The Help by Kathryn Stockett critically examines the lives of Black domestic workers in 1960s Jackson, Mississippi, highlighting persistent economic inequalities. Utilizing Antonio Gramsci’s theory of hegemony, this research employs a qualitative textual analysis approach to examine the novel’s dialogues and narratives, revealing two key forms of economic discrimination faced by Black characters: inequalities in the work and wage system, and barriers to social mobility. These forms of oppression intersect to sustain racial hierarchy and structural inequality. The study concludes that the novel not only portrays historical racial discrimination in the South but also illustrates how hegemonic power normalizes economic subordination through cultural consent, thus highlighting the relevance of the discussion on social justice.
This study analyzes the representation of female subjectivity, freedom, and agency in Anora (2024) through the lens of Sartre’s existentialism and Beauvoir’s existential feminism. It examines how Ani negotiates her existential autonomy by resisting patriarchal constructions that position her as “the Other.” Employing a qualitative descriptive approach based on dialogue transcripts, repeated viewing, and close analysis of key interactions, the data were selected according to thematic relevance to radical freedom, authenticity, and objectification. The findings show that Ani affirms herself as a responsible and choosing subject while resisting gendered labels and social objectification through her speech and actions. Her refusal to accept a subordinate identity and her insistence on the legitimacy of her marriage illustrate an existential struggle against imposed roles within patriarchal kinship structures. Rather than depicting liberation as triumphant, the film portrays women’s freedom as situated, relational, and constrained by class and institutional power. This study demonstrates that philosophical frameworks are essential for understanding how contemporary cinema visualizes feminine identity, agency, and the limits of existential freedom within oppressive social systems.
This study aims to describe the segmental phonological features found in the speech of Abele’s American English and Roger’s Singapore English as represented in the Clash of Champions program by Ruangguru. The study employs a descriptive qualitative approach and analyzes naturally occurring speech produced by two speakers featured in the program. The findings indicate that Roger’s speech, representing Singapore English, consistently demonstrates non-rhoticity, vowel centralization, shortened vowel duration, and diphthong reduction. In contrast, Abele’s speech, representing American English, consistently exhibits rhoticity, full diphthongization, and clear tense–lax vowel distinctions, aligning with General American English patterns. These segmental features appear systematically in spontaneous discourse, suggesting that accent-specific segmental phonological patterns are deeply internalized. This study contributes to the understanding of phonological variation within World Englishes by examining authentic spoken interaction rather than isolated speech samples.
This study examined the effectiveness of scaffolding strategies in improving reading comprehension among 30 fifth-grade students at UPTD SDN 14 Parepare, utilizing classroom action research based on the Kemmis and McTaggart model across two iterative cycles spanning three months. Data were gathered through pre- and post-cycle reading tests evaluating literal, inferential, and critical comprehension skills, supplemented by structured observations of instructional delivery and student participation. In Cycle 1, the average comprehension score was 67.89, with only 40% of students meeting the minimum mastery criterion of 70, while engagement averaged 79.70%. Following refinements such as enhanced peer collaboration and visual aids, Cycle 2 yielded a mean score of 87.53, achieving 100% mastery and 86.37% active engagement. These findings underscore scaffolding's role in providing graduated support to bridge proficiency gaps, promoting learner autonomy in main idea identification, vocabulary application, and inferential reasoning. Grounded in sociocultural theory, the strategy fosters equitable literacy development in elementary English settings and equips educators with practical tools to enhance teaching efficacy. Ethical considerations were upheld by obtaining informed consent from parents and school authorities while ensuring participant anonymity and voluntary involvement throughout the research process. Future studies may explore digital integrations to expand applicability.
This study focuses on whether or not EFL students' vocabulary mastery might be improved by using digital learning tools, specifically the Cake mobile application in conjunction with real-world movie clips. A quasi-experimental methodology was used, drawing on other studies that highlight the potential of mobile assisted language acquisition and audiovisual input for vocabulary development. 64 eleventh-grade students from SMA Teuku Umar Semarang participated in the study. They were split into two groups: an experimental group that received training via the Cake app and movie clips, and a control group that received instruction via traditional techniques. 50-item multiple-choice pre-tests and post-tests were used to gauge vocabulary proficiency. An independent-samples t-test was used after normality and homogeneity testing in the data analysis. The results showed that while both groups improved, there was no significant difference between the experimental and control groups (sig. = 0.217 > 0.05). These findings suggest that better vocabulary increases are not always the result of integrating digital media and movie clips. The results may have been impacted by elements including insufficient contextual scaffolding, limited repeated exposure, and variations in learner preparedness for mobile assisted learning. In terms of pedagogy, the study recommends that in order to optimize their efficacy, digital media should be integrated into thoughtfully crafted educational frameworks that offer clear direction, contextualized practice, and prolonged exposure to target vocabulary.
