This graduation paper focuses on the analysis of the picture of American election system in the late 20th century and at the beginning of 21st century and some American core values as described in the novel “Deception point”, written by the famous thrilling novelist Dan Brown. This research includes three main parts with various aspects in the contents. The first part is introduction with some main reasons, aims and scope of the study. Part 2 of this thesis is devoted to some literature review in chapter 1 that include some theory about literature, novel the literature genre and some information about the writer Dan Brown and his famous novel “Deception Point”. Furthermore, Part 2 also concerns with the brief descriptions of American election system and some national core values. After that, the researcher takes an investigation of the election system and those values that can be seen through the novel. The last part of this research includes the conclusions for the whole thesis which sum up the main ideas that are analyzed in the previous parts, some limitations of the current research and suggestions for further studies of this novel.
Table of Contents TABLE OF CONTENTS I ABSTRACT III GRAPH AND ABBREVIATIONS IV PART 1: INTRODUCTION 1 1.RATIONALE 1 2.AIMS 1 3.SCOPE OF THE STUDIES 1 PART 2: DEVELOPMENT 2 CHAPTER 1: LITERATURE REVIEW 2 1.1. LITERATURE AND ITS RELATIONSHIP WITH A CULTURE 2 1.1.1. DEFINITION OF LITERATURE 2 1.1.2. THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN LITERATURE AND CULTURE 3 1.2. LITERATURE GENRE: NOVEL 4 1.2.1. DEFINITION 4 1.2.2. ELEMENTS OF A NOVEL 4 1.2.2.1. Plot 4 1.2.2.2. Characters 5 1.2.2.3. Conflict 6 1.2.2.4. Settings 6 1.3. DAN BROWN AND THE NOVEL DECEPTION POINT 7 1.3.1. THE AUTHOR DAN BROWN 7 1.3.2. THE NOVEL “DECEPTION POINT” 8 1.3.2.1. Setting 8 1.3.2.2. Main characters 8 1.3.2.3. Plot 9 CHAPTER 2: AMERICAN ELECTION SYSTEM AND SOME NATIONAL VALUES 10 2.1. AMERICAN ELECTION SYSTEM 10 2.1.1. PRIMARY ROUND 10 2.1.2. THE NATIONAL CONVENTION 11 2.1.3. THE GENERAL ELECTION 12 2.2. ELECTION FINANCE 13 2.3. SOME AMERICAN VALUES 13 2.3.1. DEMOCRACY 14 2.3.2. LIBERTY 14 2.3.3. EQUALITY 15 2.3.4. TOLERANCE 15 i CHAPTER 3: AMERICAN ELECTION SYSTEM AND SOME VALUES SEEN THROUGH THE NOVEL “DECEPTION POINT” 16 3.1. AMERICAN ELECTION SYSTEM SEEN THROUGH THE NOVEL 16 3.1.1. PRESIDENTIAL PRIMARY ROUND 17 3.1.1.1. Winning the Party Nomination (Primary round) 17 3.1.1.2. The requirements of presidential characteristics 19 3.1.2. COMPETING FOR THE GENERAL ELECTION CAMPAIGN 23 3.1.2.1. Political campaign strategies by Senator Sexton and Republic Party 23 3.1.2.2. Political strategies by President Zach Herney and Democratic Party 26 3.2. DEMOCRACY AND SOME OTHER VALUES SEEN THROUGH THE NOVEL 29 3.2.1. AMERICAN LAWS ENSURE THE DEMOCRATIC ATMOSPHERE 30 3.2.1.1. Divided government and limited time of presidential rime 30 3.2.1.2. Limited Legal amount of donation for presidential election 32 3.2.2. THE VALUES OF DEMOCRACY, LIBERTY, TOLERANCE AND EQUALITY IN SOME CHARACTERS OF THE NOVEL 37 3.2.2.1. Rachel Sexton with high appreciation of Democracy as well as love for liberty and tolerance 37 3.2.2.2. Gabrielle Ashe- a colored American woman with the love for Democracy and equality 40 PART 3: CONCLUSION, LIMITATIONS AND SUGGESTION FOR FURTHER STUDIES 42 1.CONCLUSION 42 2.LIMITATIONS AND SUGESTION FOR FUTHER STUDIES 44 REFERENCES 44 ii ABSTRACT This graduation paper focuses on the analysis of the picture of American election system in the late 20 th century and at the beginning of 21 st century and some American core values as described in the novel “Deception point”, written by the famous thrilling novelist Dan Brown. This research includes three main parts with various aspects in the contents. The first part is introduction with some main reasons, aims and scope of the study. Part 2 of this thesis is devoted to some literature review in chapter 1 that include some theory about literature, novel- the literature genre and some information about the writer Dan Brown and his famous novel “Deception Point”. Furthermore, Part 2 also concerns with the brief descriptions of American election system and some national core values. After that, the researcher takes an investigation of the election system and those values that can be seen through the novel. The last part of this research includes the conclusions for the whole thesis which sum up the main ideas that are analyzed in the previous parts, some limitations of the current research and suggestions for further studies of this novel. iii GRAPH AND ABBREVIATIONS 1. Graph Graph 1: The elements of a plot 2. Abbreviation FEC: Federal Election Commission PACs: Political Action Committees iv PART 1: INTRODUCTION 1. RATIONALE Dan Brown is the author of numerous best-selling novels, including The Da Vinci Code, which has become one of the best-selling novels of all time as well as the subject of heated debate among readers and scholars. I have first known about Dan Brown through the Film Da Vinci Code which is developed from the novel with the same title. At that time, I was deeply impressed by the author’s rich experience reflected in the film. Being attracted by Dan Brown’s way of writing with thrilling twists and turns, I was then indulged myself in reading his incredible series of fiction. Among them, the novel “Deception Point” has fascinated my imagination about the reality of American Democratic society as well as its political issue so much. Thus, it came to my mind on carrying out a research about this fascinating novel when choosing subject for my graduation paper. 