The Types of Figures of Speech by Comparison Used in Coraline

The researcher found many metaphor used in Coraline. By using this type, the author attempts to indirectly compare two objects in his story. This expression allows readers to imagine the similarities between two objects being compared in the narration or characters‘ utterances. One of the examples of this type is shown below. ―Small world‖, said Coraline. ―It‘s big enough for her,‖ said the cat. ―Spiders’ webs only have to be large enough to catch flies.‖ 059P.73Met2 The cat uses metaphor to compares the other mother‘s small world with spider‘s webs. It is to describe the situation when Coraline exploring the other mother‘s world. She just walked around the world. She started out walking away from the house and ended up coming back to it; hence, she concludes it as a small world. The cat breaks in with the idea that the world is big enough for the other mother. The cat compares the small world with spiders‘ webs. The metaphor is used to explain how big the other mother built the world with its function. She does not need to build a big world to get her target, children. It is the same as spiders which form small webs to trap little insects like flies. For her, the world has to be attractive to catch children‘s attention and make them willing to stay there. In that way, the other mother did not make an extensive world. The next datum of metaphor found in Coraline novel can be seen below. It was the size of a broom closet . 067P.79Met4 This narration takes time when the other mother gets angry to Coraline‘s bad manner towards her. She puts Coraline away to a mysterious room behind a mirror in the hallway. Curious about the place she got in, Coraline measures the size of the room. She tries to put out her hands to touch the space and every side in where she is imprisoned. She, then, makes a comparison between the room with a broom closet. It is because she could reach the top of the room and sense every side. It gives mental pictures to the readers that the size of the room is not too big or too small for a child like Coraline. The readers could imagine that the room is tall enough to stand in or to sit in, and it is not wide or deep enough to lie down for Coraline. The next example can be seen in the datum below. ―Yes‖, said Coraline. There were. I think you‘re planning to turn me into one of them. A dead shell .‖ 075P.88Met4 The utterance occurs after the other mother frees Coraline from her prison inside the mirror. The other mother carries sleepy Coraline into the kitchen. Coraline wakes up and tell the other mother about other children inside the mirror. She guesses that the other mother is planning to turn her into one of them, a dead shell. It is a metaphor that comes from animals with shell, like snail and shellfish. Readers could imagine when they open an empty shellfish; it does not have life inside. A dead shell means something that has the external form but lacks of the life inside it. All of the other children whom Coraline met inside the mirror are ghosts. They exist without life or soul. When Coraline met them, she only saw mere three faint and pale shapes with their cold hands. In addition, the three ghosts said that the other mother will take Coraline‘s life too and make her hollow. Coraline compares this condition to being a dead shell. She was hoping the other mother would say something like ―Nonsense, they’re the size of ripe onions—or suitcase—or grandfather clocks ,‖ but the other mother simply smiled, and the tap-tap-tapping of her fingernail against her eye was as steady and relentless as the drip of water droplets from the faucet into the sink. 078P.92Met2 This narration happens after Coraline challenges the other mother to find the ghosts‘ souls and her parents. Coraline completely has no idea of how to find a soul. She hopes the other mother would give her any clue to find it. Here, Coraline imagine the other mother may compare the size of a soul to several things for her clue. First, she imagines the size of a soul as a size of ripe onion. It means a soul is a small object, but not too tiny to be found around the house. Then, she compares a soul to a suitcase which means a soul is larger than a ripe onion. It signifies that it would be easier for Coraline to look it out. Lastly, she imagines that the other mother would compare the size of a soul to grandfather clocks. A grandfather clock is a tall and enormous clock. If a soul is as big as a grandfather clock then it is obviously to be seen by Coraline. Through this comparison, the readers could also make guess of the size of a soul by making mental picture in their mind. The next example can be seen in the datum below. Then she walked through an empty bathroom, containing only a cast-iron bath, and, in the bath, a dead spider the size of a small cat . 