IMAGERIES AND SYMBOLS IN REFLECTING 9/11
ATTACKS IN
WAKE ME UP WHEN SEPTEMBER ENDS
SONG
LYRIC
BY BILLIE JOE ARMSTRONG
AN UNDERGRADUATE THESIS
Presented as Partial Fulfilment of the Requirements for the Degree of Sarjana Sastra
in English Letters
By
Christian Budi Sulistyanto
Student Number: 054214095
ENGLISH LETTERS STUDY PROGRAMME DEPARTMENT OF ENGLISH LETTERS
FACULTY OF LETTERS SANATA DHARMA UNIVERSITY
YOGYAKARTA 2011
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The fruit of silence is a prayer,
The fruit of prayer is faith,
The fruit of faith is love,
The fruit of love is service,
The fruit of service is peace.
“Mother Teresa”
This undergraduate thesis is dedicated to
My beloved parents
in their hopes and prayers
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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
I want to give my biggest gratitude to Lord Jesus Christ and Mother Mary for the miracle and the answer to my questions. You have given me strength in every step that I take.
I also would like to express my deepest and sincerest gratitude to my advisor, Dewi Widyastuti, S.Pd, M.Hum for her advice, support and guidance during the process of writing the thesis. My special thanks also go to my co-advisor Drs. Hirmawan Wijanarka, M. Hum. for giving me useful advice and suggestion in improving my thesis.
My greatest appreciation and gratitude are also given for my beloved parents: Bapak and Ibu E. S. Budy S. and my brother A. B. Barcelona; for their care, support and prayers. Knowing you is the best miracle in my life.
I also thank my classmates in 2005 for our laughter and togetherness: Citra, Naris, Nanda, Gretha, Bayu, Bruno, Fuja, Riana, Icha ,Alvin, Ithok and others. I thank “In Love with Madonna” crew for the best moment for one year in looking for the meaning of friendship. Last but not least, I thank all my friends whom I cannot mention one by one, for your support and prayer.
Christian Budi Sulistyanto
TABLE OF CONTENTS
3. The Relationship between Literature and Society... 16
C. Timeline for the Day of the September 11 Attacks ... 17
D. Theoretical Framework... 21
CHAPTER III: METHODOLOGY... 23
B. Imageries on the “Wake Me Up When September Ends” Lyric ... 29
1. Visual Imageries ... 30
2. Tactile Imageries ... 33
3. Kinesthetic Imageries ... 34
4. Auditory Imageries ... 36
C. Symbols in the “Wake Me Up When September Ends” Lyric ... 37 D. The Reflection of the 9/11 Attacks from the Imageries and Symbols 45
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CHAPTER V: CONCLUSION... 57
BIBLIOGRAPHY... 58
APPENDIX... 60
Song Lyric of Wake Me Up When September Ends... 60
ABSTRACT
CHRISTIAN BUDI SULISTYANTO. Imageries and Symbols in Reflecting 9/11 Attacks in Wake Me Up When September Ends Song Lyric by Billie Joe Armstrong. Yogyakarta: Department of English Letters, Faculty of Letters, Sanata Dharma University, 2010.
“Wake Me Up When September Ends”song lyricthat is written by Billie Joe Armstrong represents his painful childhood and when his father died. However, when the album released, the song dated September 10, and it was on the 11th track of the album. The fact brings another speculation and also assumption that the song is part of anti-war protest and also a sympathy to 9/11 victims. Although the song originally was centred on Armstrong’s personal tragedy, it is also the representation of mass trauma on the 9/11 attacks and also hope that the nightmare ends soon.
This thesis consists of three problems to be answered. The first problem is about imageries found in “Wake Me Up When September Ends”. The second problem is about the symbols found in “Wake Me Up When September Ends” are. The third is how the imageries and the symbols help to reveal the Society’s Trauma on the 9/11 Attacks in “Wake Me Up When September Ends”.
The writer applied the library research method. The most suitable approach that is applied in this analysis is socio-cultural historical approach. The writer uses this approach because it is appropriate to study this research which deals with the society trauma on the 9/11 attacks.
In the analysis, the writer concludes that there are a lot of imageries found on the song lyrics. The imageries are about Billie Joe’s late father. By the imageries, Armstrong wants to deliver a message that losing someone we love is very painful. He uses the imageries to depict the sorrow and misery that all 9/11 victims bear. The 9/11 is the terrorist attack that killed more than three thousands victims and most of them are Americans. It is the worst tragedy in the United States. The second conclusion is about symbolism in the lyrics. The symbols founds in this lyrics are all about sadness, sorrow, and misery. The third conclusion is about the use of imageries and symbols to show the society’s trauma. In this lyric, the imageries and symbols have the most important points in showing the trauma, sadness, and hopes. The imageries and symbol strengthen that the 9/11 attacks really hurt American people.
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ABSTRAK
CHRISTIAN BUDI SULISTYANTO. Imageries and Symbols in Reflecting 9/11 Attacks in Wake Me Up When September Ends Song Lyric by Billie Joe Armstrong. Yogyakarta: Department of English Letters, Faculty of Letters, Sanata Dharma University, 2010.
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Lirik lagu “Wake Me Up When September Ends” yang ditulis oleh Billie Joe Armstrong menggambarkan masa kecilnya yang sedih ketika ayahnya meninggal. Namun ketika album ini keluar, lagu ini dikeluarkan pada tanggal 10 September dan ditempatkan menjadi lagu ke-11 di album. Fakta ini menimbulakn spekulasi dan asumsi bahwa lagu ini adalah bagian dari protes anti kekerasan dan juga merupakan bentuk simpati kepada korban serangan 9/11. Meskipun lagu ini menceritakan tentang tragedi hidup Armstrong, tapi ini juga menggambarkan trauma publik pada serangan 9/11 dan juga harapan agar mimpi buruk itu segera berakhir.
Skripsi ini mempunyai tiga permasalahan untuk dijawab. Masalah pertama adalah apa saja imageri yang terdapat di “Wake Me Up When September Ends”. Masalah kedua apa saja simbol yang terdapat di “Wake Me Up When September Ends”. Masalah yang ketiga bagaimana imageri dan simbol membantu untuk menunjukkan trauma masyarakat pada serangan 9/11 di “Wake Me Up When September Ends”.
Penulis menggunakan metodologi penelitian perpustakaan dan beberapa sumber dari website. Pendekatan yang paling sesuai yang digunakan penulis dalam analisis ini adalah pendekatan sosiokultural. Penulis menggunakan pendekatan ini karena pendekatan ini sesuai untuk mempelajari penelitian ini, berhubungan dengan trauma masyarakat pada serangan 9/11.
