Anger discourse in Lloyd Fernando`s novel "Green is the colour"

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Malaysia is an area of natural grace and cultural activity. It is a multicultural and multiethnic society. The dominant groups are the Malays 60 %, Chinese 25 % and Indians 7 %. It is important to understand how culture interacts with emotion in communication. Webster's New Collegiate Dictionary (1969) tells us that emotion is "a psychic and physical reaction subjectively experienced as strong feeling and physiologically involving changes that prepare the body for immediate vigorous action". Basic emotion includes fear /anxiety, happiness/ joy and anger.

Emotion is also defined as "psychological affect that affectively react toward cultural cues or changes" [2, p. 173]."Emotions are those processes which establish, maintain, change, or terminate the relation between the person and the environment on matters of significance to the person" [3, p. 285]. "An emotion is usually caused by a person consciously or unconsciously evaluating an event as relevant to a concern (a goal) that is important; the emotion is felt as positive when a concern is advanced and negative when a concern is impeded [8, p. 96].

One of the basic emotions is anger; it is a complex one and occurs as a result of an interaction between one or more eliciting events. Anger is seen as a way of solving problems that related to social life and as achieving one's goal [7, p. 7]. Anger is a (physiological and psychological) response to a perceived threat to self or important other, present, past or future. The threat may appear to be real, discussed, or imagined.It is often a response to the perception of threat due to a physical conflict, injustice, negligence, humiliation or betrayal among other contentions [4, vii]. anger emotion malaysia fernando

Anger can be expressed by verbal and nonverbal reactions. Nonverbal emotion of anger includes angry facial expression, increased loudness of voice, trembling voice, crying, hand trembles for anger. While Verbal reactionof anger provides information about the form of an emotion that the person can experience.

The article claims to focus on the emotional expression of anger behavior of three ethnic groups in Llyod Fernando's novel" Green is the Col- our"(1993),in which the authordescribes the worst date in Malaysian history, 13 of May 1969. The struggle between the parties of different ethnic groups to control the country led to a violent war between them.The novel "Green is the Colour" covers the racial riot that struck the minds. It reveals the love relationship between Yung Ming, a Chinese man, and Siti Sara, a Malay woman,who are caught in an illicit relationship. All of this occurs during that period when any sexual relationship between a Malay individual and a Chinese one would aggravate the situation.

Other reasons that stimulate the cause of anger, revealed in the novel, are: the racial supremacy of the Malays as well as the defensiveness of the Chinese community, all in the name of upholding each race's integrity. Malays, on one hand are characterized as being pride and superior for the sake of "ketuanan Melayu",that is why they resorted to hostility against the "others" living in the land of Malay- sia.While the "others" thought it unfair of them to do so. For example, in the novel, when Siti Sara tries to tell Omar: "Many ordinary people show respect and understanding. We should do the same to them". He responds: "It's their duty. They came here as strangers, they must show their understanding of the situation".

Another reason that causes anger, is the exploitation of power by the leader Panglima,who is a part of a political machinery of the country. He carries out his criminal acts in order to serve his own interests. He uses his power on his subordinate Yung Ming who regards him as a mentor. Finally Panglima succeeds in imposing his power by raping Siti Sarah and makes her separate from Yung Ming.

In his novel Fernando tries to survey the emotional expression of Malays, Chinese and Indians. He shows that Chinese consider the expression of one's emotion in public infamous. They try to avoid it by being silent. For example, Yung Ming, a Chineseofficer, tries to avoid Pan- glima's bad behavior by ignoring it. Malays hide their emotions according to their tradition,Sarah,a Malay, is upset at the time of her being rapedby Panglima but remains silent according to the tradition. Indians express their emotion by action.At the time of riot they are so savage that they burn houses and hit any person they find in the street: "Indians are attacking shops. Near the rail crossing. Whatfor, don't know" "she is Chines or Malay? Malay not safe, you know" [6, p. 14].