099P.106Met2-3 This situation occurs when Coraline enters the empty flat to find the other ghosts‘ souls. She tries to check the bathroom in the empty flat, but she could only find a cast-iron bath and a dead spider. The dead spider is big because it has the size of a small cat. Here, the writer compares the size of the dead spider with the size of a small cat. Usually, a common big size for a normal spider in real life is not bigger than a palm of a hand. However, in Coraline the spider is as big as a small cat which, for spider-world, means it is very huge in size. It adds more bizarre things in the other m other‘s world. Such a gigantic spider would really make Coraline afraid if it is alive. Lucky for her, it is already dead. The last example of metaphor is represented in a narration when Coraline confront the other mother to escape and win her challenge o f finding ghosts‘ souls and her parents. In this situation, Coraline tries to trick the other mother by saying that she knew where her real parents are. The other mother stood very still, giving nothing away, lips tightly closed. She might have been a wax statue. 121P.128Met1-3 The other mother surprises to hear Coraline declares that she is able to locate where her real parents are. Certainly Coraline guesses that the other mother did not hide her parents in the house because she has looked for them in every possible place in the house. Her statement makes the other mother shocked and confused. The writer compares the other mother‘s surprise expression with a wax statue. The characteristic of wax statue is a hard, solid, and firm. It is usually made very detail to look like a person who is being represented. It indicates that the other mother is doing nothing due to her shock. She only stands still, making no movement. Moreover, there is no lips movement just like truly a wax statue. It shows how speec hless she is to the condition. It bring readers‘ imagination that the concept of being a wax statue is a person who has a terrible shock and surprise. b. Simile Simile is having the same purpose with metaphor, to compare two different things which possess similar characteristics. However, comparison in simile showed directly by the use of connector word. For instance, the connector words used in simile are like, as, similar, resembles, and seems. According to Gill 2004: 25 the use of connector words help the reader to easily understand the comparison. That is why simile is more easily found in daily life than other figures of speech. In Coraline, simile is mostly used by the writer in his story. The researcher found simile in most of the narration and utterance in Coraline. The first example of simile is found is shown below. She looked like a large, fluffy egg. 010P.12Sim2 This narration is categorized as simile because the comparison used connector word ―like‖. The comparison is explaining the appearance of Miss Spink. This narration tells when Coraline is going for a walk around her new house when she encounters Miss Spink who walks her dogs. Miss Spink is bundled up in pullover and cardigans, so she looks chubbier. This appearance of Miss Spink makes Coraline compares her to a large and fluffy egg. Her fat body looks larger and round with those clothes on. Moreover, the wool material of the pullover and cardigan makes Miss Spink looks fluffy. By reading this expression, the writer allows the reader to imagine the shape of Miss Spink in the story. The next datum of simile can be seen as follows. There were all sorts of remarkable things in there she‘d never seen before: windup angels that fluttered around the bedroom like startled sparrows ; books with pictures that writhed and crawled and shimmered; little dinosaur skulls that chattered their teeth as she passed. 017P.28Sim1-2 In the datum above, the narration occurs when Coraline checking her bedroom in the other mother‘s world. She finds some interesting things there which she has never seen before in the real world. One of it is windup angels that fluttered around the bedroom like startled sparrows. Sparrows are a flock of small grey-brown bird which commonly found in town. Due to the crowded situation in town, they are easily startled or surprised which makes them suddenly fly away. The windup angels have the same characteristic. They make a series of delicate movement up and down from side to side. The windup angels fly like sparrows which avoiding crowd in town. This figure is categorized as a simile because it uses the connective like which the function is to compare two things. This datum compares the movement of windup angels with startled sparrows. The next example could be seen below. It was my dad, charging like a rhino. 