TRANSFERENCE OF MEANING IN THE FIRST CHAPTER OF COMPLETE POEMS OF ROBERT FROST ENTITLED A BOY’S WILL : A
STYLISTIC ANALYSIS
A THESIS
Presented as Partial Fullfilment of the Requirement for the Attainment of Sarjana Sastra Degree in English Language and Literature
Written by
Heru Bambang Jaka Dahari 09211141034
ENGLISH LANGUAGE AND LITERATURE STUDY PROGRAM ENGLISH EDUCATION DEPARTMENT
FACULTY OF LANGUAGES AND ARTS YOGYAKARTA STATE UNIVERSITY
v MOTTOS
Don’t be afraid of your shadow
.
There are two types of men: the great and the
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DEDICATIONS
I dedicate this thesis to
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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious and the Most Merciful. Praise be to Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon the noble Prophet Muhammad. My sincere gratitude is delivered to:
1. my first supervisor, Suhaini M. Saleh, M.A., for his patience and suggestions in guiding me to finish my thesis, and my second supervisor, Niken Anggraeni, M.A. for the suggestions and her patience as well as willingness because I rushed her during the thesis writing;
2. my academic advisor, Yosa A Alzuhdy, M.Hum. for guiding me from the beginning until the end of my college years;
3. all lecturers at the English Education Department of Yogyakarta State University with whom I learn and discuss the knowledge;
4. my father, Bambang Sudiyarto, for believing in me, tugging, pushing and leading me to the next dream, sometimes slaping me with his words; 5. my mother, Darsiyah Rustam, for being a great mother who always
supports, cares, and loves me;
6. my dear brothers, Bambang Soetejo, Bambang Jatmiko, and Imam Wahyuadi , for the great time we have been through together;
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8. all members of English Literature 2009 Class B (Imam, Doni, Jaffrudin, Deny, Fani, Idham, Alfian, Syukron, Himawan, Dimas, Arista, Rainy, Niki, Tiara, and Hapny);
9. all of my dear friends (Indra, A’an, Derish, Geni, Stephi, Wafiq, Nanda, Anggi, Candra, Christa, Iknas, Ades, Iwan, Dimas, Radit, Iman, Imam and Fatma); and
10. finally, many people who have helped me along the whole process of finishing this thesis.
Though I have done my best, I realize that this thesis is far from being perfect. However, I hope this thesis could give contribution to the linguistics study especially in the language use.
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CHAPTER II LITERATURE REVIEW AND CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORK A. Theoretical Description ... 7
1. Stylistics as the Combination of Linguistic and Literary Analysis ... 7
2. Semantic Deviation ... 9
a. Semantic Oddity ... 9
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f. Metalinguistic Function ... 20
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F. Data Trustworthiness ... 31
CHAPTER IV FINDINGS AND DISCUSSION A. Findings ... 32
B. Discussion ... 34
1. Transference of Meaning in The First Chapter of Complete Poems of Robert Frost entitled A Boy’s Will ... 34
a. Metaphor ... 35
b. Metonymy ... 38
c. Simile ... 39
d. Personification ... 43
2. Language Function in The First Chapter of Complete Poems of Robert Frost entitled A Boy’s Will ... 48
a. Poetic Function ... 47
b. Phatic Function ... 50
CHAPTER V CONCLUSIONS AND SUGGESTIONS A. Conclusions ... 54
B. Suggestions ... 55
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LIST OF FIGURES
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LIST OF TABLES
Page Table 1. Transference of Meaning and Language Function Used in the
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LIST OF APPENDICES
Page A. Data Sheet of Transference of Meaning and Language Functions
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TRANSFERENCE OF MEANING IN THE FIRST CHAPTER OF COMPLETE POEMS OF ROBERT FROST ENTITLED A BOY’S WILL : A
STYLISTIC ANALYSIS
Heru Bambang Jaka Dahari 09211141034
ABSTRACT
In Stylistics, transference of meaning represents one of the most interesting topic to be analyzed. It happens because it deals with the peculiarity of the meaning in literary work. In other words, transference of meaning is the sense of using a word or phrase that means something more or something other than it seems to say. Hence, the aims of this research were (1) to identify the types of transference of meaning found in the first chapter of Complete Poems of Robert
Frost entitled A Boy’s Will and (2) to investigate the language function through
the figure of transference of meaning in the first chapter of Complete Poems of
Robert Frost entitled A Boy’s Will.
This research was descriptive qualitative research. The data source of this research was taken from the poems in the first chapter of Complete Poems of
Robert Frost entitled A Boy’s Will. The data were in the forms of phrases or
sentences that were collected based on the relevant theories. To achieve data trustworthiness, some peers and the thesis supervisors were asked to check, verify, and discuss the data that were collected by the researcher.
The results of the research showed that there were four types of transference of meaning which appeared in the chapter; they were metaphor, metonymy, simile, and personification. Transference of meaning deals mostly with the comparison that makes the writer focus on the object rather than the writer or the addresser himself. Meanwhile, there were only two language functions found through the use of the figure of transference of meaning in the chapter. They were poetic and phatic. The poetic function is mostly used in almost all the lines as the literary objects are poems.
1 CHAPTER I INTRODUCTION
A. Background of the Study
People tend to use a language to express their feeling and thought in the form of speaking and writing. It is a system of communication which helps people to describe their ideas by the use of spoken words or conventional symbols. Sometimes in expressing their idea, especially in literary works, people use a peculiar language. It is important to know that in literature most texts are constructed by the writer in the bizarre form. Fowler (in Nurgiyantoro, 1994: 271) says that literature is the world that was created, built, offered, and realized through words or language. Therefore, people can use the language to construct poems, stories, plays, films, etc. In other words, literature involves the manipulation of language for creative purposes.
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linguistic description of poem or other literary works to get nearer to the literary meaning.
Language evolves and deviates in society as the product of human culture. The phenomena of using uncommon form in the literary works are then studied under stylistics. Leech (1968: 1) says that stylistics is simply the study of literary style, even more explicit, the study of the use of language in literature that belongs to linguistic studies which concerns with the variation of language use. It can be defined as the analysis of distinctive expression in language and the description of its purpose and effect. Stylistic analysis concerns specific linguistic features in a text and so provide textual substation for the different kinds of literary effect that might be found on the reader’s mind. Therefore, linguistic cannot be separated from literature.