2. AIMS The thesis aims to find out some features of American politics at the end of the 20 th century and beginning of the 21 st century by analyzing the national Democracy seen through the election system focusing on two rounds: primary and competing for general campaign. Furthermore, an analysis of some core beliefs and values of America which are attached to political issue of this country is also included in this graduation paper. 3. SCOPE OF THE STUDIES This thesis only focuses on small aspects of the whole novel, that is, American Democracy and some other American values attached to politics and election system as seen through the novel “Deception Point” written by Dan Brown. That is the reason why this research does not cover other issues depicted in the novel. The main 1 discussion of the thesis contains things about American politics, including American democracy, and American election system and election campaign. PART 2: DEVELOPMENT Chapter 1: Literature Review 1.1. LITERATURE AND ITS RELATIONSHIP WITH A CULTURE 1.1.1. DEFINITION OF LITERATURE In general, depending on the contexts and the purposes of the users, literature is defined from different perspectives. Normally, in widest sense, literature is referred to anything that is in written form. We will come up with the perspective of “literature” with the definition from Oxford Dictionary which refers Literature as: “Literary work or production, the activity or profession of a man of letters; the realm of letters”. (Oxford English Dictionary, 1989) In this sense, we can see a general agreement that literature foregrounds language, and uses it in artistic ways as Terry Eagleton, an English literary theorist and critic, once said: “Literature transforms and intensifies ordinary language, deviates systematically from everyday speech” (Eagleton, 1996, P.2). Furthermore, for some other theorists, a work that is called literature must display excellence in its form and style. Besides, literature is realized as a body of writings in prose or verse, an imaginative or creative writing, especially of recognized artistic value. However, literature is not only a perfect written work but it is also the slice of life that reflects the human experiences. Literature is something that reflects society, makes us think about ourselves and our society and allows us to enjoy language and beauty. Although literature is defined from different point of view, the literal works share the following initial characteristics: Literature is imaginative, Literature 2 expresses thoughts and feelings, Literature deals with life experiences and Literature use words in a powerful and effect manner. Furthermore, any work of literature carries the same function that is to pleasure the readers. 1.1.2. THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN LITERATURE AND CULTURE The functions of literature have been discussed from the very early times among the critics. Despite the fact that they differ among one and the others regarding the other functions of literature, they all stand the same point that the main functions of literature are to serve as an active- engaging role and a passive-reflective role. The active role represents the very action of reading. This role is a significant part of an individual’s development. From reading, an individual forms ideas and concepts about the world in which he lives. These ideas and concepts form together into an ideology of sort which stems individual motivation, action, and engagement. Generally, through a reading of literature aspects of life are widened and deepened, experiences are also enriched and interests are satisfied. In this way, the function of literature is to: “interpret life immediately about us and guides us to the life that “lies beyond the narrow confines our existence” (Grace. E. Storm (May, 1945). Areas of Children Literature. Retrieved on April, 19 th 2013 from the website http://www.jstor.org/discover/10.2307/998417? uid=3739320&uid=2&uid=4&sid=21102165426347). The reflective role of literature differs from the former one in the way that it is a thing observed, rather than a thing done. Literature has the responsibility to illustrate the history of ideologies, of thought, and of action. It heightens the awareness of the reader to certain aspects of the society. It allows the individual to understand how a 3 society functioned and why it functioned that way. For example, an individual reading through Ernst Bloch will peer into the hearts and minds of the German people during the early 19th and late 20th century. There, one can find the ideas of the German ideology and how it functioned in central Europe during the given time period. Besides the normal way of thought about the functions of literature that is to pleasure the readers, literature has two main functions accounting as active and reflective ones. Overall, thanks to the existence of literature, we have chance to take pleasure in and following as well as participating in the imaginary but real-life reflective adventures and experience. 