ISSN: 2302-920X

Jurnal Humanis, Fakultas Ilmu Budaya Unud

Vol 17.2 Nopember 2016: 43 - 49

Figurative Language in The Fault in Our Star Movie

Gusti Ayu Marcela Dewi1*, I Nengah Sudipa2, Sang Ayu Isnu Maharani3 123English Department, Faculty of Arts, Udayana University 1[[email protected]] 2[[email protected]] 3[[email protected]] *

*Corresponding Author

Abstrak

Judul dari studi ini adalah “Figurative Language in The Fault in Our Star Movie Script”. Tujuan dari penelitian adalah untuk mengidentifikasi jenis bahasa kiasan dan untuk menganalisis makna yang direpresentasikan dari bahasa kiasan yang terdapat dalam naskah film berjudul The Fault in Our Star.

Data penelitian diambil dari naskah film berjudul The Fault in Our Star. Pengumpulan data dilakukan melalui metode observasi. Data yang dikumpulkan dan diklasifikasikan secara kualitatif analisis berdasarkan teori dari Knickerbocker dan Reninger (1963) dalam buku “Interpreting Literature” dan juga didukung oleh teori dari Leech (1979) dalam buku “Semantic”.

Hasil dari penelitian ini menunjukan terdapat 38 contoh bahasa kiasan yang ditemukan seperti; 9 contoh simile, 3 contoh metafora, 2 contoh personifikasi, 1 contoh metonimi, 15 contoh hiperbola, 3 contoh ironi, 1 contoh paradok dan 4 contoh ironi.

Keywords: bahasa kiasan, jenis makna, naskah film

  • 1.    Background of the Study

Movie is a medium that disseminates moving pictures, that is, the series of images projected on a screen in order to create the illusion (deception) motion of the living. Nowadays movie becomes a literary work because literature doesn’t have limitation on how you should do it; although many people think that literature must be expressed through standard literary work e.g. prose or poetry. Literature is one way through which human beings express their feeling, thoughts, experiences, emotions, expectations, and faith.

Figurative Language is one type of literary work, which puts an emphasis on connotation rather than denotation meaning. Generally, figurative language is language that uses words or expressions with a different meaning. Since there are many figurative languages in the movie that commonly have different sense from the literal meaning, the writer is interested in analyzing and classifying the communication used in a movie

into the kinds of figurative language itself. One of movies that contain figurative language is The Fault In Our Star directed by Josh Boon, which was adopted from a novel by John Green.

  • 2.    Problems of the Study

Based on the background of the study, the writer formulates the following problems:

  • 1.    What types of figurative language are used in The Fault in Our Star movie script?

  • 2.    How meanings are represented of figurative language in The Fault in Our Star movie script?

  • 3.    Aims of the Study

This research has some proposes:

  • 1.    To identify types of figurative language used in The Fault in Our Star movie script.

  • 2.    To analyze the meanings of figurative language in The Fault in Our Star movie script.

  • 4.    Research Method

The main data were taken from The Fault in Our Star movie script, which is a 2014 American romantic comedy-drama film directed by Josh Boone. The data were analyzed using the qualitative method based on the theory of figurative language proposed by Knickerbocker and Reninger (1963:367) who state that figurative language is sometimes called ‘metaphorical language’. Theory of meaning proposed by Leech (1979) is also used.

  • 5.    Result and Discussion

    • 5.1    Figurative Language in The Fault in Our Star Movie Script

  • a.    Simile

...she eats like a bird. She barely leaves the house. (p. 2)

The above sentence directly compared two ideas and allowed them to remain distinct in spite of similarities by employing the words “like”. It compared the way in which she (Hazel) eats, that is, like a how bird eats.

  • b.    Metaphor

I’m a grenade. And at some point I’m gonna blow up, and everything in my wake will

be obliterated and I really... (p. 65)

“I’m a grenade” could be categorized into metaphor because the statement compares different two things; between a human and a grenade. Grenade is a small bomb thrown by hand or launched mechanically. The word grenade makes similar character to the speaker that could be blown up and obliterate everything to people around her.

  • c.    Personification

“Pain demands to be felt.” (p.32)

The above quotation belongs to personification because the word “pain” is portrayed as human being that demands to be felt. Whereas pain is a noun, which is highly unpleasant, physical sensation caused by illness or injury and the word demands is a verb that means an insistent and peremptory request.

  • d.    Metonymy

..some days she won’t even get out of bed. (p. 4)

The characteristic of metonymy in the above sentence is showed by “get out of bad” because the term is used for another thing closely associated with it. This metonymic target forms part of an idealized script in culture, when someone wakes up, the first thing to do is getting out of bed.

  • e.    Hyperbole

Gus has one eye on the road, the other on Hazel. He was impressed with her before.

