Theme Analysis Of Four Of Robert Frost Poemis Throught Diction.

(1)

iv Maranatha Christian University

ABSTRACT

Dalam Tugas Akhir ini, saya menganalisis tema dari empat puisi Robert Lee Frost yang berjudul “The Road Not Taken”, “Stopping By Woods on a

Snowy Evening”, “Two Tramps In a Mud Time”, dan “The Trial by Existence”

melalui pilihan kata. Keempat puisi tersebut menggambarkan berbagai pilihan yang berkaitan erat dengan kehidupan manusia, dan diungkapkan oleh Robert Frost melalui berbagai pilihan kata dan salah satunya kata-kata yang berhubungan dengan alam.

Puisi yang berjudul “The Road Not Taken” memiliki tema “Seseorang

harus menerima konsekuensi dari setiap keputusan yang sudah dibuat.” Puisi yang

berjudul “Stopping By Woods on a Snowy Evening” memiliki tema “Seseorang

harus bertanggung jawab untuk setiap keputusan yang sudah dibuat.” Puisi yang

berjudul “Two Tramps in a Mud Time” memiliki tema “Keputusan seseorang

untuk memiliki keseimbangan antara kebutuhan dan kesenangan akan berdampak pada kebahagiaan seseorang.” Puisi yang berjudul “The Trial by Existence”

memiliki tema “Seseorang harus membuat keputusan untuk menentukan

kehidupannya.” Melalui kata-kata yang digunakan dalam puisi tersebut, Robert

Frost berhasil menyampaikan pesan mengenai pentingnya sebuah pilihan yang diambil oleh seseorang.

(2)

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

Background of the Study

Robert Lee Frost is an American poet whose “poems show deep appreciation

of natural world and sensibility about the human aspirations. His images of woods, stars, houses and brooks are usually taken from everyday life. Often, Frost uses

rhythms and vocabulary of ordinary speech” (“Robert Lee Frost (1874-1963)”). The

strength of his poems is that his poems “seem to be mere translation of everyday

events into poetry” (“New England characteristics in Robert Frost’s poetry”).

Robert Frost’s poems come mostly from his life experiences and the influence

of living in New England. His poems are also “very natural in its wording, using

(4)

Most of Frost’s poems are related to nature, which is defined as “all the

plants, animals and things that exist in the universe and are not made by people” (Hornby 285). Through nature, Frost shows that whatever choice that one has made, one should be ready for the consequences of his or her decision. By paying close attention to diction related to nature, I am going to analyze Frost’s poems that

concern people’s choices in life. Four of Robert Frost’s poems that I am going to

analyze in my thesis are: “The Road Not Taken”, “Stopping By Woods on a Snowy

Evening”, “Two Tramps in Mud Time”, and “The Trial by Existence.”

The themes of Frost’s four poems are closely related to choices. Reaske states

that theme is “the central concept developed in a poem” (42). I will analyze the

themes of Frost’s poems through diction, one of poetic devices, which is defined as

“language, vocabulary, phraseology, phrasing, style” (Webster’s Dictionary of

Synonyms 240).

Statement of the Problem

1. What is the theme of each poem? 2. How is the theme revealed?

Purpose of the Study

(5)

Method of Research

I use library research in writing my thesis. Firstly, I read the poems that I have chosen. After that, I analyze these poems through diction. And then, I search for references from books and Internet websites. In the end, I make conclusion for my thesis.

Organization of the Thesis

I divide my thesis into three parts, proceeded by the Acknowledgements, the Abstract, and the Table of Content. Chapter One is the Introduction, which consists of the Background of Study, the Statement of the Problem, the Purpose of the Study, the Method of Research and the Organization of the Thesis. Chapter Two is the Analysis

of Theme of Four of Robert Frost’s Poems through Diction. Chapter Three is the

Conclusion. The thesis ends with Bibliography and Appendices, which contains

(6)

CHAPTER THREE

CONCLUSION

In this chapter, I am going to draw a conclusion on my analysis of four of Robert Frost’s poems revealed through diction. Four of Robert Frost’s poems that I

have analyzed in the previous chapter are: “The Road Not Taken”, “Stopping By

Woods on a Snowy Evening”, “Two Tramps in Mud Time”, and “The Trial by

Existence.”

