12
meaning. Symbol is the part of structure that could not be paid attention that is caused of its function in understanding the works meaning.
The word that we use in daily conversation has literal meaning or usually denotative referred to object directly without referring to the other meaning. The
Road Not Taken by Robert Frost for instance, concerns a choice made between two roads by person out walking in the woods. It concerns more than the choice
of paths in a wood, for that choice would be relatively unimportant, while this choice will make a great difference in life. Thus, we must interpret the choice of
the road as a symbol of any choice in life. Image, metaphor and symbol shade into each and are sometimes difficult
to distinguish. In general, however, an image means only what it is: the figurative term in metaphor means something other than what it is, and a symbol means
what it is and something more, too. A symbol, that is, functions literally and figuratively at the same time.
18
6. Hyperbole
According to Perrine, Hyperbole or overstatement is “simply exaggeration, but exaggeration in the service truth.”
19
In hyperbole, the understatement passes beyond realistic and logical thinking, but actually has
logical meaning, the speakers are overstating their statement and to emphasize something. Hyperbole is used with the redundantly pressure to get intensive
effect. For example, “my backpack weighs a ton”.
18
Ibid. p. 80
19
Ibid. p. 101
13
7. Synecdoche
Synecdoche is a figure of speech whereby the part is made to stand for the whole, the whole for a part, the species for the genus, and vice versa.
20
A kind of figure of speech that uses a part of something to state the whole of it pars pro
toto or use the whole to state a part of it totem pro parte. The example of pras pro toto is in the sentence “he has many mouths to feed” the word mouth
constitutes a part of the body whose function to eat but the word here actually represent of the whole body of people. And the sentence “use your head to figure
it out”, the word head is used is actually points out for replacing brain, in other words, the whole of something is used to refer to a part of it totem pro parte.
8. Allegory
Allegory is a narrative or description that conveying the meaning beneath the surface.
21
The name and event in Allegory may be abstract but the purpose is always clear. The meaning of Allegory should be drawn up to the surface in
understanding it. Although the surface story or description may have its own interest, the author’s major interest is in the ulterior meaning.
When Pharaoh in the bible, for instance, has a dream in which seven fat kine are devoured by seven lean kine, the story does not really become significant
until Joseph interprets its allegorical meaning: that Egypt is to enjoy seven years of fruitfulness and prosperity followed by seven years of famine. Allegory has
been defined sometimes as an extended metaphor and sometimes as series of related symbol. But it is undistinguishable from both of these. It is unlike
20
Microsoft Encharta 2009. Op. cit. p.1
21
Laurence Perrine 1991, op cit. p. 88
14
extended metaphor in that it involves a system of related comparisons rather than one comparison drawn out. It differs from symbolism in that it pus less emphasis
on the images for their own sake and more on their ulterior meanings. Also, these meaning are more fixed. In allegory there is usually one-to-one correspondence
between the details and a single set of ulterior meanings. In complex allegories the details may have more than one meaning, but these meanings tend to be
definite. Meaning do not ray out from allegory as they do from symbol.
C. Theme