Pada análisis, penulis menyimpulkan bahwa ada banyak imageri di dalam lirik lagu itu. Imageri itu adalah tentang ayah pengarang. Dengan imageri, pengarang ingin memberi tahu bahwa kehilangan seseorang yang kita cintai adalah menyedihkan.dia menggunakan imageri untuk melukiskan kesedihan dan duka cita pada korban 9/11. 9/11 adalah serangan teroris yang membunuh kira-kira 3000 korban dan kebanyakan adalah penduduk Amerika. Itu adalah tragedi terburuk di Amerika. Kesimpulan kedua adalah mengenai simbol di lirik lagu. Simbol yang terdapat di lirik lagu adalah kesedihan,dukacita dan kesengsaraan. Kesimpulan yang ketiga adalah tentang penggunaan simbol dan imageri untuk menunjukkan trauma masyarakat. Pada lirik lagu ini, imageri dan simbol adalah poin terpenting dalam menunjukkan trauma, kesedihan dan harapan. Imageri dan simbol meyakinkan bahwa serangan 9/11 sungguh-sungguh menyakiti penduduk Amerika.
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CHAPTER I
INTRODUCTION
A. Background of the Study
Human can make his dream come true through literature because in literature he can transfer what he dreams of. Literature has varieties or categories that sometimes we called ‘genres’. Those genres are prose, poetry, and drama. “Poetry is both the oldest of literary forms and the one that the individual is likely to encounter first” (Rohrberger and Woods, 1971: 45). Poetry is the oldest literary form because in almost every culture, poetry has appeared after human being acknowledged song in previous time. Nursery rhymes that children learn are the example of poetry which an individual is likely to encounter first, and so are songs.
As one of the forms of literature, “poetry can be used as a gear for stepping up the intensity and increasing the range of our experience and as a glass for clarifying it” (Perrine, 1969: 554). Poetry exists to bring us a sense and a perception of life, to widen and sharpen our contacts with existence. “As human being we all have an inner need to live more deeply and fully and with greater awareness, to know the experience of others and to know better our own experience” (Perrine, 1969: 554).
Literature is derived from the historical background of the author, or mainly created or inspired by a relationship in the society based on an economic or political system that influenced people’s behavior.
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A work of art is essentially the internal made external, resulting from a creative process operating under the impulse of feeling, and embodying the combined product of the poet’s perceptions, thoughts, and feelings. The primary source and subject matter of a poem, therefore, are the attributes and actions of the poet’s own mind; or if aspects of the external world, then these only as they are converted from fact to poetry by the feelings and operations of the poet’s mind (Abrams, 1979: 22).
Readers of literary works may learn about what happened in the past and understand the social-historical conditions and values once existed in the society. Literary works can also play their role as historical documents that recorded some social realities which are artistically portrayed by the authors. The author themselves can be the members of the society (Wellek and Warren, 1956: 102).
With the literary works, the author tries to reveal the truth about the condition of a society or life and the effects of it, and has an aim that the reader or audience will be aware about it, and, more importantly, to change it. It resembles what Wellek and Warren said:
…literature is primarily an ‘imitation’ of life as it is and of social life in particular. But literature is not substitute for sociology or politics. It has its own justification and aim (Wellek and Warren, 1956: 109).
According to Georg Lukacs, literature has a great social power, for it “depicts the human being directly and with the full richness of his inward and outward life […] is able to portray the contradictions, struggles, and conflicts of social life in the same way as these appear in the mind and life of actual human beings” (1980: 143). Thus it is interesting to analyze literary works since the role of literature in a society can be assumed as a
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mirror, reflecting its politics, values and culture or playing a critical role, challenging society and what it perceives as its evils.
One example of authors who consider literature as a historical document is Billie Joe Armstrong. Most of his works portray the society in the US, about the laws of the system, the behaviors, and how they live in the society. The works are made so that the audience, especially for people in the US, can realize what happened in the society.
This study will try to look upon one of Armstrong’s song lyrics entitled “Wake Me Up When September Ends”. “Wake Me Up When September Ends” really expresses the big tragedy which happened in the US. The tragedy is the September 11, 2001 attacks. It was a series of coordinated suicide attacks by Al-Qaeda upon the United States. Armstrong’s “Wake Me Up When September Ends” shows this tragedy in the way that he is free to express ideas through his experience toward September, so that he explores the symbols of September and write them into a song lyric directly.
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attitude in applying them in a song lyric. In Understanding Unseen, Murphy states “Let us not think that these devices are exclusive to poetry. They are not; all of them are part and parcel of the language we speak everyday, but it is the poet who uses them with greater awareness and with conscious artistry” (1972: 22).
To convey his particular experience or vision to the reader, the author uses symbol and imagery as the devices. The particular experience or vision that the author wants to convey to the reader is the process of lyric creation. Meaning to say, the author’s step in making his works can be understood by analyzing the lyric, especially through the language devices that become the main focus to convey the author’s particular experience or vision to the reader. Therefore, in this study, the author’s process of lyric creation is illustrated through imagery and symbol.
Symbols can be found in many things around the place where human lives, and through those things, the meaning of an invisible thing can be made visible, so the reader can faithfully understand what the author wants to say. The fact can be seen in the quotation below.
Sometimes an author uses symbols in the characters, places, actions, objects, and details. Through these things, the author tries to give a concrete reality toward an invisible thing, so that the meaning can be made visible (Rohrberger and Woods, 1971: 18).
Human beings indirectly face many kinds of symbols in their life that can be classified into two kinds, namely symbols that are clearly described and symbols that are implicitly described. When a woman wants to communicate with other people, she should learn the meaning of symbol
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that is indirectly used in daily life. If not, she will not understand what others want to say to her. Indirectly it means, sometimes when people want to communicate to other people, they mostly use symbol rather than ordinary language that is used everyday. For example, the term ‘say with flower’ that people usually heard, here, flowers become the symbol of love or affection. Sometimes people prefer to give flowers rather than express their feeling by using ordinary language.
B. Problem Formulation
Based on the explanation above, the writer formulates the following questions as problems to answer in the analysis:
1. What are the imageries found in “Wake Me Up When September Ends”?
2. What are the symbols found in “Wake Me Up When September Ends”? 3. How do the imageries and the symbols help to reveal the Society’s
Trauma on the 9/11 Attacks?
C. Objectives of the Study
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information and explanation about imagery and symbol. The third objective is to find out how the imageries and symbols help to reveal the society’s trauma on the 9/11 attack.
D. Definition of Terms
In order to avoid misunderstanding, some terms need to be defined clearly:
1. Symbol
Symbol here can be a word, phrase, or image that not only has literal meanings but also abstract ideas and values that are interpreted according to the context and depending on who is interpreting the symbols, therefore, different interpretation may also occur. Myers and Simms state ‘A word, phrase, or image that represents something literal and concrete and yet maintains a complex set of abstract ideas and values that are usually interpreted according to the surrounding context but which may mean a number of things depending up on who is interpreting the symbols (1989: 297-298).
