The invisible worm That flies in the night,
In the howling storm, Has found out thy bed
Of crimson joy, And his dark secret love
Does thy life destroy.
In the poem The Sick Rose above, we can see that the speaker use metaphor to tell the ‘Rose’ incur ‘the invisible worm’. Worm is poison for rose
here in the poem, the speaker use this metaphor to tell the ‘rose’ here is sick. The second example is simile; here is the example of this kind of
figurative language seen on Frances Darwin Cornford’s poem The Guitarist Tune Up
; With what attentive courtesy he bent
Over his instrument; Not as lordly conquerer who could
Command both wire and wood But as man with a loved woman might,
Inquiring with delight What slight essential things she had to say
Before they started, he and she, to play.
From the poem above we can see that Cornford uses simile and put word ‘as’ in the poem to represent when the speaker bent over his instrument not as
lordly conquerer who could, command both wire and wood, but as man with a loved woman.
b. Personification
Personification consists in giving the attributes of a human being to an animal, an object, or an idea. It is really subtype of metaphor, am implied
comparison in which the figurative term of comparison is always a human being.
12
The example of this figurative language shown on James Stephen’s poem The Wind;
The wind stood up and gave a shout He whistled on his fingers and
Kicked the withered leaves about And thumped the branched with his hand
And said he’s kill and kill And so he will and so he will
From the example we can see that James Stephen uses personification to describe the wind like a human; it has fingers, hand, and leg, just like normal
human have parts of body.
c. Apostrophe
Apostrophe is figure of speech which consists in addressing someone absent or something non-human as if it were alive and present and could reply to
what is being said.
13
Apostrophe make poem live, sometime speaker talking to someone non-human.
Here is the example of apostrophe taken from John Keats’ poem Bright Star.
From the poem below Keats uses apostrophe in Bright Star poem; the speaker talking to the star like it is alive, the fact is star cannot talk to human, but
12
Ibid, p.67
13
Ibid, p.67
the speaker talking to the star like it can talk back to the speaker until the speaker want to be the star in the end;
Bright star, would I were steadfast as thou art — Not in lone splendour hung aloft the night
And watching, with eternal lids apart, Like Natures patient, sleepless Eremite,
The moving waters at their priest like task Of pure ablution round earths human shores,
Or gazing on the new soft-fallen mask Of snow upon the mountains and the moors —
No — yet still stedfast, still unchangeable, Pillowd upon my fair loves ripening breast,
To feel for ever its soft swell and fall, Awake for ever in a sweet unrest,
Still, still to hear her tender-taken breath, And so live ever — or else swoon to death.
d. Synecdoche and Metonymy
Perrine give explanation that synecdoche is the use of part of a thing for the whole; and metonymy is the use of something closely related for the thing
actually meant. They are alike in that both substitute some significant detail or aspect of an experience for the experience itself.
14
Synecdoche and metonymy are looks alike, we need more attention while distinguish between them, and the latter
term is increasingly coming to be used for both. The example of synecdoche reflected on a piece of Frank Stockton’s
short story The Lady or The Tiger, he use word ‘faces’ to present people in the story as seen below;
“His eye met hers as she sat there paler and whiter than anyone in the vast ocean of anxious faces about her.”
14
Ibid, p.69
The example of metonymy can be seen on John Dyer’s poem Grongar Hill, he uses metonymy to mention ‘birth’ and ‘death’ using ‘cradle’ and ‘grave’
word as reflected below; A little rule, a little sway,
A sunbeam in a winter’s day, Is all the proud and mighty have
Between the cradle and the grave.
e. Symbol
Perrine explains that symbol may be roughly defined as something that means more than what it is.
15
Image, metaphor, and symbol shade into each other and sometimes difficult to distinguish. In general, however, an image means only
what it is; a metaphor means something other than what it is; and symbol means what it is and something more too. Symbol is the richest and also the most
difficult figurative language; it is represents something else, a symbol may be rich in its meanings make it necessary that we use the greatest tact in its interpretation.
William Wordsworth’s uses symbol in his poetry My Heart Leaps Up When I Behold
. He symbolizes rainbow ass hope and good things that are coming as shown below:
My heart leaps up when I behold A rainbow in the sky
Spring and daisies means youth in Sara Teasdale’s “Wild Asters”: In the spring, I asked the daisies
If his words were true, And the clever, clear-eyed daisies
Always knew. Brown and barren means growing old in Sara Teasdale’s “Wild Asters”:
Now the fields are brown and barren, Bitter autumn blows,
Bitter autumn means death in Sara Teasdale’s “Wild Asters”:
15
Ibid, p.83
Now the fields are brown and barren, Bitter autumn blows,
And of all the stupid asters Not one knows.
f. Allegory
Allegory is a narrative or description that has a second meaning beneath the surface one.
