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FIGURATIVE LANGUAGE IN MOODSWINGS IN TO ORDER ALBUM

SONG LYRICS

A PAPER PROPOSAL

Submitted to Sekolah Tinggi Bahasa Asing Yapari ABA Bandung as a Partial


Fulfilment of the Requirement for Taking Sarjana Degree (S1)

By:
Rahasti Herliapsari
2019.111.067

BAHASA INGGRIS
STBA YAPARI ABA BANDUNG
2022
TABLE OF CONTENTS

TABLE OF CONTENTS..................................................................................................1

CHAPTER I......................................................................................................................1

INTRODUCTION.............................................................................................................1

1.1 Research Background....................................................................................................1

1.2 Research Question.........................................................................................................2

1.3 Research Aims..............................................................................................................3

1.4 Research Methodology..................................................................................................3

1.4.1 Data Collecting Technique.....................................................................................3

1.4.2 Data Analyzing Technique.....................................................................................4

1.4.3 Data Source............................................................................................................4

1.5 Research Benefits..........................................................................................................5

CHAPTER II.....................................................................................................................6

THEORETICAL BACKGROUND..................................................................................6

2.1 Literature.......................................................................................................................6

2.2 Poetry............................................................................................................................6

2.3 Elements of Poetry........................................................................................................7

2.3.1 Rhetoric Figures.....................................................................................................7

2.3.2 Rhyme....................................................................................................................8

2.3.3 Stanza.....................................................................................................................8

2.4 Rhetorical Figures.........................................................................................................9

2.4.1 Personification........................................................................................................9

2.4.2 Simile.....................................................................................................................9

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2.4.3 Metaphor..............................................................................................................10

2.4.4 Hyperbole.............................................................................................................10

2.4.5 Alliteration...........................................................................................................10

2.4.6 Irony.....................................................................................................................11

2.4.7 Metonomy............................................................................................................11

2.5 Song............................................................................................................................12

2.6 Lyrics..........................................................................................................................12

REFERENCES................................................................................................................14

OUTLINE........................................................................................................................15

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CHAPTER I
INTRODUCTION

1.1 Research Background

DPR IAN or Christian Yu is a rapper and dancer from South Korea. He was

born and grew up in Australia, and he moved to South Korea when he was 18

years old. Yu Ba Rom is his Korean name but the public knows him as DPR

IAN, at the same time as his label DPR (Dream Perfect Regime). Before that in

2012, he started his career by debuting with the C-CLOWN group as a leader,

playing rapper, and playing dancer and has the stage name Rome.

On October 26, 2020, DPR IAN made his solo debut by releasing a single

titled "So Beautiful". After releasing one song, he released the album

Moodswings In This Order in 2021, and at the end of last July of 2022, he

released another album called Moodswings In To Order. The album features

elements of pop, rock, R&B, and electronic music and was released alongside a

short film written, directed, and edited by IAN himself (Triadanti, 2022).

Moodswings In This Order tells about someone named Mito who has a

bipolar disaster, which was continued with the second album Moodswings In To

Order. In other words, Moodswings In To Order is an extended play (EP) from

Moodswings In This Order. In Moodswings In To Order begins the story of Mito,

who is none other than the "supernatural version" of IAN himself. Meanwhile

Moodswings In This Order tell full of themes of anxiety, doubt, and fear, IAN

tries to show the beauty in the struggles and inner turmoil of a Mito. Through

Mito's character, he also wants to share with listeners about his journey of

fighting and rising from adversity and depression that he experienced.

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According to Abram (1999:96), figurative language is a visible departure

from what language users perceive as the conventional meaning of words, or the

standard arrangement of words, in order to produce some specific meaning or

effect. As a result, figurative language is a part of a composer's style. So, that’s

why this research has been done using methods figurative language methods

based on song lyrics of Moodswings In To Order album.

Based on previous research which relates to this study by Palguna who

discusses figurative language in Passenger song lyrics in Runaway album.

Palguna uses the Runaway album as data research. Another previous research

that relates to this study is by Safira who discusses figurative language with

Shawn Mendes album song lyrics as data research. Meanwhile, the writer uses

Moodswings In To Order album as data research.