There are many things that can be learned from stylistics. Semantic deviation is one of the most interesting topics in stylistic study. There are three types of semantic deviation: semantic oddity, transference of meaning, and honest
deception. Semantic deviation, commonly called as “figurative language”, creates
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Figurative Language can be found in literary works such as poetry where the writing appeals to the senses. It can do this by giving a word with a specific meaning, by comparing two things in such a way that people find the comparison interesting or by using words that have unusual constructions or sounds. Figurative language investigates the language exploration of irregularities of formal patterning or deviations from linguistic codes. It analyzes phonological schemes, grammatical and lexical schemes, and tropes (Leech & Short, 1981: 77). Many authors use figurative language to create their own distinct style, not only to set their words and ideas apart, but also to set themselves as writers. These authors have used language play to break literary conventions and create their own literary trademarks, especially in poetry.
People know poetry as one of literary works which uses many figurative languages. It is characterized by the use of language chosen for its sound and suggestive power and by the use of literary techniques such as meter, metaphor, and rhyme in every line of each stanza. The author made poetry to convey experiences, ideas, or emotions in a vivid and imaginative way. It is a lot of things for a lot of people. Mostly poems are adapted from many kinds of phenomena in the real world. Through a poem, someone can also present an opinion about something that happened in the society
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26, 1874 – January 29, 1963) was an American poet. His work was initially published in England before it was published in America. He is highly regarded for his realistic depictions of rural life and his command of American colloquial speech. His work frequently employed settings from rural life in New England in the early twentieth century, using them to examine complex social and philosophical themes. One of the most popular and critically respected American poets of the twentieth century, Frost was honored frequently during his lifetime, receiving four Pulitzer Prizes for Poetry. He became one of America's rare "public literary figures, almost an artistic institution." He was awarded the Congressional Gold Medal in 1960 for his poetic works. The reason of choosing collected poems by Robert Frost is that the poems give some illustrations of figurative language related to transference of meaning in literary works especially in poem.
B. Research Focus
Based on the background of the research, there is an interesting point of this topic to be analyzed. That is about using semantic deviation in term of transference of meaning used in poems. The researcher takes transference of meaning in analyzing a collected poem by Robert Frost.
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which are possible to be considered as controversies and need to be interpreted wisely. Such controversial thoughts are Capitalism, Madness, Slogan, and Death. The third problem is the function of using transference of meaning using Jacobson theory. There are six function of using language described by Jakobson, they are: Phatic, Poetic, Conative, Emotive, Referential and Metalinguistic.
It is impossible for the researcher to answer all problems that have been identified. To make the research more focused, the researcher limits the problem of discussion. This research discusses the variations of transference of meaning applied in the first chapter of Complete Poems of Robert Frost entitled A Boy’s Will. Besides, it discuss the function of using those variations of transference of meaning.
C. Formulation of the Problems
Based on the background and research focus, the problems can be formulated into following:
1. What are the types of transference of meaning found in the first chapter of
Complete Poems of Robert Frost entitled A Boy’s Will?
2. What are the functions of those types of transference of meaning found in the first chapter of Complete Poems of Robert Frost entitled A Boy’s Will?
D. Objective of the Study
This study is intended to achieve the main objectives as follows:
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2. to identify the functions of the use of transference of meaning which are found in the first chapter of Complete Poems of Robert Frost entitled A Boy’s Will.
E. Significance of the Study
This research concerns with the analysis of the use of transference of meaning and the function of it. This research has two significances, both theoretically and practically. It is expected that the result can be advantageous in the following ways:
1. Theoretically
a. This research can enrich the research in linguistics field, especially stylistics, which becomes a bibliographical resource to the next relevant type of research.
b. This research can give better understanding in the analysis of deviation in literary works, especially in poems.
2. Practically
a. The research finding be useful as an informative input for language learners to improve linguistic knowledge, especially on stylistics, by giving deeper understanding for readers in analyzing language style based on its linguistic features
b. After reading this research, people are expected to be more open-minded toward literary works especially in the way language is used
7 CHAPTER II
LITERATURE REVIEW AND CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORK
A. Theoretical Description
1. Stylistics as the Combination of Linguistic and Literary Analysis
Linguistics as the study of language cannot be separated from literature, as most people know that literature is one of language products as literary works in a wider circumstance. In understanding literary works, the use of language becomes very important to be analyzed in order to ensure the meaning of the works. On the other hand, in learning or analyzing language, people should consider literature as a way of how language is used. Furthermore, Leech (1981: 1) asserts that literature cannot be examined in any depth apart from language, and vice versa. There are so many language usages in literary works. It can be analyzed by a study named stylistics which intends to explore language in literary works.
Stylistics is the name of a study which is proposed to explore language usage in literary works. It is called the combination of linguistic and literary analysis. The statements implies that both of linguistics and literary analysis are related one another. Specifically, as the meeting-ground of those two related fields, stylistics focuses on how language is used in literary works. It is the branch of general linguistics that focuses on style, particularly in works of literature. It investigates how a writer or a speaker creates the phenomenon of language on their own ways to communicate.
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that cannot proceed from the level-based approach that is so logically described through the hierarchical system of sounds, words and clauses. Not only may each of these linguistic units be charged with a certain stylistic meaning but the interaction of these elements, as well as the structure and composition of the whole text are stylistically pertinent (T.A Znamenskaya, 2004:10).
Stylistics has two main goals for describing the meaning of a language usage, they are (1) to explain the relation between language and artistic function, and (2) to discover the author’s works of doubtful attribution (Leech, 1981:14). Stylistics has two types of category, they are: literary and attributional stylistics. Literary stylistics tends to find the sufficient explanation by relating the critic’s ideas of aesthetic appreciation with the linguist’s ideas of linguistic description.
These elements – aesthetic appreciation and linguistic description, stand in a cyclic motion in which linguistic observation stimulates the literary insight, and literary insight in its turn does the same thing for a further linguistic observation.
