a new criticism study on personification metaphor, … · 2019. 5. 17. · poetry. poetry is the...

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The more you like yourself,

the less you are like anyone else,

which makes you unique.

- Walt Disney -


viii

For

my beloved parents, my dear husband,

my fabulous best friends, and for all

who never get tired of supporting me


ix

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

First of all, I want to send my gratitude to Allah SWT for giving me grace and

guidance so that I can finish writing this undergraduate thesis well. I also want to

send my gratitude to my father and mother who tirelessly encouraged me. I dedicate

the results of this effort to my beloved father and mother. I would also say thank you

to my husband, Bang Olliz, who always accompanied me staying up while snacking

late at night working on this undergraduate thesis. I also say thank you to my brothers

and sister, Mas Esan, Oman, Okim, 'Ayni, and Dauz, for their greatest support in my

life.

Furthermore, I want to send my gratitude to my academic advisors, FX.

Risang Baskara, M.Hum. and Dr. Bernardine Ria Lestari for giving me

encouragement to be a better person. Then, I also want to send my gratitude to my

thesis advisor, A.B. Sri Mulyani, M.A., Ph.D., for her patience in giving guidance

and assisting in writing this undergraduate thesis, so I can finish it well. I would

thank my co-advisor, Drs. Hirmawan Wijanarka, M.Hum., for all corrections and

suggestions given to me in order to improve the writing of my undergraduate thesis.

Last but not least, I want to say thank you to my friends of Geng Micin:

Vatma, Putri, Ayu, Mitha, and Widi who always brighten my days during my college

life. Without you, my college life feels boring. Finally, I also thank the parties that I

cannot mention one by one who have helped me in the process of completing this

undergraduate thesis. May Allah SWT repay all of your kindness.


x

TABLE OF CONTENTS

TITLE PAGE ........................................................................................... ii APPROVAL PAGE ................................................................................. iii ACCEPTANCE PAGE ............................................................................ iv STATEMENT OF ORIGINALITY ....................................................... v LEMBAR PERNYATAAN PERSETUJUAN PUBLIKASI KARYA ILMIAH ....................................................................................... vi MOTTO PAGE ........................................................................................ vii DEDICATION PAGE .............................................................................. viii ACKNOWLEDGMENTS ....................................................................... ix TABLE OF CONTENTS ......................................................................... x LIST OF TABLES ................................................................................... xii ABSTRACT .............................................................................................. xiii ABSTRAK .................................................................................................. xiv CHAPTER I: INTRODUCTION ........................................................... 1

A. Background of the Study ................................................................ 1 B. Problem Formulation ..................................................................... 3 C. Objectives of the Study .................................................................. 3 D. Definition Terms ............................................................................ 3

CHAPTER II: REVIEW OF LITERATURE ....................................... 4 A. Review of Related Studies ............................................................. 4 B. Review of Related Theories ........................................................... 7

1. Personification ......................................................................... 7 2. Metaphor .................................................................................. 8 3. Simile ....................................................................................... 9 4. Denotative and Connotative Meaning ...................................... 10 5. New Criticism Study ................................................................ 11

C. Theoretical Framework .................................................................. 14

CHAPTER III: METHODOLOGY ....................................................... 17 A. Object of the Study ........................................................................ 17 B. Approach of the Study ................................................................... 19 C. Method of the Study ....................................................................... 19

CHAPTER IV: ANALYSIS RESULTS AND DISCUSSIONS ......................................................................................... 22

A. The Explication of Smith’s “Yonosa House” ................................ 22 1. The Text .................................................................................. 23 2. The Summary .......................................................................... 24


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3. The Form ................................................................................. 25 4. The Language .......................................................................... 32

B. Uncovering Personification, Metaphor, and Simile Presented in Smith’s “Yonosa House” ............................................ 36 1. Personification ......................................................................... 36 2. Metaphor .................................................................................. 45 3. Simile ....................................................................................... 46

C. The Overall Meaning of Smith’s “Yonosa House” Based on Personification, Metaphor, and Simile Presented in it ................................................................................. 49 1. Meaning by Personification .................................................... 49 2. Meaning by Metaphor ............................................................. 50 3. Meaning by Simile .................................................................. 50 4. Meaning by Personification, Metaphor, and