The different data sources with the study used in the two types of research

described above show that all of the studies have the same object which is

analyzing figurative language, but the difference is in the subject of the study and

also the theory. This study focused on explaining the types and the meaning of

rhetorical figures in Moodswings In To Order album written by DPR IAN.

1.2 Research Question

Following the research background, the writer generates research questions as

follows.

1. What rhetoric figures are used in album “Moodswings In To Order”?

2. What is the meaning of rhetoric figures in album “Moodswings In To

Order”?

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1.3 Research Aims

There are several aims the writer hopes to get while doing this study. The aims

are as follows:

1. To find out the rhetoric figures in album “Moodswings In To Order”.

2. To analyze the meaning of rhetoric figures in album “Moodswings In To

Order”.

1.4 Research Methodology

In this opportunity, the writer chose to analyze DPR IAN’s last album,

Moodswings In To Order. Thus this research has been done with qualitative

methods with rhetoric figures analysis approach. Flick (2013:5) defines

qualitative data analysis as the classification of linguistic data in order to draw

conclusions about the meaning-making structures present in the data. For the

reason that, the writer chose song lyrics as an object of the study. According to

Arnita (2021) rhetoric figures is typically used to improve the meaning of words

or to describe a specific impression or mood, such as lonely, busy, romantic, and

so on. The writer concentrated on four rhetorical figures in this study (simile,

metaphor, personification, and hyperbole).

1.4.1 Data Collecting Technique

The technique for collecting data in this research are:

1. Observation

Observation-collecting data methods may include watching, listening,

reading, touching, and recording behavior and characteristics of

phenomena. Observation can be structured or unstructured as a data

collection approach. Data collection in structured or systematic

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observation is done using predefined variables and on a set timetable.

Unstructured observation, on the other hand, is carried out in an open and

free manner, with no pre-determined variables or objectives.

2. Documentation

Documentation is the act of looking through a set of information quickly,

without a specific sense of purpose. In the context of the internet, it

usually refers to using the world wide web. A way to collect data using

documentation are:

2.1 Collecting the song lyrics of Mood In To Order album by DPR IAN.

2.2 Listening to the song of Mood In To Order album on platform

Spotify.

2.3 Identifying the whole lyrics by researching the meaning.

1.4.2 Data Analyzing Technique

The writer used rhetorical figures for the data analysis technique, as follows:

1. The writer analyzed the rhetoric figures theory by Arp and Johnson

(1997).

2. The writer analyzed rhetorical figures in album Mood In To Order by

DPR IAN.

1.4.3 Data Source

Some information for DPR IAN himself was taken from the IDN Times

article which was published on August 8, 2022. To seek the figurative

language of song lyrics, the writer will use the platform Spotify to research

the rhetorical figures based on song lyrics that DPR IAN was written by.

Moodswings In To Order has 12 songs with stanza range from 21 to 62

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stanzas. Seraph has 21 stanzas, 1 Shot has 42 stanzas, Mood has 61 stanzas,

Miss Understood has 48 stanzas, Avalon has 49 stanzas, Merry Go has 58

stanzas, Ribbon has 41 stanzas, Winterfall has 59 stanzas, Calico has 62

stanzas, Mr. Insanity has 40 stanzas, Ballroom Extravaganza has 36 stanzas,

and Sometimes I’m has 58 stanzas.

1.5 Research Benefits

For the reason that, a lot of individuals enjoy singing English songs for fun

without understanding the message, the writer was inspired to conduct a study

analyzing the figurative language in the lyrics of English songs. Based on the

points above, the writer wants to analyze pop-rock, R&B, and electronic music in

terms of figurative language and the meaning of figurative language. So, the

benefits of this research could be listed as follows:

1. For the writer personally, the writer hopes that this research would be so

useful for the writer herself to understand the meaning behind Moodswings In

To Order album.

2. For other researchers, the writer hopes that this research would be useful for

everybody who wants to analyze figurative language based on album song

lyrics.

3. For readers, the writer hopes that this research may help all of you who want

to know the rhetorical figures are used in Moodswings In To Order album.

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CHAPTER II

THEORETICAL BACKGROUND

2.1 Literature

Literature is an imaginative work that portrays human existence in

civilization and can be enjoyed, understood, and utilized by society. Literature

depicts and represents different aspects of life. According to Marcus and Color

(2009), literary comprises not only what is written but also what was spoken,

expressed, and created in whatever form. Literature is the creative process of

human language used to fulfil human beings' desire to use their language

creatively. Literature can be divided in two categories; fiction and non-fiction.

