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synecdoche also makes a comparison between the whole object and the term that substitutes them. In the same line, hyperbole also makes a comparison in dramatic
way as if the statements really existed in the real life. Therefore, those seven types of figurative language employed in these two poems are, basically, comparative.
B. The Significances of Figurative Language Employment in “A
Valediction: Forbidding Mourning” and “The Sun Rising”
The employment of the seven types of figurative language in “A Valediction: Forbidding Mourning” and The Sun Rising” plays the important role in conveying
the speakers’ love. It enables the speaker of each poem to express his love in outstanding ways since those types of figurative language bring out several
significances in expressing the speakers’ love. From the previous explanation, the
researcher concludes some significances of the figurative language in expressing speakers’ love, which are to evoke imagination, to emphasize the speakers’ love,
and to make the love expression become memorable.
1. To Evoke Imagination
The first significance of figurative language employment in these two poems is to evoke imagination. The figurative language enables the speakers of both
poems to present concrete images, with which the readers are familiar. The readers, who have concrete images in their mind, easily recognize the meaning of
the poem through the appearance of figurative language. The way Donne evokes reader
s’ imagination can be seen in the third stanza of “A Valediction: Forbidding Mourning.”
Moving of the earth brings harm and fear,
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Men reckon what it did and meant, But trepidation of the sphere,
Though greater far is innocent. John Donne, “A Valediction: Forbidding Mourning”, line 9-12
The speaker of the poem constructs the idea of love by illustrating the phenomena in the universe. He directs his lover to imagine the moving of the
earth and trepidation of the sphere in the first place. The movement of the earth or earthquake is a kind of natural phenomenon that causes huge damage in the earth
in some cases. As a result, people always feels frightened and threatened if this phenomenon occurs. However, the movement of the earth actually has smaller
effect than the movement of the sphere. Beyond people’s awareness, there is also a great movement of the planets in the universe out there. Besides causing the
change of night and day, as well as climates, this movement of the universe is also potential to cause bigger trepidation in the world. One day, those planets and other
objects up there may are possible to deviate from their line and crash one another, which create obliteration in the whole world anytime. Nevertheless, common
people are mostly worried about the smaller movement such as earthquake only and not aware of the great movement of the sphere and the big effects it brings.
For that reason, the speaker presents the analogy of the earthquake and sphere to illustrate the idea of love in his mind.
He wants his lover and readers to visualize the illustration by themselves so that they understand the concept of love that he tries to express. He assumes that
the pure and big love is a kind of love that is less talked and worried about. He does not want his lover to be like common people who tend to brag about the
trivial thing and overstate it as if it were a big thing. They are fond of showing off
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and worrying about their love, which is not big enough in fact, like the way they show off their fear toward the earthquake that is not always harmful. True lovers
who sincerely love their lover, the speaker argues, never show their love easily. They always keep calm and less worried about their love, even though they do not
see each other for some time. This poem does not only talk about why the lover should not cry over their
farewell but also what she should do when the speaker is not around. The speaker also presents a pair of compasses as a comparison to illustrate how both of them
should support each other during this temporary parting. Even, in the seventh stanza, he compares his lover with the fixed foot of compasses, which faithfully
waits its pair to come back. And though it in the centre sit,
Yet when the other far doth roam, It leans, and hearkens after it,
And grows erect, as that comes home. John Donne, “A Valediction: Forbidding Mourning”, line 29-32
In this stanza, the readers are provoked to imagine what the fixed foot of compasses does to support its pair during a circle is drawn. The third line shows
that the fixed foot always stays faithful and supports its pair though it only stays in the center. The faithfulness of the fixed foot makes it always hearken and obey
its pair from distance. Even, it will lean itself to ease its pair to draw larger circle freely. At the last stanza, the speaker says
“And grows erect, as that comes home” to describe the fixed foot’s reaction when its pair comes back. The fixed
foot leans itself when needed during its pair’s roaming. When the pair comes back, it also re-
erects itself again to welcome the pair’s coming back home.
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The speaker wants his lover to imagine the concept of the twin compasses in the quotation above in order to understand how a separated couple should be.
Though the speaker wanders around, his lover has to support and wait for him patiently and faithfully without showing any sadness. Even, she should keep
listening to the speaker though they are not together at that time. In “The Sun Rising,” Donne also provokes the readers to imagine what the
poem is talking about by appearing some examples of figurative language. In the first stanza, for instance, Donne makes the readers visualize the irritation feeling
of the lover because of the sun. The readers are invited to feel how annoyed the lovers are because the emergence of the sun has disturbed their loving seasons.
Busy old fool, unruly Sun, Why dost thou thus,
Through windows, and through curtains, call on us? Must to thy motions lovers’ season run?
Saucy pedantic wretch, go chide Late schoolboys, and sour prentices,
Go tell court-huntsmen that the king will ride, Call country ants to harvest offices,
John Donne, “The Sun Rising”, line 1-8 This stanza is begun with an apostrophe, which is meant to swear at the sun.
The reason why the speaker curses out the sun is described in the second until forth lines which show his anger because of the emergence of the sun. In those
lines, he claims that the sun’s bright beam that breaks through windows and even curtains has disturbed his loving season. They can still continue their loving
season if the sun does not break through their windows. Therefore, in the following lines, he orders the sun to wake up other people such as late students,
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inexperience prentices, court-huntsmen, and common farmers who have many jobs to do in the morning.
2. To Reinforce the Speakers’ Love Expression
