Analysis of Theme of Three Emily Dickinson's and Robert Frost's Poems Through Diction.

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ABSTRACT

Dalam tugas akhir ini, saya menganalisis tema melalui diksi dari tiga puisi Robert Frost yang berjudul “In a Disused Graveyard,” “Spoils Of The Dead,” dan “Out,Out”, juga tiga puisi Emily Dickinson yang berjudul “Because I could not

stop for Death,” “The last Night that She lived,” dan “Those fair—fictitious People—”. Keenam puisi tersebut menggambarkan kematian yang akan dialami setiap manusia, tetapi diungkapkan oleh Robert Frost dan Emily Dickinson melalui sudut pandang yang berbeda.

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CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

Background of the Study

Death is the greatest mystery in human life. It is a certainty, yet no one knows when it will come. Thus, it is natural that most people are afraid of death. Death is a fascinating topic and it has been the object of many literary works, including poetry; this is what makes me decide to choose it as my topic.

I choose poetry because it is relatively short compared to prose and drama, yet poems are full of meanings and ideas. They also connect more closely to our senses, emotion and imagination. Poetry is also concerned with all kinds of human experiences, including death.

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Modern period. Their poems are truly worth reading, especially the ones related to death, and their contributions and achievements to the world of literature are great. With her poems, Emily Dickinson contributed a great deal to the world of literature in “her revolutionary way with words.” “Her isolation in that ‘room of her own’ gave her more than just time to right and reflect” (Lombardi). During

her lifetime, she lived in seclusion and composed more than seventeen hundred excellent poems, over five hundred of which deal with death. It is thus safe to argue that death occupied a central place in her poetry. In the poems that I select, Dickinson romanticizes death; she makes death look “better” or less scary.

Unlike Dickinson, who romanticizes death, Robert Frost is more realistic when dealing with the topic of death. Frost portrays death as something that is fearful, as most people normally feel. Frost witnessed death when he buried his children and his wife early in his life. Frost’s son, Elliot, died of cholera, while his

daughter, Marjorie, died of fever after giving birth to her first child, leaving an infant daughter. His wife, Elinor Miriam White Frost, died at the age of sixty-five from a heart attack; and his thirty-eight-year-old son, Carol, committed suicide. His experience with so many deaths definitely affected his way of talking about death in his poems.

From many of their poems, I selected six poems that talk about death. They are “In a Disused Graveyard,” “Spoils Of The Dead,” and “Out, Out” by

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I believe that the best way to reveal their views of death is through the analysis of theme through poetic diction because the words and phrases they chose are the keys to show their point of view of death. “Diction is the distinctive

tone or tenor of an author’s writings. It is also understood as the selection of

certain words or phrases that become peculiar to a writer” (“Diction”). Poetic

diction is complex since there are usually multiple layers of meaning to consider. Theme is “the base topic or focus that acts as a foundation for the entire literary

piece. The theme links all aspects of the literary work with one another and is basically the main subject” (“Theme”).

Statement of the Problem

The statement of the problems in this thesis is as follows:

1. What are the themes of three poems by Robert Frost and three poems by Emily Dickinson?

2. How does the diction of the poems help to reveal the themes?

Purpose of the Study

The purpose of the study in this thesis is as follows:

1. To show the themes of three poems by Robert Frost and three poems by Emily Dickinson.

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Method of Research

I conduct a library research for my thesis. After I read these poems, I analyze the theme of the poems through the diction. Then, I search for a number of references from books and Internet websites to help me with my analysis. In the end, I draw a conclusion from my analysis.

Organization of the Thesis

I divide my thesis into three parts. Preceded by the Abstract, and the Table of Contents, Chapter One is Introduction, which consists of the Background of the Study, the Statement of the Problem, the Purpose of the Study, the Method of Research, and the Organization of the Thesis. Chapter Two is Theme Analysis of Three of Robert Frost’s Poems. Chapter Three is Theme Analysis of Three of Emily Dickinson’s Poems. Chapter Four is the Conclusion. The thesis ends with

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CHAPTER FOUR

CONCLUSION

In this chapter, I am going to draw a conclusion based on my analysis of three of Robert Frost’s poems and three of Emily Dickinson’s poems revealed through diction. Robert Frost’s poems that I have analyzed are: “In a Disused Graveyard,”“Spoils Of The Dead,” and “Out,Out.” Emily Dickinson’s poems that I have analyzed are: “Because I could not stop for Death,” “The last Night that She lived,” and “Those fair—fictitious People—.”