Examples of fiction such as movies, drama, poetry, and novels. While non-

fiction such as history, biography, and auto-biography. At this moment, the

writer chose poetry on song lyrics for this research.

Literature can apply to anything from creative writing to more technical or

scientific works. Still, it is most usually used to refer to results of the creative

imagination, such as poetry, theater, fiction, and nonfiction. Literature

symbolizes a language or a people, as well as its culture and traditions.

However, literature is more than merely a historical or cultural artefact (Pradopo,

1994: 26-27).

2.2 Poetry

Poetry is a form of particular attention that calls exceptional attention to how it

is formed. These characteristics have become formalized into what are its most

obvious differentiating features in poetry without music: its rhythms, or the way

a series of words moves in the ear, and its meters, or the regular structuring of

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such movement within the poetic line. Separate chapters will focus at the

characteristics of the many types of poetic lines (Wainwright, 2015). Poetry is

not really a peculiar, defined zone out of the mainstream of language-use, but

that language is necessarily and fundamentally 'poetic' in the ways that are called

gestural. Therefore, historically, these characteristics have been underlined and

formalized for specific uses and situations. Poetry is a form that takes focus and

draws unusual attention to the way it is formed.

2.3 Elements of Poetry

There are several elements of poetry in this research, as follows:

2.3.1 Rhetoric Figures

Rhetoric Figures or Figurative Language refers to language that cannot (or

should not) be interpreted literally. It uses words or sentences with

meanings other than literal understanding (Arp, 2011:73). Also, which

employs rhetorical figures, which is a type of language that shouldn't be

taken literally (or at least, not exclusively) (Perrin, Arp 1991). Usually, the

use of rhetoric figures is found in many songs, and interpretation is

required to fully comprehend the message expressed by the use of rhetoric

figures. Rhetoric figures are speech that contains meaning or it may be an

expression.

Rhetoric figures could be used to define a language that needs to be taken

into consideration because figurative language can be anything, so people

cannot take the language straight. In this day and age, a lot of people listen

to music when they are bored, emotional, or upset since listening to music

makes listeners feel comfortable, relaxed, and happy if they listen to music

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or sing a song based on their mood. According to Kennedy (1983:481)

rhetoric figures is employed to express a different meaning than the

speaker's literal understanding.

2.3.2 Rhyme

According to The New Princeton Encyclopedia of Poetry and Poetics,

though each language includes the capacity for rhyme there are some four

thousand poetries that make no use of it. Poems in English have often been

referred to as 'rhymes,' due to the intimate association of this trait with art.

Rhyme is another aspect that comes from the oral tradition and serves as

an extra mnemonic feature in an early poem. It has long existed in popular

forms such as Cockney rhyming slang and is inherent in rapping and much

current performance poetry, or 'slam' poetry. Because of its unique nature,

rhyme is frequently utilized for various types of closure: the two sides

come together like a lid closing.

2.3.3 Stanza

The original sense of stanza in Italian is 'stopping-place', a location to take

a stand, and more specifically 'space'. These linked meanings closely relate

to the accepted notion of stanzas in poetry. A stanza is "nothing more than

organizing other forms of poetic music—rhythm and rhyme," according to

American poet Kenneth Koch (1925-2002). However, stanza arrangement

has typically been dependent on metrical patterns and rhyme schemes.

Both the poet and the reader benefit from the stanza's aesthetic experience.

It also offers important functions for a variety of poems. The stanza's

meanings as space and pause, as well as its mnemonic features. It uses

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dialogue forms as well as a succession of stanzas going from one-line to

longer complicated forms. Several forms are comparable to but distinct

from stanza form, most notably sonnet instances of forms taken from

various poetries.

2.4 Rhetorical Figures

There are several types of rhetoric figures which has different meaning, as

follows:

2.4.1 Personification

Personification, or prosopopoeia, is a well-known rhetorical figure in

which something that is not human is given a human identity or 'face,' but

the figure's cognitive form and function, as well as its rhetorical and

pictorial effects, receive little scholarly attention (Melion, 2016).

