Analysis of Indonesian Folklore

HOW LAKE TOBA CAME INTO EXISTENCE

Class : Extensive Reading (F)

Compiled by :

Group 6
Sugiyanto                         (2010-32-086)
Annisa Puspa Dhara       (2010-32-093)
Muhammad Fidloh          (2010-32-098)
Bastian Ardi Y.                 (2010-32-104)

TEACHER TRAINING AND EDUCATION FACULTY

ENGLISH EDUCATION DEPARTMENT

UNIVERSITAS MURIA KUDUS

2011

How Lake Toba Came into Existance (Tapanuli)

Long ago there live in north Sumatra in the neighbourhood of a small lake a poor farmer who earned his living by working in the fields. All day long he was either ploughing, hoeing, flooding the fields, sowing seeds or reaping rice, but he also went into the forest together wood for the market and for home. From the money he earned he bought salt, dried fish and other daily needs, and if there were still money left, he would spend it on a piece of underwear or a hat which he could wear when working in the field.

Being a good and diligent worker, every morning he left his cottage, but one day he had a strange mood. His store of wood for the kitchen was almost finished but still he did not feel like going to the forest as was his habit. Staying at home he disliked also.

“What shall I do?” he wondered, caressing his forehead with his hand while closing his eyes or some minutes and not able to understand himself.

At last he took his fishing rod and left for the lake, saying to himself: “I’d rather sit there on the bank of the lake and think about my life and fete than stay all day long in my hut.”

On coming to the lake, he threw his hook in to the water, then sat on a big stone. A lot of things crowded his mind. He thought about his friend whom he envied, as he lived in better circumstances and was luckier than he.

             “Why can my friend buy the things he wants and do everything he likes? Look at me! To get a bit of rice, I have to work hard every day, and am exposed to wind and weather cutting wood in the forest and carrying it to market,” he lamented.

While he was day dreaming, his took went up and down all of sudden. Something was pulling at it. A fish? How was it possible! But look! There! And down went the hook again. The farmer was astonished. Could he believe his eyes? Were there any big fish in the lake? He rubbed his eyes many times to make sure whether he was dreaming. Shaking his head, he said: “I am not dreaming; no I am not,”

Without thinking any longer, he pulled at the rod! Indeed, it was a fish! The farmer was very happy that being the first time he had caught a fish in the lake. But it was a strange fish for its body was white and glittered in the sunshine like a diamond. Great was the farmer’s surprise when, on his trying to touch it, the fish spoke: “Dear farmer, don’t take me to your home. Put me in a rice field containing water and come to see me every day before noon. If you haven’t time, just come the next day!”

            “Who are you?” the farmer stammered, but before this question was finished, the fish continued: “don’t worry who I am. I hope you will obey what I have said.”

            “It’s all right,” the farmer answered. “I’ll keep my word.”

            It happened to bethe dry season; rain had not fallen for a long time and therefore it was dificult for the farmer to find a rice field filled with water. He walked here and there but found nothing. When he thought there was no change at all of finding one, he saw a rice field in which there was a small spot of water.

            “Can the fish live if I put down here?” he wondered, but the fish speaking again: “Dear farmer, I know what you are thinking; just put me in it and again I remind you not to forget to come and see me every day.”

            “It shall be done.” The man replied. After having put the fish into the water, the farmer made for home. On the way home, he thought about the strange behavior of the fish and the promise he had to keep.

            “What’s her aim with me coming there every day?” that night he could not sleep; his thoughts were occupied by the strange animal he had caught that very morning.

            “Strange,” he said, ‘’it can speak”

            The next morning the farmer was off at dawn for the rice field. Being very anxious to see what had happened to the fish, he walked faster. Although it was dark, he had already passed several rice field. All around was silent; only the hooting of an owl broke the silence of the surroundings but nevertheless he felt no fear. Then he approached the spot.

            From a distance he saw small things like gnats, shining in the darkness coming up at him.

            “What are they?” he thought. When they were near him, he caught one of them and smell it. “It smells bad,” he murmured, “It the smell of fish.” When he had taken some steps forward, there at the edge on the rice field he saw a beautiful woman sitting alone. On seeing the farmer, he smiled, winked several times and started him right into the face. Becoming afraid, the farmer attempted to run away but couldn’t move his legs. They felt as if they ware fastened with a piece of iron.

