Applying
Reader Response Strategy in Appreciating Literary Works
The
appreciation of the short story applies seven reader response strategies posed
by Beach and Marshall (1990); they are describing, conceiving, explaining,
interpreting, engaging, connecting and judging. The guiding questions are
constructed based on the responses.
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No
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Responses
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Indicators
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Questions
to Guide
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1
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Describing
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Character,
characterization, setting, theme, style,
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1. What
do you think of the character of the story? Is he/she good or bad? Do you
like or dislike him/her?
2. Where
does the story happen? Do you like the setting? Why?
3. Does
the story tell about good things?
4. Is
the story reasonable? Is the style of the story communicative of figurative?
Explain it.
5. What
event in the story do you think is very important? Why?
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2
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Engaging
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Feeling,
imagination, thought
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6. Can
you feel what is felt by the character? What does he/she feel?
7. Would
you do the same thing if you were the character? Explain it.
8. Can
you imagine what happens? Explain it.
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3
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Conceiving
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Reason
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9. Why
is the character forbidden to do something?
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4
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Explaining
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Character’s
action,
agreement
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10. A
character is extremely hated by someone but he/she keeps patient and obeys.
What do you think of the character’s action?
11. Do
you agree or disagree of the bad action done by anyone to the character? Why?
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5
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Interpreting
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Opinion
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12. In
your point of view, what does the story talk about?
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6
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Connecting
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Experience,
Other
story,
Film,
Social
life,
Culture,
Religion
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13. Do
you have the same experience with the character? Your brother? Parents?
Neighbor? Friend?
14. Have
you ever read book or watched film which is similar to the story read? Tell
the story and connect it.
15. Can
you connect this story to social life? Culture? Religion? How do you connect
it?
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7
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Judging
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Story
line,
Moral
values,
The
author
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16. Is
the story interesting?
17. Is
the story valuable? What values do you get from reading the story?
18. What
do you think of the author?
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Source: Rudy
(2007)
1.
Include (Engaging):
Readers
are always trying to engage his feelings to literature they read. Readers
immerse themselves into the text, imagine what happened and feel what is
perceived by the characters.Purves, et al. (1990) adds the definition
above that when reading works of literary readers include not only feelings but
to include the mind and imagination as well as those quoted from the statement
"Literature and the arts exist in the curriculum as a means for students
to learn to express Their emotions, Their thought, and Their imaginations.
"
According Kimtafsirah (2003:6) readers who are "engaged" with
the text, merged with the text in terms of applying Rosenblatt is an aesthetic
reading. In aesthetic reading, as if the reader into the text and live
there in order to understand the behavior of the characters.Thus, readers can
respond emotionally with ease so that the understanding reached.
2. Detailing (describing):
Readers
back detailing or describing information contained in the text.Readers
detailing the characters, characterizations, background story, and story
lines.That is, the reader retells the story he had read and detailing the
events that are considered important to understand. When reading a
literary text, will be found different things in the same text. Students
tell the parts that interest them, at least in three sentences. Previously,
they can specify all the elements of the building is structurally literary
works such as: character and penokohannya, background, and the storyline.
Application
of this response can facilitate learners in achieving honesty, compassion, and
caring. After reading Malin Kundang, the first question put to
them. Malin Kundang as a rebellious figure in the story's sharp criticism
of the appreciation. Learners are not going to like the character's
actions and behavior. They learn honesty, compassion, and care after
appreciating and exploring the story.
3. Understanding
(conceiving):
The
reader understands the characters, background stories, and the language used in
a story and memaknainya.In this activity, students understand the characters by
applying their knowledge of social behavior in society and cultural
backgrounds. Understanding of the characters is also supported by the
opinion Kimtafsirah (2003:7) that knowledge of the text can not be separated
with the understanding of social behavior and cultural background is reflected
from the text. For example, when students read the story with the customs
of different cultures and backgrounds with them then they can understand the
behavior of the characters are not from their culture.
4. Explained
(Explaining):
Students
try to explain best why characters might perform an action.
5. Connect
(connecting):
Students
connect their experiences with what happens to the characters.
Other
activities in this strategy is to connect the story with another story or never
read or watch movies. Kimtafsirah (2003:8) illustrates as the following
example: after reading the works of Charles Dickens Oliver Twist, students can
compare it with the film Hanggara Ari. Likewise with Oemarjati (2005) that
suggest teachers "asked the students if anyone ever read a similar story,
or watch a movie or a soap opera with the same basic problem with the
literature being discussed is Siti Nurbaya."
Based
on activities in connecting these, Penzenstadler (1999) warns that with
everything that is used as a medium of learning, teachers can help students
connect what they read with their world
(http://www.ade.org/ade/bulletin/ n123/123036.htm).
6. Interpreting
(interpreting):
Students
use the reaction, conception, and the connections they form to articulate the
theme.
Activities
involving the determination of interpreting symbolic meanings, themes, or
specific events from a text. In making interpretations, usually under
discussion is what the text "express." Interpretation involves a
generalization, not a statement made that statement in the text but implicit in
the text.
7. Assess
(Judging):
Students
give their opinions about the story text, story writer or storyline.The seventh
reader response contains elements that can sharpen cognition (detailing,
explain, understand, and interpret) and affection (including, linking, and
assess).
1.
Menyertakan (engaging):
Pembaca selalu berusaha mengikutsertakan perasaannya terhadap karya sastra yang
dibacanya. Pembaca meleburkan diri ke dalam teks, membayangkan apa yang terjadi
dan merasakan apa yang dirasakan oleh tokoh cerita.