16
Although the surface story or description may have its own interest, the author’s major interest is in the ulterior meaning. Allegory has been
defined sometimes as an extended metaphor and sometimes as series of related symbols or even symbolic meaning with abstract ideas described on character,
figure, or event. The Faerie Queene
is Edmund Spenser’s work with moral and religious allegory. The good characters stand for the various virtues, while the bad
characters represent vices. The Red-Cross Knight represents holiness. Lady Una represents truth, wisdom and goodness. Her parents symbolize the human race.
The Dragon which has imprisoned them stands for evil. The mission of holiness is to help the truth, fight evil, and thus regain its rightful place in the hearts of
human beings. The Red-Cross Knight in this poem also represents the reformed Church of England fighting against the Dragon which stands for the Papacy or the
Catholic Church.
16
Ibid, p.91
g. Paradox
Paradox is and apparent contradiction that is nevertheless somehow true.
17
It may be either situation or a statement. The value of paradox is its shock value. It seeming impossibility startles the reader into attention and, thus, by the
fact of its apparent absurdity, it underscores the truth of what is being said.
Emily Dickinson uses paradox in her poem My Life Closed Twice, in her poem the speaker’s life closed twice before it close, as we know human will die
once not twice, in the poem Dickinson represent the speaker is experienced pain through losing someone loved.
My life closed twice before its close— It yet remains to see
If Immortality unveil A third event to me
So huge, so hopeless to conceive As these that twice befell.
Parting is all we know of heaven, And all we need of hell.
h. Overstatement
Overstatement or hyperbole is simply exaggeration but exaggeration in the service of truth.
18
It may be used to express strong feeling to build strong emphasis impression. Hyperbole often used in poetry; sometimes also used in
casual speech. Here are several example of hyperbole; 1.
‘The bag weighed a ton’ means the bag really heavy. 2.
‘You could have knocked me over with a feather’ means someone knocked his door too hard because it disturbing.
17
Ibid, p.109
18
Ibid, p.110
3. ‘I’ll die if I don’t pass this exam’ means something unwanted will
happen if he did not pass the exam.
i. Understatement
Perrine explain that understatement or litotes is saying less than one means, it is may exist in what one says or merely in how one says it.
19
It makes effect the situation seems less than the actual it is used to reducing the severity of
the situation. The example of this kind of figurative language can be reflected on the expressions below;
1. ‘He is not too thin’ while describing an obese person.
2. ‘Deserts are sometimes hot, dry and sandy’ while describing deserts of
the world. 3.
‘It is a bit cold today’ when the temperature is 5 degrees below freezing.
j. Irony
Irony has meanings that extend beyond its use merely as a figure of speech.
20
It is subtle; sometimes irony is the most effective for good reader, sometimes reader misunderstood but the reader will goes away with the opposite
idea from what the user meant. Perrine divided irony into three as explained below;
1. Verbal irony, saying the contradiction of what one means, it is always
implies the opposite of what is said. For example you are in the
situation is actually very poor but you saying ‘Oh, fantastic’
19
Ibid, p.111
20
Ibid, p.112
2. Dramatic irony, this form of irony is more complex than verbal irony
and more complex response from the reader, audience do not know about present and future situation. This type of irony used not only to
convey attitudes but also illuminate character. For this form of irony example reflected on Shakespeare Romeo and Juliet story, Romeo
finds Juliet in deep and drugged slumber, assumes her dead, and he kills himself ignorantly before Juliet wakes up, discovers her dead
lover and kills herself. 3.
