Arena Wati as a Ship Captain: A Textual Analysis of Memoir Arena Wati Enda Gulingku

Sohaimi Abdul Aziz,Fatiha Che Mat

doi:10.37052/ml.27(2)no4

Abstract

Arena Wati (1925-2009), is well-known by the Award of Malaysian National Laureate, which he received in 1988 for his outstanding contributions to the development of Malay literature. However he was also the captain of a sailing ship. His familial origins as sailors of Makassar, South Sulawesi, Indonesia have greatly influenced his writings. This article is a scrutiny of a work by Arena Wati in his capacity as a ship captain in relation to two functions, namely “as a trader” and “as a navigator”. The approach to the text is through a qualitative content analysis, that is, interpretation and evaluation of messages associated with the text under study, namely, Arena Wati’s memoir entitled Memoir Arena Wati Enda Gulingku (1991). Based on his successful implementation of both the functions mentioned, the analysis reveals that Arena Wati is an accomplished navigator. His knowledge of the maritime trade and the navigation he practiced establishes that Arena Wati’s greatness as a ship captain is equal to his greatness as a fiction writer. Keywords: ship captain, sailor, trader, maritime, navigator

Highlights

SOHAIMI ABDUL AZIZ DAN FATIHA CHE MATThe maritime history of Southeast Asia is very interesting
Arena Wati was a successful literary laureate and an accomplished captain of merchant ships fairly respected within the sailing and trading community of Makassar, South Sulawesi
His skill as a captain may be scrutinized with reference to his capabilities in carrying out two functions, that is, as a trader and as a navigator

Summary

Introduction

SOHAIMI ABDUL AZIZ DAN FATIHA CHE MATThe maritime history of Southeast Asia is very interesting. The memoir is connected to its writer’s history, and reconstructing Arena Wati’s sailing history is reconstructing the history of a ship captain in the context of the maritime tradition of Nusantara.

Results

Conclusion