Purves,
dkk. (1990) menambahkan definisi di atas bahwa ketika membaca karya sastra
pembaca tidak hanya menyertakan perasaan tetapi menyertakan pikiran dan
imajinasi juga sebagaimana yang dikutip dari pernyataan mereka “Literature
and the arts exist in the curriculum as a means for students to learn to
express their emotions, their thought, and their imaginations.”
Menurut
Kimtafsirah (2003:6) pembaca yang sedang “engaged” dengan teks,
meleburkan diri dengan teks dalam istilah Rosenblatt sedang menerapkan aesthetic
reading. Dalam aestheticreading, pembaca seolah-olah
masuk ke dalam teks dan hidup di sana agar dapat memahami tingkah laku para
tokoh cerita. Dengan demikian, pembaca dapat merespons secara emosional dengan
mudah sehingga pemahaman tercapai.
2. Merinci (describing):
Pembaca merinci atau menjelaskan kembali informasi yang tertera di dalam
teks.
Pembaca
merinci tokoh-tokoh cerita, penokohan, latar cerita, dan alur cerita. Artinya,
pembaca menceritakan kembali cerita yang telah dibacanya dan merinci
peristiwa-peristiwa yang dianggap penting untuk dipahami. Ketika
membaca sebuah teks sastra, akan ditemukan hal-hal yang berbeda dalam teks yang
sama. Mahasiswa menceritakan bagian-bagian yang menarik perhatian mereka,
setidaknya dalam tiga kalimat. Sebelumnya, mereka dapat merinci semua unsur
pembangun karya sastra secara struktural seperti: tokoh dan penokohannya,
latar, dan alur cerita.
Penerapan
respons ini dapat memfasilitasi peserta didik dalam mencapai kejujuran, kasih
sayang, dan kepedulian. Setelah membaca Malin Kundang, pertanyaan
pertama diajukan kepada mereka. Malin Kundang sebagai tokoh yang durhaka dalam
cerita itu menuai kritik yang tajam dari hasil apresiasi. Peserta didik tidak
akan menyukai tindakan dan perilaku sang tokoh. Mereka belajar jujur, kasih
sayang, dan peduli setelah mengapresiasi dan mengeksplorasi cerita tersebut.
3. Memahami (conceiving):
Pembaca memahami tokoh, latar cerita, dan bahasa yang digunakan dalam sebuah
cerita dan
memaknainya.
Dalam
kegiatan ini, mahasiswa memahami para tokoh cerita dengan menerapkan
pengetahuan mereka tentang tingkah laku sosial dalam masyarakat dan latar
belakang budaya. Pemahaman terhadap tokoh cerita tersebut didukung pula oleh
pendapat Kimtafsirah (2003:7) bahwa pengetahuan tentang teks tidak dapat
dipisahkan dengan pemahaman social behaviour dan cultural
backgroundyang direfleksikan dari teks. Sebagai contoh, ketika mahasiswa
membaca cerita dengan adat istiadat dan latar budaya yang berbeda dengan mereka
maka mereka dapat memahami tingkah laku tokoh cerita tersebut bukan berasal
dari budaya mereka.
4. Menerangkan (explaining):
Mahasiswa mencoba menjelaskan sebaik-mungkin mengapa tokoh cerita melakukan
suatu
tindakan.
5. Menghubungkan (connecting):
Mahasiswa menghubungkan pengalaman mereka dengan apa yang terjadi pada tokoh
cerita.
Kegiatan
lain dalam strategi ini adalah menghubungkan cerita dengan cerita lain atau
film pernah dibaca atau ditonton. Kimtafsirah (2003:8) mengilustrasikan seperti
contoh berikut: setelah membaca karya Charles Dicken Oliver Twist, mahasiswa
dapat membandingkannya dengan film Ari Hanggara. Begitu juga
dengan Oemarjati (2005) yang menyarankan guru “menanyakan kepada para siswa,
apakah ada yang pernah membaca kisah yang serupa, atau menonton film atau
sinetron dengan persoalan dasar serupa dengan karya sastra yang
sedang dibahas yaitu Siti Nurbaya.”
Berdasarkan
kegiatan-kegiatan dalam connecting tersebut, Penzenstadler
(1999) mengingatkan bahwa dengan segala sesuatu yang digunakan
sebagai media pembelajaran, guru dapat menolong siswa menghubungkan apa yang
mereka baca dengan dunia mereka(http://www.ade.org/ade/bulletin/n123/123036.htm).
6. Menafsirkan (interpreting):
Siswa menggunakan reaksi, konsepsi, dan koneksi yang mereka bentuk untuk
mengartikulasikan tema.
Kegiatan interpreting melibatkan
penentuan makna-makna simbolik, tema, atau peristiwa spesifik dari suatu teks.
Dalam membuat penafsiran, biasanya yang didiskusikan adalah apa yang teks
“ungkapkan.” Interpretasi melibatkan generalisasi, pernyataan yang dibuat bukan
pernyataan yang ada di dalam teks melainkan terimplisit di dalam teks.
7. Menilai (judging):
Mahasiswa memberikan pendapatnya tentang teks cerita, penulis cerita atau alur
cerita.
Ke tujuh
respons pembaca tersebut mengandung unsur-unsur yang dapat menajamkan kognisi
(merinci, menerangkan, memahami, dan menafsirkan) dan afeksi (menyertakan,
menghubungkan, dan menilai).