2. Imagery
Imagery here is the representation of sensory experience, such as ‘hear’, ‘smell’, and ‘thermal’. This imagery is applied in the poetry in order to evoke the reader’s emotion, so that the readers are able to feel the senses of the entire poem, as stated by Myers and Simms that imagery is the use of pictures,
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CHAPTER II
THEORETICAL REVIEW
A. Review of Related Studies
Several studies that have been done on Billie Joe’s Wake Me Up When September Ends focus on the album and the music video. In his essay American Idiot: The Critical Review, Mctavish writes that in 2004, as the United State’s invasion of Iraq continued to lose public support, Green Day released the album American Idiot. The album depicted “a nation ruled by an idiot, misinformed by media, and subjugated to a worldwide redneck agenda” and confronted “a population asleep only awakens long enough to tap into q nationwide post-911 paranoia and ever-present consumerism”
While in his essay Green Day Go To War, Knopper writes that the album’s fourth single; “Wake Me up When September Ends” hit the charts after three subsequent Billboard chart toppers and a Grammy Award for the American Idiot album. While front man Billie Joe Armstrong wrote the song with ambiguous lyrics centered on his father’s passing, Rolling Stone deemed the accompanying video clip “Green Day’s most powerful anti war statement yet” (2004: 34)
The “Wake Me up When September Ends” brought Green Day into the arena of war and popular culture, addressing a young audience struggling for national identity. Matelski explained how the definition of patriotism shifted after September 11th, becoming more “somber and dangerous” than ever.
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(Matelski, 2003:79). Green day’s music video deals with confused identity and purpose by reminding young people that combatant need their support.
Americans are quite proud of their political system. Whether they are well informed about politics (most are not) or whether they participate actively in political matters (many do not), they believe their political system has advantages most other political systems lack. They believe it protects their individual freedom, which is a value of supreme importance to them. They believe their system is, or can be, responsive to their wishes in ways other systems cannot be (Althen, 1988).
Paradoxically, most Americans have a rather negative view of politics and politicians. The system might be very good, but the people who operate within it might not be. As a group, politicians are generally seen as relatively unintelligent, excessively talkative, and somewhat devious. Government employees, too, are suspect. Many Americans suppose that the government has too many workers and only a few who are diligent and productive enough to deserve the pay they get. Paradoxically, again, Americans generally expect and receive competent service from government employees (Althen, 1988).
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came from,” is the reaction foreigners sometimes get when they make negative comments about American politics (Althen, 1988).
Another essay, written by Anthony Damico, entitled The Rhetoric of Sound and Image in Green Day’s “Wake Me Up” Music Video, argues that the “Wake Me Up” video treats perspectives on the Iraq conflict with strategic ambiguity in order to build affective alliance between the narrative of sacrifice.
Green Day passionately political. Many of our youth care about the world, and issues of war are definitely on their radar screen. American Idiot album is an anti – war anthem and many youth strongly agree with the stand that Green Day is taking against war and the actions of President George W. Bush. Any album that makes a political statement is going to draw attention.
B. Review of Related Theories
1. Imagery
Imagery is very closely related to the word image. The word image perhaps most often suggests a mental picture, something seen in the mind’s eye, as stated in A Glossary of Literary Terms that an image is a picture made out of words (Abrams, 1985: 86). While imagery according to Holman in A Handbook of Literature means the collection of images within a literary work or a unit of literary works (1986: 294). From the statement, imagery consists of many images. One image is put into one with the other images, and then those images become imagery.
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Imagery according to Perrine is:
the representation through language experience. Poetry appeals directly to our senses, of course, through its music and rhythm, which we actually hear when it is read aloud. But indirectly it appeals to our senses through imagery, the representation to the imagination of sense experience. The word image perhaps most often suggests a mental picture; something seen in the mind’s eye-and visual imagery is the most frequently occurring kind of imagery in poetry. But a image may also represent a sound; a smell; a taste; a tactile experience, such as hardness, wetness, or cold; an internal sensation, such as hunger, thirst or nausea; or movement or tension in the muscles or joints (Perrine, 1059: 599).
So, the main point in the imagery is imagining and having an imagination. A reader must be having an imagination and also can imagine what the poet wants us to imagine in order for understanding the imagery. For example, let us think that a poet is describing a morning with freezing cold, and then the poet is providing a beautiful and perfect description about it, but unfortunately the reader is not able to catch the poet’s description, and then it’s useless.
Considering imagery as the representation of the imagination of human’s sense experience, M.H Abrams divides imageries into seven kinds of imageries, namely, visual imagery, that is the imagery produced by the sense of sight, auditory imagery that is the imagery produced by the sense of hearing. The imagery produced by the sense of touch is tactile imagery, and
thermal imagery is the imagery that describes the sensations of heat and cold.
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M.H Abrams in A Glossary of Literary Terms states three applications of imagery.
a. Imagery is used to signify all the objects and qualities of sense perception referred in a poem or other works of literature, whether by literal description, by allusion, or in analogues used in its similes and metaphors. The term “image” should not be taken to imply a visual reproduction of the object referred to some readers who experience visual images and some who do not, and among those who do, the explicitness and details of the pictures are vary greatly. Also, “imagery” includes the auditory, the tactile (touch), the thermal (heat and cold), the olfactory (smell), the gustatory (taste), or the kinesthetic (sensation of movement), and as well as the visual qualities.
b. Imagery is used, more narrowly, to signify only description of visual objects and scenes, especially if the description is vivid and particularized. c. Most commonly in current usage, imagery signifies figurative language,
especially the vehicles of metaphors and similes (1957: 78).
By studying the imagery of a poem, it means that we are studying the entire world in which the world that the poet has carefully created, through his decision to select certain words and images rather than others (Reaske, 1974: 35).
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2. Symbol
In literature, a symbol pulls or draws together a specific thing with ideas, values, persons, or ways of life, in a direct relationship that otherwise would not be apparent (Robert and Jacobs, 1989: 326). According to the The Longman Dictionary of Poetic Terms, symbol is a word, phrase, or image that represents something literal and concrete and yet maintains a complex set of abstract ideas and values that are usually interpreted according to the surrounding context but which may mean a number of things depending upon who is interpreting the symbol (1987: 297-298).
Symbolism, according to Goethe quoted by Abrams, “transforms the phenomenon into idea, the idea into an image, and in such a way that the idea remains always infinitely active and unapproachable in the image, and even if expressed in all language, still would remain inexpressible” (1985: 208). Symbols are not solely objects presented in the work. They may also be single words, settings, characters, situations, actions, even verbal patterns of idea.
In his book, Literature: Structure, Sound, and Sense, Perrine states that a symbol may have more than one meaning. He adds that at its most effective a symbol is like many faceted jewels (Perrine, 1974: 20). It flashes different colors when it is turned in the light.