In the novel anger is also expressed non verbally by such word as "froze", "despair", "unblinking". For example, Yung Ming gets angry when Dahlan shows coldness in greeting after long absence " Yung Ming smile froze as he thought how easily the memory of old friendship could be repulsed" [6, p. 3].On his part Dahlan gets upset when he learns that Yung Ming works for Panglima: "Dahlan shook his head in an exaggerated gesture of despair" [6, p. 3].Another example is when Siti Sarah makes her husband Omar get angry when she wears a loose blouse with tapered slacks and goes outside to talk with him:" he looked at her unblinking" [6, p. 128] and shouts at her to go inside.

Verbal expression of anger analyzed in the novel such as, Dahlan shows his being angry withyung Ming because of his work with people who in some points were the reason of the trouble and riot: "Do you know the root causes of trouble? you want to argue with me, okay, i will argue with you" [6, p. 6]. "You think you are so great,anything you say I must jump" [6, p. 5]. "I'm trying to say something to you, do you understand ?No need you know the kind of buggers you 're working with" [6, p. 6].Dahlan also explains to Sarah about Yung Ming that "Trouble is that he doesn't know doesn't want to know what bastards those guys are" [6, p. 5].Then Yung Ming shows his being upset with Dahlan's way of talking to the general secretary: "You are already in trouble, don't make things worse" [6, p. 5]. Another verbal emotion shows when Omar, Sara's husband, fights with her doubting that she is betraying him: "He shouted from the raised veranda, I know you've got a man, there must be a man." [6, p. 129]. "He gripped her shoulders hard, pushing his face against her. She lay unresisting, leaving him flailing. In a frenzy he shook her repeatedly as if to arouse passion" [6, p. 130]. Using native word as a synonym to the word "slut "which is "sundal". To reinforce the strength of the emotion: "He slapped her arm. Answer me sundal. I know there is a man" [6, p. 130]. As a result of the racial riot a strange man attacks Dahlan and Gita threating them: "If she doesn't shut up, and if you don't get up now, I'll make your face look even worse [6, p. 148].Using also repetition in the novel to symbolize the concept of anger. For example, when Sarah wants to leave her husband Omar, and go back to the city alone: "Did you hear me? I want to go back. Back. Back" [6, p. 128]. Then Omar finds out that she wants to go back because of a man; he says "when I find him he will be sorry. You_You also will be sorry" [6, p. 130].

Anger can be the reaction to racial attitudes. This novel shows how people are angry with each other ethnic groups, for example Sham- suldin a Malay man goes out to buy some cakes but whenever he sees Chinese he tries to hid himself then, as soon as, he saw a Malay like him he stops him for help,"A few cars went by driven by Chinese people, he didn't dare to stop them. Then he saw your car and because you look like Malay he tried to stop you for a lift" [6, p. 95].The situation was really difficult especially for Malay, being hated from other ethnic groups "Do not go out, the gangs are searching for Malays, he don't want to listen. Second day he went downstairs and run out on the street to try to get back to Kampong Bahru. No use. They found his body the next day" [6, p. 94].It also shows how difficult for women from all ethnic groups in Malaysia to live in these situation. For example when Gita an Indian woman wants to go out alone Baker a Malay man warns her from going alone in such situation.

"Why are you going? It's dangerous to go alone at this time.Women, especially. You better look out" [6, p. 133].

To sum up this study assessed the effects of anger on the communication style of the characters in the novel"Green is the Colour". Despite the differences in expressing anger and its effects on speech and behavior of the characters, the author wants his reader to understand that all the ethnic groups represent one country, one nation which is Malaysia: "Yung Ming found himself saying with fervor that the Chinese and the Indianshad to forget where they came from. They must follow one way of life; have one way of doing things" [6, p. 25].

References

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6. Fernando, L. (1993). Green is the Colour: A novel. Singapore: Landmark Books.

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9. Webster's New Collegiate Dictionary. (1969). Springfield, Ma: Merriam.

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