038P.55Sim2 This utterance above is uttered by Coraline when she tells the black cat about her story. She tells the cat a story when she was a little girl. Her dad took her for a walk on a wasteland. They have walked for minutes there when suddenly Coraline‘s dad asked her to run away. After a while, little Coraline stopped running and looked back. She saw her dad charging like a rhino. Rhino is well- known to have an ability to run fast with its large body. Usually when a rhino charges, it makes a blast and strike everything in front of it. It is quite horrific to see a rhino runs. The comparison describes how Coraline‘s father strongly runs in a rush towards Coraline just like a rhino. It is called as simile because Coraline makes comparison by using conjunction like. The use of simile is also shown by the datum below. One of them wailed and whispered, the other buzzed like a fat and angry bluebottle at a window pane , but the voices said, as one person, ―Thief Give it back Stop Thief‖ 096P.101Sim3 It occurs when Coraline tries to take the glowing soul inside the hands of strange creatures in Miss Spink and Miss Forcible‘s flat. It seems they guard the souls for the other mother. They become furious because Coraline take the soul. One of them makes a long and high cry and the other creature buzzes. The buzz sound resembles a sound produce by an angry bluebottle at a window pane. A bluebottle is a kind of big fly and louder noise than the common fly. When a bluebottle traps inside a house and try to escape from a window, it is used to hit repeatedly at a window pane. Its sound when it hit a window pane is usually a noisy buzz. If the creature in Coraline makes a sound like an angry bluebottle, this means the creature produce a continuous disturbing and noisy low sound. The next example is one of simile using conjunction as. This place smelled as if all the exotic foods in the world had been left out to go rotten . 106P.115Sim2 In the datum above, the narration occurs when Coraline enters the crazy old man‘s flat upstairs to find the other ghosts‘ souls. The place has very bad smell which depicted in a simile. It is compared to the smell of all exotic foods in the world that had been left out to go rotten. Exotic foods are unusual and often exciting fruits because of coming from tropical country. Some of them often have very strong smell. Many people, usually from west country, could not bear with the smell. Moreover if the exotic foods have been left out to go rotten, it will has completely the worst smell ever. With this comparison, the readers‘ sense of smell could imagine how gross the smell of the place. This simile successfully depicts the worst smell comes from the crazy old man‘s flat. ―There‘s a but, isn‘t there? Said Coraline. ―I can feel it. Like a rain cloud .‖ 133P.142Sim1-3 The above datum is another example of simile in Coraline novel. This utterance is uttered by Coraline inside her dream with the three ghosts. The ghosts says that the case of the other mother is done for them after Coraline manage to find their souls. Suddenly they stop their statement in the middle. Coraline awares the ghost is about saying something contrary to the good news. She says she could feel it just like a rain cloud. Here, the simile is indicated by the connector word ―like‖ to compare Coraline‘s worried feeling with a rain cloud. They readers will imagine when they see a rain cloud, they will assume that rain will come soon. They will possess the worried feeling through this imagination in their mind. It is because when a rain cloud is hanging on the sky, people tend to worry and be afraid that their daily activity outside the room will be disturbed by the rain. This just looks like Coraline‘s feeling when she has a conversation with the ghosts. c. Personification The next figure of speech by comparison applied in Coraline is personification. Personification compares human attribute which applied to non human object or concept. The non human is represented as having human ability, such as to speak. Personification may add dramatic nuance in a story by giving human qualities to non human entities. The comparison can fascinate the readers when they portray non human entities work like human in the mind. It also gives readers easier understanding by relating something to human traits. Moreover, Coraline is a novel which has mystery and adventure plot so personification can fit in the story. Thus, there are many examples of personification in this novel. Mostly the writer put personification in animal character so they may communicate with the main character, Coraline, to develop the story. The datum of personification can be seen below. Coraline‘s mother looked in the fridge and found a sad little tomato and a piece of cheese with green stuff growing on it. 014P.22Per2 This situation happens after Coraline and her mother get back home from town. Coraline‘s mother intends to make a lunch, however there is no fresh food to cook. One of the rotten foods is a sad little tomato. It is one of the instances of personification found in Coraline novel