Professional Documents
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Submit to fulfill the one of the assignment of Prose 1 (Short Stories) in Adab
and Humanity Faculty which is guided by Mr. Pepen Setiawan
Analyzed by:
SANTI RAMDHANI
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Praise and thanks I give to Allah SWT. Blessing and greeting I give to Prophet
!" submitted to fulfill one of the
I am sure that this paper is not too perfect because there are a lot of mistakes
Bandung, April 2011
Author
PREFACE........................................................... ..............................i
Content................................................................ ..............................ii
A. YBackground of Research.................................................1
B. YProblems............................................................................1
Chapter II Analysis..........................................................................2
A. YFigurative Language.........................................................2
B. YParadox, Irony, and Satire...............................................3
Bibliography....................................................................................15
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A. Background of Research
As a literature student, analyzing literary works becomes common thing.
Literary activity is an act that must be done. Especially in analyzing. We
could analyze literary work based on its elements. One of elements is
figurative language. Figurative language could we call as one of the
important sense in literary works. It is because figurative language has much
impact or special effect in works. The author sometimes intentionally use it
to make the readers impressed after read it. Therefore, analysis of figurative
language becomes important. By analyzing it, we would know what the
statements mean and what the purpose of using it.
B. Problems
1. What is figurative language?
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Sometimes we ask ourselves about why there is figurative language and the
importance of it in literature. What is the role of figurative language and
what is the purpose of an author uses it in his or her works. Whether it will
give another sense of meaning in the work or not , we will know later.
Those are common questions which are always coming in our brain. That is
why figurative language is also a part of some literary elements that
inappropriate to be discussed.
Abrams explain in his book, c #
that the existence
of figurative language is to achieve some special meaning or effect. That is
meant that if it is compared with the sentence which is not figurative
language, it will be flat sentence. It has a meaning but did not make an
effect to a reader. Sometimes, there are a lot of figurative languages in
poetry. But there is some author who uses figurative language in his or her
prose. In other words we can conclude that figurative language is more
widely used in the writing of literature.
Such as Mark Twain·s work ¶Cannibalism in the Cars·, there are various
kinds of figurative language. Mark is known as one of author that has a
great skill to arrange the words become more interesting to read. One of
the reasons why using figurative language becomes important is to make the
readers have an impression while reading.
In this case, we will analyze some of those figurative languages with focused
to Paradox, Irony, and Satire. In the next explanat ion about those, we
would know the differences among those each others and knowing the
function.
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There are many literary books that explain about the definition of paradox.
According to Peter and Fowler in their book of ¶ $
%
& paradox is an apparently self-contradictory statement,
though one which is essentially true (Peter Child & Roger Fowler, 1973:
166). It means that in paradox statement, there must be two things or more
in which those are contradictory meaning each others. Abrams adds the
description of paradox as a statement which seems on its face to be logically
contradictory or absurd, yet turns out to be interpretable in a way that
makes good sense (Abrams, 1999: 201). According to him, its contradictory
lies in logic but it is interpretable as a good sense.
Sometime, there are some people who still have the difficulties in analyzing
the paradox. Something that they doubt is to determine the part of
contradictory. Whether it is contradicted as logically mind or it is
contradicted in real condition of the story? That is thing which should be
explained clearly.
Let we see the example of Cannibalism in the Cars, at least there are some
statements which is contain the element of paradox. Those are;
If we see, there are two words that logically contradictory meaning. The
word ¶ · is usually associated to happiness, party, or something
that could make us laugh. But in that sentence, it is compared with word
¶
· in which has related meaning as a sorrow, pain, sadness, etc. Trough
that sentence, Twain want to describe the condition which is truly happen is
fear and anxiety in which they are imprisoned in the snow storm.
The other example is paragraph 13 line 18, A night of
filled
with the
-waking distressed with the
"
.µ
From this sentence, there are at least three phrases that show the
contradictory. It is preceded by phrase, ¶$
· and '%
&
which is clearly contradicted. As usual, logically
is a condition
where a person could not sleep comfortably and calmly. And it is so
impossible if in that condition a person could dream about
or party.