Simile ....................................................................................... 51

CHAPTER V: CONCLUSION ............................................................... 52

REFERENCES ......................................................................................... 54

APPENDIX ............................................................................................... 57

Smith’s “Yonosa House” Summary Table .......................................... 57


xii

LIST OF TABLES

No. Table Page

1. Table 1. List of Alliteration .............................................................. 29 2. Table 2. List of Assonance ................................................................ 29 3. Table 3. List of Consonance ............................................................. 30 4. Table 4. List of Personification ........................................................ 32 5. Table 5. List of Metaphor ................................................................. 33 6. Table 6. List of Simile ...................................................................... 33 7. Table 7. List of Visual Imagery ........................................................ 34 8. Table 8. List of Auditory Imagery .................................................... 34 9. Table 9. List of Olfactory Imagery ................................................... 35 10. Table 10. List of Tactile Imagery ..................................................... 35 11. Table 11. List of Subjective Imagery ............................................... 35 12. Table 12. List of Symbols ................................................................. 35


xiii

ABSTRACT

KHASANAH, USWATUN. (2019). A New Criticism Study on Personification, Metaphor, and Simile in Smith’s “Yonosa House”. Yogyakarta: Department of English Letters, Faculty of Letters, Universitas Sanata Dharma.

“Yonosa House” is a poem that tells about the life of an old woman of

Tuscarora (American Indian), Yonosa. It describes Yonosa as a strong woman who keeps the tradition of her ethnic. The researcher’s reason for choosing Smith’s “Yonosa House” is to find personification, metaphor, and simile as shown in the poem. Moreover, it can be used to analyze the overall meaning of the poem.

From the problem formulation of this study, there are two objectives of the study. The first is to find out personification, metaphor, and simile presented in Smith’s “Yonosa House”. The second is to find the overall meaning of Smith’s “Yonosa House” based on personification, metaphor, and simile presented in it.

Furthermore, in the analysis the researcher uses two kinds of resources, the primary and secondary source. The main source is the poem “Yonosa House” written by Smith. The secondary sources are the references from books, articles, and sites from internet that support the analysis. Related to the focus of the study, the researcher uses New Criticism to help the analysis. Thus, the researcher applies four theories to answer the problem formulation such as theory of personification, metaphor, simile, and connotative and denotative meaning.

This study concludes that based on the analysis of the personification, metaphor, and simile in Smith’s “Yonosa House”, the overall meaning of the poem is about the body of Yonosa, a grandmother, that houses all the things worth living for, the values that she shares for her descendants and the people of the tribe: artistry, craftsmanship, loving activity, attunements to nature, living out the mythologies, and being at one with culture and history.

Keywords: personification, metaphor, simile, Yonosa House


xiv

ABSTRAK

KHASANAH, USWATUN. (2019). A New Criticism Study on Personification, Metaphor, and Simile in Smith’s “Yonosa House”. Yogyakarta: Program Studi Sastra Inggris, Fakultas Sastra, Universitas Sanata Dharma. "Yonosa House" adalah sebuah puisi yang menceritakan tentang kehidupan seorang wanita tua Tuscarora (Indian Amerika), Puisi tersebut menggambarkan bahwa Yonosa adalah wanita yang kuat yang menjaga tradisi etnisnya. Alasan peneliti untuk memilih "Yonosa House" milik Smith adalah untuk menemukan personifikasi, metafora, dan simile seperti yang ditunjukkan dalam puisi itu. Selain itu, hal tersebut dapat digunakan untuk menganalisis makna puisi secara keseluruhan.

Dari rumusan masalah penelitian ini, ada dua tujuan dilaksanakannya penelitian ini. Yang pertama adalah untuk menemukan personifikasi, metafora, dan perumpamaan yang disajikan dalam “Yonosa House” Smith. Yang kedua adalah menemukan makna keseluruhan "Yonosa House" milik Smith berdasarkan personifikasi, metafora, dan perumpamaan yang disajikan di dalamnya.