1.2. LITERATURE GENRE: NOVEL 1.2.1. DEFINITION The term “novel” is rooted from the Italian word “novella” and the plural of Latin “novellus”, a late variant of “novus”, meaning "new". The novella was a kind of enlarged anecdote like those to be found in the 14th-century Italian classic Boccaccio's Decameroneach which exemplifies the etymology well enough. This word was once used to describe a short and compact realistic tale popular during the medieval period. The stories are little new things, novelties, freshly minted diversions, toys; they are not reworkings of known fables or myths, and they are lacking in weight and moral earnestness. 1.2.2. ELEMENTS OF A NOVEL As having been discussed so far, a novel aims for a comprehensive unified effect in which all of its elements intertwist with one and the others to make the novel appealing and worth reading to the readers. Normally, the novelists use five main elements that can be listed as follow: plot, characters, conflicts, setting, and theme 1.2.2.1. Plot 4 Plot is the core of the whole novel. Plot helps the author to illustrate the story and its underlying meaning. According to E.M. Forster, an English novelist, plot is defined as a “narrative of events, the emphasis falling on causality”. In fact, plot is a series of events selected and arranged by the author of a work of fiction. A plot does not depend solely on the sequence of events, but on the relationship among the created events. Each would be the reason of this event and the results of the others at the same time. The elements of a plot can be described as the following line graph. (Graph 1: The elements of a plot. Adapted from The Relationship Among Character, Plot, and Theme. Retrieved on April, 20 th , 2013, from the website www.pdesas.org. Copyright 2013 by Commonwealth of Pennsylvania) 1.2.2.2. Characters Novel writers hire a variety of characters to weave their own stories. They are the fictional figures who take part in the flow of the plot. There is no need for the writers to create the characters physically realistic because they are made of word rather than of flesh. In the novel, beyond the standard definitions of protagonist (the main character in a literary work) and antagonist (the main character or force that opposes the protagonist in a literary work), recognizing the types of characters and the parts they play while reading an interesting story can add to the experience. Besides 5 those two main types of characters, they are also divided into some further categories like confidante, dynamic character, flat character, round character, foil and static character. 1.2.2.3. Conflict Being the creator of the characters, the novelist must be the master of using conflict. As conflict is the key component that weaves all the element of the novel all together, it is necessary for the writer to add conflict to the plot of the novel to make the story much thornier. The readers will find the story worth reading because conflict is what makes the readers’ hearts beat faster and encourages them to turn the pages. Most novelists grasp the reader’s attention by having the conflicts developed together with the flow of the novel. Conflict depicted in the novel is not the crisis or what happens to its characters. It is not the battle, the argument or the deception but it rests upon the characters’ thoughts and feelings toward the events they experience. Conflict is found within the moral choices of the characters, in their emotional reaction to the events that swirl about them. Thus, conflict is divided into two main types including internal conflict and external conflict. Internal Conflict is a struggle that occurs within the main character. This struggle happens within the character's own mind. External Conflict is a struggle that the main character has with another character, with society, or with a natural force. 1.2.2.4. Settings The other element that contributes to the success of one novel is the setting of the work. Setting is where the plot takes place which fulfills most of the core aspects of a story. Without a place there is no story. Setting serves multipurpose roles from helping with plot, determining and describing character to providing metaphoric links to theme. There are several aspects to the novel setting which can be counted as measuring circumstances, amplification and contradiction and weather. Measuring circumstances: Circumstances in novel modify the nature of time and place. Thus they refer to the period of history and geographical location of the 6 [...]