Personification is the process of imbuing abstract or inanimate objects with

human characteristics or qualities. For example, we regularly use the

expressions like howling wind, dancing leaves, time passes etc.

Example: Time flew and before we knew it, it was time for me to go home.

2.4.2 Simile

A simile is a figure of speech that compares two things that are not the

same yet have comparable characteristics. These are typically made by

using the words 'as' or 'like'. According to Israel (2004) simile is

fundamentally a figure of speech requiring an explicit connection to the

source and target objects, and also an explicit construction connecting

them. The American Heritage College Dictionary, for example, defines

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simile as 'a figure of speech in which two obviously unlike objects are

directly compared, frequently using like or as' (p. 1270).

Example: Brave as a lion.

2.4.3 Metaphor

A metaphor is used to suggest a comparison between two objects that

share some characteristics but are otherwise different. According to Lakoff

and George (1993) what defines the LOVE-AS-JOURNEY metaphor is

not any particular term of expression. The metaphor is a topic of idea and

reason, not just language. The mapping is important because it validates

the use of source domain language and inference patterns for target

concepts. This concept of metaphor is completely in conflict with the view

that metaphors are purely language expressions. People would expect

different linguistic expressions to be distinct metaphors if metaphors were

simply linguistic expressions.

Example: Her eyes are the stars in the night sky.

2.4.4 Hyperbole

A hyperbole is an exaggeration used as a figure of speech. It is the use of

hyperbolic language to emphasize or magnify the impact of something.

Hyperbole is the great dramatization of anything to make it seem bigger

than it is. Hyperbole is a pragmatic trick which meaning that a statement is

only hyperbolic given a specific context (cf. Searle, 1978). When

hyperboles are used frequently, the exaggerated topic gains a different

place in public debate than when the topic is described without

exaggeration.

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Example: He is as skinny as a toothpick.

2.4.5 Alliteration

Alliteration is the practice of repeating consonant sounds near to each

other in order to generate a memorable or melodious impact. Alliteration is

often known as "initial rhyme" because it is the inverse of rhyme—rather

than repeating a sound at the end of two or more syllables, alliteration

repeats a sound at the beginning of two or more words.

Example: She sells seashells by the seashore.

2.4.6 Irony
Irony is a rhetorical tactic used to express an intended message by

employing language that, when taken literally, conveys the opposite

meaning. "The use of words that say the opposite of what you really mean,

frequently as a jest and with a tone of voice that conveys this," according

to the Oxford Learner's Dictionary. Irony is defined as "the use of words to

communicate anything other than and especially the reverse of the literal

meaning" by Merriam-Webster.

Example: One of the characters in your story is a hypochondriac, always

convinced that they have an exotic and uncurable disease. An ironic

ending for that character would be if they died of a common cold.

2.4.7 Metonomy

Metonymy is a common poetic method that is closely related to

synecdoche, the naming of a part for the whole or a whole for the part.

Metonymy has the effect of establishing concrete and vivid pictures in

place of generalities, such as when a specific "grave" is substituted for the

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abstraction "death." Metonymy is common in headlines and journalism, as

in the use of "city hall" to imply "local government" and "White House" to

mean "president of the United States."

Example: I thought his movies were better when they weren’t so

Hollywood.

2.5 Song

Song, as a piece of music with words that are sung, serves to express thoughts

and feelings. Music and words are the two components of a song. Music is a

complex and ubiquitous social behaviour that contains an expression of human

thoughts, ideas, opinions, and others. According to Logan (2004), the quantity of

music available everywhere is rapidly increasing. As a result, automated analysis

methods are required to manage such repositories. The finding of similarity

between artists and songs is crucial to such algorithms since it provides a

scalable way of identifying and suggesting music. When listeners hear the song

again, memories from their original encounter resurface. These could be a

remembrance of where the song was heard, a person the listener was with at the

time, or a debate related to the song.

