Background of the Study

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CHAPTER I INTRODUCTION

The first chapter consists of six parts. The first part is the background of study. It reveals the writer’s reason for conducting the study. The second part is the problem formulation. It conveys the problems that are discussed in the study. The third part is the problem limitation. It gives a clear border of the study being discussed. The fourth part is the objective of the study. It shows the aims of the study. The fifth part is the benefits of the study. It reveals the advantages of the study for other researchers and the importance of the study to the English Language Education Study Program of Sanata Dharma University. The definition of terms, which clarifies the terms used in the study, is the last part.

A. Background of the Study

This study stems from the curiosity of the writer to reveal how a poet can express his idea through poems. The writer thinks that it is interesting to study someone’s thought which is expressed through literary works. Therefore, the writer invites the readers to learn other’s thought to sharpen their knowledge. As the part of the English Language Education Study Program of Sanata Dharma University, which trains someone to be a teacher, the writer feels that it is necessary to deepen his knowledge on education. One way to deepen knowledge of education is studying other’s thought of education. Therefore, other’s views will enrich the writer’s knowledge on education. 2 This study chooses to find view of education through poem for the reason that both of them can be related to one another. Poem is one kind of literary works that has unique elements and becomes a way to deliver someone’s thoughts, views, and ideas. On the other hand, education relates to the process of delivering knowledge from one to another. Poem might be one of the ways to deliver knowledge or idea on education. There are some people who are able to express their idea on education through poems. One of the people who can write down the idea about education in poem is Rabindranath Tagore. Rabindranath Tagore, an Indian poet and educator, has magnificent thought in education. He is able to convey his thought in education through his works, which most of them are on poems. Through the symbols, themes and the elements of poems, Tagore conveys his profound thought on education. His works are widely known by Indian people and other people all over the world. The Indian education was also being influenced, due to the strength of Tagore ’s writing. His thought that the Indian should not forget tradition still influences the Indian education up to the present. Therefore, the writer chooses Tagore’s poems. There are more than thousands of poems of Tagore, but this study chooses his three poems, namely The Child Angel, When and Why and Benediction. They are part of his book, The Crescent Moon, which was written in 1913. The writer is interested in those three poems because they convey Tagore’s thought in education. Tagore’s thought of education conveyed on those poems are unique. He uses symbols, simile, personification or any other poetic device to draw his ideas. In addition, the characteristics of Indian poets, such as the mysticism, PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI 3 religious aspects, etc, appear in those poems. Thus, the uniqueness makes the poems worth studying. India and Indonesia have similar history in terms of history as the colony of other country. This situation affects their education system and ideology. For that reason, this study has the significance to Indonesian education. First, the Indonesian can study Tagore’s view of education as a comparison to Indonesian education. Second, Tagore’s view may inspire the Indonesian education of today. The third, Tagore’s struggle in education and his spirit in developing education also similar to some Indonesian education figures, such as Ki Hadjar Dewantara, R. A Kartini and so on. Thus, the today’s Indonesian educator can learn from them.

B. Problem Formulation