Imagery and Figurative Language Analysis on Robert Frost Poem: to Earthward

IMAGERY AND FIGURATIVE LANGUAGE ANALYSIS ON ROBERT FROST POEM: TO EARTHWARD.

IKA RACHMAWATI STKIP PGRI Tulungagung

ABSTRACT

The writer uses descriptive qualitative analytic method. He analyses the structure by reading the poem carefully and giving the attention for each line that contains imageries and figurative languages. The writer uses the theory of imagery and figurative of language to analyze the poem. By analyzing the structure of the poem, the writer is able to define the meaning of the lines that contain imageries and figurative language and their contribution to the meaning of the poems. The result of this study shows that Robert Frost uses imagery and figurative language in his poems. There are many kinds of imagery and figurative language in the poems. In To Earthward, there are only four imageries from seven types of imageries. There are visual imagery, auditory imagery, imageries, and organic imagery. Robert Frost uses hyperbole as figurative language. In Wind and Window Flower, Robert Frost uses a visual imagery and auditory imagery. Robert Frost also uses metaphor, personification, and hyperbole as figurative language. The result of this study shows that Robert Frost uses imagery and figurative language in his poems. There are many kinds of imagery and figurative language in the poems. In To Earthward, there are only four imageries from seven types of imageries. There are visual imagery, auditory imagery, all factory imageries, and organic imagery. Robert Frost uses hyperbole as figurative language. In Wind and Window Flower, Robert Frost uses a visual imagery and auditory imagery. Robert Frost also uses metaphor, personification, and hyperbole as figurative language

INTRODUCTION

Poetry is the universal language used by the Poetry (Dutch: poezie,) is flow of poets to express their ideas in beautiful sense expression out from heart into a words. As a universal language, poetry has language that has rhythmic and a value existed almost in all period. Poetry is a of beauty. Language used by a poet as unique medium of communication, it is tool to record their surrounding life and created in the form of a brief language, and described it to a poetry. To some people it differs from other literary works poetry is difficult to be understood. This Ika Rachmawati: Imagery and Figurative Language Analysis on Robert Frost Poem: To Earthward. 1 is because the power of language is can be meant as a mental picture, a picture, arranged by concentration of the portrait or picture illusion created as a physical and mental structures that result of a reader's reaction in contain very deep meanings and need understanding the poem. Imagery emerges as a process to continue imagism role of the heart to understand and developing an active reader to find explicit comprehend the meaning meanings in the text. According to Altenberd, Laurence Perrine and Thomas imagery is the images of idea or explain that the word ‘image’ perhaps most thoughts and language that describe it. often suggest a mental picture, something Imagery is a tool to understand the sense in the mind’s eye. visual imagery is poetic, and of course we must the kind of imagery that occurs most understand the word used by the writer. frequently in poetry. An image also Each imagination expressed by the represents a sound (auditory imagery); a writers with the right words. smell (olfactory imagery); a taste (gustatory imagery); touch, such as The strength of poetry is composed imagination (imagery). Imagery is a hardness, softness, wetness, or heat and cold (tactile imagery); an internal sensation, composite of word that we use for various imaging. The picture can be an object that such as hunger, thirst, fatigue, or nausea (organic imagery); or movement or tension can be seen, hearing, smell, taste, touch or physical sensation, or feeling of tension and in the muscles or joints (kinesthetic imagery). Imaginary usually calls as a movement in the body As Altenberd states that imagery is mental picture where a reader fells the poems says. the images of idea or thoughts and language that describe it. Imagery is a tool to There are seven kinds of imagery namely visual, auditory, tactile, olfactory, understand the poetic, and of course we must understand the word used by the gustatory, organic, kinesthetic imagery. Poem also has a figure of speech which writer. Each imagination expressed by the writers with the right words. shows the way to use language that says the power and appeal, or both of them added. It The imagery and figurative language can be seen in a poem written by Robert Frost causes poetry became prismatic, its means that poetry will present a lot of meaning or entitled To Earthward. Siswantoro explains that imagery rich in meaning. Next, it is also called Ika Rachmawati: Imagery and Figurative Language Analysis on Robert Frost Poem: To Earthward. 2 figure of speech which presents a word or figurative language in two poems of the group of words used to give particular Robert Frost, To Earthward (1923) and emphasis on an idea sentiment. The special Wind and Window flower (1913) in order to emphasis is typically accomplished by the understand poems. In this research, the user’s conscious deviation from the strict writer uses qualitative method with the literal sense of a word, on from the more analytic descriptive writing method. Then, commonly used from of word order or it is analyzed analysis by using every sentence construction. “Figure of speech is reference related to the study and then any way of saying something other than the describe imagery and figurative language ordinary way” ( Perrine and Thomas ), so contained in the poem. It the writer uses a we can say more by these figurative qualitative analysis technique. The analysis statement rather than literal statement. is based on the methods and relevant Figure of speech offers way of adding extra theories or approaches. The writer dimension to language. There are several classifies several lines of the poems that types of figure speech namely metaphor, have imagery and figurative language and simile, personification, hyperbole, then the writer analyzes and explains them. apostrophe, litotes, irony, The instrument of this research is the writer herself. The writer reads two poems of METHOD Robert Frost and analyzes kinds of imagery The purposes of this research is to know and figurative language of the poems. and understand kinds of imagery and