            “Poor farmer!” she suddenly said, “don’t be afraid. I am the fish you caught yesterday and left in this place. Now I am showing myself in the guise of a human being; take me home and make me your wife.”

            “My wife?” the man asked. “Will you live with me and be my wife?”

            “Yes.”

            “Will you live in my ugly cottage, a hut looking like a hovel?”

            “Oh, you needn’t tell me about it. I know you are poor.”

            “If you have decided to come with me, sharing a poor life and suffering everything, place do; you are welcome.”

            After a while a woman answered: “No matter where you let me live, only one thing; don’t tell anybody where I came from.”

            “Is that all?” the farmer smiled; he thought this wish of hers would not be difficult to fulfill and none would ever know. The fish repeated: “Don’t tell anyone about my origin!” The farmer promised again and they went to the farmer’s hut. All the neighbours were astonished at seeing such a beautiful woman, but none asked who she was, where she come from, who her parents were, how she had lived and how she had come there.

            The farmer and his wife lived happily together and after two years she bore him a son who was as good looking as his mother, with curly hair and eyes as round as fish eyes. But strange, from the time he started eating rice, he was fond of fish. He was stratified with two pieces of fried fish whenever there was nothing to eat.

            As usual, when the farmer was working in the field, his wife prepared his meal, which she herself took to him. One day, however, she had it done by her son, saying: “Son, hurry! It is already late; your father will be hungry.”  The son took the food, but on his way to the rice field, he met his playmates, who were playing together, running and laughing. The farmer’s son stopped walking, joined the group and forgot the time. For hours he played, then he realized he had to bring food to his father. But he was hungry and ate the rice repeated for his father. Afterwards he run to him while he was still working in the field, only to tell him that he had eaten up the rice.

            The father fell into a rage. He boxed his son’s ear and shouted: “You naughty boy, son of fish! Go home! It’s no crying here!” sobbing he went home, where his mother asked him: “What’s the matter? Why are you crying? Who has annoyed you?”

            “My father, mother,” the boy answered. “He boxed my ears and called me the son of fish. Is that true, Mother?”

            “Stop crying! What your father has said is true. Your ancestors were fish. I am very sorry for your father; there is nothing else to do. Go to that hill!” she answered, pointing to the hill where her son had to go.

            “In no time this area will be flooded; go quickly, I’ll follow you.”

Within a few minutes the woman beat a drum as hard as she could, in order to be heard far and wide. And what happened? The wind blew tremendously hard from west to east. Trees tumbled down and houses were destroyed. Heavy rain fell as if pouring out from the sky. Lighting flashed, splitting the earth into pieces. In a short time the Toba area was filled up with water, one mater deep. People ran in panic, looking for shelter. Those who were protected reached a high place and were saved. Others, being unlucky, were drowned while hundreds of cattle floated on the surface, dead!

            Fortunately, this catastrophe which befell the Toba area did not last long. The flood withdrew after some days and only the spot where the farmer’s hut. Had stood was covered with water. This water did not withdraw but rose gradually higher and higher till it became a lake. And this was later called lake Toba. People around that lake still believe that the fish which had shown herself in the guise of human being, is living there, often coming to the surface when there is nobody there.

SYNOPSIS

How Lake Toba Came into Existence

One day in North Sumatra, there was a poor farmer who lived alone. He stayed in a small house. He got money from working in the field and gathering wood from forest. Although he was a poor man, he was never lazy to work hard. But one day, the farmer felt unusual. He had a strange mood that made him didn’t want to go working. But he also didn’t want to stay at home. He felt confused. Then he decided to go fishing at lake. The farmer thought about his self over there. He asked to his self, why was he so unlucky. Suddenly his hook went up and down. A fish was pulling at it. The fish was not a usual fish. Its body was white and glittered in the sun light like a diamond. That fish also could speak. She asked the farmer to put herself in a rice field containing of water. Besides that, he must come to see the fish every day before noon. The farmer was promising to the fish to obey what she has said.

When the dry season came, most of rice fields didn’t fill with water. So, the farmer looked for rice field filled with water. Lucky he because he found a rice field in which there was a small spot of water. But he had doubtful whether the fish could live there or not. The fish understood what the farmer thought about. She just asked him to put her in it. After that, the farmer went home and thought about the strange fish. He was so curious, why the fish could speak and asked him to see her every day. The next day, the farmer didn’t go to rice field, but at night he wanted to see the fish. So, he walked fast in the darkness. He didn’t see the fish over there. She just saw a beautiful woman who sat alone. In fact, that woman was the fish. The farmer felt so shocked for looking that. The woman wanted him to marry her. But he should make promise, not to tell anyone about where the woman came from. After agreeing the woman said, they got married and had a son two years later.