And also '
· also contradict with '
"
· in which
is a
condition with joyfulness, and full of foods. But in the story explain that
they are (a group of man) hunger. As a fact that truly condition is they are
hunger.
And this is still same in paradox, paragraph 43 line 3, With all his
gentleness of manner and his
, I whenever he turns his
hungry eye upon me...µ
There is phrase ¶
· and word ¶& which is also have the
contradictory each others. Those contradict in meaning logically. Usually,
¶soft voice· will make the listener feel relax. But character ¶I· shuddered
listen his voice.
[!(&*
From those definitions about irony I myself argue that irony shows the
contradictory of situational and it is said with verbal contradictory also. But
it is not like paradox, the contradiction is not indicated by two or more
words as a sign of contradictory. Contradictory in irony covers whole of
story. It means that we have to read overall the story so that we know the
real meaning that is truly uttered. Peter said that all irony, however, depends
for its effectiveness on the belief in and exploitation of the difference and
distance between words or events and their contexts.
Let·s we see the example of irony in some part of Cannibalism in the Cars
narration. In paragraph 39 line 7, That I know was the cheeriest hour of
my eventful life.µ In this part, the stranger narrator said a word ¶
· but
actually the situation is inversely proportional to the spoken. The real
situation at that time is distress, dreadful, and hunger. It is so far from the
meaning of ¶
·. That is the irony.
And in the next paragraph 42 line 2, Ah it was like a novel sir ² it was like
a romance.µ In this part, the fact is the overall condition of the story is full
of tense and terrifying. The meaning is so different with what have said ¶like
a novel, like a romance.· It is because the word ¶ ·, usually connected
with happiness, peacefulness, and so on.
And for the last irony in paragraph 43 line 7, ...my heart fairly stood still!µ
Actually ¶I·, he has been boring to listen the stranger·s story. He feels not
comfort with the stranger narrator but he keeps the silent over time. So,
may be this is what Peter meant that irony is divided into two; situational
and verbal. It is involved to situational irony in which it is known by the
narrative of the story, not from the dialogue. The figure does not tell you
directly but by a narrative. Thus, it could be called situational because the
contradiction of situation is revealed by narrative.
Abrams adds, the ironic statement usually involves the explicit expression
of one attitude or evaluation, but with indications in the overall speech-
situation that the speaker intends a very different, and often opposite,
attitude or evaluation (Abrams, 1999: 135). Irony could be classified as
contextual expression. As I said that to understand what the speaker said in
irony, we should read whole the story and we may know the context of it.
r"#!%
Besides paradox and irony, there is other figurative language in this story.
That is satire. Refer to Concise Oxford English Dictionary, satire is the use
of humor, irony, exaggeration, or ridicule to expose and criticize people's
stupidity or vices. In figurative language, satire always uses to ridicule
something contextually. It means that satire contents of ridiculous to
outside story. Usually, it has connected with historical allusion of the story.
In the explanation, satire always is same by humor. But actually there is the
differentiation between satire and humor. What distinguishes satire from
comedy is its lack of tolerance for folly or human imperfection. Its attempt
to juxtapose the actual with the ideal lifts it above mere invective (Peter
Child & Roger Fowler, 1973: 211). So, intend of satire is the author attacks
some object, using as his means wit or humor that is either fantastic or
absurd.
Those are about allusion, and next is paragraph 24 line 3, ...I must beg to
move that they be dropped at once, and that "
((
and that we can go on with the business before
us understandingly.µ Once again, this is may be a satire to the congress
which is acts without procedure.
For the last, paragraph 31 lines 2, ...I move to amend it by substituting for
the name of Mr. Herman that of Mr. Lucius Harris of St. Louis""
! "
)µ According to me, this part is a satire on the
characteristic of Americans who really looked at someone on the basis of
castle and degree. It is a stereotype of American.
To gain the function of satire, yet again, writers may use a variety of
devices: caricature, exaggeration, parallelism or parody, to achieve similar
ends (Peter Child & Roger Fowler, 1973: 211).
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Abrams, M.H. 1999. c#
) United Sates of America: Earl
McPeek
Payne, Michael & Jessica R. Barbera. 1996. c %
) United States of America: Wiley-Blackwell