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An important concept that differs literary stylistics from attributional stylistics is on the issues of selection. This principle is the base for selecting the aspects of language matter in studying style. This principle depends on the purpose which belongs to researcher. Attributional stylistics points on the language features that remain constant, whatever the artistic or other motives of the writer are. On the other hand, the literary stylistics selects the language features determined by artistic motivation as its primary intention of investigation (Leech, 1981: 14).
2. Semantic Deviation
Translating semantic deviation is reasonable mentally into nonsense or absurdity, so long as people realize that sense is used in it. Semantic deviation deals with what Leech (1968: 49) calls as ‘TROPES: foregrounded irregularities
of content’. He states that they are classified largely into three sections: a.
Semantic Oddity, b. Transference of Meaning, and c. Honest Deception.
a. Semantic Oddity
Acordding to Leech, Semantic oddity means semantic peculiarity of expression. There are five types of semantic oddity which are called Pleonasm,
Periphrasis, Tautology, Oxymoron, and Paradox. Pleonasm, Periphrasis, and
Tautology have semantic redundancy. Oxymoron and Paradox have semantic
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1) Pleonasm
In figurative language, words are used in such a way that they differ somewhat from ordinary everyday speech and convey meanings in a more vivid and impressive manner. Pleonasm makes a speech more effective; it beautifies and emphasizes the speech in rhetoric which is the art of speaking and writing effectively. Plett (2010), in Encyclopedia of Rhetoric, states that as a rhetorical figure, pleonasm gives an utterance an additional semantic dimension.
2) Tautology
Similar with pleonasm, Tautology is a device of limited usefulness in literature (Leech, 1968: 137). According to Waterhouse (2010) in Waterhouse on Newspaper Style, Tautology is an unnecessary elaboration (the Inland Revenue's white-collar workers), pointless repetition (pair of twins), superfluous description (Europe's huge butter mountain), a needless appendage (weather conditions) or a self-cancelling proposition (He is either guilty or not guilty).
3) Periphrasis
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4) Oxymoron
Oxymoron is one type of absurdity which entails irreconcilable elements of meaning or reference (Leech, 1968: 138). Oxymoron is literary figures of speech usually composed of a pair of neighboring contradictory words (often within a sentence).
5) Paradox
Paradox is a statement or concept that contains conflicting ideas. In logic, a paradox is a statement that contradicts itself (Leech, 1968: 142). In everyday language, Paradox is a concept that seems absurd or contradictory, yet is true. In a Windows environment, for instance, it is a Paradox that when a user wants to shut down their computer, it is necessary to first click "start".
b. Transference of Meaning
This section deals with the five tropes of figurative languages based on Leech (1968): Synecdoche, Metonymy, Metaphor, Simile, and Personification.
1) Synecdoche
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2) Metonymy
As being quoted by Leech (1968: 152) from Webster’s Third New International Dictionary, metonymy is a figure of speech that consists in using the name of one thing for that of something else with which it is associated. In literary works, Metonymy is often overlooked because of the powerful effect of metaphor, but is all the same extremely important. In some ways it can be seen as a nickname for something else; for instance, “The White House said” does not actually mean the White House said it but that the President said it. However, people all understand the meaning, and so the words are interchangeable.
3) Metaphor
Metaphor is so central to the notion of poetic creation that is often treated as a phenomenon in its own right, without reference to other kinds of transferred meaning (Leech, 1968: 150). For example, The skies of his future began to darken. Darkness is a threat, therefore, this implies that the coming times are going to be hard for him.
4) Simile
Simile is an explicit comparison of similar things. As being quoted by Beardsley in Damon, et.al (1966: 77), Simile is an explicit figurative comparison – it is a statement that one thing is like another. It contains a comparative word: like,
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vividness into what pepole say. Authors and poets utilize comparisons to convey their sentiments and thoughts through vivid word pictures like a simile.
5) Personification
Personification is the technique of giving human qualities to non-human thing such as hearing, feeling, talking, or making decisions, for example: Your computer hates me and the birds expressed their joy. Through the examples of personification that this literary device helps people relate actions of inanimate objects to their own emotions.
c. Honest Deception
This section has three tropes: Hyperbole (Exaggeration), Irony, and Sarcasm.
1) Hyperbole
Hyperbole is a figure of exaggeration. Exaggeration in colloquial talk is often incredible because at variance with known fact (Leech, 1968:167). It overwhelms something true. It tells more than the truth about the size, number, or degree of something without intending to deceive.
2) Irony
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double audience, one of which is ‘in the know’ and aware of the speaker’s
attention, while the other is naive enough to take the utterance as its face value.
3) Sarcasm
Many people relate Sarcasm to Irony, even though there is a big difference between the two tropes. According to Leech, a person may use irony unintentionally and unconsciously. However, Sarcasm must be intentional and conscious. Whoever makes a sarcastic comment knows that they are saying something contrary to what they actually believe or how they actually feel.
3. Language Functions
Using a language as a primary means of communicating people’s thoughts is so natural for many of them that it is often difficult to realize what in fact language functions are. Some of the roles of language are so ordinary that they are hardly ever noticed, others are very elevated, or even abstract. There are some experts who divide the function of language into several types. The main contemporary representations of linguistic functions are based on the sign model presented by Karl Buhler in his Organon-Model (1934:34), who divides the functions of language into three main functions: the expressive, the informative, and the vocative.
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term `vocative' is in the sense of `calling upon' the readership to act, think or feel, in fact to `react' in the way intended by the text (the vocative is the case used for addressing the reader in some inflected languages).
Halliday’s (1978) Functional Model is a significant model in pragmatics.
This model shows different types of functions in language which expresses the socially-oriented charateristics of language. According to Halliday there are different kinds of language functions as follows: (1) instumental function, (2) regulatory function, (3) interactional function, (4) personal function, (5) heuristic function, (6)iImaginative function, (7) informative function, (8) attention getting function.
Tritsmans (1987), in his Poetique, stresses the function of language only into two types: Phatic Function and Poetic Function. Phatic function is language for the sake of interaction and is therefore associated with the contact factor. Poetic function puts the focus on the message for its own sake.