Abrams in A Glossary of Literary Terms define symbol as:
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Here Abrams suggests that the term symbol is applied not only to an image but also to a word or phrase that signifies an object or event that represents something else. This something else has large meanings as stated that in the poetry, a symbol is an object or an event that suggests more than itself. It is one of the most common and most powerful devices available to the poet, for it allows him to convey economically and simply a wide range of meanings (Abcarian, 1986: 1103).
According to Holman and Harmon, symbol is an image that evokes an objective, concrete reality and suggests another level of meaning. It is a trope that combines a literal and sensuous quality with an abstract or suggestive aspect (Holman and Harmon, 1968: 44). While according to Guth, symbols are images that have a meaning beyond themselves (Guth, 1997: 189). Symbol is a detail, a character, or an incident that has a meaning beyond its literal role in the narrative.
An object can become a symbol when it stimulates mind toward something else that is difficult to understand, as stated that the objects or events resonate, stimulate thoughts toward something else, but something else is elusive (Barnet, 1988: 730).
Again Guerin add that symbol is a way of using something integral to the word, to reach beyond the work and engages the world of value outside the work. It may be an incident that takes on meaning, and may be the conventional object or devices like crucifix, a color, or a tree that become the symbolic of meanings within and without the poem, story, or play (1999: 86).
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This statement suggests that the symbol has possibilities to open out the world beyond the object of the art itself, and the symbol is not merely an object but also an incident.
According to Roberts and Jacobs, there are two kinds of symbol (1989: 327). The first is conventional or universal symbol. It represents “ideas or emotions that the writer and the reader share in common as a result of their social and cultural heritage” (Roberts and Jacobs, 1989: 327). Universal symbols are the symbols that most people recognize; for example, for some people the color black symbolizes darkness and sadness, in other hand the color white symbolizes holiness, or goodness. The second type of symbol is called private or contextual symbol. A contextual symbol is the objects and descriptions that gain their symbolic meaning within the context of specific work of fiction (Roberts and Jacobs, 1989:327). It is the symbol that only occurs in the certain literary work, or the symbol that is only recognized by particular people, nation, or culture.
Perrine in Literature Structure, Sound, and Sense gives some cautions to analyze symbolical meanings (1974: 214-215).
First caution is the reader should find clues that give details to be taken symbolically. Symbols nearly almost indicate their existence by emphasis, repetition or position (Perrine, 1974: 214).
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Third caution is a symbol may have more than one meaning in which its meanings are controlled by the context of the literary work (Perrine, 1974: 215). It implies that symbol has various interpretations among readers, when it is presented in the literary works.
The symbols are capable of adding many dimensions to a poem. Accurate interpretation of symbols requires delicacy, tact, and good sense of their ordinary meanings. Symbol is interpreted according to the context of the poem and the person who can interpret it based on the central meaning of the poem (Perrine, 1974: 634). It implies that the poet is just providing the context, and the readers who will interpret and analyze the meaning of the symbols. The readers must be having many information or knowledge to determine the meaning of the symbols.
3. The Relationship between Literature and Society
Rene Wellek and Austin Warren (1965:94) state that literature is a social institution, its medium is language, and it is a social creation. Literature has also a social function, or “use”, which cannot be purely individual. Thus, the questions raised in a literary study are, at least ultimately or by implication, social questions of traditional values and conventions, norms and genres, symbols and myths.
Wellek and Warren (1965:102-103) also state that an approach to the relation of literature and society is the study of the work as a social document, as assumed pictures of social reality. Literature can portray a
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picture of social reality and it can be made to yield the outlines of social history if it is used as a social document.
In Helegian criticism and in that of Taine, historical or social greatness is simply equated with artistic greatness. The artist conveys truth and necessity of historical and social truths. Works of art furnish documents because they are monuments (1956:95). This means that literature is not a true reflection of the social process, but in essence, the abridgement and summary of the history in society.
Wellek and Warren state that literature as a social institution plays its role in representing life or social reality. Both the natural and the subjective world of individuals can become the object of literature (Wellek and Warren, 1956:94-95). According to Ruskin, a reader who studies art may also learn about social conditions (1950:189). Lionel Trilling in The Liberal Imagination defines novel as “perpetual quest for reality". Literary research is always about the social world, and the materials of analysis are raised from the social matters like manners or attitudes of the society (Langland, 1984:7). Therefore, literature is primarily a treasury of customs and is also a source of books for the history of civilization. The results of reading a literary work such as novel, short story, or poem, can widen the reader’s knowledge about history.
C. Timeline for the Day of the September 11 Attacks
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from Boston, Newark, and Washington, D.C. (http://archives.cnn.com). Another source mentions that they crashed one into each tower of the World Trade Center in Manhattan, New York City, causing them to collapse, and a third into the U.S. Department of Defense headquarters, the Pentagon, in Arlington County, Virginia, just outside the capital, Washington, D.C. The fourth plane crashed into a field near Shanksville, Pennsylvania, after passengers fought back against the hijackers. (http://www.wordiq.com/definition/September_ 11,_2001_attacks)
A hijacked passenger jet, American Airlines Flight 11 out of Boston, Massachusetts, crashes into the north tower of the World Trade Center, tearing a gaping hole in the building and setting it afire. The second hijacked airliner, United Airlines Flight 175 from Boston, crashes into the south tower of the World Trade Center and explodes. Both buildings are burning. After those crashes, the Federal Aviation Administration shuts down all New York City area airports. (http://archives.cnn.com)
Not long after the shutdown of all airports in the USA, the FAA halts all flight operations at U.S. airports, the first time in U.S. history that air traffic nationwide has been halted. Few minutes of the airport shutdown, American Airlines Flight 77 crashes into the Pentagon, sending up a huge plume of smoke. Evacuation begins immediately. The south tower of the World Trade Center collapses, plummeting into the streets below. A massive cloud of dust and debris forms and slowly drifts away from the building. (http://archives.cnn.com)
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A portion of the Pentagon collapses and at the same time, United Airlines Flight 93, crashes in Somerset County, Pennsylvania, southeast of Pittsburgh. Because of the previous two crashes, The World Trade Center's north tower collapses from the top down as if it were being peeled apart, releasing a tremendous cloud of debris and smoke. The incident make all federal office buildings in Washington are evacuated. The police confirm the plane crash in Pennsylvania not long after the building is collapse. (http://archives.cnn.com)
The US President, Bush is speaking from Barksdale Air Force Base in Louisiana. He says that all appropriate security measures are being taken, including putting the U.S. military on high alert worldwide. He asks for prayers for those killed or wounded in the attacks and says, "Make no mistake, the United States will hunt down and punish those responsible for these cowardly acts." A state of emergency is declared by the city of Washington. (http://archives.cnn.com)
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on Manhattan Island, 25 buildings were damaged. Communications infrastructure such as broadcast radio, television and two way radio antenna towers were damaged beyond repair and lost on 9/11. In Arlington, a portion of the Pentagon was severely damaged by fire and one section of the building collapsed. (http://www.wordiq.com/definition/September_11,_2001_attacks)
