Paradox Style in Edwin Arlington Robinson's
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PARADOX STYLE IN EDWIN ARLINGTON ROBINSON’S SELECTED POEMS Submitted to Faculty of Letters, Hasanuddin University In partial fulfillment of the requirement To obtain sarjana degree In English Department BY KARMILA SUYUTI WAHID F21108012 ENGLISH DEPARTEMENT FACULTY OF LETTER HASANUDDIN UNIVERSITY MAKASSAR 2013 1 ABSTRACT Karmila Suyuti Wahid, 2013. Paradox Style in Edwin Arlington Robinson’s Selected Poems. (supervised by R.S.M Assagaf and H. Sudarmin Harun). The purposes of this writing are to identify the paradox in Edwin Arlinton Robinson’s selected poems and interpret the use of paradox by the author. The writer applied a library research to collect data that are relevant to the thesis. In the process of data analysis, the writer has used descriptive method starting from reading poems several times to understand the meaning of those poem and using note-taking technique in order to collect the relevant data. Based on the analysis, the writer has found some paradox in selected poems such as, “Strange that I did not know him” and “That friend of mine”, in An Old Story ; dead, glimmer, in The Dead Village. The writer concludes that the author in the selected poems used paradox style to explain about the meanings that are contradicted to the real meaning. The author uses this style to convey his implied messages. 2 3 4 5 CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION 1.1 Background Literature gets a position in our society life that function to submit a certain purpose to society. It reflects to describe about life either through physical and psyches. Literature as one of the art forms has many benefits for mankind. By reading a literary work we will get enjoyment and satisfaction in life. It will increase our knowledge or insight, enrich our spirits and make us more civilized. Moreover it can help us to comprehend the other people, understand their difficult, suffering better and many other human qualities. Poem is a kind of literary works which is created by composition of selected words which conceives a meaning. A poem is also a medium of communication. If we read a poem we can feel what the author feels when he or she writes the poem. The language employed in poems can reflect the idea and the life of the author. In poetry, the poets use figurative language to express their experiences. Figurative language in poetry also affords imaginative pleasure, intensifies readers emotion to the world constructed so that the language employed is fully informative. When we read poetry, its words can influence our emotion and feelings. This indicates the successs of a poet when it has been able to make the readers to comprehend the flom of the story within poetry. A poet writes his/her 6 poetry to give certain impression to the readers, by reading poem we can feel happy, sad, even angry. One of figurative language is paradox. Paradox is a contrary expression. In paradox we will find contradiction from the words or situation. It is good to read especially in poetry because the reader can’t guess what the end of the poetry.For instead in Edwin Arlington Robinson’s poem entitled “An Old Story”. An old story tell about somone who has a friend that always praise him, but it make him envy because the friend receive the praise from others so that he hates his friend and not friendly again.He just know that actually his friend is sincere but the friend have died. In that example writers found contradiction that people feel envious with his friend because the friend have many praise from others, whereas that praise actually because of him.It seems like sometimes we have negative thinking with our friend or family although they are kind and sincere with us, so that writers interested to analysis this case. This is what lies behind the author takes paradox as a topic research and the title Bottom of Form “Paradox Style in Edwin Arlington Robinson’s Selected Poems.” 7 1.2 Identification of the Problem Based on background, the writer indentifies several problems as follows: 1. Paradox is a medium to express the poets ideas and feelings of the poem. 2. The reader sometimes difficult to understand the meaning of the poem, because the symbols words. 3. The reader sometimes confuse to find the messages from the poem. 1.3 Scope of the Problem There are many aspec which interested to discuss in that poems, but writer just focus on figurative language especially paradox style. 1.4 Research Question The object of this analyzes will be discussed through the following problems: 1. What paradox varieties are there in Edwin Arlington Robinson’s selected poems? 2. How is paradox influence the meaning? 1.5 Objectives of Writing Through this analyzes, the writer intends to accomplish the following objectives: 8 1. To identify the paradox style in Edwin Arlington Robinson’s selected poems. 