THE REFLECTION OF MAYA ANGELOU’S LIFE AS SEEN IN HER SELECTED POEMS THESIS Submitted to the Board of Examiners In Partial Fulfillment of Requirement for Literature Degree at English Literature Department By NUR SELI NIM: AI 150327 ADAB AND HUMANITIES FACULTY THE STATE ISLAMIC UNIVERSITY SULTHAN THAHA SAIFUDIN JAMBI 2019 MOTTO Meaning: ―I only complain of my suffering and my grief to Allah, and I know from Allah that which you do not know.‖ (Qs. Yusuf: 86)1 Artinya: “Hanya kepada Allah aku mengadukan kesusahan dan kesedihanku. Dan aku mengetahui dari Allah apa yang tidak kamu ketahui.” (Qs. Yusuf: 86)2 1 Abdullah Yusuf Ali, (1934) ―The Meaning of Glorious Qur‟an Text Translation and Commentary‖, p. 245 2 Abdullah Yusuf Ali, p. 245 DEDICATION In the name of Allah SWT most gracious merciful and the Prophet Muhammad SAW, the inspiration of Moslem‘s life, I dedicate this thesis to my beloved parents, Mr. Herman Susilo and Mrs. Liana (almh), my step mother Mrs. Nesi and especially My beloved Grandmother as a second mother for me Mrs. surya, who have grown me up in love, without your deeply love and holy prayers I can‘t take my success. I feel so prestigious because living around the super skillful and wise people as you are all. I also dedicate this thesis for my brother, Hairul Takwa. Thank you for support, encouragement, patient, helping and everything. For my best friend GWC team and my support system Mr. Azhar who always giving love and supported as long as I made this thesis and other friends who cannot be said one by one. I would like to say thanks a lot for your care and suggestion that are given to me as long as my journey in writing this thesis. The thesis for all people who have helped me in writing this thesis, I would like to say thank you so much. I love you al as always. ACKNOWLEDGEMENT Firstly, the writer would like to say Alhamdulillahirabil‟alamin, all the praise to Allah SWT the lord of all creatures, for his blessing from the starting point of my study until now the end of my study. After that, Sholawat and Salam be upon to our Prophet Muhammad SAW, hopefully we will get His Syafa‟at later at The Last Day to accomplish this thesis, the writer had been given one great deal to many people. So, the writer would like to say thanks for their contribution, they are: 1. Prof Dr. H. Suaidi Asy‘ari, MA, Ph.D as the rector of the State Islamic University of Sulthan Thaha Saifuddin Jambi. 2. Prof. Dr. Maisah, Mpd. I as the dean of Adab and Humanities Faculty. 3. Dr. Alfian, S.pd M.Ed as the first Dean Academic. Dr. H. M. Fadil, M.Ag as the second Dean of Finances, and Dr. Roudhoh, S.Ag, M.Pd. I as the third Dean of University Student of Adab and Humanities Faculty, 4. The head of English Literature Department Ulfatmi Azlan, SS, MA. And The secretary of English Litrerature Department Dian Mukhlisa, MA . 5. My supervisor H. Mislan S.pd M.Pd, Firdiansyah M.A. I would like to express her deepest gratitude to people who helped the writer in accomplishing this thesis. I would like to thank who have helped adduced, support and suggested me in writing this thesis and finish this thesis. 6. All the lectures and staffs of Adab and Humanities Faculty, then contribution and assistant during studying in UIN of Sulthan Thaha Saifuddin Jambi 7. The head of officers of the library of UIN and public library of Jambi Province. 8. My beloved parents, grand mother and brother, who gave fully supporting to the writer. 9. The last but not least, to all classmates ELITE 2015 who have given additional suggestion and support. The thesis is still far away from perfection. I need some critics and suggestion, so that I can be letter in the future. Finally, the writer hopes this thesis will give positive contributions for readers, especially for the student of English Literature Department of Adab and Humanities Faculty. Jambi, October 2019 The writer Nur Seli AI 150327 ABSTRACT Seli, Nur . 2019 ―The Reflection of Maya Angelou’s Life as Seen in her Selected poems‖. English Literature Department, Adab Faculty, The State of Islamic University Sulthan Thaha Saifuddin Jambi. Supervisor I : H. Mislan, M.Pd Supervisor II : Firdiansyah, M.A This study aims to find the reflection of Maya Angelou‘s life as seen in her selected poems. Moreover, this study designs to find out the meaning of Maya Angelou‘s poems and the reflection of Maya Angelou‘s life in her poems. Poem is the tool to express the human feeling and sense that used selected language as a media to explore and filed up with figurative language and another element to beautify the tone, rhyme, and another aspect which make the poem more interest. Literary work is generally fictional, such as a poem. But there are some poems that related to the real life of the author or related to the past of the author. As found in Maya‘s poems, some of her poems are based on her real life. On