One day, the woman asked her son to take the farmer‘s lunch to the field. But on the way, their son met his friends and forgot his job to take the lunch. He spent long time to play till he felt hungry. He ate his father’s lunch. After that, he went to the field and told his father that he had eaten his lunch. The farmer got angry, and he said that his son was a son of a fish. The son cried and told his mom about that. After saying that there was true, she asked her son to go to hill. Then the woman beat a drum as hard as he could. That’s made the wind blew tremendously hard and heavy rain fell. A few minutes later, that place full of water. But it’s withdrawn after several days. But the place where the farmer’s house stood, the water was higher every day, until it became a lake. And this was later called Lake Toba.

TRANSLATION

Terjadinya Danau Toba

Suatu hari di Sumatera Utara, ada seorang petani miskin yang tinggal sendirian. Dia tinggal di sebuah rumah kecil. Dia mendapat uang dari bekerja di ladang dan mengumpulkan kayu dari hutan. Meskipun ia adalah orang miskin, ia tidak pernah malas untuk bekerja keras. Tapi satu hari, petani merasa tidak biasa. Dia merasa suasana hatinya aneh, yang membuatnya tidak ingin pergi bekerja. Tapi dia juga tidak ingin tinggal di rumah. Dia merasa bingung. Kemudian ia memutuskan untuk pergi memancing di danau. Petani itu berpikir tentang dirinya sendiri di sana. Dia bertanya kepada dirinya sendiri, mengapa ia begitu tidak beruntung. Tiba-tiba kail pancingnya nya naik dan turun. Seekor ikan menarik-narik kail pancingnya. Ikan itu bukan ikan biasa. Tubuhnya putih dan berkilauan dalam cahaya matahari seperti berlian. Ikan itu juga bisa berbicara. Dia meminta si petani untuk menempatkan dirinya di sawah yang mengandung air. Selain itu, ia harus datang untuk melihat ikan setiap hari sebelum tengah hari. Petani itu berjanji untuk menuruti apa yang dikatakan ikan.

Ketika musim kemarau datang, sebagian besar sawah tidak terisi air. Jadi, petani mencari sawah yang terisi air. Ia beruntung karena dapat menemukan sebuah sawah yang terdapat sedikit air di dalamnya. Tapi ia ragu apakah ikan itu bisa hidup di sana atau tidak. Ikan mengerti apa yang dipikirkan petani. Dia hanya meminta si petani untuk menempatkannya di dalam sawah tersebut. Setelah itu, petani pulang ke rumah dan berpikir tentang ikan yang aneh. Dia begitu penasaran, mengapa si ikan dapat berbicara dan memintanya untuk melihatnya setiap hari. Hari berikutnya, petani tidak pergi ke sawah, tetapi pada malam hari ia ingin melihat ikan. Jadi, ia berjalan cepat dalam kegelapan. Dia tidak melihat ikan di sana. Dia hanya melihat seorang wanita cantik yang duduk sendirian. Ternyata wanita itu adalah si ikan. Petani sangat terkejut dengan apa yang dilihatnya. Wanita itu meminta petani menikahinya. Tapi petani harus berjanji, tidak akan memberitahu siapa pun tentang asal usul wanita itu. Setelah menyetujui perkataan si wanita, mereka menikah dan punya seorang anak laki-laki dua tahun kemudian.

Suatu hari, wanita itu meminta putranya untuk mengantar makan siang petani ke ladang. Tetapi di tengah jalan, si anak bertemu teman-temannya dan melupakan tugasnya untuk mengantar makan siang. Dia menghabiskan waktu berjam-jam untuk bermain sampai ia merasa lapar. Dia memakan makan siang ayahnya. Setelah itu, ia pergi ke ladang dan mengatakan kepada ayahnya bahwa ia telah memakan makan siang ayahnya. Petani marah, dan dia mengatakan bahwa anaknya adalah anak ikan. Si anak menangis dan mengatakan kepada ibunya tentang itu. Setelah mengatakan bahwa apa yang dikatakan petani benar, dia meminta anaknya untuk pergi ke sebuah bukit. Lalu perempuan itu memukul genderang sekeras mungkin. Hal itu membuat angin bertiup sangat keras dan hujan lebat turun. Beberapa menit kemudian, tempat itu dipenuhi air. Tapi surut setelah beberapa hari. Tapi tempat di mana rumah petani berdiri, air lebih tinggi setiap hari, sampai menjadi sebuah danau. Dan ini kemudian disebut Danau Toba.