Selanjutnya, dalam analisisnya peneliti menggunakan dua jenis sumber, sumber primer dan sekunder. Sumber utamanya adalah puisi “Yonosa House" yang ditulis oleh Smith. Sumber sekundernya adalah referensi dari buku, artikel, dan situs dari internet yang mendukung analisis. Terkait dengan fokus penelitian, peneliti menggunakan pendekatan New Criticism untuk membantu analisis. Dengan demikian, peneliti menerapkan empat teori untuk menjawab rumusan masalah seperti teori personifikasi, metafora, simile, dan makna konotatif dan denotatif.

Studi ini menyimpulkan bahwa berdasarkan analisis personifikasi, metafora, dan simile dalam “Yonosa House” milik Smith, makna keseluruhan puisi itu adalah tentang tubuh Yonosa, seorang nenek, yang menampung semua hal yang layak untuk dijalani, nilai-nilai yang ia ajarkan kepada keturunan serta orang-orang di sukunya: kesenian, keahlian, aktivitas penuh kasih, penyesuaian dengan alam, menghayati mitologi, dan menyatu dengan budaya dan sejarah. Kata kunci: personifikasi, metafora, simile, Yonosa House


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CHAPTER I

INTRODUCTION

A. Background of the Study

Literature is something in printed-form that people can read, enjoy,

appreciate, and even criticize it (Wellek & Warren, 1992, p. 20). Literature is usually

the product of a mysterious inner compulsion combined with fully conscious

discipline (Hogins, 1975, p. 28). Literature has form, beauty in expression, and

intellectual as well as emotional appeal (Hogins, 1975, p. 28). Therefore, literature

can be described as works that contain aesthetic qualities.

The genre of literature is enormously varied. One of examples of literature is

poetry. Poetry is the process of creating a literary work by using imagery, figurative

language, and forms (Parini, 1987, p. 2). Moreover, the result of the process is called

poem.

To read a poem well, to enjoy it, and to judge its worth fairly is no mean feat. Poetry is demanding, and those who would learn to read it well must pay close attention to the words on the page, their full meaning and context (Parini, 1987, p. 2) A poem entitled “Yonosa House” is a poem that tells about the life of an old

woman of Tuscarora (American Indian), Yonosa. Yonosa is illustrated as a strong

woman who keeps the tradition of her ethnic.

The researcher’s reason for choosing Smith’s “Yonosa House” is to find

personification, metaphor, and simile as shown in the poem. The personification,


2

metaphor, and simile are parts of figurative language. Figurative language relies on

the coexistence of meanings, that is, the incongruity of meaning in two layers, one is

literal, and the other is pretense (Jay, 2003, p. 325). Personification allows physical

object to be specified as being a human (Lakoff & Johnson, 2003, p. 33). Parini

(1987) explains that metaphor is a comparison that suggests that one thing is similar

to another (p. 36). Moreover, if the word like is actually used, the comparison is

called simile (Parini, 1987, p. 36).

In this study, the researcher uses New Criticism to do the analysis of Smith’s

“Yonosa House”. New Criticism focuses only to the literary work itself to find its

meaning. According to New Criticism, people should look at the ways in which a

text’s literary language operates to create a complex meaning that can stand on its

own as an object of art (Tyson, 2011, p. 39). In New Criticism, unity is considered as

the prominent quality of a literary text. When a text has unity, what it means cannot

be separated from how it means (Tyson, 2011, p. 43). By selecting New Criticism to

study on personification, metaphor, and simile as the main topic, the researcher

believes that this research can be used not only by readers but also all learners in

understanding the meanings and messages of the poem. Furthermore, by

understanding every line of the poem, readers will get the meaning of the poem

easier. This research also can be helpful for other researchers who have similar

interest, especially in analyzing personification, metaphor, and simile.


3

B. Problem Formulation

Based on the aims of the study, the problem formulation is formulated as

follows:

1. What are personification, metaphor, and simile presented in Smith’s “Yonosa

House”?

2. What is the poem’s overall meaning based on personification, metaphor, and

simile presented in Smith’s “Yonosa House”?

C. Objectives of the Study

The aim of the study is to find out personification, simile, and metaphors in

Smith's “Yonosa House”. Moreover, it helps to find the overall meaning of the poem

as the personification, simile, and metaphor found.

D. Definition of Terms

There are some terms need to be explained in analyzing Smith's “Yonosa

House” to avoid misunderstanding and give clear explanation. The terms are

personification, metaphor, and simile.