Another well-known model of the functions of language is introduced by the Russian-American linguist, Roman Jakobson (in Brown and Rodgers, 1960: 350-377). He divides the function of language into six types: Referential, Poetic, Emotive, Conative, Phatic, and Metalinguistic. This research uses his model of theory because it gives a complete definition about language functions. He argues that every oral or written verbal message or ‘speech act’ (parole) has the
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physical channel and psychological connection between the addresser and addressee), and (6) a code, common to both addresser and addressee, which permits communication to occur.
In communication, people are not necessarily restricted to words as a result of which anything can function semiotically: fashion, for example, can be a statement. This presented in the following figure:
Jakobson’s Linguistic Communication Schematic (in Brown and Rodgers, 1960: 350-377)
These six elements or ‘factors’ of communication are aligned each with a different function of language as follows:
Referential Poetic / Aesthetic
Emotive ---> Conative Phatic
Metalinguistic
Jakobson’s Linguistic Communication Schematic (in Brown and Rodgers, 1960: 350-377)
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dominant over the rest. Where a particular function dominates, the message is oriented towards the corresponding factor.
When a message is emotive in function, it is designed to stress the addresser’s response to a given situation arising in the context; when it is
conative, the stress is on the message’s impact upon the addressee; when it is
referential, the stress is on the message’s denotative or cognitive purpose (what
the message is about); when it is poetic/aesthetic, the stress is on the form of the message itself as a result of which the aesthetic purpose is predominant; when it is phatic, the emphasis is on establishing that given channels of communication are open and unimpeded; and when it is metalinguistic, the stress is on the code itself shared by the addresser and addressee, that is, the medium in which communication occurs, as a result of which metalanguage is used to comment on and explain another language. Evidently, depending upon the purpose of a particular speech act, one of these functions will come to predominate, while the others remain subsidiary.
a. Emotive Function
Emotive function is oriented toward the addresser, as in the interjections “Bah!” and “Oh!”. The expression of 'emotive function', which could more apply
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nothing to do with emotion. Any message, including the most neutral one, reveals the condition of its sender.
b. Conative Function
According to Jakobson, conative function is oriented toward the addressee (imperatives and apostrophes). It engages the addressee directly and is best illustrated by vocatives and imperatives, e.g. "Tom! Come inside and eat!”. The
imperative sentences cardinally differ from declarative sentences: the latter are and the former are not liable to a truth test. The imperative "Drink!" cannot be challenged by the question 'is it true or not?', however, perfectly well asked after such sentences as 'one drank', 'one will drink', and ‘one would drink'. That imperative sentence clearly activates the conative function.
c. Referential Function
Referential function is oriented toward the dominant function in a message. It corresponds to the factor of context and describes a situation, object or mental state. The descriptive statements of the referential function can consist of both definite descriptions and deictic words, for example “The autumn leaves
have all fallen now" and “Water boils at 100 degrees”. Jakobson (1960: 353)
remarks that context is what is known as the ‘referent’ in another, somewhat
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referential function, he gives the synonyms "denotative" and "cognitive", but unlike all other functions, this one is not presented in detail, and seems to be taken for granted. There are two main ways of interpreting this function (Jakobson, 1960: 355): (a) The referential function relates to the thing "spoken of" and (b) The second way of viewing the referential function seems more useful and operative than the first. The referential function is associated with an element whose truth value (true or false status) is being affirmed (or questioned), particularly when this truth value is identical in the real universe and in the assumptive or reference universe that is taking it on.
A universe of assumption, such as the universe of a character in a literary work, may be reinforced or contradicted by the universe of reference, which stipulates what is ultimately true or false in the more or less "realistic" universe constructed by the semiotic act. Thus, the statement "the sun rises in the East" – which is true in reality and in a realistic text – would be more of a referential assertion than "the sun rises in the West", which would be perceived as somewhat poetic, in that the incongruity draws attention to the message even if the utterance is true in the universe of reference.
d. Poetic Function
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“Because I hate him”. “But why not dreadful, terrible, frightful, disgusting?” “I
don’t know why, but horrible fits him better”. Without realizing it, she clung to
the poetic device.
e. Phatic Function
Phatic function is for the sake of interaction and is therefore associated with the contact factor (Jakobson, 1960: 358). It can be observed in greetings and casual discussions of the weather, particularly with strangers. It also serves to establish, prolong or discontinue communication (or confirm whether the contact is still there) as in “Hello?”.
f. Metalinguistic Function
Metalinguistic function is used to establish mutual agreement on the code, for example, a definition. Jakobson, (1960: 359) takes the view that a text is the result of three systems interacting: (1) the dialect (the language system), (2) the sociolect (the particular usage of a dialect specific to a differentiated social practice with its own discourse organized through genres), and (3) the idiolect (a given author's individual usage of a language and a sociolect).
Whenever the addresser and addressee need to check up whether they use the same code, speech is focused on the code: it performs a metalinguistic function, for example in such an exasperating dialogue: “The sophomore was
plucked”. What is plucked? Plucked means same as flunked or to be fail in an
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case, both of the addresser and addressee should know the meaning of the codes which are used in the sentence to avoid a miscommunication.
4. The First Chapter of Complete Poems of Robert Frost entitled A Boy’s Will Robert Frost is an American poet. He was born in San Francisco, California. A Boy's Will is one of the chapter titles in the collected poems made by him. It is Frost's first commercially published book of poems. His work was
initially published in England before it was published in America. He is highly regarded for his realistic depictions of rural life and his command of American colloquial speech. His work frequently employed settings from rural life in New England in the early twentieth century, using them to examine complex social and philosophical themes. One of the most popular and critically respected American poets of the twentieth century, Frost was honored frequently during his lifetime, receiving four Pulitzer Prizes for Poetry. He became one of America's rare "public literary figures, almost an artistic institution." He was awarded the Congressional Gold Medal in 1960 for his poetic works. A Boy’s Will contains 30 poems. They are Into My Own, Ghost House, My November Guest, Love and a Question, A
Late Walk, Stars, Storm Fear, Wind and Window Flower, To the Thawing Wind, A
Prayer in Spring, Flower-Gathering, Rose Pogonias, Waiting, In a Vale, A Dream
Pang, In Neglect, The Vantage Point, Mowing, Going for Water, Revelation, The
Trial by Existence, The Tuft of Flowers, Pan With Us, The Demiurge’s Laugh,
Now Close the Windows, In Hardwood Groves, A Line-Storm Song, October, My
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B. Conceptual Framework
This research attempts to analyze Complete Poems of Robert Frost published by Holt, Rinehart and Winston of Canada. Stylistics is defined as a field of study proposed to explore the language use in literary works. This becomes the appropriate approach to use since this research indeed focuses on how language is maintained in the research objects. Specifically, it is the style of language use in poem that becomes the main attention of this research.