The CNN National Security Correspondent David Ensor reports that U.S. officials say there are "good indications" that Saudi militant Osama bin Laden, suspected of coordinating the bombings of two U.S. embassies in 1998, is involved in the attacks, based on "new and specific" information developed since the attacks (http://archives.cnn.com). It is strengthens by Osama’s own statement. Osama bin Laden, explicitly took responsibility for the attacks on October 29, 2004, He stated, "We decided to destroy towers in America ... God knows that it had not occurred to our mind to attack the towers, but after our patience ran out and we saw the injustice and inflexibility of the American-Israeli alliance toward our people in Palestine and Lebanon, this came to my mind." (http://www.wordiq.com/definition/September_ 11,_2001_attacks)
In the afternoon, buildings of the World Trade Center complex are reported on fire. The 47-story Building 7 of the World Trade Center complex collapses. The evacuated building is damaged when the twin towers across the street collapse earlier in the day. Other nearby buildings in the area remains ablaze. The CNN Senior White House Correspondent John King reports that U.S. officials say the plane that crashed in Pennsylvania could have been headed for
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one of three possible targets: Camp David, the White House or the U.S. Capitol building. (http://archives.cnn.com)
The New York Police Department says that at least 78 officers are missing. The city also says that as many as half of the first 400 firefighters on the scene were killed. The President Bush addresses the nation, saying "thousands of lives were suddenly ended by evil" and asks for prayers for the families and friends of Tuesday's victims. "These acts shattered steel, but they cannot dent the steel of American resolve," he says. The president says the U.S. government will make no distinction between the terrorists who committed the acts and those who harbor them. He adds that government offices in Washington are reopening for essential personnel Tuesday night and for all workers Wednesday. (http://archives.cnn.com)
D. Theoretical Framework
In this section, the writer will try to explain how the theories she has chosen above are applied. There are three theories that would support the writer in analyzing the main problem of this thesis. The theories are: theory of symbol, theory of imagery, and theory of relationship between literature and society.
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This step is important for the author to understand the description of the song lyric.
The second problem formulation will help to see the symbols that are presented by Billie Joe Armstrong, thus the theory of symbol would be applied in answering this problem. In analyzing the symbols of Armstrong “Wake Me Up When September Ends”, the writer should know the meaning of the symbol in the poem. The writer searches the literal meanings of the symbols and tries to match them with the content of the song lyric.
The theory of relationship between literature and society will help the researcher to connect the lyric with the real world and at the end, the time line of the 9/11 attacks will show significance of the lyric to the Americans.
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CHAPTER III
METHODOLOGY
A. Object of the Study
The object of the study is the song lyric of “Wake Me Up When September Ends” by Billie Joe Armstrong. “Wake Me Up When September Ends” is one of the best songs written by Billie Joe Armstrong, Green Day’s lead singer in the album American Idiot (2004).
The album’s fourth single; “Wake Me Up When September Ends” hit the charts after three subsequent Billboard chart toppers and a Grammy award for the American Idiot album. While front-man Billie Joe Armstrong wrote the song with ambiguous lyrics centered around his father’s passing, Rolling Stone deemed the accompanying song lyric “Green Day’s most powerful antiwar statement yet” (Knopper 2004 : 2).
“Wake Me Up When September Ends” is believed to be the most detached song of the album because it mostly portrays the author’s personal feelings and is barely linked to the story of the album. In this song Billie Joe Armstrong reveal his feelings about his father, Andrew Armstrong who died of cancer in the esophagus which spread throughout his body in September of 1982 when Armstrong was 10 years old.
However this is not the only meaning that this song bears. For most Americans the month of September is associated with the 9/11 terrorist attacks of 2001. U.S. president George W. Bush declared a campaign with the stated
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aim of defeating terrorism which he called the “War on Terrorism”. This project killed slightly less than 3000 people.
A lot of people have lost their loved ones to that tragedy and September which comes on the album as track 11 is connected not only to the death of the author’s father, but also to the families of the victims of 9/11, and the pain of losing loved ones in general. All people in the world cried because of this tragedy. All the people in the world promoted an antiwar message after the September 11 attacks. However, a large antiwar movement began to develop when the American government started agitating for an invasion of Iraq.
B. Approach of the Study
This study uses socio-cultural historical approach because it is focused on relation with between literature and society and this approach insists that the only way to understand a literary work is investigating the civilization that produces it. According to Rene Wellek and Austin Warren (1965:94), literature is a “social institution, its medium is language, and it is a social creation. Literature has also a social function, or “use”, which cannot be purely individual”. Thus, the questions raised in a literary study are, at least ultimately or by implication, social questions of traditional values and conventions, norms and genres, symbols and myths.
Wellek and Warren (1965:102-103) also state that an approach to the relation of literature and society is the study of the work as a social document, as assumed pictures of social reality. “Literature can portray a picture of social
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reality and it can be made to yield the outlines of social history if it is used as a social document” (1965: 102-103). They also state that literature as a social institution plays its role in representing life or social reality. Both the natural and the subjective world of individuals can become the object of literature (Wellek and Warren, 1965:94-95). Literary research is always about the social world, and the materials of analysis are raised from the social matters like manners or attitudes of the society (Langland, 1984:7). Therefore, literature is primarily a treasury of customs and is also a source of books for the history of civilization. The results of reading a literary work such as novel, short story, or poem, can widen the reader’s knowledge about history.
C. Method of Study
In analyzing Billie Joe’s “Wake Me Up When September Ends”, the writer used the song lyric as the primary data. It was taken from Green Day’s album American Idiot. The secondary data are the theories, references and other important information from articles or internet related to this study.
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writer read some books on the theory of imagery, the theory of theme and also theory of symbol which all of them supported in the work’s analysis. The writer took notes the information from its book and put it in the right order to support the analysis. In addition, the writer also looked for some information and criticism about the song lyric from internet.
The third step was analyzing the song lyric by answering the questions stated in problem formulations. The writer would try to answer by applying some theories of imagery and also theory of symbol. The analysis was based on the socio-cultural approach. The last step was making the conclusion based on the result of the analysis. After answering the questions in the problem formulation, the conclusion was presented at the end of the analysis.
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CHAPTER IV
ANALYSIS
In this chapter, the writer will try to answer the problem formulation stated in Chapter I. This Chapter is dealing with some parts of the analysis. The first part is explication the song “Wake Me Up When September End”. The second part is about the imageries in the song, the third part is discussing about the symbols in the song. The last part is about how the imageries and the symbol revealing the society’s trauma of 9/11 attacks.
