STRUGGLE FOR SAVING THE EARTH FROM GLOBAL WARMING IN ROLLAND EMMERICH’S THE DAY AFTER TOMORROW MOVIE (2004): AN INDIVIDUAL PSYCHOLOGICAL APPROACH

CASRIYAH, CASRIYAH (2010)

Abstract
The object of the study is a movie entitled The Day After Tomorrow directed by Rolland Emmerich. The problem of this study is to reveal how the major characters struggle for saving the earth from global warming. The study of this research is descriptive qualitative. The data sources are divided into two, namely primary data source and secondary data source. The primary source is the movie and script of the Day After Tomorrow and the secondary data source is information related to the primary data source, books about individual psychological approach and website. The techniques of data analysis are observation and library review. The technique of analyzing data is descriptive technique. Based on the analysis the researcher shows two conclusions: first, it describes how the struggle of major character to be better. Second, the individual psychology shows the weak feeling of some people when he is down can be spirit and power to change his life and it is called struggle.

CHAPTER I
INTRODUCTION
A. Background of the Study
The biggest challenge that mankind is facing in this century is “Global Warming”.
It has become a big cry from every corner of the world “how to save our mother
earth from global warming”, every nation, every forum, everywhere, and in
everything they discuss about this global warming and how to save our earth from
this big threat. Scientist had laid down the root cause for this situation as the increase
in the amount of carbon dioxide let out on the atmosphere by industries and auto
mobiles. If this is going to continue people may loose their land to oceans and in
different climate conditions may also lead to new unknown diseases, which may
challenge the medical. Now itself people have started to feel the impact of this global
warming. The film that showing about global warming is The Day After Tomorrow.
The film tells about global warming phenomenon, which caused by human act in the
world
The Day After Tomorrow is produced, written, and directed by Roland
Emmerich. Some actors and actresses involved in this movie like Dennis Quaid, Jake
Gylenhaal, Emmy Rosum, Dash Mihok, Jay O.Sanders, Sela Ward, Austin Nichols. The
Day After Tomorrow turns on the premise that global warming caused by pollution
has shifted the ocean currents, resulting in ultra-dramatic and almost immediate
weather disasters. The Day After Tomorrow, placing the film in political and social
context, attempting to shine light through the speculation, and rhetoric.
The Day After Tomorrow was released on DVD in the USA on October 12, 2004.
The kind of genre is Sci-Fi, running time 124 minutes, directed by Rolland Emmerich,
and producers are Max Gordon and Roland Emmerich. After the movie release, the
average for the 12 month period was 50 total articles appearing per month, meaning
that The Day After Tomorrow helped account for a 32% increase in media attention
to climate change over the previous 12 month average (Film Review).
Some awards are got from The Day After Tomorrow : In 2004 it was nominated
by Teen Choice Award as Choice Movie- Drama/Action Adventure, Visual Effects
Society Awards and; Audience Award as Best International Actor Dennis Quaid. In
2005 it was nominated by Saturn Award as Best Science Fiction Film, won BAFTA
Film Award as Best Achievement in Special Visual Effects; BMI as Film Music Award,
MTV Movie Award as Best Action Sequence for the destruction of Los Angeles; and
as nominated Golden Trailer as Best Action, Golden Reel Award as Best Sound
Editing in Domestic Features - Sound Effects & Foley, MTV Movie Award as
Breakthrough Female (Film Review).
There are many reactions and criticism of society when The Day After Tomorrow
are premiered and shown. It is from some sectors of society, they are environmental
groups, journalist, the general public, and scientist.
The environmental groups have used the focus on climate change brought about
by the film to issue a symbolic call to arms. Their basic message is that scientists
agree that human activities cause of climate change, and if people do not act soon,
people face innumerous serious consequences including drought, flooding, heat
waves, health threats from smog, devastation of coral reefs, and other natural
resources. "Global warming just isn't a movie, it's your future," proclaimed
environmental groups in their theater fliers (Film Review).
The journalist reaction in terms of media coverage related to The Day After
Tomorrow, as previously noted, the film's release, with its many dramatic and
narrative qualities, has led to a sharp spoke in media attention to the issue of
climate change. Moreover, depend on empirical evaluation of coverage; it appears
that climate skeptics have enjoyed nearly as much voice in coverage as climate
scientists. This is as much attributable to the heavy public relations activities of
conservatives and industry groups who have promoted these skeptical voices to the
press, as it is the balancing routine of journalists (Film Review).
