character, thought and language all need to be appropriate to each other ” p.
212. Based on this statement, a poet should modify the style e.g. action, character, thought, and language and tone to fit the subject matters in hisher
poem. Thus, the style fits hisher purpose in writing the poem. Simpson also adds that
“the style is also determined by the necessity to make the reader see and feel” p. 10. It means that the style should be appropriate to the speaker,
the circumstance, and the subject matter. In this study, this principle is used to clarify Matthew Sanders’ decorum in suiting “M.I.A.” song lyrics.
2. Theory of Poetry
Perrine 1969 states that “poetry is as universal as language and almost as
ancient” p. 3. While, Klarer 1999 states that “poetry is one of the oldest genres in literary history” p. 28. Based on those statements, poetry has existed
since long time ago. Therefore, it is difficult to define poetry into a single fixed definition due to its age. Klarer suggests that
“in spite of this long tradition, it is harder to define than any other genres” p. 28. Therefore, the researcher
searches some definitions of poetry in order to reach better understanding about what poetry is. Wordsworth as cited in Barnet, Berman, and Burto, 1963
defines poetry as “spontaneous overflow of powerful feelings” p. 306. Drew 1959 in Poetry: A Modern Guide to Its Understanding and Enjoyment states
that poetry is “the most concentrated and intense form of communication among the arts of language” p. 15. While, Perrine 1969 defines poetry as “a kind of
language that says more and says it more intensely than does ordinary language” p. 3. In short, poetry is a genre in literature that emphasizes the word-play as
its power in saying something. It means that the words written in poetry may have meaning other than their literal meaning as seen in dictionary.
Understanding poetry may be difficult since the words are applied beyond their literal meaning. To help understanding a work of poetry,
paraphrasing is needed. According to Kennedy and Gioia 1999, paraphrasing is a process “to map out clearly the key images, actions, and ideas” p. 665.
Further, Kennedy and Gioia add that “in paraphrasing, we put into our own words what we understand the poem to say, restating ideas that seem essential,
coming out and stating what the poem may only suggest” p. 652. Based on those statements, paraphrasing is an attempt the reveal the important things in a
poem in order to understand what the poet wants to say. However, Kennedy and Gioia 1999 note that “some people maintain that no poem can be truly
paraphrased”. It is reasonable since paraphrasing only tries to map the important things in a poem, not to re-create the full effect of a poem. Therefore, the result
of paraphrasing is only one interpretation among many others. Kennedy and Gioia 2002 classify poetry into three major categories:
lyric poetry, narrative poetry, and dramatic poetry. Those three major categories are described below:
a. Lyric Poetry
It is a short poem expressing the thoughts and feelings of a single speaker. Often, the poet will write a lyric in the first person, but not always. Instead,
a lyric might describe an object or recall an experience without the speaker’s