A. Explication of “Wake Me up When September Ends”
The object of the study is the song lyric of “Wake Me up When September Ends”. The first stanza of the lyric talks about the month of September that is full of joy because it is summer. Summer is identical to joy because most people have vacation in summer. They spend the vacation going to beach or watching television all day long. But the narrator does not want to go through the September. He sleeps through the September and leaves a message to someone to wake him up when the month ends. There is a personal feeling of the narrator that makes him afraid of September.
Summer has come and passed The innocent can never last
Wake me up when September ends (1 stanza) st
In the second stanza, the narrator tries to tell the reason why he is afraid of September. The fear has a connection to his late father that has passed away
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many years ago. His father died in September and since then narrator goes through many “summers” until the day he wrote the song. Because the memory of it is too bad for him, and he does not want to memorize his father’s death, he likes to sleep along the September, if he could.
Like my father's come to pass Seven years has gone so fast Wake me up when September ends (2 stanza) nd
The third stanza depicts rains that fall on earth. The rain is depicted to come not from the clouds in the sky but from the stars, a faraway place above the clouds. The narrator says that the rain makes him remember the pain. The pain that has been for years remains in his heart.
Here comes the rain again Falling from the stars Drenched in my pain again Becoming who we are (3 stanza) rd
In the fourth stanza, the narrator writes about his own feeling. The feeling and memories that he cannot forget for the rest of his life. Once again, he asks somebody to wake him when the September ends.
As my memory rests
But never forgets what I lost Wake me up when September ends (4 stanza) th
In the fifth stanza below, the narrator writes again, about summer that comes and goes and he also writes about innocent people that cannot last forever, it may refer to his loss in September many years ago. In the end, he writes again to wake him up if the September ends.
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Summer has come and passed The innocent can never last
Wake me up when September ends (5 stanza) th
In the sixth stanza, the narrator writes about his memory in spring many years ago. He remembers when he has fun together and rings the bells to celebrate the day the spring begins.
Ring out the bells again
Like we did when spring began Wake me up when September ends (6 stanza) th
In the seventh stanza he writes about the bad day, where the rain comes and makes him wet. He also writes that the rain once again has opened the wound deep inside his heart
Here comes the rain again Falling from the stars Drenched in my pain again Becoming who we are (7 stanza) th
In the last stanza, the narrator writes about his father. His father has passed away twenty years prior the song was written. He explicitly writes that his father has passed away. And again, he wants somebody to wake him up when the September has passed.
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B. Imageries on the “Wake Me Up When September Ends” Lyric
A poem should have a power to stimulate the readers’ imagination or in other words, a poem should be poetic. To achieve characteristic of being poetic, imagery is one of the literary devices used in poem. Imagery is “images, pictures, or sensory content, which we find in a poem. Images are fanciful or imaginative descriptions of people or objects stated in terms of our sense” (Reaske, 1966: 34-35). It means that imagery is what we are imagining when we heard or read something. Considering imagery as the representation of the imagination of human’s sense experience, M.H. Abrams divides imageries into seven kinds of imageries, namely, visual imagery, that is the imagery produced by the sense of sight, auditory imagery that is the imagery produced by the sense of hearing. The imagery produced by the sense of touch is tactile imagery, and thermal imagery is the imagery that describes the sensations of heat and cold. Olfactory imagery is the imagery produced by the sense of smell, gustatory imagery is the imagery produced by the sense of taste, and finally kinesthetic imagery is the imagery that describes the sensation movement (1985:87).
On the song lyric of “Wake Me up When September Ends”, there were some imageries that the songwriter used. The imagery was used to deliver or to support things that he wanted to say in poetic style. In this song, there are only four types of imageries; they are visual imageries, tactile imageries, kinesthetic imageries, and auditory imageries.
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1. Visual Imageries
Visual imageries are imageries produced by the sense of sight. It is the mind’s effect that emerges because of the reflection of the object seen, as mind’s impression that reflects human’s physical experience to imagination. Plenty visual imageries can be seen from the lyric.
Like my father's come to pass Seven years has gone so fast Wake me up when September ends (2 stanza) nd
The word “father” is giving a vivid picture in our mind of an old man or parent that has raised us up. Father is a person with affection and love to all his children. A father is also the partner of a mother in raising the children and building family. Everybody has a father, except those orphanages, but at least once they have father. Father is visible to our sight and because we can see him in our family, “father” in this sing lyric is categorizes as visual imagery.
The imagery gives impression as a character that always protects his family, especially to the children. Father gives impression as the most beloved person for the children. In the third stanza, the readers may find “the rain” and “the stars” as images.
Here comes the rain again Falling from the stars
Drenched in my pain again Becoming who we are (3rd stanza)
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similar to the water sprinkle. When one stays under the rain for several minutes, he will get wet and you can see it from his wet clothes. Those facts about rain is visible to our eyes and therefore “The rain” in this song lyric can be categorized as visual imagery because it is produced by the sense of sight and its produces a mind effect inside the listener’s minds.
The impression that comes to the listeners when see the imagery is a situation that is really sad, cold, full of sorrows, and totally out of control. The rain gives the impression of a situation that can make one give up or surrender into a heavy problem and according to the context, or the line where the imagery belongs, the situation always comes and comes again.
In the song lyric line, the word “Stars” is mentioned. When we read the word “stars” our mind goes directly to beautiful things seen small points of light in the night sky. Stars only show up at night, and give many little points of light in the dark sky. Moreover, stars give a sense to sight, that they cannot be reached far away up in the sky. Actually, stars are planets and all other galactic things that reflect light or have their own light and shine it to the earth and visible to our eyes. Since it is visible to our eyes and the imagery is produced by the sense of sight, “Stars” in the song lyric are categorized visual imagery.
The imagery produces the impression in mind as a far way place that out of reach. The imagery gives impression a thing that cannot be obtained or reached. Something that is impossible to get but it always comes. In the sixth stanza, there is only one image that can be found, it is “the bells”.
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Ring out the bells again
Like we did when spring began Wake me up when September ends (6th stanza)
When we heard the word “Bell” our mind goes directly to the hanging thing in churches that sounds when there is a holy mass inside. The bell shape like bellflower is common in springs and summers. The bell is usually made from iron or copper and when it is hit, it produces high pitch sound that can be heard from far away. The bell is also used to sign if there is party, wedding, or any other happy moment. In Christmas, bells are used to sound the happiness and joy of the coming of Jesus Christ. Since bell is visible to our sight, it is categorized as a visual imagery. The bell gives impression as a cheerful situation that makes everyone happy. It also gives impression as a celebration to welcome something special.