The general public reactions in the movie, might serve as a vehicle for informal
learning, and in this case there are several different dimensions of knowledge that
might be transmitted to audiences. The public's understanding of science, simply
treat the film as just another work of fiction.
The scientists reactions often think themselves immune to outside influences, is
it possible that science fiction films shape the course of scientific research. The Day
After Tomorrow hammers home an image of a fragile global environment,
vulnerable to irrevocable change through human consumption and industrial
development unless the urgent warnings of scientists are heeded by politicians the
film might also impact public behavior (Film Review).
Roland Emmerich was born at 10 November 1955, Stuttgart, Baden-
Württemberg, West Germany. His nickname is Das Spielbergle aus Sindelfingen. As a
youth, he traveled extensively throughout Europe and North America on vacations
financed by his father, the wealthy founder of a garden machinery production
company. In 1977, he was attending University of Television and Film Munich with
the intention of studying to become a production designer.
In 1985, he founded Centropolis Film Productions in partnership with his sister,
producer Ute Emmerich, and directed his major film debut, a fantasy feature named
“Joey”. In 1987 he directed the comedy “Hollywood-Monster” and the 1990 science-
fiction film “Moon 44”. Theatrically, these were released, although Emmerich filmed
in English and went against conventional German styles in an attempt a larger
market, and “Moon” 44 being released direct-to-video in the U.S in early 1991. Then,
“Joey and Hollywood-Monster“ it also video releases in the U.S. Emmerich then
directed “Independence Day”, released in 1996, that became the first film to gross
$100 million in less than a week and it is successful films of all time. His next film,
“Godzilla”, opened in 1998.
After teaming up with new screenwriting partner Harald Kloser, Emmerich
returned once again to directing a visual effects-laden adventure with 2004's The
Day After Tomorrow, another disaster film about a rapidly on coming Ice Age
brought upon by the effects of global warming. He is currently directing an
apocalyptic film inspired by the theory that the ancient Mayans prophesied the
world's ending in 2012.
The Day After Tomorrow is tells about struggle of a climatologist for saving the
earth from global warming. He is Dr. Jack Hall; he is smart man and hard worker. He
has marries with Lucy, and has a son. Then he and his friends are drilling ice cores in
Antarctica when Jack drilling the ice cores, at the same time the Antarctica Ice Shelf
of Rhode Island breaks off. Jack presents his research to a conference on global
warming in New Delhi. Jack found those ten thousand years ago, a global warming
changed the earth’s climate into the Ice Age. Jack said at the conference, that it
could happen again in maybe 100 to 1000 years from now if people do not stop
polluting the atmosphere. After that, at the conference, Jack meets Professor Terry
Rapson from Hedland Climate Research Center (Scotland), who is keeping track of
the world’s ocean currents. Terry tells Jack that the melting of the polar ice caps has
poured fresh water into the oceans and diluted the salt level, which has caused the
temperature of the ocean currents to drop 13 degrees.
The world’s climate system changes for the worst. Tokyo is hit by softball size
hail; it begins to snow in New Delhi; in the same time Los Angeles is destroyed by a
group of tornadoes. Jack sees the President and gives him the bad news that his
estimate of years is now down to days, before we enter a new Ice Age. Jack advices
the President to evacuate everybody in the southern states to Mexico, because it is
too late evacuate the people in the northern states. Then Jack gets a phone call from
his son Sam that stays at Manhattan Public Library. Jack tells him to stay inside and
ride out the coming storm, because if you go outside, you will die. Jack heads for
New York City to save his son. Finally Jack can find his son, as they leave, they see
poles on the rooftop building and rescue helicopters will evacuate them.
Rolland Emmerich’s The Day After Tomorrow is interesting movie. There are
three reasons that make the writer choosing this movie. The first reason is The Day
After Tomorrow is a realistic movie. The story tells about global warming
phenomenon, which is caused by human act in the world. This movie, as a media
proclaimed environment, warn to people in the world if not to decrease pollution,
shifted the ocean currents, resulting in ultra-dramatic and almost immediate
weather disasters.
The second reason is the movie is an educating movie. The movie gives suggest
that each people should respect each other and arrogance can damage everything.
The third reason is this movie has a good genre that relates to fantasy world,
adventure, and nature. There are many themes in this movie there are struggle,
faith, hope, and love. Good character is often shows when the characters in this
story have to make choices between one, two or more thing that may seem to have
the same importance. Upon reflection, however, a person will hopefully make the
best choice for the common good of family, school, community, and society based
on what he or she knows to be right or wrong.
