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The Use of Metaphor in Edgar Allan Poe's Short Story the Black THE USE OF METAPHOR IN EDGAR ALLAN POE’S SHORT STORY THE BLACK CAT Faizal Risdianto Islamic State Institute of Salatiga Abstract This study is aimed to elaborate the uniqueness of Edgar Allan Poe’s short story entitled The Black Cat. This research is a (qualitative) bibliographical study. The object of the study is the use of metaphor in Edgar Allan Poe’s short story The Black Cat. There are 21 sentences chosen to represent all the metaphorical sentences of Edgar Allan Poe being the object of the study. Having analyzed the data by the perspective of George Lakoff and Johnson’s conceptual metaphor, the researcher can draw a conclusion that Edgar Allan Poe has succesfully used effective and creative metaphorical expressions in depicting the psychological ambnormality of the main character in his short story. His remarkable metaphorical expression shows his distictive position as one of the greatest American man of letters. Keywords: Metaphor, Source Domain, Target Domain, and Short story. Introduction expression in literary works such as short One of interesting problems in story helps us, the readers to be (Become language study is the use of metaphor in all More) realistic, mature, wise and humane. It walks of life. One of its mysteries is the public helps having deeper understanding of human confusion in encountering metaphorical sentiments, human interests and values, etc. It expression that says something that is brings us closer to other human beings of the different to what it really means. Hawkes says same or different nationalities, cultures, ―Language which doesn‘t mean what it human values, etc. Our lives become more says‖ (1980:1). This fact creates the impression tolerant, more balanced, and fuller. We learn that the user of metaphor looks like a liar or to appreciate what others appreciate properly. deceiver. When Juliet said to Romeo ―The In this way our capacity for feeling and lights that shines from your eyes‖ she did not appreciation increases, and so does our mean to say that from Romeo‘s eyeballs capacity for enjoyment. We become richer radiating or shining on the chamber they through our understanding and the use of our stayed. When a poet says,‖ A poem is a bird‖, literary reading and experience. he did not mean to state that the poem can Considering above elaboration, this flap its wings and tail. Those two instances is paper analyzes the use of metaphor in Edgar only part of many examples that creates the Allan Poe‘s short story The Black Cat. This impression of metaphor as the expression full outstanding short story has a distinctive of ―absurdity‖ and ‗falsity‖ (Max Black in feature of metaphorical expression and to Ortony, 1993:21). define what had been analyzed in this One of the interesting studies of research, it had been formulated the problem metaphor is the use of metaphor in literary of this paper: What‘s the uniqueness of the use works. The outstanding feature of metaphor in of metaphor in Edgar Allan Poe‘s Short story this case lies on it uniqueness and specification The Black Cat? that very different to other genre of writing like business, science and technological Basic Theories and Analyis reports. Such uniqueness refers to the poetic The basic theory of this paper covers three function of literary wok to convey message or aspects as follows: (1) The definition of metaphor ideas to its readers (Culler, 1975:55). Culler (2) George Lakoff’ and Mark Johnson’s conceptual says, ―By showing what properties of metaphor (3) The Biography of Edgar Allan Poe. language were being exploited in particular Those three aspects have a close relation to the texts and how they were extended or topic discussed in this paper. organized‖ (1975:55). A. What is Metaphor? In addition, the use of metaphorical In literary use, a metaphor (from the 37 Leksika Vol.8 No.1 – Feb 2014: 37-46 Greek: metapherin rhetorical trope) is defined metaphor like ―black wolf‖ to depict ―night as an indirect comparison between two or shadow‖ like what has Arthur Rimbaud said in more seemingly unrelated subjects that his poem is the example of effective and typically uses ―is a‖ to join the first subjects expressive metaphor (Edi Subroto, 1995:39). for example: ‖ Man is a wolf ―. This is an According to Herman Waluyo elliptical form compared to Simile sentence (1991:84), metaphor is an insight or approach Man is like a wolf. A metaphor is commonly towards object through direct or indirect confused with a simile, which compares two comparison. Aminuddin (1995:304), in his subjects using ―like‖ or ―as‖. An example of a Stilistika explained that metaphor is: simile: ―He was as sly as a fox.‖ In the One of the form of figurative language which simplest case, a metaphor takes the form: created and re-created through comparison and ―The first subject is a second subject.