A personification allows physical object to be specified as being a human

(Lakoff & Johnson, 2003, p. 33). Parini (1987) describes metaphor as a comparison

that suggests that one thing is similar to another (p. 36). Moreover, if the word like is

actually used, the comparison is called simile (Parini, 1987, p. 36).


4

CHAPTER II

REVIEW OF LITERATURE

A. Review of Related Studies

The present study discusses about a poem entitled “Yonosa House” written by

Smith. Since there is no single study that discuss about the work of Smith’s “Yonosa

House”, therefore the researcher chooses related studies that have similarities with the

present study in the matter of the topic and approach used. In this chapter, the

researcher uses three previous studies that apply the theory of figurative language,

denotative meaning, and connotative meaning in finding the meaning of particular

literary work. All the studies have different object of studies, but similar aims with

the present study, which are analyze a literary work and find the meaning of the

literary work. Thus, the three related studies are an undergraduate thesis conducted by

Listiani, a journal article conducted by Hayani, and a journal article conducted by

Yazdani.

The first related study is an undergraduate thesis conducted by Listiani in

2015. The title of the study is “An Analysis of Figurative Language Found on the

Song Lyric by Taylor Swift’s “Speak Now” Album”. The research problems of the

study are about the application of figurative language and its meaning in Taylor

Swift’s Speak Now album which contains 14 songs. The researcher uses two

approaches such as descriptive qualitative approach and the theory of figurative

language by Potter and Kennedy. The researcher finds 11 types of figurative


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language. The most used type in the album based on her study is hyperbole. The

second type that is used the most is simile. Furthermore, the researcher finds 10

symbols, 8 personifications, 4 metaphors, 2 synecdoches, and 2 oxynomorons in her

analysis of Taylor Swift’s Speak Now album.

The second related study is a journal article conducted by Hayani. The title of

the study is ”Figurative Language on Maya Angelou Selected Poetries” compiled in

Script Journal Volume 1, Issue 2, October 2016. This study aimed to find out the

kinds of figurative language in the five selected poetries of Maya Angelou, the titles

are: Alone, Caged Bird, Old Folks Laugh, Phenomenal Woman, Still I Rise. The focus

of this study is figurative language which involves metaphor, personification,

hyperbole, simile, metonymy, synecdoche, irony, antithesis, symbolism, and paradox.

Qualitative approach with design of content analysis was used in this study.

The result of her study showed there were 40 sentences containing figurative

language in five selected poetries of Maya Angelou. They were: metaphor (13

sentences), personification (9 sentences), hyperbole (1 sentence), simile (8 sentences),

synecdoche (1 sentence), antithesis (1 sentence), symbolism (5 sentences), and

paradox (2 sentences). The researcher conclude, if the figurative language used by

Angelou to compare, or even symbolize the sentences to bring the meaning come up

with beautiful language. Mostly of her poetries told about her experience in the past

that rooted to history of the discrimination of American-African.

The third related study is a journal article conducted by Yazdani in 2011. The

title of the study is “The Use of Metaphors in Poetry and Organization Theory”


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compiled in Iranian Journal of Management Studies, 4(2),63-78. The article

reinforces the views of contemporary writers of organization theory that the field

draws from multiple and diverse disciplines by highlighting the link between

organization theory and poetry through employing metaphoricity. The language of

poetry according to P. B. Shelley “is vitally metaphorical; that is, it marks the before

unapprehended relations of things and perpetuates their apprehensions”. This means

metaphors create new meanings and insights. They are used as a tool for revitalizing

the language. By recreating through employing metaphors the poet also restores

something old, ancient and lost (Hirsch as cited in Yazdani, 1999, p.14).

The approach that is used in this article is New Criticism approach that

focused on metaphor theory and organization theory. Thus, the discussion highlights

that both in poetry and organization theory, the metaphors have the theoretical and

practical potential to compare and contrast the ‘source’ (abstraction) with the ‘target’

(the actual organizational or social reality).

The present study of Smith’s “Yonosa House” is different from the previous

studies. The first difference is the object of the study. The second one is what the

researcher analyzes after finding the figurative language used in the poem such as

personification, metaphor, and simile. The analysis explains the whole meanings of

the poem based on the personification, metaphor, and simile presented in the poem.