Based on the above background, the internal conflict is relevant in the major
character and characterization of the movie, the writer has been inspired to expose
by using individual Psychological approach. In this paper, the writer will analyze how
people struggle to save the earth, and the title is “Struggle for Saving the Earth from
Global Warming in Rolland Emmerich’s The Day After Tomorrow Movie (2004): An
Individual Psychological Approach”
B. Literature Review
The movie The Day After Tomorrow directed by Rolland Emmerich is an
interesting movie. As far as the writer concern, the researches on the movie The Day
After Tomorrow movie have been conducted by the researchers before.
The first researcher is Jaka Pratama (2006) Sanatadharma University entitled “An
Analysis of English-Indonesian Subtitling of The Day After Tomorrow”: A semantic
approach. The results of the study show that the finding of the research reveals that
the subtitles use seven strategies: transfer (35,86%), condensation (18,16%),
deletion (15,58%), paraphrase (13,98%), imitation (12,88%), decimation (2,06%), and
expansion (1,35%).
The second researcher is Reny Puspitasari (2008), Sebelas Maret University
entitled “An Analysis of warning in The Day After Tomorrow”: Socio-pragmatic
Approach. She used socio-pragmatic approach in analyzing the movie. The result of
the study show that 37% of movie’s conversation called as warnings.
Different from two previous researchers about linguistic study, the study focuses
on the struggle of Jack Hall to save the earth from climate change, as the one of the
major characters in the movie by individual psychological approach. In this study, the
researcher gives the title of her research “Struggle for Saving the Earth from Global
Warming in Rolland Emmerich’s The Day After Tomorrow Movie (2004): An
Individual psychological Approach.
C. Problem Statement
Based on the background of choosing the subject above, the problem is “How is
struggle for saving the earth from global warming reflected in this movie?”
D. Objectives of the Study
The objectives of the study are:
1. To analyze the movie based it is structural element of the movie.
2. To analyze the movie based on the individual psychological approach.
E. Limitation of the Study
The writer focuses this research in analyzing Jack’s struggle for saving the earth
from global warming based on individual psychological approach.
F. Benefit of the Study
The Benefits expected from this research are as follows:
1. Theoretical Benefit:
To give some contributions to the larger understandings of literary studies and
to develop knowledge particularly studies in Rolland Emmerich’s The Day After
Tomorrow
2. Practical Benefit
To give deeper understanding in literary field as the reference to the other
researcher, and enriches the literary study, particularly among the students
especially on Muhammadiyah University of Surakarta.
G. Research Method
The methods that will be used in the research are:
1.Type of the Study
This type of research is qualitative in which the research does not need statistic
to collect, to analyze, and to interpret the data. Qualitative research involves the
use of qualitative data, such as documents and participant observation data, to
understand and explain social phenomena.
2.Object of the Study
The object of the study is The Day After Tomorrow movie, directed by Rolland
Emmerich and producers are Max Gordon and Rolland Emmerich in 2004.
3.Type of the Data and the Data Sources
The types of the data for this study are text (words, phrases, and sentences) and
images (captures of The Day After Tomorrow movie). The data sources of the
study there are primary and secondary data sources.
a. Primary data sources is the movie it self, The Day After Tomorrow
b. Secondary data sources are biography at the author, the website internet
about, and other sources that support to analyze
4.Technique of the Data Collection
The technique of data collection is library research, the steps are:
a. Watching the movie repeatedly
b. Taking notes of important parts in both primary and secondary data then
taking the image capture of the movie
c. Classifying and determining the relevant data
d. Analyzing the data
e. Drawing conclusion based on the analysis data
5.Technique of the Data Analysis
The technique used in analyzing the data is descriptive analysis. It concerns with
the structural element of the movie and individual psychological.
H. Research Paper Organization
This research consists of five chapters. Chapter I are Introduction, which
consists of background of the study, literature review, problem statement, limitation
of the study, objectives of the study, benefit of the study, and paper organization.
Chapter II comprises of the Underlying theory, which presents notion of Individual
Psychology, basic concept of individual psychological, structure elements of the
movie, notion of struggle. Chapter III is Structural analysis of the movie, which is
involves the structural elements or character and characterization, setting, point of
view, plot, style, theme, and discussion. Chapter IV constitutes Individual
Psychological analysis. The last is Chapter V which contains conclusion and
suggestion.