because Coraline‘s mother assumes the tomato is like a human that could be sad whereas it is only a vegetable. Coraline‘s mother compares a quality of a human to a tomato which can have a feeling of sadness. Sad persons usually have an ugly expression of face due to their unhappy moment and condition. They are undeniable not attractive to look at. Therefore, a sad little tomato means the tomato looks worse than it should and is considered not g ood to be eaten. It is because of the Coraline‘s unpleasant treatment which is carelessly neglecting the tomato in the fridge. The next datum below shows example of personification found in this novel that is put to an animal character. The rats began to sing , in high, whispery voices, 019P.33Per3 Coraline tries to make a conversation with the rats that she found under her bed at the other mother‘s house. However, they do not answer her greeting. Instead, they start to form a circle and begin to sing in high and whispery voices. From the narration above, the writer gives human ability which is ability to sing to the rats. Rats are kind of small rodents, larger than mice, which has a long tail and is considered to be harmful. As an animal, rats are supposed to not have ability to sing. In Coraline novel, they are assumed as a human that can sing in high and whispery voices. The rats which supposed cannot sing is capable of doing it in this story and makes Coraline afraid due to their voices. Therefore, it can be categorized as personification because the rats are supposed to human that can sing. The next example of personification applied in another animal character can be seen in the datum below. ―Cats don‘t talk at home.‖ ―No?‖ said the cat. ―No,‖ said Coraline. 022P.34Per1 This datum can be categorized as personification because the cat possesses human ability. The writer embodies the cat with human nature in which he can talk. If it is analyzed in logical sense, it is impossible for the cat which is an animal that cannot talk to a human. The cat even seems confused when Coraline said that cats do not talk at her home. He curious and ask Coraline if cats really do not talk which is confirmed by Coraline. The writer made a comparison by wrote as if this cat, which is an animal, could talk to Coraline. Therefore, this dialogue can be described as personification. This conversation occurs when Coraline meet a black cat in the other mother‘s world. She is surprised because the cat suddenly greets her. She is wondering how the cat could talk because cats do not talk at her home. Next, the datum below will show another analysis of personification. ―Have you got any more chocolates?‖ said the dog. 032P.42Per1 The utterance above, it is a personification because it brings the attribute of human traits which is talk. The dog is not a human being that has an ability to talk. Dog could only bark and make sound such as ―woof, woof‖. It is impossible for the dog to talk to Coraline. It is merely depicting human attribute in an animal to make a style in language sounds creative. In this situation, it happens after Coraline helps the other Miss Spink and Miss Forcible with their dagger performance. Miss Spink gives her a small box of chocolates as thanks. Coraline offers it to the dog next to her. It comes as revelation that the dog there loves chocolate, even wanted for some more. It is an impossible thing for a dog to may speak and able to eat chocolate, but with personification it comes to be possible. The next example of personification applied in Coraline novel is depicted in this datum. The lion-pawed table raked the carpet with its clawed wooden feet, as if it were impatient for something. 120P.126Per3 Here, the personification example is shown by a lion-pawed table which has a human quality of raking. The skill to rake or to make a scratch on the ground could only be done by human. However, in this story the lion-pawed table with its clawed-like wooden feet has the ability to rake a carpet. This situation happens when Coraline about to finish her games with the other mother. She enters the drawing room in the other mother‘s house and sees the grandmother formal furniture is still there, but with different condition. One of it is the lion-pawed table that now has claws that able to rake a carpet. For Coraline, it looks like a lion that has an urge to attack its prey. It brings readers‘ emotion to sense Coraline‘s fear of being threatened by a lion-pawed table. Therefore, this datum can be categorized as personification because the lion-pawed table is supposed to human that can rake a carpet. The next example of personification happens when Coraline struggling to escape from the other mother‘s world. She manages to find the three ghosts‘ souls and her real parents. Then, she takes the black cat with her to run to passage way between the other mother‘s house and her real house and closes its door. The cat seems impatient to get out of the place. ―Come on‖ said the cat. ―This is not a good place to be in. Quickly.