... 1.3 DAN BROWN AND THE NOVEL DECEPTION POINT 1.3.1 THE AUTHOR DAN BROWN Dan Brown is the talent novelist of the most thrilling novels Brown' s novels are published in 52 languages around the world with 200 million copies in print This famous writer is a graduate of Amherst College and Phillips Exeter Academy, where he spent time as an English teacher before turning his efforts fully to writing Dan Brown. .. the election Dan Brown does not have to make a huge effort to clarify the formal rule of the candidate qualifications 31 for the reader; through his own dotted note in the novel the readers still perceive that the American law in a very meaningful and interesting way which is different from what they have to do when they study laws at university This is also a marvelous success of Dan Brown when he... is eliminated by the ballotvoting based on the competitors’ qualifications including personal characteristics and political experience In this novel, Dan Brown proves it is true to say “Many are called but only few are chosen” 3.1.2 COMPETING FOR THE GENERAL ELECTION CAMPAIGN In general election campaign, the opponent candidates come to square up for the presidential campaign proper This stage witnesses... of freedom is assured From the early days of the US, the Founders “embraced equality as a political principle, the principle that no men were inherently ordained to rule over other men” (Slaughter (2007) P.75) Thus, political equality begins with the value of equality in the eye of law This means the citizens receive the equal protection of the laws to fulfill their happiness and the right to participate... brings along his or her own characteristics that both help Dan Brown to enlarge his plot and make the readers believe in his or her life beyond the boundaries of the story told in this novel Enjoying this novel, the readers will find out various types of characters which can be categorized into different blazons of characters that must include confidante, dynamic character and round character Obviously,... instrument for establishing and maintaining a stable Democracy 14 2.3.3 EQUALITY In the Declaration of Independence in 1776, Thomas Jefferson emphasized: “We hold the truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal” This implies that from the beginning of the country, the Founders paid much attention to the creation of equality for everyone That is the reason why so many immigrants have dawn... mathematics teacher at Phillips Exeter Academy and a church organist mother, who was a professional musician Dan Brown was raised on a prep school campus where he developed a fascination with the paradoxical interplay between science and religion This has a great influence on the ideology in his novels later on Brown then attended Amherst College, graduating with a degree in English and Spanish in 1986 and spent... fulfill their happiness and the right to participate in choosing the government Americans citizens are protected with the social equality in which they are created equal chance to “make good, regardless of birth or breeding” Americans believe that each individual should have an equal chance to be successful, to enter the race to his or her success and compete against each other to win 2.3.4 TOLERANCE America... position in the party, President Zach Herney and Senator Sexton must satisfy the political qualities which include personal characteristics and political experience as the law has regulated For Mr Sedgewich Sexton, he has the ability to attract and impress the others with his appearance Under the pen of Dan Brown, Senator Sexton turns up as a kind man with “silver haired, silver- tongued political... proved by the large amount of “sympathy votes” during the Party nomination Like his opponent, the incumbent President Zach Herney has outstanding qualifications to become the leader of the US in four years and continue to run the race for his reelection However, Dan Brown depicts Zach Herney in a different way in which he focuses more on his talent rather than his physical looking 20 Unlike Senator Sexton, . theme and ultimately story. 1.3. DAN BROWN AND THE NOVEL DECEPTION POINT 1.3.1. THE AUTHOR DAN BROWN Dan Brown is the talent novelist of the most thrilling novels. Brown& apos;s novels are published. 4 1.2.2.2. Characters 5 1.2.2.3. Conflict 6 1.2.2.4. Settings 6 1.3. DAN BROWN AND THE NOVEL DECEPTION POINT 7 1.3.1. THE AUTHOR DAN BROWN 7 1.3.2. THE NOVEL “DECEPTION POINT” 8 1.3.2.1. Setting 8 1.3.2.2 turns and twist, Dan Brown is one of the most famous American detective authors. That is the reason why he receives a lot reader’s compliments like Library Journal with the praise: Brown is among