ISSN: 2302-920X

E-Jurnal Humanis, Fakultas Sastra dan Budaya Unud

Vol 15.3 Juni 2016: 197-203

COMPARISON BETWEEN FIGURATIVE LANGUAGE AND MEANING IN

ROBERT BURNS’S “MY LOVE IS LIKE A RED RED ROSE”AND ADRIAN

HENDRY’S“LOVE IS”

Wayan Gede Mahadi email: [email protected]

English Department Faculty of Letters, Udayana University

Abstract

Jurnal ini berjudul " Comparison Between Figurative Language and Meaning in Robert Burns’s “My Love Is Like A Red Red Rose”and Adrian Hendry’s "Love is”. Jurnal ini difokuskan untuk menemukan dan mengidentifikasi jenis gaya bahasa atau majasdan arti yang dipakai dalan puisi yang berjudul “My Love is Like a Red Red Rose” dan “Love is”

Majas adalah gaya bahasa dalam tulisan yang dipakai yang bertujuan untuk mewakili perasaan dan pikiran si pengarang. Majas juga untuk memperoleh efek-efek; sebuah kesan imajinatif bagi pendengarnya

Data diambil dari puisi yang berjudul“My Love is Like a Red Red Rose” yang ditulis oleh Robert Burns pada tahun 1794 dan puisi kedua yang berjudul “Love is” yang ditulis oleh Adrian Henri yang ditulis pada 1968. Proses dalam mengumpulkan data adalah dengan membaca puisi dengan seksama, mendata jenis majas yang ditemukan dalam puisi,terakhirmencari makna dan membandingkan setiap majas yang ditemukan dalam puisi tersebut

Kata kunci: poem, figurative language, meaning, and message

  • 1.    Background of the study

The word literature literally means "things made from letters". Literature is commonly classified as having two major forms fiction & nonfiction and two major techniques poem and prose. Especially in poem, the poet is aware of using the choice of word and figure of speech.

Poem also contains figurative languages. Figurative language describes an idea or item through comparison. According to Knickerbocker and Rininger (1963) figurative language is sometimes called metaphorical language.

Many people read poem without knowing the meaning to be conveyed by the author. Meaning is very important, so we can understand something to be delivered by the author.

Based on the fact above, topic about love poem is always interesting to be discussed. The main concerned of this writing is to find figurative languages that are used in the poem and compared meaning and message to be conveyed by the author.

  • 2.    Problem of the study

Based on the explanation above, the research questions can be formulated as follow:

  • 1.    What kind of figurative language used in both poems?

  • 2.    What are the meaning implied by the figurative language in both poems?

  • 3.    What are the differences in the message of both love poems?

  • 3.    Aims of the study

In this writing the aims of the study are :

  • 1.    To identify the kind of figurative language used in those poems

  • 2.    To identify meanings are implied by the figurative language in those poems

  • 3.    To identify the differences in the message of both poems

  • 4.    Research method

A certain procedure is needed in doing something and that is called methodology. It is required in order to ensure the smoothness and the maximum result, which need to be achieved through the research. There are three components of the methodology in this writing; data source, method and technique of collecting data, and method and technique of analyzing data. These three components elaborate done by one in the subsection below.

  • 4.1    Data source

The objects of this study were taken from two love poems. The first poem is “My Love is Like a Red Red Rose”. The second poem is “Love is” by Adrian Henri, this poem was written in 1968.

  • 4.2    Method and Technique of Collecting Data

The method in collecting the data in this study is documentary or library research method as follows:

  • 1.    Reading the poem in detail.

  • 2.    Grouping the data according to the kinds of figurative language.

  • 3.    Making notes of the meaning and message that occur in the poem.

  • 4.    Compare the meaning and messages of both poems.

  • 4.3    Method and Technique of Analyzing Data

Descriptive method was used in this study in order to analyzed the data source. Firstly, every stanza of this poem was observed based on the type of figurative language. Secondly, the figurative language and meaning was analyzed in detail.

  • 5.    Analysis of Figurative Language in the Poem

    • 5.1    Kinds of Figurative Language Found in the Poem “My Love Is Like A Red Red Rose”

Simile

In the first line and the third line of stanza I find a figurative language, namely simile. The persona compares his love to a rose and to melody, showing that the love is beautiful and precious and showing that how love is not fleeting.

Hyperbole

in second stanza, we find another figurative language, namely hyperbole. We can see this kind of figurative language in the lines 6 and 8. In these lines the author exaggerates the sense of love by using the expession so deep in love, and he also exaggerates his love to his lover by using the expression till the seas gang dry.

Personification

Besides hyperbole and simile we also find another figurative language, that is personification. In this line we can see these types of figurative language in the line twelve. Here the poet assigns human characteristic to the sand of live by saying what it run.

  • 5.2    Kinds of Figurative Language Found in the Poem “Love Is”

Metaphor

In the poem “Love is” language styles are used by the poet to describe the feeling of love by more use of Metaphors. In this poem the author

describes love in a different way, by comparing love with another thing but both of them still have the same meaning. Metaphore show in line 2,3,4,6,7,8,10,11,12,14,15,16,20.

Paradoks

In lines18and 19, the author uses the figures of paradox. the poet uses the word "love is you and love is me" and in line 19, the poet uses "Love is prison and love is free".

  • 6.    Meaning of the Poem

    6.1    Meaning of “My Love is Like a Red Red Rose”

The poet says love is like red red rose, it means that the poet wants to share his feeling of love to someone, with the reader, If we interpret the meaning of the red color of the red rose in the context of this poem, it could mean a glowing and fresh love, because the red color is identical with spirit, strength and braveness.

Literally, the first impression that we get when we read the second and fourth lines of the second stanza is something exaggerated. , figuratively it could be taken to mean how deep is love. It means that the poet wants to emphasize that his love is stronger than rocks and much deeper than the sea, so here he wants to express his loyalty and the power of his love by meaning of hyperbole.

  • 6.2    Meaning of the Poem “love is”

From line 11, “Top of the pop”, From this line the author wanted to portray that when we have love, we will feel that we are the greatest, we feel number one, and the most powerful as no one can beat us.

Line 14

Love is white panties lying all forlorn

Love is private feeling which tend to be unrevealed that is pure and secret, but not even once it gets dirty, that stain last forever.

Line16

Love is when you have to leave at dawn

Normally, people do their activities in daylight and sleep at night. But when you are in love, sometime it forces you to give your best effort even though it push you beyond your limit for your beloved one.

Conclusion

Based on the result of the analysis, it can be concluded there are five kinds of figurative language found in the poems, namely simile, hyperbole, personification, metaphor and paradoks.

The meaning of the first poem by Robet Burns is the greatnes of love he has to his girlfriend or his wife. The meaning of the second poem, love is something weird. Every line in this poem describes love in defferent way, but it still describes love as something sweet and great part of his life.

Bibliography

Knickerbockers, K.L and Williamd Rininger. 1963. Interpreting Literature.

Toronta: Holt, Ricard and Winston, inc.

Leech, Geoffrey n. 1974. Semantic. Auckland: Penguin Books

Moner, Kathleen and Ralph Rausch. 1998. Ntc’s Dictionary of Literary

Terms. Illinois:ntc Publishing Group.

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