2. Tactile Imageries
Tactile imageries are the imagery produced by the sense of touch. It includes many things and from the lyric, there are two tactile imageries; first is drenched and the second is pain. Both of them come from the same line. There are two tactile imageries in the third stanza; they are “drenched” and “pain”. Here comes the rain again
Falling from the stars
Drenched in my pain again Becoming who we are (3rd stanza)
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Dictionary: 446). When we heard the word drench, our association goes directly to the cold of rainwaters falling from the sky. When people walk under the rain, he will be completely wet and surely, he will feel the cold. Some people are also shivering because of too long staying under the rain.
This word is giving us sense of touch of cold. We can feel the cold in our skin that makes us shivering. We can also feel the rainwaters falling on our skin and if the train is too heavy, in a storm for example, we feel our skin hurt. Since the imagery is produced by the sense of touch, it is called tactile imagery. The imagery gives impression of a bad situation where a man is in his most painful situation with no one to help. The situation torn his old wound and makes him down into deep sorrow.
The second is “pain”. It is included into a tactile imagery because pain is in touch sense. It does not mean we can touch pain because pain is abstract thing, but we can touch the thing that makes pain exist. For example, we feel pain because of a knife cut. There is a wound and also the knife and we can touch them. In this lyric, when we heard “pain” it gives picture of hurt, thing that can cause deep sorrow and also misery. Pain can even bring one to death. If one is suffering from endless pain, he/she can go insane and the whole nerve system become uncontrolled and he can die in pain. Since pain is sensible using the sense of touch, therefore according to the theory in Chapter II, it is called tactile imagery.
The imagery gives impression of the most hurting situation that is very painful. The line emphasizes the impression that the listener gets from the
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imagery that the narrator is in her lowest condition. He is almost desperate to face situation.
3. Kinesthetic Imageries
Kinesthetic imagery is the imagery that describes the sensation movement. It includes all types of movements. The kinesthetic imageries can be found in the first stanza.
Summer has come and passed
The innocent can never last
Wake me up when September ends (1st stanza)
When we see something “come and passed” our mind directly imagines thing running here and there in front of us. Since this phrase is showing the activity of movement, it can be included into kinesthetic imagery. The phrase also means a thing that occurs repeatedly in a very short time or period. The imagery gives impression something that always comes and passes repeatedly. According to its context, it gives impression of time that flies and several years have been passed so quickly.
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Like my father's come to pass Seven years has gone so fast
Wake me up when September ends (2nd stanza)
“Gone so fast”, in two lines of the lyric, is also showing a movement, an activity. When we hear phrase of “Gone so fast”, our mind gives imagination of things that pass in front of us with high speed. It just like seeing car race or motor race in the very front seat and when there is a car or a motor passes, you only see the shadows. Since “Gone and fast” is showing movement and we can prove it, it is include into kinesthetic imagery. The imagery and the line imply that the time flies very quickly. Person may not aware that they have passed seven or twenty years. The last image that can be classified to the kinesthetic imagery is “falling”.
Here comes the rain again
Falling from the stars Drenched in my pain again Becoming who we are (3rd stanza)
The word “Falling” comes from the stem “fall” which means goes down uncontrollably. When we heard the word “fall” our mind is given imagination of something falling from the sky because of the gravity. The word “fall” is always associated with fast movement to the down below like a rock falling into a valley or like a meteor falling to the earth. Since “Falling” is showing movement, therefore, it is included into kinesthetic imagery. The imagery implies a thing that comes from far way place beyond the reach because the stars in the line are far away things.
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4. Auditory Imageries
Auditory is the imagery produced by the sense of hearing. This imagery involves ear as the sense. There is only one auditory imagery in the song lyric; the “Ring out” from the line “Ring out the bells again”.
Ring out the bells again
Like we did when spring began Wake me up when September ends (6th stanza)
When we heard the phrase “ring out” the imagination that we receive is not the action to ring the bell or anything, but the sound. “Ring out” always produces sound and the high and low, strong and the weak of the sound depends on the power used to ring the bell. The phrase gives us the imagination of high pitch sound that is often heard from the church during holly mass or in every house and public places during Christmas. The sound is very beautiful and made us full of joy. Since the phrase is giving stimulation to our hearing, it is included into auditory imagery.
The auditory imagery implies that the narrator wants to show or to begin something new in his life the life of others. It also implies something happy and fun that is about to happen.
C. Symbols inthe “Wake Me Up When September Ends” Lyric
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interpreted according to the surrounding context but which may mean a number of things depending upon who is interpreting the symbol (1987: 297-298). In his book, Literature: Structure, Sound, and Sense, Perrine states that a symbol may have more than one meaning. Furthermore, Abrams suggests that the term symbol is applied not only to an image but also to a word or phrase that signifies an object or event that represents something else.
According to Roberts and Jacobs, there are two kinds of symbol (1989: 327). The first is conventional or universal symbol. It represents “ideas or emotions that the writer and the reader share in common as a result of their social and cultural heritage” (Roberts and Jacobs , 1989: 327). The second type of symbol is called private or contextual symbol. A contextual symbol is the object and description that gain its symbolic meaning within the context of specific work of fiction (Roberts and Jacobs, 1989: 327). It is the symbol that only occurs in a certain literary work, or the symbol that is only recognized by particular people, nation, or culture.
The writer can conclude that imageries and symbols have a strong and close relation to each other. An image or an incident when they take on meaning beyond itself, they move into the realm of symbol. Imageries give vivid description of the senses whether it is visual, auditory, olfactory, tactile, or kinesthetic. Later, these descriptions of the senses help the readers to associate an object or image with something beyond its literal meanings.
The symbols in the song lyric of “Wake Me up When September Ends” are universal and private symbols, therefore most people are able to recognize
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some of it and for some other symbols, people need to look into the context of the poem itself. The writer tries to give some certain explanations for each object, event, or action in the poem, so that the readers may have the same interpretation as the writer.
As what Abrams suggests that the term symbol is applied not only to an image but also to a word or phrase that signifies an object or event that represent something else, in brief, a symbol is an object or an event that suggest more than itself. Therefore, the analysis of the symbol in the song lyric will be based on this definition. The symbols exist in the lyric are as follows.
1. Summer
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moment for the narrator. For a clear explanation the whole stanza will be quoted below.
Summer has come and passed The innocent can never last
wake me up when September ends (Stanza 1, 5, and 9)
From the quotation, it can be seen that the summer is a symbol of a sad moment. If we relate the symbol to the whole stanza, and the “summer” is even mentioned three times, the “summer” brings sad atmosphere. The second line mentions that nothing is last forever and the third line indicates that the narrator does not want to wake up during the September. It seems that the narrator does not want to remember something in the month of September and this month is identical with summer. It is very ironic that the saddest moment happens in summer.