ANALYSIS OF SYNOPSIS

The genre of the story is legend narative.

The social function: to amuse, entertain, and to tell the readers how lake toba came into existance.

GENERIC STRUCTURE

Orientation

One day in North Sumatra, there was a poor farmer who lived alone. He stayed in a small house. He got money from working in the field and gathering wood from forest. Although he was a poor man, he was never lazy to work hard.

Major complication

But one day, the farmer felt unusual. He had a strange mood that made him didn’t want to go working. But he also didn’t want to stay at home. He felt confused. Then he decided to go fishing at lake. The farmer thought about his self over there. He asked to his self, why was he so unlucky. Suddenly his hook went up and down. A fish was pulling at it. The fish was not a usual fish. Its body was white and glittered in the sun light like a diamond. That fish also could speak. She asked the farmer to put herself in a rice field containing of water. Besides that, he must come to see the fish every day before noon. The farmer was promising to the fish to obey what she has said.

Resolution

The farmer was promising to the fish to obey what she has said.

Complication

When the dry season came, most of rice fields didn’t fill with water. So, the farmer looked for rice field filled with water.

Resolution

Lucky he because he found a rice field in which there was a small spot of water. But he had doubt whether the fish could live there or not. The fish understood what the farmer thinks about. She just asked him to put her in it.

Complication

The next day, the farmer didn’t go to rice field, but at night he wanted to see the fish. So, he walked fast in the darkness. He didn’t see the fish over there. She just saw a beautiful woman who sat alone. In fact, that woman was the fish. The farmer felt so shocked for looking that. The woman wanted him to marry her. But he should make promise, not to tell anyone about where the woman came from.

Resolution

After agreeing the woman said, they got married and had a son two years later.

Complication

One day, the woman asked her son to take the farmer‘s lunch to the field. But on the way, their son met his friends and forgot his job to take the lunch. He spent long time to play till he felt hungry. He ate his father’s lunch. After that, he went to the field and told his father that he had eaten his lunch. The farmer got angry, and he said that his son was a son of a fish. The son cried and told his mom about that.

Major Resolution

After saying that there was true, she asked her son to go to hill. Then the woman beat a drum as hard as he could. That’s made the wind blew tremendously hard and heavy rain fell. A few minutes later, that place full of water. But it’s withdrawn after several days. But the place where the farmer’s house stood, the water was higher every day, until it became a lake. And this was later called Lake Toba.

LINGUISTIC FEATURES

§  Noun : Farmer, house, money, field, wood, forest, lake, hook, fish, etc.

§  Pronoun : He, his, him, she, her, they, it.

§  Past Tense : stayed, got, had, made, didn’t want, felt, decided, thought, asked, etc.

§  Noun Phrase : poor farmer, small house, strange fish

§  Time connectives and conjunction : and, although, but, when, then, after

§  Adjective : poor, small, strange, confused, unlucky, curious, beautiful, shocked, etc.

Process type

§  Material process
©      working
©      gathering
©      was pulling
©      could speak
©      must come
©      didn’t fill
©      looked for

§  Mental process

©      felt
©      had a strange mood
©      didn’t want
©      felt confused
©      thought
©      had doubtful
©      understood
©      saw
©      forgot
©      felt so shocked
©      felt hungry
©      got angry

§  Behavioural Process

©      stayed

©      went up

©      could live

©      cried

©      go fishing

©      go working

§  Verbal process

©      decided
©      asked
©      was promising
©      agreeing
©      told
©      said

§  Relational process

©      He was so curious

©      until it became a lake

©      In fact, that woman was the fish

§  Existantional process

©      there was a small spot of water

©      there was a poor farmer who lived alone

§  Meteorological process

©      When the dry season came

©      That’s made the wind blew tremendously hard and heavy rain fell

Direct speech (from text)

a) “It shall be done.” The man replied.

b) The fish spoke: “Dear farmer, don’t take me to your home. Put me in a rice field containing water and come to see me every day before noon. If you haven’t time, just come the next day!”

c) He said: “I am not dreaming; no I am not,”

Indirect speech
a) The farmer got angry, and he said that his son was a son of a fish.
b) Afterwards he run to him while he was still working in the field, only to tell him that he had eaten up the rice.