(p. 23)

The sentence “one eye on the road, the other on Hazel” is actually an impossible thing. Human eyes are always aligned and cannot be turned toward the opposite direction simultaneously. The exaggeration in the above sentence is used to create a strong impression of an action.

  • f.    Irony

And yours is - even though you had freaking cancer you give money to a corporation for the chance to acquire even more cancer!? Ugh. And you were doing so well. (p. 19)

The above sentence belongs to irony because it is used an opposite statement between what appears to happen and what is apparently being said and the actual truth or reality. One side says that “you give money to a corporation for the chance to acquire even more cancer” as a bad perspective, and the other side is “And you were doing so well” means positive response, however, it is totally a sarcasm expression. Nonetheless, giving chance to acquire more cancer is an adverse action.

  • g.    Paradox

They don’t hurt you unless you light them. (They refers to cigarettes) (p. 19)

The above sentence belongs to paradox because it seems absurd, however, it’s possibly true. Cigarette is a thin cylinder of finely cut tobacco

rolled in paper for smoking. If the cigarette is not lighted then the cigarette will not be harmful.

  • h.    Allusion

I’m a bit of a Victorian lady, fainting-wise. (p. 25)

The sentence “I’m a bit of a Victorian lady” is kind of allusion because it shows reference to something from another piece of literature or to a famous person from history. Victorian lady is epithet of hard working women and has disadvantages both financially and sexually, enduring inequalities within their marriages and social statuses, distinct differences in men and women’s rights which takes place during this era; therefore, men are provided with more stability, financial status and power over their homes and women.

  • 5.2    Meanings Represented by the Figurative language in The Fault in Our Star Movie Script

  • a.    Connotative Meaning

Gus has one eye on the road, the other on Hazel. He was impressed with her before. (p. 23)

The meaning of the above sentence “one eye on the road, the other on Hazel” is that Augustus tries to focus with Hazel’s story and gives attention; however, the condition is that they are on the road and Augustus is driving and hazel is sitting on the passenger’s seat; therefore, Augustus should focus on looking forward even if he wants to pay attention to Hazel.

  • b.    Affective Meaning

The instructor looks at me and goes, your driving, while pleasant...is not technically unsafe. (p. 20)

The statement above shows that the instructor wants to say if Augustus’s way of driving is not safety; however, in order to say good words to Augustus, the instructor says “pleasant” first and then “unsafe”.

  • c.    Reflected Meaning

Hazel and the BOY we will come to know as AUGUSTUS “GUS” WATERS (17) at out door restaurant in some magical place. [Though we DONOTSEEHISFACE, the impression we get is that the two of them look very much the perfect Hollywood couple.] (p.1)

Hollywood is literally a district in Los Angeles because it has come to be linked to the entertainment business, celebrities, and movie making. Hazel and August look very much like perfect Hollywood couple means they look very harmonious who enjoy their holiday.

  • d.    Collocative Meaning

..some days she won’t even get out of bed. (p. 4)

Get out of bed is one of familiar grouping of words, especially words that habitually appear together and, thereby, convey meaning by association. The meaning represented by the above sentence is she got offher bed of lying there for some time and won’t make friends.

  • e.    Thematic Meaning

Hazel, listen to me... it’s gonna hurt like hell to lose you but ...you of all people know it’s possible to live with pain. (p. 118)

The statement above shows an abstract illustration to show the feelings expressed by an equation situation. It’s gonna hurt like hell to lose you means it is very painful if she has to lose her daughter symbolized with the word “hell”

  • 6.    Conclusion

From the above analysis in the movie script The Fault in Our Stars directed by Josh Boone 38 figurative languages were found; the writer found 8 kinds of figurative languages consisting of 9 similes, 3 metaphors, 2personifications, 1 metonymy, 3 ironies, 1 paradox and 4 allusions and 15 hyperboles; they were used to illustrate the strong feelings of the characters like the feeling of happiness, pain and love as the theme of this movie is one kind of dramatic movie about wishes of two lovers who want to live in a normal life without cancer. All of the figurative languages that are used in The Fault in Our Stars are made to be descriptive, understandable and imaginable. Some figurative expressions in the conversation and narration were used to describe something funny, serious, or unpredictable.

  • 7.    Bibliography

Knickerbocker, K.L & H. Willard Reninger. 1963. Interpreting Literature. New York. Chicago. San Francisco. Toronto: Holt, Rinehart and Wiston.

Leech, G. 1974. Semantics.UK: Penguin Books

Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary. 1995. Oxford University Press: Fifth Edition

Sudipa, I Nengah. 2014. BerbahasaInggrisPublikasiIlmiah. Denpasar: SwastaNulus.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Fault_in_Our_Stars_%28film%29

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2582846/synopsis

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