The research is a stylistic study. It tends to observe the use of figurative language in the first chapter of Complete Poems of Robert Frost entitled A Boy’s
Will by Holt. In analyzing the use of figurative language, the researcher uses
Leech’s and Jakobson’s theory. There are two main objectives in this research, the
transference of meaning types (synecdoche, metonymy, metaphor, simile, and
personification) and the function of the language (metalinguistic, referential,
conative, emotive, poetic, and phatic). In conducting the analysis, the researcher
24 CHAPTER III RESEARCH METHODS
A. Research Type
This research was conducted under qualitative approach. Bogdan and Biklen (1982:39-48) state that a qualitative approach is a research procedure bringing about the descriptive data in the form of written or oral data from the subjects of research being observed. Since this research tend to describe the phenomena of the figurative language, qualitative approach was the most appropriate approach. In-depth analysis which is strongly emphasized in the approach can support brief discussion about this topic.
The design of this study was descriptive qualitative method. The data about poems lyrics which are the figurative language used in the first chapter of
Complete Poems of Robert Frost entitled A Boy’s Will which contains 30 poems.
As descriptive research, the analysis is aimed at providing a sophisticated description or illustration of the phenomena. According to Vanderstoep (2009: 167), the purpose of qualitative research is more descriptive than predictive. The goal is to understand, in depth, the viewpoint of a research participant.
In descriptive-qualitative approach the data obtained are described in words as the interpretation of the findings. In this research the phenomena being described were the figurative language applied in the first chapter of Complete
Poems of Robert Frost entitled A Boy’s Will. All steps of procedure in this
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of this research are to identifty transference of meaning and the language functions.
B. Form, Context and Source of the Data
Data are all facts and numbers which can become material to arrange information (Arikunto, 2006: 118). Data source is the subject where the data can be taken. From this research, the data are the poems’ lyrics which contain the figurative language.
The form of data is expression taken from Robert Frost Selected Poem: A
Boy’s Will. The context of the data is taking from all lines in the first chapter of
Complete Poems of Robert Frost entitled A Boy’s Will which contains 30 poems.
The source of data was taking from the poems found in Complete Poems of
Robert Frost entitled A Boy’s Will. The researcher use the theory of Leech to
analyze the figurative language and the writer also use the theory of Roman Jakobson to analyze the functions of using the language.
The researcher is really interested in analyzing the first chapter of
Complete Poems of Robert Frost entitled A Boy’s Will because it deals with
people, the people’s life and the circumstance around. A Boy’s Will is one of the
chapter titles of the collected poems of Robert Frost which mostly describes about the author’s life. Therefore, under stylistics theories, the discussion of figures of speech is explored by the researcher to analyze the lyrics. The poems lyric that are analyzed are Into My Own, Ghost House, My November Guest, Love and a Question, A Late Walk, Stars, Storm Fear, Wind and Window Flower, To the
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In a Vale, A Dream Pang, In Neglect, The Vantage Point, Mowing, Going for
Water, Revelation, The Trial by Existence, The Tuft of Flowers, Pan With Us, The
Demiurge’s Laugh, Now Close the Windows, In Hardwood Groves, A Line-Storm
Song, October, My Butterfly, and Reluctance.
C. Research Instruments
A research instrument purposes to collect the information in a qualitative field study or observation. It helps to keep track of what the researcher observes and how to report it. It must be both valid and precise. In qualitative research, the main instrument of this study is the researcher himself. The other instrument is the data sheet. All of the data collection and the analysis were done by the writer himself based on the poems line. Lincoln and Guba in (Bogdan and Biklen, 1982: 76) say that only human instrument that is flexible to capture the complexity of the human experience.
Arikunto (2006:160) says that research method and instrument are different. Research method is the way used by the researcher in gathering the data. There are some kinds of research method: test, questioneers, interviews, observation, rating scale, and documentation. Instrument is a device or facility used by the researcher in gathering the data to make his work easier and the result better, more complete, and systematic, so that, the data is easier to be processed.
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i.e. Emotive, Poetic, Conative, Phatic, Referential, and Metalinguistic.
D. Data Collection Technique
This study requires appropriate data collection techniques to obtain the appropriate data. The data collection technique in this study was the divining manual technique, baca and catat. The data collection technique is a technique that uses library written resources to obtain the data (Subroto, 1992: 42). Baca and catat technique means that researcher as a key instrument must carefully obtain the data, and be meticulously directed to the target data source of research in the form of expression found in poems. The goal is to obtain the information that supports the analysis and interpretation of data. The document can be in the form of public document or private document. Public documents are such as police reports, newspaper stories, television transcripts, and more. Private documents are such as memos, personal letters, telephone records, diaries of individuals, and others (Kriyantono, R, 2006: 116).
The data about the poems line are collected by following some steps. First, the researcher read the poems to understand the content. Second, the researcher analyzed the lyrics that contain the example belong to the figurative language. And the last, the collected data is drawn to be analyzed.
E. Data Analysis
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and deciding what the researcher will tell the others. In other words, Wiersma (1995: 281) says that data analysis in qualitative study is a process of categorization, description and synthesis. Therefore, the creative, active, and accurate process of organizing data to draw analytic scheme were the main focus of the steps. The data analyzed into following steps:
1. Classifying the Data
One step further after the data collection, the data analysis continued to identification of the themes emerging from the raw data. The researcher identified and tentatively named the conceptual categories into which phenomena were grouped considering objective of the research.
2. Encoding the Classified Data
The researcher elaborated each phenomenon of the types of transference of meaning and the language functions found in the first chapter of Complete Poems
of Robert Frost entitled A Boy’s Will with the situation, and of course, the related
theory. Finally, the encoding result was a general view about the research findings.
