of the ways is by using figurative language and many songwriters have made their works by using this style.
Figurative language is a way to express an idea or concept through the usage of language, but the used of figurative language can be interpreted differently by
many readers and also have more meanings than what is literally written in the lyric itself. For example the words “he runs for the ball like cheetah,” it means
that he runs so fast just like a cheetah. In figurative language, it means something difference than the literal meaning. That is why the figurative language is always
used in poetry and even in almost all kinds of literary works like drama, novel, and short story. Lyric in music can be analyzed as a poem. The elements that are
analyzed are not the music elements, but the lyric. The lyric is more a poetic manner than a form.
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In short, a song lyric can be analyzed as a poem through its elements such as figurative language that create more meanings, emotions, and
feelings. In this paper, I analyze the figurative language that is used in “Jesus of
Suburbia,” a song from Green Day, and the lyric is originally written by Billie Joe Armstrong. Green Day is a music group band formed in 1989. They are from
Rodeo, California. This band started with Billie Joe Armstrong and Mike Dirnt and in 1989, they were signing with the punk label Lookout and releasing 1989
EP
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1,000 hours with John Kiffmeyer. The next year, Tre Cool replaced John Kiffmeyer who wanted to focus with his studies and also in that year, two more
3
Robert DiYanni, Literature: Approaches to Fiction, Poetry, and Drama. New York: McGraw-Hill, 2004 p. 538
4
EP is an abbreviation for extended play of a record or a CD. https:en.oxforddictionaries.comdefinitionep
Accessed on Wed 16, December 2015. 20:47
EPs released. The controversial album, “American Idiot,” was released in 2004 and the album has a song called “Jesus of Suburbia”. This album considered as
controversial because it has strong critics about America in some of the lyrics, especially “American Idiot” and “Jesus of Suburbia” and uniquely, America was
in some trouble like poverty of the poor people and also the war with the middle east. There are so many critics about the American government and “Jesus of
Suburbia” seems to say it all through the perspective of a man and. In this song, there are so many figurative languages which can be analyzed in order to
understand the meanings and the contribution to know the theme of the song as well.
The lyric has many great messages. This song expresses a lot of things for certain purposes, and the lyric has different way in delivering the message. If we
read the lyric carefully, it has figurative languages used by the writer of the song. Although, this lyric contains familiar Green Day topics such as protest,
government, and justice, this song has something more different than any other of their songs. In this song, the writer stated the problems of America in that time,
precisely in 2004 when the album was released, the critics are related to the problems in that time. The writer stated and criticizes it through the long lyric.
The figurative language in the lyric may be help us to know another meaning of this lyric, because if we only read it literally, we will come to a result that the
meaning is just about someone. Therefore, I decide to analyze this lyric from the intrinsic elements of the lyric and by using the theory of poetry from Laurence
Perrine and Robert DiYanni for analyzing the figurative language and theme of the lyric.
B. The Focus of the Study
Based on the background of the study above, I focus on the analysis of figurative languages of the lyrics. I focus on finding the contribution of figurative
languages to build the meanings of the lyric and theme.
C. The Problem of the Study
I would like to discuss the problem of the thesis entitled “An Analysis on the figurative language of “Jesus of Suburbia” song lyric of Green Day. The
questions are: 1.
What kinds of the figurative language found in the lyric? 2.
What is the theme of the lyric and how the figurative languages contribute to the theme?
D. The Significance of the Study
1. The significance of the study is to find and describe the kinds of
figurative language. This research also explains about the theme and describes the figurative language in building the theme.
2. I hope that the result of this study gives many benefits to the literature
itself and also to the reader in case to enrich their knowledge about literature, and to increase the reader’s knowledge and information
especially about the lyric in “Jesus of Suburbia” by Green Day.
E. The Methodology of the Study
This research methodology consists of some important aspects of the research such as the method of the research, there are the method of the study, the
objective of the study, the technique data of analysis, the instrument of the study, the unit of analysis, and the time and place of the study. Research Methodology is
a way to systematically solve the research problem
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. It helps us to learn the step by step to do the research and it will also come along with the writer’s logic.
1. The Methods of the Study
Method of the study is also known as research methods. Research Methods refer to the behavior and instruments used in selecting and
constructing research technique.
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Based on the focus of the study, and the significance of the study, the method of the study is descriptive qualitative
research method and not the quantitative research which is used in the research that based on quantity. Qualitative research, on the other hand, is
concerned with qualitative phenomenon, i.e., phenomena relating to or involving quality or kind.
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Through descriptive qualitative method, I try to describe and explain the contents inside the lyrics using figurative language.
2. The Objective of the study
The objective of the study is also known as objective of research and it also means as the purpose of doing the research. The purpose of research is to
discover answers to question through the application of scientific procedures.
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C. R. Kothari, Research Methodology: Methods Techniques Second Revised Edition. New Age International P Limited, Publishers, 2004 p.8
6
Ibid p.7
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Ibid p.3
The main aim of research is to find out the truth which is hidden and which has not been discovered as yet.
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The objectives of the research are: 1 To know the kinds of figurative language used the lyric.
2 To explain the meanings and theme of the lyrics.
3. The Techniques of Data Analysis
The technique of data analysis is how we analyze the data from collecting the data first. This study begin with collecting the data from some
sources, reading related data, identifying the data, taking some notes, and analyzing the data.
4. The Instrument of the Study
The instrument of this research is the writer himself as the main instrument in collecting data through many ways such as collecting, reading,
identifying, and giving other important notes the data source.
5. The Unit of Analysis
The unit of analysis is taken from Green Day’s song entitled “Jesus of Suburbia” from the album American Idiot which is published in 2004.
6. The Time and Place of the Study
The place of the research is in English Letters Department, Faculty Adab and Humanities. The study time begins in 2015 to 2016. The research
begins with collecting data from some sources, and analysis result.
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Ibid p.2