RESEARCH FINDINGS are about the past told about what the “ To Earthward” is one of Robert Frost speaker feel at the youth. The latter four poems. This poem was published in 1923. stanzas are about the present, what the The poem consists of eight stanzas of four speaker feels and believe "now". The lines each. The poem splits in the middle, research findings are as follow temporally at least. The first four stanzas (See Appendix)

Ika Rachmawati: Imagery and Figurative Language Analysis on Robert Frost Poem: To Earthward. 3 DISCUSSION something beautiful and many people like a rose. This line also brings the readers to see In analyzing the data, the writer the image petal of the rose, although rose is analyzes imageries and figure of speech known as a beautiful flower, but it has which are found in several lines to thorn that can wound understand the meanings of the poems. The The phrases Love at the lips was writer also will identify the words or touch; As sweet as I could bear; And once phrases can build the imageries and figure that seemed too much; I lived on air By of speech in this poem. using gustatory imagery, the speaker tries From the phrases, The low of – was it musk, to bring the readers into the speaker’s taste. From hidden grapevine springs, Down hill The speaker uses word “Sweet” to give at dusk show the writer identifies those imagination what the speaker could taste lines as a visual imagery. The phrases when the love was touched by the lips. This “From hidden grapevine springs, Down hill line contains gustatory imagery that at dusk?” is an utterance which invites the describes what the speaker feels at the first, readers to use their sight senses organ to when love was touch at the lips, he could understand the speaker’s idea and it deals felt sweet too much and make him like with visual imagery that recreates our lived on air. mind’s eyes. This line described about the This line brings the readers to imagine the flow of musk from hidden grapevine in the taste of sweet that the speaker feels in spring the poem. That crossed me from sweet The next line, “down hill at dusk”, things, The flow of - was it musk analyzes describes about when the flow of musk them as gustatory imagery. The word that happen. This line contains visual imagery shows a gustatory imagery in this line is because this line brings the readers to see represented by the word ‘sweet’, it means the image of the flow of musk that down that our imagery is built by that word and hill at dusk. Then, the phrase The petal of the speaker guides the readers to imagine the rose It was that stung , the writer what the speaker feels in this poem that is identifies those lines as a visual imagery. “sweet”. Furthermore, Now no joy but The phrase” The petal of the rose” lacks salt the phrase impresses us about the describes about how the petal of the rose taste of salt as the speaker feel now no joy that was stung. The writer considers that and lack salt to him. It can be classified into the petal of the rose can be classified into gustatory imagery. The word that contains a visual imagery. This line describes about gustatory imagery in this line is represented by the word that describes about smell sense of “salt’, which brings the readers to imagine honeysuckle. This line brings the readers to of what the speaker feels in this poem. smell the aroma of the spray of Then, the speaker also uses gustatory honeysuckle. imagery in the sixth stanzas, line 23: The Finally, the writer also identified that the sweet of bitter bark And burning clove phrase “And burning clove”, used by the The phrase of show the taste of sense, these speaker to described his smell sense. The lines contain gustatory imagery that speaker invites the readers to feel the aroma described about something dislike, the of burning clove, so it can be classified into speaker feels the taste sweet of bitter bark olfactory imagery. This phrase contains and burning clove. It happens because love olfactory imagery that described about too much to his girlfriend. When he feels smell sense of burning clove. The phrase the pain, the happiness is lost and he feels brings the readers to smell the aroma of the sweet of bitter bark and burning clove burning clove that produced unpleasant The next phases show olfactory aroma. imagery that can be seen in the poem in the Organic imagery also can be found second stanzas, in Robert Frost’s poem To Earthward, for The flow of - was it musk from hidden example, Now no joy but lacks salt That is grapevine spring, the phrase shows that the not dashed with pain The above phrase speaker uses his smell sense to describe the shows an organic imagery is represented by event that he caught and translated it to his word “pain”. That is called an organic smell sense. The word that shows olfactory imagery because it uses internal feeling or imagery in this line is represented by the internal sensation. The speaker invites the word “musk”. This line contains olfactory readers to imagine what he feels “now no imagery that described about smell sense of joy and lack salt fully with pain”. musk. This line brings the readers to smell Another organic imagery is The hurt is not the aroma of musk that flow from hidden enough: I long for weight and strength. grapevine spring. Furthermore, olfactory Based on the writer identification, the imagery is also found in the I had the swirl phrases above are classified into organic and ache from sprays of honeysuckle. The imagery, because these phrases build up writer identifies that the above phrase is to internal sensation. The word which shows describe the speaker’s organic imagery is “hurt”. The speaker smell sense. Word represented by invites the readers to imagine what he feels. “honeysuckle” contains olfactory imagery He feels hurt but it is not enough. These lines describe the hurt of the speaker after poem in detail, the readers have to know he feels no joy again and lack salt. This the elements in the poem, such as intrinsic imagery that is built by the speaker calls elements. our imagination up to feel the speaker’s CONCLUSION feeling. The next identification is related to Some important elements in a poem Figurative language in To Earthward. The are imagery and figurative language. first presents hyperbole. The phrases Love Imagery refers to the picture that we at the lips was touch; As sweet as I could perceive with our mind’s eyes, ears, nose, bear And once that seemed too much; I tongue, skin, and though we experience the lived on air exaggerate the feeling of love duplicate word created by poetic language. by using the word “sweet” and “too much” Imagery evokes the meaning and the truth and make her like “lived on air”. The of human experiences not only in abstract speaker uses hyperbole by the words “I term, as in philosophy, but also in more lived on air”. In fact, the speaker lives on perfectible and tangible forms. This is a the earth but her feeling makes her like device by which the poet makes his ‘lived on air’. The writer argues that meaning strong, clear and sure. The speaker hyperbole used to make an effect of uses sound word and word of color and exaggeration in the poem. This means she touch in strengthening figure of speech as feels sweet when love at the lips was touch, well as to concrete detail that and once seemed too much for him, and it appeal to the readers’ senses which are used makes him like lived on air. The last phrase to built up images. Through this study, the “to all my length”, as can be seen in the writer suggests the readers who are following stanza. The hurt is not enough: I interested in studying about poetry, long for weight and strength To feel the especially in Robert Frost’s poems, to study earth as rough To all my length. From the and phrases above, the speaker exaggerated understand his poems from different what the speaker feel aspects such as explication, theme, tone and about the earth as rough to all his length. mood, rime, etc. This is caused by many The words that show hyperbole are other ideas and messages that can be represented by “to all my length”. In fact, explained in the poems. Finally, the writer the speaker feels hurt not to all his length. hopes this thesis can give a positive The writer argues that the hyperbole is used contribution for the readers who want to to make an effect of To understand the know the poem and help the readers to have better understanding of the poem in (Accessed on September 20th, 2010) literature study