3. Describing All the Appearing Categories
In this step the researcher explored the finding related to each category, explaining each context and finally explaining how the examples fit the category.
4. Drawing Conclusion
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description that was obtained from the whole experiences of the researcher, i.e. the observation, data collection, and also data analysis during this research. It resulted the explanation of the implication of those findings. Finally the researcher presented some suggestions related to the topic of this research. There was one table used to classify the data.
Table of Appendices used in Classifying the Research Results
F. Data Trustworthiness
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Dependability is the use of an inquiry audit, in which reviewer examines both the process and the product of the research for consistency. Confirmability refers to the degree in which the researcher can demonstrate the neutrality of the research interpretations by providing an audit trail. Transferability is about the findings are applicable to the new situation. Those four terms simply lead to one similar goal to achieve, i.e. the condition of being able to be trusted ad to be accepted according to logical reasons.
The principles in trustworthiness were employed to gain objectivity of this descriptive-qualitative research, which was in some way considered to be subjective since no quantified measurement were applied. A commonly employed technique to enhance this goal is triangulation. In general, there are four types of triangulation. It can be data triangulation, theory triangulation, triangulation through multiple analyses, and method triangulation. In this research, the researcher employed the first three types of triangulation.
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study program. Besides the lecturers, the researcher also asked some of his friends to triangulate the data. They were Niki Septi P and Imam Santoso. Both of them are the students of English Language and Literature study program.
Dependability is the substitution term of reliability in non-qualitative researches. In order to fulfill this criterion, the researcher read the data frequently to understand the transference of meaning used in the poem and to make some interpretations. During this process, the researcher conducted relevant discussions with other observers.
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CHAPTER IV
FINDINGS AND DISCUSSION
Based on the background of the research, this research was aimed to find out the types of transference of meaning and to analyze the function of the transference of meaning used in the first chapter of Complete Poems of Robert
Frost entitled A Boy’s Will. Through this chapter, the findings of the research are
explained into two parts, i.e findings and discussion. The findings section is filled by the table of the data contains transference of meaning and language functions. Meanwhile, the discussion describes the analysis of each type of transference of meaning and language functions found in the first chapter of Complete Poems of
Robert Frost entitled A Boy’s Will.
A. Findings
There were two cases found in this research. The researcher found both cases in the first chapter of Complete Poems of Robert Frost entitled A Boy’s Will. They were (1) transference of meaning and (2) language functions. The finding of transference of meaning and language functions found in the first chapter of
Complete Poems of Robert Frost entitled A Boy’s Will by Holt, Rinehart and
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1. Table Transference of Meaning and Language Function Used in the Chapter
Based on table, there were four types of transference of meaning and two data of language functions found in the first chapter of Complete Poems of Robert
Frost entitled A Boy’s Will. They were (1) two data of metaphor with poetic
function and two data of metaphor with phatic function, (2) one datum of metonymy with phatic function, (3) 7 data of simile with poetic function and three data of simile with phatic function, (4) 10 data of personification with poetic function and 5 data of personification with phatic function.
B. Discussion
1. Transference of Meaning in the First Chapter of Complete Poems of Robert Frost entitled A Boy’s Will
There are four types of transference of meaning found in the first chapter
of Complete Poems of Robert Frost entitled A Boy’s Will by Holt, Rinehart and
Winston. They are metaphor, metonymy, simile, and personification. They are (1) four data of metaphor, (2) one datum of metonymy, (3) 10 data of simile and (4) 15 data of personification. The results of the transference of meaning are Metalinguistic Referential Conative Emotive Poetic Phatic
34 another. The use of Metaphor is generally applied for comparing an unanimated thing with something that is alive. It is used to make the unanimated thing alive as if it was a living thing. There are four data of metaphor in the first chapter of
Complete Poems of Robert Frost entitled A Boy’s Will. The metaphor was found
in datum 9 by in the following poem entitled Wind and Window Flowers. Lovers, forget your love,
And list to the love of these. She a window flower,
And he a winter breeze. (Datum 9)
The line 4 which says And he a winter breeze contains metaphor. The
metaphor is explained by describing the man (he) as a winter breeze. The author
makes comparison between living things with an unanimated thing. In this case, the author describes the living thing to an unanimated one. The author makes the comparison to make the reader feel the character of the man (he). By comparing it with the unanimated thing which is claimed to possess similarity by the author, the message of the poem can be clearly delivered to the reader.
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The author suggests the lovers to forget their love to one another. The author is convinced that the lovers are not suitable one another. The statement is strengthened by giving a comparison between the lovers. The author makes comparison deliberately as inconspicuous as possible. It is clarified in line 3 (She
a window flower) and line 4 (And he a winter breeze). The author describes the
woman as something nice and mostly wanted because her presence makes the environment look more beautiful (the window flower), which is not synchronized and does not fit with the description of the man which is represented as the winter breeze. As people know that the winter breeze is something cold. When people think about winter breeze, they could feel so cold only by imagining. It can be said that only by imagining the winter breeze, it directly makes sense gone cold and therefore it is the unwanted thing by human in general. Also it can be clearly seen by the logic that there is a big difference between she and he. That is the reason why the author suggests them to end their relationship.
The use of metaphor was also found in the poem entitled October. The datum was found in line 18.
Slow, slow!
For the ‘grapes’ sake, if they were all, (Datum 31) Whose leaves already are burnt with frost,
Whose clustered fruit must else be lost For the grapes' sake along the wall.
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of the real meaning by the form. Therefore, it can be concluded that the grapes are something important as the author said for the grapes sake and the apostrophe which is used on the word grapes represents the specific meaning in it.
The poem entitled October talks about the season as symbolic of the cycle of human life (spring/birth, summer/youth, fall/maturity, winter/old age and death), then it is clear that the speaker in this poem is in the later stages of maturity and sensing the closeness of death, represented by the leaves beginning to fall from the trees. Once the leave are all gone, it means the time of death before the cycle begins again. The grapes as a fruit symbolize the offspring. The author uses this figure of metaphor to compare two different things: fruit and his children.