The theme of Frost’s “In a Disused Graveyard” is Death is so fearful that the living deny it. It is revealed through uses of diction that are related to denial,

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The theme of Frost’s “Spoils of the Dead” is Death, which may seem calming and comforting at first, eventually will cause sorrow, as when one

dies one loses everything one has. The beginning of the poem shows that death

is calming and comforting, and it is revealed through these words: “summer,”

“flower,” and “bed.” However, at the end of the poem death is described as an

unpleasant event that brings sadness. It is revealed through uses of diction that are

related to sorrow, such as “sorrow,” “dread,” and “hate.” If we take a look at the

title we might feel confused as the word “spoils” has several meanings. However, it generally has a negative meaning. In this context, the word “spoils” means something stolen or taken by a thief, and in this poem this spoils of the dead

reminds the living that when one dies, everything will be stolen from one.

The theme of Frost’s “Out,Out” is Death is unpredictable, for it can

come all of a sudden. At the beginning of the poem we can feel a day that is so

beautiful that even the dust from the wood is described as sweet-scented stuff. The setting is also beautiful and calming with the breeze and the mountain. These beautiful sceneries are contrasted to the coming darkness of death. Rather than using gloomy weather, Frost uses beautiful imageries to create a shocking effect

of the suddenness of death that relates directly to the theme. The phrase “nothing

happened” also suggests that this is just a normal working day like any other day.

But unfortunately, this poem is not a happy poem about nature. All of a sudden the saw leaps out at the boy's hand, then cuts it; this event kills the boy.

The theme of Dickinson’s “Because I could not stop for Death” is Death

is a journey toward the beginning of a new life. It is revealed through uses of

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speaker’s thought that death is not the end, but something which will bring the

speaker to the next life. The word “paused” suggests that it is just a temporary stop, implying that the speaker’s death lasts for only a short time. There is eternity

ahead, for death is just a temporary journey.

The theme of Dickinson’s “The last Night that She lived” is Death is

inevitable and to be accepted, as death can be relieving. It is revealed through

diction such as “must” and “consented.” The word “must” signifies the inevitablility of death. The dying woman does not have a choice but must die. The word choice “consented” here displays a calmness. “Consented” is associated with willingness and approval, which shows that she is ready for death. Death is unavoidable, and yet the speaker shows it is like a normal event to emphasize the calmness and peace of death.

The theme of Dickinson’s “Those fair—fictitious People—” is Death

provides a brand new lifewhichis a better quality of life and it is revealed through words that are related to a better life, such as “perfecter,” “fair,” and also “blesseder.” They are related to the theme that being dead does not make us worse

but better. Now they live in a place that lacks nothing and it is somewhere that gives great pleasure or enjoyment.

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a Disused Graveyard,” the rhyme on the gravestones emphasize what is written on

the gravestones about the coming of death. It emphasizes the message which the gravestones want to deliver. It is a reminder of the fact that death will come in the near future and it is inevitable. In other words, death is a certainty for the living.

In Dickinson’s “The last Night that She lived,” the word “final” signifies that the

dying woman’s fate cannot be changed. Her death is ultimate. Again, this is an

emphasis that death is inevitable, because in the future it will come for us.

In spite of the similarities, there are also several differences between their

poems. The poets’ perspectives about death are different. In the poems by

Dickinson that I analyzed, Dickinson romanticizes death and makes death look

“better” or less scary. Dickinson, with her romantic view, accepts death and has a

notion that death brings comfort to people who have lost their loved ones or are facing death themselves. A person’s death is not seen as the end and death is

valued higher than being alive in the world.

In my opinion, Dickinson romanticizes death because “She rejected absolutely the idea of man's innate depravity; she favored the Emersonian partial reversal of Puritanism that conceived greatness of soul as the source of

immortality” (“Emily Dickinson’s Ideas”). She believes in the immortality of the

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subjects of romanticism; it is clear that in her poem, Dickinson has a desire for knowledge and wisdom, especially for what the future – and eternity – holds” (“Emily Dickinson”).

Unlike Dickinson, who romanticizes death, Robert Frost is more realistic when dealing with the topic of death. Frost views death as something that most people normally feel, which is fear. In his diction, one can see that Frost is realistic because the diction signifies that one cannot find comfort in death. People will deny death, because grieving is painful. No one knows when death comes or whether it will be slowly or brutally. These uses of diction help to reveal the themes to represent death as it really is and how people react to death. Like Dickinson, Frost’s writing was influenced by the period in which he lived. Frost wrote in Modern period of the American literature. The modernist “viewed the world with a more pessimistic lens” (“Robert Frost: A Modernist or Not?”). That is the reason why Frost came to this perspective of this painful death.

