CHILD EMPOWERMENT IN J. K. ROWLING’S HARRY POTTER AND THE SORCERER'S STONE

This research aims to (1) identify the problems faced by Harry Potter, Ronald Weasley, Hermione Granger and Neville Longbottom in J. K. Rowling’s Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, (2) reveal the process of child empowerment experienced by those four child characters in the novel, and (3) reveal the influences of child empowerment on those child characters in the novel. Therefore, this research applies children’s literature and child empowerment theories. The researcher used qualitative descriptive content analysis. The data of the research were significant expressions in the form of sentences, paragraphs and discourses related to (1) the problems faced by children, (2) the process of child empowerment and (3) the influences of child empowerment taken from the novel. The research instruments were the researcher herself as the primary instrument and three data tables as the secondary one. To ensure data trustworthiness, the researcher used triangulation technique. The result of this research shows that this novel contains child empowerment. It can be confirmed by these findings. First, there are two kinds of problems: problems from external sources and internal problems. Problems from external sources are people’s negative judgment, suppressions and mistreatment. Meanwhile, the internal problems are children’s inferior feeling and negative thinking. Second, there are five ways to empower children: giving them chance, making them complex characters, giving them important position, making them capable and giving them trust. Third, there are four influences of child empowerment namely becoming knowledgeable, aware, sociable and proactive