this research the writer applies the theory of expressive and biographical approach. This research is qualitative research that conducted by descriptive method. This research uses document for technique of collecting the data content analysis technique in analyzing the data. Since the data are collected, analyzed, and described in the form of words it tries to describe the reflection of Maya Angelou‘s life. The data of the research are sentences in every stanza of the poems. This study has data source which is the fourth selected poems and taken from the Maya Angelou‘s biography. The writer found that there the connotative and denotative meaning from that poems, and four selected poems reflect Maya Angelou‘s life. In the first poem ―a plagued journey (1983),‖ feeling of hope, love and sadness, this poem tells about her life when she felt sadness after married several times and always the end with divorce. The second poem ―Kin (1978),‖ this poem tells about her feeling of sadness and when miss with her brother and remembering the childhood they experienced together. The third poem ―Caged Bird (1969)‖ this poem tells of her sympathy toward the African American society who has discrimination to ethnic minority. The last poem ―phenomenal woman (1978),‖ this poem tells of her sympathy with the woman in African American and her as the power of African America. Keyword: connotative and denotative, reflection ABSTRAK Seli, Nur . 2019 ―The Reflection of Maya Angelou’s Life as Seen in her Selected poems‖. English Literature Department, Adab Faculty, The State of Islamic University Sulthan Thaha Saifuddin Jambi. Supervisor I : H. Mislan, M.Pd Supervisor II : Firdiansyah, M.A Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk menemukan cerminan kehidupan Maya Angelou dalam puisi-puisinya. Terlebih lagi, penelitian ini didesain untuk menemukan makna didalam puisi-puisi Maya Angelou dan cerminan kehidupan Maya Angelou dilihat dari puisi-puisinya. Puisi adalah alat untuk mengekspresikan perasaan manusia menggunakan bahasa yang dipilih sebagai media untuk mengeksplorasi dan mengisi dengan bahasa kiasan dan elemen lain untuk mempercantik nada, sajak, dan aspek lian yang membuat puisi lebih menarik. Karya sastra umumnya bersifat fisi , seperti puisi, Namun ada beberapa puisi yang terkait dengan kehidupan nyata penulis. Seperti yang ditemukan dalam puisi maya, beberapa puisinya didasarkan pada kehidupan yang sebenarnya. Pada penelitian ini penulis menerapkan teori exressive dan pendekatan biografis. Penelitian ini adalah penelitian kualitatif yang dilakukan dengan metode deskriptif. Penelitian ini menggunakan dokumen untuk teknik pengumpulan, teknik analisis isi data data dalam menganalisis data. Karena data dikumpulkan, di analisis, dan dijelaskan dalam bentuk kata-kata, ia mencoba menggambarkan refleksi kehidupan Maya Angelou. Data penelitian adalah kalimat- kalimat dalam setiap bait puisi. Penelitian ini sumber data yaitu empat puisi pilihan dan biografi Maya Angelou. Penulis menemukan bahwa ada makna konotasi dan denotasi dari puisi itu, dan empat puisi yang dipilih mencerminkan kehidupan Maya Angelou, puisi pertama, ―A Plagued Journey (1983),‖ perasaan harapan, cinta dan kesedihan. puisi ini menjelaskan tentang kehidupannya, ketika dia merasakan kesedihan setelah menikah beberapa kali dan selalu berakhir dengan perceraian. Puisi kedua, ―Kin (1978),‖ puisi ini menjelaskan tentang perasaan sedihya ketika merindukan sadara laki-lakinya dan mengingat masa kecil yang mereka alami bersama. Puisi ketiga, ―Caged Bird (1969)‖ puisi ini menjelaskan tentang simpatinya kepada masyarakat Africa-America yang mengalami deskriminasi terhadap suku minoritas. Puisi keempat, ―TPhenomenal woman( 1978),‖ puisi ini mencertikan tentang simpaty nya terhadap wanita Africa America dan dia sebagai kekuatan bagi para wanita African American. Kata Kunci : Makna konotasi dan denotasi, cerminan. ABBREVIATION SWT : Subhanahuu Wata‟ala SAW : Shallallahu Alaihi Wasallam UIN : Universitas Islam Negeri STS : Sulthan Thaha Saifuddin APJ : A Plagued Journey CB : Caged Bird PW : Phenomenal Woman CHAPTER I INTRODUCTION A. Background of the Problem Human life is inseparable from the existence of literary work. Human is not only given a mind by god but also completed with feeling. Literary means of information in the form of a sign to receive, to save, and to transfer. Literary is a sign that contain text3. Human can feel what happen on their own life or environment. On the other hand, they can also fell happy, sad and other concerning with their emotion such as feeling that they have not only kept in both in their mind or heart, but certainly they are able to express as an idea or overflow emotion thought literary work. It means that by literary, people can express what they seen in life. What they have experience of it and what they have thought and felt.