THE PHENOMENON OF ABSURDITY IN COMIC A Semiotic-Pragmatic Analysis of Tahilalats Comic
Name: Muh. Zakky Al Masykuri Affiliation: Universitas Pendidikan Indonesia Abstract Code: ABS-ICOLLITE-20183 Introduction & Literature Review
• Comics as a medium of communication to express attitudes, opinions or ideas. Comics have an extraordinary ability to adapt themselves used for various purposes (McCloud, 1993). • Tahilalats comic has the power to convey information in a popular manner, but it seems absurd to the readers. • Tahilalats comic have many signs which confused the readers, thus encouraging readers to think hard in finding the meaning conveyed. • The absurdity phenomenon portrayed in the Tahilalats comic is related to the philosophical concept of absurdity presented by Camus. • French absurde from Classical Latin absurdus, not to be heard of from ab-, intensive + surdus, dull, deaf, insensible [1]. • Absurd is the state or condition in which human beings exist in an irrational and meaningless universe and in which human life has no ultimate meaning [2]. • Absurd refers to the conflict between humans and their world (Camus, 1999). • Comics is sequential images, intended to convey information and/or to produce an aesthetic response in the viewer (McCloud, 1993).
1 YourDictionary. (n.d.). Absurd. In YourDictionary. Retrieved August 21, 2020, from https://www.yourdictionary.com/absurd 2 Merriam-Webster. (n.d.). Absurd. In Merriam-Webster.com dictionary. Retrieved August 21, 2020, from https://www.merriam- webster.com/dictionary/absurd • Everything in human life is seen as a sign and every sign has a meaning (Hoed, 2014). • Semiotics is defined as the study of objects, events, and all cultures as signs (Wahjuwibowo, 2020). • Peirce developed the triadic concept, which explains the phenomenon of language as a relation of signifier, signified, and interpretant (Taum, 2020). • Pragmatics is the study of speaker’s meaning (Yule, 1996). • Implicature is the proposition (the speaker's assumption) that is implied (Wijana, 2011).
Method
QUALITATIVE DESCRIPTIVE METHOD
OBJECTS OF THE STUDY PURPOSIVE SAMPLING the speeches and signs TECHNIQUE displayed on the comic
SOURCE OF DATA DATA COLLECTION the Instagram account of observation, documentation, Tahilalats comic @tahilalats and transcription Findings and Discussion
This study aims to discover the phenomenon of absurdity in the Tahilalats comic.
The results of the analysis description on the following figure represents the phenomenon of absurdity which is shown in the form of alienation through the actions of the comic boy character. Peirce’s Triadic Representamen Qualisign: the green and yellow colors refer to the colors of clothes in general; the gray colors and stripes refer to the color of the pants in general. Sinsign: the sad faces and gestures in girls signal disappointment; the expression of the boy who was looking downwards showed sadness. Legisign: the red color shows the uniform of a school. Object Icon: the boy (illustrative); the girl (illustrative); an adult male (illustrative); dress (illustrative); tie (illustrative); socks (illustrative). Index: The man in the green shirt and gray pants shows the person as an adult with a simple style and looks simple; the boy who wears a yellow shirt and red striped pants and wears a tie with stripes shows that the child is a schoolgirl; the girl who wears a yellow shirt and a red striped skirt and wears a tie with stripes shows that the child is a schoolgirl. Symbol: the shorts worn by the comic character symbolize a boy; the short skirt worn by the comic character is a symbol of a girl; the gray trousers worn in the comic character show a grown man. Interpretant Rheme: A man on his knees indicates someone who is giving advice; a girl who furrowed her eyebrows and raised her hands was a sign of disappointment. Dicent: A rare phenomenon that occurs in society. Argument: A girl who looks disappointed because of a boy's promise. Conclusion
• In conclusion, the Tahilalats comic deployed the phenomenon of absurdity, representing the alienation, meaning of life, suicide, hope, and rebellion, through verbal and visual signs. • The Tahilalats comic by Nurfadli Mursyid is a comic with a distinctive absurd style. This comic raises a lot of social issues in the daily life of the Indonesian people so that what is illustrated tends to be a representation of Indonesian society. • In expressing its absurdity, the comic artist plays more on the visual side of the interpretant. In terms of verbally, the comic artist plays more violations of the cooperative principle in the maxim of relevance and manner. References
Camus, A . (1999). Mite Sisifus: Pergulatan dengan Absurditas. Jakarta: Grafindo. Grice, H. P. (1989). Studies in the Way of Words. Harvard University Press. Hoed, B. H. (2014). Semiotik & Dinamika Sosial Budaya: Ferdinand de Saussure, Roland Barthes, Julia Kristeva, Jaques Derrida, Charles Sanders Peirce, Marcel Danesi & Paul Perron, dll. Depok: Komunitas Bambu. McCloud, S. (1993). Understanding Comics. New York: HarperPerennial. Merriam-Webster. (n.d.). Absurd. In Merriam-Webster.com dictionary. Retrieved August 21, 2020, from https://www.merriam- webster.com/dictionary/absurd Nurgiyantoro, B. (2005). Teori Pengkajian Fiksi. Yogyakarta: UGM Press. Peirce, C. S. (1958). The Collected Papers of Charles Sanders Peirce, Vol. VII: Science and Philosophy. CP 7. Edited by A. W. Burks. Cambridge: Harvard University Press. Setiawan, M. N. (2002). Menakar Panji Koming Tafsir Komik Karya Dwi Koendoro. Jakarta: PT Kompas Media Nusantara. Taum, Y. T. (2020). Kajian Semiotika: Godlob Danarto Dalam Perspektif Teeuw. Yogyakarta: Sanata Dharma University Press. Wahjuwibowo, I. S. (2013). Semiotika Komunikasi Edisi II (2013): Aplikasi Praktis untuk Penelitian dan Skripsi Komunikasi. Tangerang: Rumah Pintar Komunikasi. Wijana, I. D. P. (1996). Dasar-dasar Pragmatik. Bandung: Andi Publisher YourDictionary. (n.d.). Absurd. In YourDictionary. Retrieved August 21, 2020, from https://www.yourdictionary.com/absurd Yule, G. (1996). Pragmatics. New York: Oxford University Press.