7

B. Review of Related Theories

There are some theories from some experts, books and journals resources in

the process of conducting this study. The researcher chooses five theories which are

connected to this research such as theory of personification, metaphor, simile,

denotative and connotative meaning, and New Criticism study.

1. Personification

Personification allows objects or things which are nonhuman entities to be

described as if they are alive and acting like human (Lakoff & Johnson, 2003, p. 33).

It is really a subtype of metaphor, an implied comparison in which the figurative term

of the comparison is always a human being (Arp & Johnson, 2009, p. 708). For

example, inflation is eating up our profits – that means the speaker is experiencing a

loss because of the inflation. This shows the inflation that actually is a nonhuman

entity is described as if it is able to do human activity which is eating. That

expression is classified as personification as a nonhuman entity has the ability to do

an activity like a person does (Lakoff & Johnson, 2003, pp. 33-34).

Personification differs in the degree to which it asks the reader actually to

visualize the literal term in human form (Arp & Johnson, 2009, p. 708). Arp and

Johnson (2009) give example autumn is sitting careless on a granary floor (p. 708). It

shows that the season is personified. The readers are asked to make a complete

identification of autumn with a human being (Arp & Johnson, 2009, p. 708). Then, in

the expression the startled little waves, a personification is barely suggested. Arp and

Johnson (2009) explain, the readers would make a mistake if they tried to visualize


8

the waves in human form or even, really, to think of them as having human emotions

(p. 708).

Abrams (1999) defines personification as inanimate object or an abstract

concept is spoken as though it were endowed with life or with human attributes or

feelings (compare pathetic fallacy) (p. 99). Abrams (1999) gives examples of

personification such as sky lowered, muttering thunder, and sad drops (p. 99). Those

personification show that the sky, thunder, and drops act as if they are able to do

human activities such as lowering, muttering, and being sad. In such a way, the

expressions are classified as personification.

2. Metaphor

Metaphor is a device of the poetic imagination and the rethorical flourish—a

matter of extraordinary rather than ordinary language (Lakoff & Johnson, 2003, p. 3).

In a metaphor, a word or expression that in literal usage denotes one kind of thing is

applied to a distinctly different kind of thing, without asserting a comparison

(Abrams, 1999, p. 97). Jay (2003) mentions that a metaphor makes an implicit

comparison between two concepts (p. 315). Through metaphor, the abstract and

confusing can be made more concrete and meaningful (Jay, 2003, p. 316). Thus, it

can be said that metaphor facilitates understanding.

One of metaphorical expressions in everyday language is ‘time is money’

(Lakoff & Johnson, 2003, p. 7). Jay (2003) explains that ‘time’ is difficult to be

understood because it has no concrete physical or spatial reality (p. 316). Time is

portrayed as a valuable commodity (Lakoff & Johnson, 2003, p. 8). Lakoff and


9

Johnson (2003) also mention that time is a limited resource that people use to

accomplish their goals (p. 8).

In our culture TIME IS MONEY in many ways: telephone message units, hourly wages, hotel room rates, yearly budgets, interest on loans, and paying your debt to society by “serving time”. These practices are relatively new in the history of the human race, and by no means do they exist in all cultures. They have arisen in modern industrialized societies and structure our basic everyday activities in a very profound way. Corresponding to the fact that we act as if time is a valuable commodity—a limited resource, even money—we conceive of time that way. Thus we understand and experience time as kind of thing that can be spent, wasted, budgeted, invested wisely or poorly, saved, or squandered (Lakoff & Johnson, 2003, p. 8).

3. Simile

Jay (2003) mentions that a simile makes an explicit comparison between two

concepts (p. 313). Usually, it uses like or as in comparing the two concepts (Jay,

2003, p. 315). Moreover, Arp and Johnson mention that besides like and as,

sometimes simile also uses word or phrase such as than, similar to, resembles, or

seems to compare things that essentially unlike (Arp & Johnson, 2009, p. 705).