‖ Edi the transfer of semantic features via direct or Subroto (1986:45) said that a metaphorical indirect comparison. The Indonesian metaphor expression can be categorized as metaphor if of “Aku ini binatang jalang”( I am the untamed it can give a new enjoyment in reading animal) for example, is a form of metaphor language expression, kicking out monotony which used direct comparison but in the and enliven inanimate object, and actualizing metaphor of “Jam mengerdip” something is something that which actually crippled or compared to the blinking as indirect nature. paralyzed. Viewed to its function, the use of metaphor is In the development of theories of functioned to enrich the nature of imagery description and the picturing of meaning of an metaphor there are several domestic and elaboration. foreign linguists who had tried to describe Ullmann said that the subjects of their complex conception about metaphor. metaphor by telling the things that we They are: Rachmad Djoko Pradopo (1987), Edi compared to. In his Semantic an Introduction to Subroto (1991), Herman Waluyo (1991), the science of meaning explained about both Aminuddin (1995), Stephen Ullmann (1972), things by giving term of tenor and vehicle, Andrew Orthony (1993), and Wellek (1993). whereas the common feature that they have has These conceptions will be elaborated one by formed the ground of metaphor. This had been one: stated in these following sentences: Pradopo (1987:66) explains that The basic structure of metaphor is very categorically metaphor consists of two terms simple. There are two terms present: the thing that is main term or tenor (Principal Term) we are talking about and that to which we are and the second term or vehicle (Secondary comparing it. In Richard‘s terminology, the Term). The main term or tenor told about the former is the tenor, the later the vehicle, compared entities whereas the second term or whereas the feature or features they have in vehicle told about the comparison or the common from the ground of the metaphor things compared. Then it was said that (Ullman, 1972:213). metaphor sees things by the medium of other It means that the basic structure of entities. This metaphor explains something metaphor is very simple. There are two things with the same result which actually has that we are talking about the things we talk and different meaning. Edi Subroto (1995:38) the things we compared to. The first term of explains that metaphor is created particularly Richard from the early start is tenor (direction/ based on the similarity of two referents. The objectives) and the latest is vehicle. This first referent is called tenor and the second remains us to the idiosyncrasies of daily lexicon one is called vehicle. The similarity of both which form the ground of metaphor. referents is the basic builder of metaphor In the view of Andrew Ortony (1993:2), creation. in his book entitled Metaphor and Thought: According to Edi Subroto one of It seems preferable, however, to attempt to relate important factor in the affectivity of metaphor two alternative approaches to metaphor – is the distance between tenor and vehicle. If metaphor as an essential characteristic of the the distance of both of them is very close in creativity of language; and metaphor as deviant their similarity level, the metaphor is less and parasitic upon normal usage – to a more expressive, less effective. On the contrary, if fundamental and pervasive difference of opinion the similarity level of both elements is not so about the relationship between language and the real, the metaphor has expressive power. The world. 38 The Use of Metaphor... (Risdianto) It means that, however, it is better to ordinary language. Moreover, metaphor is relate two alternatives of approach in metaphor typically viewed as characteristic of language – metaphor as the main character from alone, a matter of words rather than thought or language creativity; and metaphor as a action. For this reason, most people think they deviation and parasitic from the normal can get along perfectly without metaphor. We language toward deep fundamental difference have found, on the contrary, that metaphor is from the opinion of the relationship between pervasive in everyday life, not just in language language and the world. but in thought and action. Our ordinary Furthermore Rene Wellek (1993:235) conceptual system, in terms of which we both explained that metaphor compared two world think and act, is fundamentally metaphorical in and conveying theme through one idiom to nature. other idiom as the works of Shakespeare (raging The concepts that govern our thought sea, the wild storm in the meadow, the gloomy are not just matter of the intellect. They also lake). govern our everyday functioning, down to the In general, it can be concluded that most common details.
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