‖ 124P.133Per1-3 This utterance depicts the cat‘s urge to leave the other mother‘s world. In real life, a cat supposed to not have an ability to talk to human. An animal like cat could only produce sound such as mewing. In Coraline novel, the cat possesses the skill to talk and to warn Coraline to quickly run away from the other mother‘s place. Therefore, this utterance can be described as personification because it brings the attribute of human traits which is to talk. d. Apostrophe In Coraline novel, the researcher only found one datum of apostrophe uttered by Coraline. Apostrophe is when you make a reference to something or somebody that is not there. It is closely related to personification. Personification and apostrophe are both ways of giving feeling and immediacy to the speaker. The purpose of a writer using an apostrophe is to address an imaginary character or abstract concept in his utterance. Apostrophe addresses a non-existent person or an abstract idea as if it were present and capable of understanding feeling. The researcher only found one datum of apostrophe uttered by Coraline in the story. The datum of apostrophe found in Coraline novel can be seen below. ―Play fair,‖ shouted Coraline into the wind. 088P.96Apo4 The utterance above is categorized as apostrophe because Coraline is addressing the other mother as if she presents at the time. This utterance occurs when Coraline walks down the hall after she found the first ghost‘s soul. Suddenly, very strong and stingy sand is blowing upon her as it slows down her movement. One of the ghost whispers to her that Beldam or the other mother is angry to her. That‘s why Coraline shouts into the wind, to the other mother to play fair. She does not want her to interrupt her with the blowing sand. She hopes that the other mother will hear her voice so she stops the wind. Coraline shouts to the other mother though she knows the other mother is not around. She has confidence the other mother could hear her. Therefore, it can be categorized as apostrophe.

1. The Function of Using Figures of Speech by Comparison in Coraline

Novel by Neil Gaiman The purpose of a writer using figures of speech in their work is to make their story smooth and has aesthetic value. Perrine 1969: 71-72 proposed four functions of figures of speech. Those are to give imaginative pleasure, to bring an additional imagery, to add emotional intensity, and to concrete meaning in a brief compass. All of the functions are found in the research data. Based on the findings section, it can be seen that one datum may have more than one function. Furthermore, same data which contains overlapped types may have different functions. To discuss this further, the researcher provides the discussion in some points. a. To give imaginative pleasure The first function to be discussed is to give imaginative pleasure. Imagination can be obtained through the ability of the reader to portray imagination in their mind. The mind takes delight in transferring imagination. Thus, it can give pleasure for the readers in the form of imagination. It satisfies readers‘ mind with source of pleasure in imagination. The part of the utterance below shows the effect of figures of speech to give imaginative pleasure. The toys in the toy box were still asleep , and they stirred and muttered as she moved their box, and then they went back to sleep . 050P.64Per1-2 Coraline takes advice to take a rest in the other mother‘s house because the cat estimated that she will have a long day ahead. In her room, she closes her door and hauls a toy box in front of it. She knows it will not keep anyone out, but she hopes the noise somebody would make trying to dislodge it would wakes her up. The writer put personification about how the toys inside the toy box is quite disturbed as Coraline move their box. The writer depicted the toys as human being. The toys are assumed as humans that can sleep, stir, and mutter. It gives a pleasure to the readers in which they can imagine how toys could be sleep. The toys, also, could stir and mutter when their sleep is disturbed. The way the toys act is not usual in daily life. Commonly, toys will need power source or battery to make them move their body parts and sounding voices. However, the writer personified the toys. Thus, it contributes pleasure for readers in which that action is not commonly found in daily life. Then she pushed the tiny key into the fabric of the mirror, and she twisted it. It opened like a door, revealing a dark space behind it. 066P.77Sim1 In the datum above, the narration occurs when the other mother gets angry to Coraline‘s bad manner to her. Suddenly she takes out a tiny silver-coloured key. Then, she pulls Coraline into the hallway and advances upon the mirror at the