Irony of situation, this is needed when there is a discrepancy between the actual circumstances and those that would seem appropriate or
between what one anticipates and what actually comes to pass. The example of this irony reflected on these situation below;
• A fire station burns down • The marriage counselor files for divorce
• The police station gets robbed
k. Allusion
Allusion is means of reinforcing the emotion or the ideas of one’s own work with the emotion or ideas of another work or occasion. Because they are
capable of saying so much in so little, for poet it is very useful. Allusion can be explained as referring something from previous works, symbolizing from previous
literature, shortly it tells more than it says. Here is example of allusion taken from Katy Perry’s lyric Pearl, in the
lyric Perry referring the person that described by the speaker in the lyric to liberty
and Joan of Arc, if we explore more about the lyric, we can know the person who described by speaker in the lyric by finding who is liberty, John of Arc, what are
their background, etc. “She could be a statue of liberty
She could be a Joan of Arc But hes scared of the light thats inside of her
So he keeps her in the dark”
C. Eroticism History
Erotic literature is interesting thing to be discussed. According to Mills, in Great Britain; on transition period from classical era to modern era which led
by Queen Victoria Victorian Era in 1837 to 1900, human relations emphasis on hard work ethic and acts of worship. Sexuality is taboo and not prevalent. Human
sexual appetite should be curbed because they can cause negative effects for the spirit work and worship, church doctrine perceive it can barrier relationship to
God. The issue of sexuality discussed only in the context of human reproduction. In 1857, the government announced the “Obscene Publications Act”, the
regulations concerning about publishing literature containing sexuality. The regulation sets that police confiscated erotic books though the court has not
declare these books should be confiscated and destroyed.
21
The most famous erotic works found from medieval and Renaissance era is the poem The Romance of the Rose 1230, written by Jeande Meun France
and Venus and Adonis 1593 written by William Shakespeare United Kingdom. Shakespeare’s book is the first erotic literature published in England. Geoffrey
Chaucer UK, St. Gertrude Germany, Giovanni Boccaccio Italy, Pietro
21
Yuki Anggia Putri 2009, op.cit. p.6
Aretino Italy, and François Rabelais France is also another well-known author. The interesting thing in this era is the emergence of homo sexual themes. The
appearance of Christianity to Europe make many people read the Bible, they see the intimacy between David and Jonathan reflected in 2 Samuel1: 26. This is what
inspired the author to discuss same-sex relationships.
22
Mills explain that in the17
th
and 18
th
century, numbers of famous erotic literature writers appear namely John Dryden UK, Alexander Pope UK,
Samuel Richardson England, John Cleland UK, John Wilkes UK, François Voltaire France, the Marquis de Sade France, J.W. von Goethe Germany, and
Friedrich Schlegel Germany. Erotic literature experienced golden age in this century. Eroticism is not only expressed in the literature; poetry, novels, and
plays, but appears also in books and medical science. The term for this age is no longer as the Enlightenment Age of Enlightenment, but Age of Eros. The works
that appear in this age is called anti-religious erotic literature as having a satirical style and intended to satirize the church life.
23
The famous erotica authors in the 19
th
century was John Keats UK, Thomas Hardy British, Oscar Wilde UK, George Thompson USA, Leopold
von Sacher-Masoch Austria, Charles Baudelaire French, Honoré de Balzac France, Émile Zola France, and Guy de Maupassant France. At this time,
romanticism is growing and takes part in literature.
24
In the 20
th
century, famous erotic writers was Federico Garcia Lorca Spain, Rainer Maria Rilke Austria, Georges Bataille France, DH Lawrence
22
Ibid, p.34
23
Ibid, p.35
24
Ibid, p.35
UK, Henry MillerUSA, Nicholson Baker USA, Octavio Paz Mexico, and Nadine Gordimer South Africa. Erotic literary works that developed in this era
inspired by sexuality expressed by Sigmund Freud 1856-1939. The issue of censorship over literature was also a lot going on these days. Mills mentions that
France, Germany, and Italy are the safest country for works publishing of erotic literature. Therefore, many British writers who deliberately moved to the country
to publish their works. Then, Western literature is already accustomed to the presence of erotic literature as the author come from the already well-known
writers.
25
D. Eroticism Concept
Eroticism cannot be easily defined, before explaining about eroticism, first of all, writer need to explain about sex, sexual, and sexuality because each of
it connecting one another. Sex is the state of being male or female;
26
it is natural division of human in life. Sex is the main element that supports the intercourse between men and
women, it is very important; if sex does not exist we cannot continue to the next stage which called ‘sexual’.
Sexual is a matter or event between male and female biological relationship. Referring to Oxford Dictionary sexual is connected with the
physical activity of sex. Sexual is physical activity between men and women who is constituted by the libido
27
and aims to get enjoyment. Thus, sexual intercourse
25
Ibid , p.35
26
Ibid , p.21
27
Libido is human natural sexual desire.