2. The Innocent
In the line “The Innocent can never last” there is a symbol. This phrase “the innocent” is repeated three times throughout the song and it gives enough clues that the phrase is symbolizing something. In the second line “The innocent can never last”, “the innocent” is a contextual symbol. The phrase “the innocent” symbolizes nature or the surroundings. According to the context of the stanza where the phrase exists it also symbolizes the surrounding situation and also strangers that wandering here and there. They come and go and never stay longer in one place.
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3. My Father
In the phrase, “My Father” there is also a symbol that the reader should guess or interpret the meaning beyond the line to get the ideas that the narrator wants to shares. To make clear the analysis, the whole stanza where the phrase exists will be presented below.
like my father's come to pass seven years has gone so fast wake me up when September ends (stanza 2 & 10)
The symbol in this line is classified as contextual symbol and it is used to symbolize a leader. A father is a leader in a family. He leads the whole family into a better condition. Without the leader, the whole family will be ruined. In the stanza above, “come to pass” is used to symbolize great loss. Losing a leader is categorized as a great loss. In an army for example, the dead of the leader will lead the rest of the army to surrender to the enemy or to run away from the battlefield. However, the lost of the leader can also trigger vengeance or revenge from the member of the army. They can be more brutal in the purpose of taking revenge of their death leader.
4. Seven Years
This phrase, according theory in Chapter II, is also a symbol. It symbolizes a short period of time.
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The phrase “seven years” is indicating and symbolizing a very short period of time. It is a contextual symbol because the phrase cannot be separated from the whole stanza. When there is something important happened or when we have memories that would not fade away because of time, seven years is very short period of time. The memory is just like happened yesterday. We cannot remember the time because our attention is totally focused on the important thing that has happened in the past. In this context is the lost of the leader, or the father.
5. The Rain
In this phrase, the narrator gives another symbol. The phrase is said to be a symbol according to theory in Chapter II. The phrase “the rain” is a universal symbol. The phrase symbolizes sadness. To make the analysis clear, the whole stanza is presented below.
here comes the rain again falling from the stars drenched in my pain again becoming who we are (Stanza 3 & 7)
It is clear that the phrase “the rain” symbolizes sadness. The narrator previously has been hurt by something and he still bears the sadness until now. When the rain comes, it gives additional misery to the narrator. The rain makes the narrator becomes more numb to his surroundings because he feels his pain inside his heart. Moreover, the rain is always coming and it is indicated by the word “again” it means when the narrator is feeling sad, there is always something that put additional misery on him.
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6. The Star
In this line, the author wants to symbolize something by using “star” in his song. As what has been analyzed in the imagery section, stars send to us the imagery of a beautiful thing in the sky that is shining brightly through the dark of the night but yet it is unreachable because it is far away in the sky.
here comes the rain again falling from the stars drenched in my pain again becoming who we are (Stanza 3 & 7)
The “stars” in this context is a universal symbol because most people will surely agree that stars are beautiful things in the sky and they symbolize hopes. In relation to the previous analysis, the “stars” are the symbol of hopes because in the middle of the narrator’s pain, there is a flash of hopes that he can catch. Although the rain always comes repeatedly, but when the rain stops, the sky will be clear and the stars are showing themselves. The “stars” boost motivation and also spirit to raise and fight for a better tomorrow. No matter how hard your burden is, there is always hope that can enlighten your burden.
7. Pain
In the third stanza, there is another symbol that can be taken. The symbol is “my pain”.
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In this stanza, the phrase “my pain” is a universal symbol. It is a universal symbol because most people will surely agree that the “pain” symbolizes a bad thing. Something which is not too pleasant or comfortable. Everybody will surely avoid unpleasant things. However, there are many occasions where human cannot escape from those bad situations. Like it or not they have to accept it. The most important is the next steps taken to overcome the situation. Many people will surrender to the condition, but some others will fight to release from those bad situations because they can see a flash of hope beyond their bad problems. This is inline with the next line “becoming who we are” the line indicates that the narrator is not giving up. He is fighting against the problems and the bad situations because he sees a flash of hopes (the stars).
8. Memory
The phrase above, according theory in Chapter II, is a private symbol. It is repeated several times in the songs and it has meaning related to the poem context. The phrase “My memory” refers to the bad thing happened long time ago. It is forgotten but when something triggers it back, the pain is also coming back.
as my memory rests
but never forgets what I lost wake me up when September ends (Stanza 4 & 8)
From the stanza above, it can be said that the “memory” symbolize something hidden or kept but it can be really cured. Something that is kept inside the narrator is the pain. He experiences something really bad in the past and he
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will never forget it. Therefore, when September comes, he wishes that he is sleeping the whole months and waking up when the October comes.
9. The Bells
This phrase, according to the theory of symbol in Chapter II, is classified as universal symbol. It is universal because most people will surely agree that “bells” are sign of invitation to happiness.
ring out the bells again
like we did when spring began wake me up when September ends (Stanza 5)
Related to the whole stanza above, the phrase “the bells” symbolize an invitation to a brand new day or happiness. In the real life, bells are usually used to celebrate Christmas and Christmas is a brand new day for the whole Christians and also all people in the world because the Savior has born to the world. The bells are the sign of the coming of the Savior. It is used to invite people to come to the church and celebrate the birth of Jesus. However, related to the stanza above, the bells are also having similar meaning. They are also the symbol of the invitation to the brand new day. It can be seen from the next line “like we did when spring began”. The spring is bringing new life. It is the season where all plants are growing and having new leaves after they are frozen in wintertime.
10. Spring
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bringing symbol that the new day has just begun. The narrator wants to tell that all sad moments have gone and it is the time to start a normal day. Spring is symbolizing a new life because in spring plants are budding and flowers are blooming. The world looks more beautiful in springtime with sweet smell of flowers.
D. The Reflection of the 9/11 Attacks from the Imageries and Symbols
The song author, Billie Joe Armstrong, releases the album in September 10, and the song is on the 11th tracks of the album. The fact brings speculation and also assumption that the song is part of anti-war protest and also a sympathy to 9/11 victims. As all people have known, that the U.S. has been caught into an ongoing national nightmare since September 11, 2001, and they can empathize with the sentiment "Wake Me Up When September Ends." Although the song was originally centered on Armstrong’s personal tragedy, it is also the representation of mass trauma on the 9/11 attacks and also hope that the nightmare ends soon.
The writer tries to reflect the song lyrics based on the imageries and also symbols in the song lyric. According to the writer, the song not only reflects the worst misery of human life but also a strong spirit to take the human away from the misery. The miseries in this song can be the author’s misery and also all the 9/11 victims’.
The misery begins when a group of terrorist hijacks four airplanes flying above the United States.
Early on the morning of September 11, 2001, nineteen hijackers took control of four commercial airliners en route to San Francisco and Los
