a nation of society as conflictual rather than
consensual. Texts are said to take sides, consciously or unconsciously, in this
conflict.
Ideology is closely related with certain society described in a text. The text
being analyzed exposed American society, which closely related with racial issue.
Because of different racial background and physical appearance, black are
discriminated in their rights as American citizen.
According to science of Sociology, race known as the distinction or
grouping people based on physical characteristics. This distinction is related to
qualitative aspects such as color, shape, hair color and so forth, while the
quantitative traits related to body weight, index cephalous (head size), and so
forth. Since long, the physical characteristics of this grouping have resulted in a
very long issue, involving bloodshed and battles between great ideologies that
survive today. A physical characteristic inherent in a particular race has been used
to measure and assess the development and progress of civilization that race.
The difference of physical characteristics are very apparent in American,
especially on the southern America which very strong with the issue of racism. In
the slavery era, black people often become slave in whites community. This
problem happened for centuries. The relationship of black and white people
doesn‟t run smoothly. Black and white people always distrust each other. White
people do have prejudice over black people. They think black people are related to
criminal hideous, because black people live in slum area, have no proper
education, and are majority have drunkard. Conversely, black people are
positioned lower than white people.
The conflict happened between black and white people caused difference
view about the problem in community and physically.
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Often, we hear about riot and fight between races, this also experienced by black
people in America. For about two centuries (since seventeenth century) black
people had become slave by white people. The slavery system greatly influenced
how whites define and deal with blacks.
After middle nineteenth century, Abraham Lincoln eliminated and released
an amendment to guarantee the civil right of black American judicially. Although
a problem of slavery has eliminated, discrimination race still consist, but didn‟t
serious in the past centuries.

C. Character and Characterization

A character is often revealed through his or her actions, which provide
readers with clues about the character‟s personality, motives, and expectation.19 A
character in literature is an extended verbal representation of a human being,
specifically the inner self that determines through, speech, and behaviour.
The term of character originally found in many literary works such as in
work of fiction, drama, or novel. A character is someone who acts, appears, or is
referred to as playing a part in a literary work. The term of character also applies
in film. Both literary works and film have a same function and meaning. The
relationship between plot and character is a vital and necessary one. Without
character there would be no plot and hence. For purposes of analysis, character
are customarily describes by their relationship to plot, by the degree of
development they are given to the author or director, and by whether or not they
undergo significant character change.
There are several types of character that can be seen in a literary works or
film, they are major and minor character. The major or central character is a
character that dominates appearance in a story. Minor character is a character that
appeared once or sometimes in a story.
When we look from the function of the character appearance it can be also
differ from protagonist and antagonist. The protagonist is usually enough to
identify: he or she is the essential character without there would be no plot in the
first place. The figure which causes conflict happen called antagonist.

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The antagonist can be called opposite to be protagonist, direct or undirected,

outward or inward.
To describe the relative degree to which character are developed by their
creator, E.M Forster distinguishes between what he calls flat and round characters.
Flat characters are those who embody or represent a single characteristic, trait, or
idea, or a most a very limited number of such qualities. Round characters are just
opposite. They embody a number of qualities and traits and are complex
multidimensional characters of considerable intellectual and emotional depth that
have capacity to grow and change. Round character is complex individual
incapable of being easily defined. The degree to which characters are given
roundness and individual complexity depends upon their function in the plot, like
stranger or acquaintances, rather than known intimately.
In presenting and establishing character, an author has two basic methods
or techniques at his disposal through dialogue and actions. How character is
presented is called characterization. The art, craft, method of presentation, or
creation a personage involves a similar process in a good deal of
characterization.
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