Another example of metaphor was found in the poem entitled A Line Storm line 24:
The rain-fresh goldenrod (Datum 27)
The figure of metaphor that used by the autor makes the reader wants to search beyond the story of the poem. The author uses nature to describe both the hard parts and the beautiful parts of the speaker's relationship. He uses diction "goldenrod" to express how beautiful his lover is.
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that their love needs. The rain-fresh goldenrod in the line means that the author’s lover is beautiful as a flower named goldenrod.
b. Metonymy
Metonymy is the use of an element which is closely related to the thing that has the actual meaning of the reference. In other words, stating one thing while referring to another thing. The existence of this figure in literary works help the writer to evoke the emotion of the reader. The thing indicates that this figure is an important element of linguistics in literature. That is why it somehow needs to be synchronized in understanding the reference between the author and the readers. There is one datum of metonymy in the first chapter of Complete Poems of Robert
Frost entitled A Boy’s Will. The example of the data was found in following line
on a poem entitled The Demiurge’s Laugh.
It was far in the sameness of the wood
I was running with joy on the Demon’s trail, (Datum 25) Though I knew what I hunted was no true god.
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“It was just as the light was beginning to fail”. It can be concluded that the
metonymy is used in referring the wrong and unwanted path as a demon’s trail and
the demon’s trail is not the real meaning.
Based on the poem entitled The Demiurge’s Laugh, the author describes someone who gets the wrong way but he still follows the way. The author knows that he was wrong to choose that way. The author knows that there are some sounds from the opposite laughing at him. It tends to explain that he does not really run on the demon’s trail, but the author describes the demon’s trail as a wrong and an unwanted path. It is called demon because all of the things on it is judged wrong by the circumstance as all people know in general that demon itself is an evil thing and represents a bad thing. The author feels so lost in his way for he does not realize the truth but he is enjoying the way he took. The author just ignores the circumstance even though he already knows that he is in a wrong way.
c. Simile
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entitled A Boy’s Will, this figure appears many times in several poems. The use of simile on this following line was found in the poem entitle Stars.
And yet with neither love nor hate,
Those stars like some snow-white (Datum 5) Minerva's snow-white marble eyes
Without the gift of Sight.
The author tends to describe that the stars are similar to the white snow. It is clarified by using the word like for comparison. The white snow with its sparkling white color is compared to the stars which are glowing in the sky. The beauty of the white snow is also penetrated in the glowing stars. Thus, it can be concluded that the word like in this line indicates that the use of simile to compare two things which might have similarities and it can be pointed on the beauty between them by the similarity of the look. It is proved that simile functions well in this line.
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The use of simile was also found in one of A Boy’s Will poem entitled A Prayer in Spring. The datum was found in line 6.
Oh, give us pleasure in the orchard white,
Like nothing else by day, like ghosts by night (Datum 12) And make us happy in the happy bees,
The swarm dilating round the perfect trees.
This line contains simile. The simile is indicated by the word like. In this case, like is used to compare the pleasure with something else. The subject tends to beg for getting a pleasure and it seems like a big pleasure because he asks the pleasure with the comparison. The word like indicates the importance of his begging because he says like nothing else by day. He begs the pleasure in the orchard white so hard as if there would be no day left. It is strengthened by the next line which says And make us happy in the happy bees. This line shows that the author really wants to get the happiness even the overwhelmed happiness. So,
the simile is shown by comparing the thing which is really wanted by the author
with something which can strengthen the aim.
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happiness for those who see it. Thus, the prayer in spring in general describes the wishes of the subject of something pleasing like what he feels in the spring.
Another example of simile was found on the following line. It was found in the poem entitled In Neglect.
They leave us so to the way we took,
As two in whom they were proved mistaken, (Datum 13) That we sit sometimes in the wayside nook,
With mischievous, vagrant, seraphlc look, And try if we cannot feel forsaken.
The use of simile in this line is shown by the author who tends to make a comparison between two sentences which has no similarities in general. He tries to clarify the meaning of the first sentence by comparing it with another situation which has the similarity of situation based on the author’s point of view. The author tries to explain the similarity of a feeling. The feeling which is left by the situation in the first sentence They leave us so to the way we took is reflected as if it is the same situation in the second sentence as two in whom they were proved mistaken. He describes the first sentence in the second sentence by using word as for comparison.
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that the word try is so meaningful. for doing the try for not feeling forsaken
because they have been forsaken in reality.
d. Personification
Personification is the figure of transference of meaning in which animals or objects are given the quality or the attribute of human as if they were a human. It is almost impossible to find this figure of personification in academic works in which a clear understanding information becomes the main point of it. Therefore, the reader should understand the figure of personification vividly in order to find the message that the writer tries to deliver. Knowing the figure of personification helps the reader to get the closest understanding in reading it. In the first chapter
of Complete Poems of Robert Frost entitled A boy’s Will by Holt, Rinehart and
Winston, this figure appears many times in several poems. The use of Personification was found in the poem entitled Ghosts House in line 7.
O'er ruined fences the grapevines shield
The woods come back to the mowing field, (Datum 3) The orchard tree has grown one copse
Of new wood and old where the woodpecker chops, The footpath down to the well is healed.
The stanza above contains personification within the sentence The woods
come back to the mowing field. The words come back which are usually used by
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image can be felt by giving a soul in the unanimated thing, so the reader can imagine the poem entitled Ghost House in a deeper meaning.
This poem entitled Ghost House talks about loneliness. The author describes the situation in a place he called house with pitiful things which shows that the house is really empty and so long ignored. It is shown in line 5 And the
purple-stemmed wild raspberry grow. The word wild indicates that the plant is
unwanted and it keeps growing as the house is ignored. That gloomy feeling of the house is felt by the subject as if he is the one who lived inside that house. He could feel kind of that feeling because he feels so lonely like that gloomy house. Everybody left him so he’s just all alone and feeling so hurt of being lonely like it
had been written in line 11 I dwell with strangely aching heart. From that, we know that the ghost house in this poem represents the gloomy situation because of the loneliness.
The use of personification can also be found in the poem entitled The Vantage Point. The datum was found in line 4.