2. To present the meaning from the paradox style that is explaining. 1.6 Sequence of Presentation This thesis is composed of four chapters, as follows: 1. Chapter one is introduction. This chapter presents the Background, Statement of Problems, Objectives of Writing, Scope of Problems, and Sequence of Presentation. 2. Chapter two is literature review. This chapter describes about previous study, Theoritical Background, Intrinsic Elements and Extrinsic Elements. 3. Chapter four is analysis or discussion. This chapter consists of Structural 4. Chapter five is conclusion and suggestion. 1.7 Siginificance of the study 1. This research will contribute to a better understanding of the use of figurative language in poetry. 2. This thesis will also contribute in helping people to understand the meanings and messages conveyed by the poets. 3. This thesis will increase appreciation of poetry for young generation in order that they know how important the value of poetry. 9 4. This thesis provides information of figurative language to the readers especially those who are interested in writing the same topics. 10 CHAPTER II LITERATURE REVIEW 2.1 Previous Studies Before stepping far to this research, the writer will preview some of researche that have been done by some researcher. The research was having some similarity in some part of what will be discussed by the writer, such as the similarity of approach, the author, and the object of knowledge. The research result are : a. Paradox style in Roberts Frost’s selected poems by Andi Asmayanti (2011). The selected poems are Ghost House, Fire and Ice, and Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening. In this research, the writer explains the paradox style of poems and present the significant of the paradox style that is performed in the work. b. Figurative language and theme in Wiliam Bulten Yeats’s selected poems by Astinana Yuliarti (2011). In this research the writer explains the types of igurative language and theme whic is used in the Wiliam Bulten Yeats’s selected poems. c. Poetical devices in Maya Angelou’s selected poems by Irma Zavitri (2012). In her writing she analyses poetical devices used in the poem. In this writing the writer focuses on one of poetical device which is called figurative language. 11 2.2 Poetry Poetry is as universal as language and almost as ancient.The most primitive peoples have used it, and the most civilized have cultivated.In all ages and all countries,poetry has be written, andeagerly read or listened to, by all conditions of people. Poetry which has the considerable strength of communication in the society become the most favorite and popular literary work in the world. The ability of poetry in entertaining, giving lesson and satisfying the reader become the main things that make it popular. Moreover it can humanize its readers through the lessons implied in it. A poetry is a large diffused picture, comprehending the picture of life, disposed in different group and exhibited in various attitudes, for the purpose of propriety, or success, without a principal personage to attract the attention. By those definitions, the writer concludes that a poetry is a literary works built by some components and made from the things that existing in the world, either based on true story or the imagination of the author with the purpose to entertain, give lesson and satisfy the reader. “In the last analyses, a poem is a pattern, not of sound or of movement, but experience, carefully organizes structures. It is a close knit patterns rhythm and rhyme and other sound effects, studied, repetition, close, referring images all combine to make it seamless whole. It differs from porse in that demands a special kind of attentions and awareness of the whole poem must accompany attention to each individual art.” (In Andrew, 1991 : 22) 12 2.3 Paradox Paradox is an apparent contradiction that is nevertheless somehow true. It may be either a situation ors a statement. In a paradoxical statement the contradiction usually stems from one of the words being used figuratively or in more than one sense. The value of paradox is its shock value. Its seeming impossibility starles the reader imto attention and, thus, by the fact of its apparent absurdity, it underscores the truth of what is being said. It is paradoxical that one can emphasize a truth either by overstating it or understating. An element of paradox in poetry function gives focus on the meaning of a word or a situation beyond what it first appears to be. This characteristic serves to create a new meaning in place of conventional set of words.It further serves to give value to poem as whole. 2.4 Meaning in a Poem In the search for ways of attaining ro the total significance of a poem, the meaning of the words used is the most important of all.