BIBLIOGRAPHY Barnet, Silvian, Berman, Morton, and Burto, William. An Introduction Literature, United States of America: 1961. Damono, Sapardi Djoko, Susastra 5: Jurnal Ilmu Sastra dan Budaya .Depok: Himpunan Sarjana-Kesusastraan indonesia, 2007. Damono, Sapardi Djoko, Bilang Begini, Maksudnya Begitu, Buku Apresiasi Sastra, Ciputat: Editum, 2010. Drs.Ahmad Badrun, Pengantar Ilmu Sastra, Surabaya: Usaha Nasional, 2000. Farkhan, Muhammad, Penulisan karya ilmiah, Jakarta, Penerbit Cella, 2006. Jakob Sumardjo dan Saini K.M.Apreasi Kesusastraan.Jakarta: Gramedia, 1986. Kennedy, XJ and Gioia, Dana. An introduction to Poetry Eleventh Edition. Longman, Pearson. 2005. Laurence Perrine and Thomas R.A.P.P, Sound And Sense: An Introduction to Poetry Eight Edition.Orlando : Harcourt Brace College Publisher,1992. Richard Ellemann and Robert O’clair, Modern Poems,An Introduction to Poetry: w.w.Norton and company,inc.1999. Steven Croft and Hellen Cross, Literature, Criticism, and Style. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2000. Siswantoro, Apreasi Puisi-Puisi Sastra. Surkarta:Muhammadiyah University press, 2002. Annymous, Litotes, http://usingenglish.com/glossary/litotes.htm l, 2009. (Accessed on August 10th, 2010) Anonymous, The Poetic of Robert Frost, http://www.frost friend.org/figurative.html, 2004. (Accessed on September 20th, 2010) R.H. Winnick, Biography of Robert Frost, http://www.americanpoem.com.html, 2000. Appendixes

Table list of Imageries found in “To Earthward”

No Phrases Stanza

1. Down hill at dusk 2

2. The petal of the rose 4

3. As sweet as I could bear; 1

4. That crossed me from 2 thingssweet

5. I craved strong sweets, but 4 those

6. Now no joy but lacks salt 5

7. The sweet of bitter bark 6

8. The flow of -was it musk 2

9. from sprays of 3 honeysuckle 10 nd burning clove 6 .

11 hat is not dashed with 5 . pain

(II) Table list of figure of speech in “To Earthward”

N Sentence/ Statement Stanz o a 1. And once that seemed too 1 much; I lived on air 2. To feel the earth as rough 8 To all my length (II1) Table list of Imageries found in “Wind and Window Flower”

N Phrases Stanza Line o

1. She a window flower 1

2. When the frosty window 2 veil Was melted down at noon 3. And the caged yellow 2 bird

4. He marked her through 3

(IV) Table list of figure of speech in “Wind and Window Flower”

N Sentence/ Statement Stanza o 1 She a window flower 1

2 And he a winter wind 1

3 He was a winter wind, 4

4 And the caged yellow bird 2 Hung over her in tune, 5 But he signed upon the sill 5

6 But the flower leaned aside 7

7 A hundred miles away 7