I believe that Frost’s view is realistic because of the darkness of his life. Frost witnessed death when he buried his children and his wife. Frost’s son, Elliot, died of cholera, while his daughter, Marjorie, died of fever shortly after birth. His wife, Elinor Miriam White Frost, died at the age of sixty-five from a heart attack; his thirty-eight-year-old son, Carol, committed suicide. His experience with so many deaths of people close to him definitely affected his way of talking about death in his poems. As a modernist, he viewed death as the enemy of life, a distant end point and best forgotten.

Both authors have given me new insights about death. I think Frost is

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that show the fear and hatred for death are very real. For example, in my favorite

poem, “Spoils Of The Dead,” at first, death seems comforting, but the reality is it

still brings sorrow. Reading his poems makes me more afraid to face death.

Another thing is, I believe, death is what everyone experiences at the end of their life. There are no exceptions, because we are mortal beings. Time is the only difference for everyone. Of course, death makes us feel worried and scared,

but Dickinson’s poems encourage me to deal with death because her poems make

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BIBLIOGRAPHY

Primary Texts

“Emily Dickinson.”PoemHunter. 2014.Web. 18 Mar.2014.

“Robert Frost.”PoemHunter. 2014.Web. 18 Mar.2014.

References

“Biography of Emily Dickinson (1830-1886).” Vcu.edu. 2014. Web. 13 Apr.

2014.

“Because I could not stop for Death.”Genius.com. 2016. Web. 22 Feb. 2016.

“Civility.” Collins Online Dictionary. Collins Online Dictionary, 2016. Web. 22

Feb. 2016.

“Come on.” The Oxford English Dictionary. 8th ed. 2010. Print.

“Diction.”Literary Devices. 2014. Web. 25 Apr. 2014.

“Dread.” Oxford Online Dictionary. Oxford Online Dictionary, 2015. Web. 9

November 2015.

“Emily Dickinson.” Poets.org. 2014. Web. 14 Apr. 2014.

“Emily Dickinson’sIdeas.” Cliffsnotes. 2015. Web. 23 Jun. 2015.

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“Fear.” Oxford Online Dictionary. Oxford Online Dictionary, 2015. Web. 2

November 2015.

“Feathery.” Collins Online Dictionary. Collins Online Dictionary, 2015. Web. 2

November 2015.

“Jostle.” Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary. Merriam-Webster Online

Dictionary, 2015. Web. 18 November 2015.

Lombardi, Esther. “Emily Dickinson Profile.” About.com Classic Literature.

2014.Web.12 Apr. 2014.

“Metonymy.” Literary Devices. 2014. Web. 04 Dec. 2014.

“Pluck.” Dictionary.com. 2015. Web. 21 Jun. 2014.

Prudchenko, Kate. “Discussing the Diction of a Poem.” Synonym. 2014.Web. 02

Oct. 2014.

“Rhyme.” Literary Devices. 2014. Web. 03 Dec. 2014.

“Robert Frost.” Poetry Project. 2014. Web. 11 Apr. 2014.

“Robert Frost’s Out,Out.” PoemShape. 2014.Web. 9 Oct. 2014.

“Rueful.” Collins Online Dictionary. Collins Online Dictionary, 2015. Web. 9

November 2015.

“Shrink.” The Free Dictionary. 2015. Web. 20 Jun. 2015.

“Snarl.” Oxford Dictionaries. 2015. Web. 22 Jun. 2015.

“Spoils.” Merriam-webster. 2015. Web. 21 Jun. 2015.

“Stay.” Oxford Online Dictionary. Oxford Online Dictionary, 2015. Web. 2

November 2015.

“Sorrow.” Oxford Online Dictionary. Oxford Online Dictionary, 2015. Web. 9

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“Theme.” Literary Devices. 2014. Web. 25 Apr. 2014.

“Tread.” The Free Dictionary. 2015. Web. 20 Jun. 2015.

“Verse.” Oxford Dictionaries. 2014. Web. 12 Dec. 2014.

Analysis of Theme of Three Emily Dickinson's and Robert Frost's Poems Through Diction.

ABSTRACT

TABLE OF CONTENTS

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

CHAPTER FOUR

CONCLUSION

BIBLIOGRAPHY