Character and characteristic

The farmer      : hard worker, anger

The fish           : pretty woman, patient, kind person

The son           : not obey

THEME : promise denied

Setting of place

§  In North Sumatra

§  In a small house

§  In the field

§  In the forest

§  At lake

§  In the rice field

§  The hill

Setting of time

§  Long ago

§  All day long

§  Every morning

§  One day

§  Some minutes

§  At last

§  Every day

§  Before noon

§  For a long time

§  The next morning

§  Yesterday

§  For hours

§  In a short time

§  Some days

CHRONOLOGICAL PLOT

Beginning

one day, the farmer felt unusual. He had a strange mood that made him didn’t want to go working. But he also didn’t want to stay at home. He felt confused. Then he decided to go fishing at lake. The farmer thought about his self over there. He asked to his self, why was he so unlucky.

Rising Action

Suddenly his hook went up and down. A fish was pulling at it. The fish was not a usual fish. Its body was white and glittered in the sun light like a diamond. That fish also could speak. She asked the farmer to put herself in a rice field containing of water. Besides that, he must come to see the fish every day before noon. The farmer was promising to the fish to obey what she has said.

Climax

One day, the woman asked her son to take the farmer‘s lunch to the field. But on the way, their son met his friends and forgot his job to take the lunch. He spent long time to play till he felt hungry. He ate his father’s lunch. After that, he went to the field and told his father that he had eaten his lunch. The farmer got angry, and he said that his son was a son of a fish. The son cried and told his mom about that. After saying that there was true, she asked her son to go to hill.

Falling

Then the woman beat a drum as hard as he could. That’s made the wind blew tremendously hard and heavy rain fell. A few minutes later, that place full of water. But it’s withdrawn after several days. But the place where the farmer’s house stood, the water was higher every day, until it became a lake.

Ending

And this was later called Lake Toba.

VALUE

Moral value :

1.      Obey your parents said

2.      Don’t be lazy person

3.      Don’t be anger person

Social value :

1.      Poorness is not a reason to be lazy

Educational value :

1.      Keep your promise

2.      Think before doing

COSTUME : Fishing-rod ; drum ; mattock

GESTURE

1.      Caressing his forehead with his hand.

2.      Closing his eyes

3.      Smiled, winked, and stared him right

4.      Shaking his head

SOUND EFFECT : The woman beat a drum

DIFFICULT WORDS :

1.      Lamented (v)             : express great sadness about something

2.      Astonished (v)            : surprise somebody greatly

3.      Stammered (v)          : repeating sounds or words before saying things correctly

4.      Gnats (n)                    : small fly with two wings, that bites

5.      Murmured (v)           : say something in a low voice

6.      Fond of (adj)              : having a great liking for somebody / something

7.      Ancestors (n)             : person in your family who lived a long time ago

8.      Tremendously (adv)  : with very great

9.      Guise (n)                    : outward appearance

10.  Hovel (n)                    : small dirty house

QUESTIONS

1.      Where did the farmer get the fish?
Answer : The farmer got the fish from the lake.
2.      When did the farmer must come to see the fish?
Answer : The farmer must come to see the fish every day before noon.
3.      What does the first paragraph of the text tell us about?
Answer : The first paragraph tells us about life of the poor farmer.
4.      What does the text tell us about?
Answer : The text tells us about how lake toba came into existence.
5.      Afterwards he ran to him while he was still working in the field. (Last paragraph, page 47).
The word ‘he’ refers to...
Answer : He refers to the farmer.
6.      The farmer promised again and they went to the farmer’s hut.
The underline word refers to...
Answer : The underline word refers to the farmer and the woman.
7.      How was the skin of the fish?
Answer : The skin of the fish was white and glittered in the sunshine like a diamond.
8.      Why did the farmer get angry to his son?
Answer : The farmer got angry to his son because his son didn’t do his job (to take his food to field).
9.      In no time this area will be flooded. Antonym of the underline word is...
Answer : Antonym of the underline word is withdrew.
10.  From a distance he saw small things like gnats
Synonym of the underline word is...
Answer : Synonym of the underline word is mosquito.
11.  When did the farmer and the woman have a baby?
Answer : They had a baby two years after they got married.
12.  What did the woman do to save her son before Toba area was filled up with water?
Answer : She asked her son to go to the hill.