The theme of “The Road Not Taken” is “One has to bear consequences to

every decision that one has made”, and it is revealed through words, such as “wood” and “grassy”. The narrator faces two roads in the middle of his or her journey. S/he is

(7)

which s/he loses the opportunity of going through the first road.

The theme of “Stopping By Woods on a Snowy Evening” is “One has to be

responsible for every choice that one makes”, and it is revealed through words, such as “woods”, “snow”, “frozen lake”, and “downy flake”. The narrator chooses to stop

in the woods to watch the beauty of the woods, which is lovely, dark, and deep. The temptation comes when the narrator chooses to stop in the woods. The narrator has to choose whether to stay in the woods, where s/he can enjoy the lovely scene or to continue his or her journey. In the end, the narrator is aware of his or her responsibility and chooses to continue his or her journey.

The theme of “Two Tramps in Mud Time” is “One has to make choices to be

happy.” and hobby might result in one’s happiness in life”, and it is revealed through

words, such as “mud”, “wood”, and “sun”. The poem was written at the time of Great Depression, when people were desperate due to their financial problems. I believe the narrator has gone through several difficulties of making decision. The narrator feels that he has passion in doing his job, and that it is the source of his happiness, so he does not want to give up his job to the lumberjacks that work for pay. However, the narrator finally changes his mind. He agrees that need, which refers to paid work, should supersede play, which is loved hobby. After the narrator makes a choice to balance between love and need, s/he reaches happiness in life.

The theme of “Trial by Existence” is “One has to make one’s own choice to

(8)

In the poem, the soul has to choose and bear with the consequences. The choice is ultimate for the soul as it determines his or her own fate. The soul who chooses to come to earth will be able to enjoy the essence of life, which means making a choice that will determine one’s future.

In my opinion, Frost is successful in presenting the issue of choices in life. Four of Robert Frost’s poems that I have chosen to analyze in my thesis are very

inspiring and make one become aware of how one’s choice is able to impact one’s

life. I agree with the idea how Frost delivers the message about choices in one’s life. For example, in “Stopping By Woods on a Snowy Evening”, Frost successfully

conveys the message when the narrator chooses to stop in the woods. In addition, I believe one’s daily life is closely related to nature, which is the reason why some of the words used by Frost in his poem are related to nature. I can easily find words related to nature in “The Road Not Taken” such as “yellow”, “wood”, and then in “Stopping By Woods on a Snowy Evening” such as “woods”, “snow”, then in “Two

Tramps in Mud Time” such as “wind”, “sun” and then in “The Trial by Existence”

such as “earth”, “fields”.

Of all four of Robert Frost’s poems that I have analyzed, my favorite is “The

Road Not Taken”. I am able to relate with the idea that in life, one always faces more

(9)

Bibliography

Primary text(s):

Frost, Robert. “The Road Not Taken.” Poets from the Academy of American Poets.

2010. 3 Oct. 2010.

<http://www.poets.org/viewmedia.php/prmMID/15717>

Frost, Robert. “The Trial by Existence.” Poetry Archives. 2008. 3 Oct. 2010.

<http://www.emule.com/poetry/?page=poem&poem=4650>

Frost, Robert. “Two Tramps in Mud Time.” American Poems. 2009. 3 Oct 2010.

<http://www.americanpoems.com/poets/robertfrost/772>

Frost, Robert. “Stopping By Woods on a Snowy Evening.” Poetry Foundation. 2010.

3 Oct 2010.

<http://www.poetryfoundation.org/archive/poem.html?id=171621>

Reference(s):

Hornby, AS. Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1989.

Reaske, Christopher Russel. How to Analyze Poetry. New York: Monarch Pres, 1996.

(10)

Internet website(s):

“New England Characteristics in Robert Frost’s Poetry.” 2001. 20 Apr. 2001.

<http://everything2.com/title/New+England+Characteristics+in+Robert+Frost %2527s+Poetry>

“Robert (Lee) Frost (1874-1963): Biography.” Poetry Foundation. 2010. 20 Apr.

2010.

< http://www.kirjasto.sci.fi/rfrost.htm>

“Poetry Analysis Robert Frost’s: “Two Tramps In Mud Time.” 2011. 19 Apr. 2011.