2.6 Lyrics

Lyrics are written passages of language that clearly and honestly express the

direct or individual feelings of the lyricist. The message of the lyrics may be

either explicit or implicit. Most lyrics use familiar words, and this makes a lot of

listeners feel comfortable. On the other hand, some listeners are drawn to music

that contains figurative language; however, understanding figurative language in

song lyrics is not as simple as singing; it necessitates in-depth literary

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knowledge or creative thought. Lyrics are classified as discourse since they

consist of words or phrases with varying grammatical functions. People can

easily express their feelings and emotions by crafting a song lyric. Lyric poetry

has a long history in the West, although its general status is disputed. "Lyric is

the foundation genre for the poetics or literary assumptions of cultures all across

the world," concluded the eminent comparatist Earl Miner. Only Western poetics

is distinct. Even significant civilizations that have not demonstrated a need for

systematic poetics (Islam, for example) have obviously founded their literary

concepts on lyric assumptions.

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REFERENCES

Arp, T. R., & Johnson, G. (1997). Sound and sense.


Culler, J. (2017). Theory of the Lyric. Nordisk poesi, 2(2), 119-133.
Dewi, N. P. (2021). A Psycholingustics Study Of Dyslexia On The Conflict Of
The Main Character In “Taare Zameen Par” Movie. JIMAWA: Jurnal Ilmiah,
1(2).
Hulu, D. A., Sembiring, E. N., & Tarigan, N. W. P. (2021). An Analysis of
Figurative Language in Ariana Grande’s Album “Thank U, Next”. Linguistic,
English Education and Art (LEEA) Journal, 4(2), 317-327.
Int, B. S. (2022, August 8). Biodata Dan Profil DPR IAN, Eks leader Boyband
C-CLOWN.
Int, B. S. (2022, August 8). DPR IAN Rilis album 'Moodswings in to order',
Lanjutan Kisah Mito.
Israel, M., Harding, J. R., & Tobin, V. (2004). On simile. Language, culture, and
mind, 100.
Lakoff, G. (1993). The contemporary theory of metaphor.
Logan, B., Kositsky, A., & Moreno, P. (2004, June). Semantic analysis of song
lyrics. In 2004 IEEE International Conference on Multimedia and Expo (ICME)
(IEEE Cat. No. 04TH8763) (Vol. 2, pp. 827-830). IEEE.
Melion, W. S., & Ramakers, B. (2016). Personification: An Introduction. In
Personification (pp. 1-40). Brill.
Mukti, A., Candraningrum, P. D., & Setyabudi, T. (2015). Maryam’s Rebellion
Against The State Reflected At Okky Madasari’s The Outcast Novel An
Individual Psychological Approach (Doctoral dissertation, Universitas
Muhammadiyah Surakarta).
Palguna, I. P. Y. J., Juniartha, I. W., & Candra, K. D. P. (2021). The Analysis of
Figurative Language on Passenger Song Lyric in Runaway Album. ELYSIAN
JOURNAL: English Literature, Linguistics and Translation Studies, 1(3), 23- 32.
PUTRI, G. I. (2013). An Analysis on The Figurative Language in Adele’s Song
Lyrics of “21” Album (Doctoral dissertation, University of Muhammadiyah
Malang).
Rozinski, T. (2015). Using music and lyrics to teach political theory. PS:
Political Science & Politics, 48(3), 483-487.
Safira, N. A. (2020). Figurative Language in Selected Shawn Mendes Album
Song Lyrics. Faculty of Teacher Training and Education (Doctoral dissertation,
UMSU).
Wainwright, J. (2015). Poetry: the basics. Routledge.

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OUTLINE

CHAPTER I INTRODUCTION

1.1 Research Background

1.2 Research Questions

1.3 Research Aims

1.4 Research Methodology

1.4.1 Data Collecting Technology

1.4.2 Data Analyzing Techniques

1.4.3 Data Source

1.5 Benefits of the Study

CHAPTER II THEORETICAL REVIEW

2.1 Literature

2.2 Poetry

2.3 Elements of Poetry

2.3.1 Rhetoric Figures

2.3.2 Rhyme

2.3.3 Stanza

2.4 Rhetorical Figures

2.4.1 Personification

2.4.2 Simile

2.4.3 Metaphor

2.4.4 Hyperbole

2.5 Song

2.6 Lyrics

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CHAPTER III FINDING AND DISCUSSION

3.1 The Types of Rhetorical Figures

3.2 The Meaning of Rhetorical Figures used in Moodswings In To Order

Album.

CHAPTER IV CONCLUSION AND SUGGESTION

4.1 Conclusion

4.2 Suggestion

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