There amid lolling juniper reclined. (Datum 16) Myself unseen, I see in white defined
Far off the homes of men, and farther still, The graves of men on an opposing hill, Living or dead, whichever are to mind.
The use of personification is shown through the way the author gives the human ability (lolling) to juniper. He makes the figure of juniper as if it has a soul like a human so it can do such a human’s ability. In this case, the use of human’s
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adjective (lolling), the author uses the figure of personification to build such an image of the tree which lying lazily like usually human does.
In the first chapter of his collected poems, Frost mostly talks about the nature, life and its circumstance which sometimes place the people on high or low stage of life. In a different kind of conditional circumstance we feel denied and on the other side we are recognized. This poem entitled The Vantage Point talks about a human’s life. The life which makes a human feel so deeply drowned due
to depression and desperation. He tries to search for a vantage point in a very difficult chance. The character that has been told by the writer lives in a hard situation. He is unseen and unrecognized by people around him. However, he still continues to breathe and to face that entire problem. Through this poem, the author gives the reader the ironic image belongs to the character told in the poem. How hard the life depends on the sight of people who can see. Another example of personification is used in the poem entitled A Line-Storm Song.
The road is forlorn all day (Datum 29) Where a myriad snowy quartz stones lift, And the hoof-prints vanish away.
The use of personification is found in this line. The author gives human ability to something inanimate. The word forlorn which belongs to an emotional thing related to human feeling is applied in an inanimate object, the road. As it is shown in the poem entitled A Line-Storm Song in the line 2, “The road is forlorn
all day”, the author tries to draw the vivid image of the sadness road. It is
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intended to make a sense of the reader that the road is really pathetic because of the coming of the storm. It seems so horrible looking at a stormy place.
This poem talks about one of natural phenomena. It is about the storm. The storm that will come is recognized by all the living things. Through this poem, the author tries to explain the situation at that stormy moment. He tries to describe the situation on what is happened in detail by the author’s point of view.
Another example of personification found in the poem entitled My November Guest line 1.
My sorrow, when she’s here with me, (Datum 4) Thinks these dark days of autumn rain
Are beautiful as days can be;
She loves the bare, the withered tree; She walks the sodden pasture lane.
In this line, the author tries to express the feeling through the description about his November guest. The author describes the sorrow of his own as something feminine by using the pronoun she. The author tries to draw the image of the sorrow by someone who always accompanies him in the month of November. In addition the second and third lines clearly describe what his November guest is: Thinks these dark days of autumn rain, Are beautiful as days
can be. Thus, it can be concluded that line 1 in this poem: My sorrow, when she’s
here with me uses the figure of personification in describing “the sorrow”. It
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2. Language Functions used in the First Chapter of Complete Poems of Robert Frost entitled A Boy’s Will
Based on the second objective of the research, the next analysis deals with the types of language function belonging to transference of meaning found in the first chapter of Complete Poems of Robert Frost entitled A Boy’s Will. According to Roman Jacobson, there are six types of language functions. They are poetic,
conative, phatic, referential, emotive, and metalinguistic. In this research, there
were only two types of language function found in the poems. They were poetic
and phatic, but the use of phatic was always stuck together with the poetic meaning shows that the writer wants to deliver the message in an unusual way. It means that the figures are used to stress the message of the line. Also, they can be used to indicate the occurrence of the poetic function. The existences of the function are found in several poems.
The example of transference of meaning that has poetic function can be seen in the poem entitled Into My Own in line 8.
I should not be withheld but that some day Into their vastness I should steal away, Fearless of ever finding open land,
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In this line, the use of personification can be indicated by the word pours which is done by the unanimated thing the slow wheel. The human ability like pouring is something which cannot be done by unanimated thing except with the human help. But in this line, the human ability is used by the slow wheel. The style by using this kind of sentence is to make the line catches more reders’s attention.
The author intends to tell the reader about the life in personal. Through this poem, the author tries to tell his life and something which makes the people around him feel that he has changed. As a normal people in general, we could not turn back time and just let the time counts while we must continue living. The author through this poem tells that he would like to get back to himself, into his own self. He just let his life goes on but he is still being him. So, it can be concluded that the poem entitled Into My Own in general talks about the human’s life and the inner conflict with the author’s or the subject’s self.
Another example of transference of meaning which has poetic function can also be found in the following datum.
The same leaves over and over again! They fall from giving shade above To make one texture of faded brown
And fit the earth like a leather glove. (Datum 24)
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datum 27 shows that the author tends to compare an activity with something else which is believed has the similarity according to the author’s point of view. In this case, the author uses simile to complete the comparison. The poetic function in this line is shown by the writer by making the line looks different and unusual, so the message can be delivered deeper in meaning to the reader.
The peculiar meaning in this line surely cannot be accepted literally by the common logic. The line indicates the possession of the poetic function. Based on the background of the story, the author’s feeling of a habitual life becomes the main point of the poem. The habitual life is given in the leaves which become faded and brown. The meaning itself is about the general people’s life of struggle. As it is shown by the way the author explains about the leaves before they lay down on the ground. It is an envident that it is related to a habitual life through the sentence in the last line I know that this is the way of us.
Another line which contains poetic functions was found in the following datum.
There was never a sound beside the wood but one,
And that was my long scythe whispering to the ground. (Datum 17)
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Personification by giving the human ability to an unanimated thing to stress the message of the line with poetic function. The Poetic function in this line is shown by the author by making the line looks different and unusual so the message can be delivered deeper in meaning to the reader.
The peculiar meaning in this line surely cannot be accepted literally by the common logic. The line indicates the possession of the poetic function. Based on the background of the story, the writer’s feeling of the nature phenomenon
becomes the main point of the poem.
b. Phatic Function
Phatic function deals with the interaction of the people. Therefore, this phatic function associates with the factor of contact. It can be observed from greetings or any form of discourse that indicates the interaction between the writer and the reader or the speaker and the listener. The phatic function can also be used in literary works such as poems. In the poem, phatic function is used to make a contact and to create a connection between the subject and the reader as if the subject communicates with the reader. With this phatic function, the literary works, in this case is the poem, can be seen more alive and soulful so that they can affect the reader’s feeling to be involved in the poem. Phatic function can be