Cigarettes are like a time bombs is one of expressions uses simile (Jay, 2003,

p. 316). The expression relates the understanding of one thing (cigarettes) to another

(time bombs) (Jay, 2003, 316). In fact, both cigarettes and time bombs are unlike

things. Nevertheless, they share certain similarity. Cigarettes are known that it is not

good for health. People who smoke cigarettes in a long period have big risks of lung

disease, heart disease, stroke, asthma, diabetes, and other chronic diseases. Thus,

smoking cigarettes can cause health to decline that leads to chronic diseases easily.


10

The worse, this can lead to death anytime. It can be said that excessive smoking

cigarettes looks like counting down the coming of death.

This condition is similar with time bombs. Time bombs are equipped with a

countdown device. It will explode when the time is up and it can kill people if it

explodes near the crowd. Thus, cigarettes and time bombs share similarity in

approaching or causing damage that leads to death.

4. Denotative and Connotative Meaning

In communication, people use two ways to interact each other which are

denotative and connotative way. Denotative is the literal meaning that is used when

people write, say, or deliver their messages. People say directly what they actually

want to say. Meanwhile, in connotative way, people do not directly write or say what

they want. There must be messages, implied meanings, or something behind

sentences or utterances. In this research, the researcher analyzes what are the

meanings behind the selected poem, Smith’s “Yonosa House”. Thus, it is important

to understand the difference between denotative and connotative and to understand

definition and how the concepts are used.

Jay (2003) mentions a word’s meaning in terms of its literal meaning or

denotation is actually similar with what people might find in a dictionary (p. 99).

Besides, words also have emotional overtones or connotations (Jay, 2003, p. 99).

Each denotation has a different connotation (Jay, 2003, p. 99).

Furthermore, Arp and Johnson (2009) give example of denotation and

connotation by word home (p. 674). The word home, for instance, by denotation


11

means only a place where one lives, but by connotation it suggests security, love,

comfort, and family (Arp & Johnson, 2009, p. 674). Another example, the words

childlike and childish both mean “characteristic of a child”, but childlike suggests

meekness, innocence, and wide-eyed wonder, while childish suggests pettiness,

willfulness, and temper tantrums (Arp & Johnson, 2009, p. 674).

Arp and Johnsons (2003) mention that connotation is very important in

poetry, for it is one of the means by which the poet can concentrate or enrich meaning

–say more in fewer words (p. 674).

5. New Criticism Study

According to New Criticism, we should look at the ways in which a text’s

literary language operates to create a complex meaning that can stand on its own as

an object of art (Tyson, 2011, p. 39). Some notable members who apply New

Criticism are John Crow Ransom, William Empson, T. S. Eliot, Allen Tate, I. A.

Richards, Cleanth Brooks, and Kenneth Burke (Hogins, 1975, p. 889). Hogins (1975)

states that most of these critics have concentrated on the criticism of poetry, but

Kenneth Burke has gone on to construct an entire philosophy of language and usage

(p. 889).

The New Critics sought precision and structural tightness in the literary work; they favored a style and tone that tended toward irony; they insisted on the presence within the work of everything necessary for its analysis; and they called for an end to a concern by critics and teachers of English with matters outside the work itself—the life of the author, the history of her or his times, or the social and economic implications of the literary work. In short, they turned the attention of teachers, students, critics, and readers to the essential matter: what the work says and how it says it as inseparable issues (Guerin et al, 2011, p. 79).


12

Perharps the most important recent school of criticism—and the one that has

produced the greatest number of influential critics—is New Criticism (Hogins, 1975,

p. 888). By the 1950s, New Criticism had become the dominant critical system in

such influential journals as Sewanee Review, The Kenyon Review, The Southern

Review, and The Hudson Review and in college and university English departments

(Guerin et al, 2011, p. 79). Furthermore, Hogins (1975) states that New Criticism

believes in appraising each work without regard to its origin or social value (p. 888).

It means that New Criticism is concerned only with the intrinsic worth of the work

itself such as style, language, structure, meter, and metaphor; they discuss the purpose

and effectiveness of the devices used and the levels of meaning and symbolism

(Hogins, 1975, pp. 888-889).

Just as a great painting is a complex art object made of a unique combination

of paints on canvas, a literary text is a complex art object made of language (Tyson,

2011, p. 39). Therefore, in order to understand a literary text, we need to understand

the complex workings of the unique combination of words—and other literary

devices, or techniques—of which it is made (Tyson, 2011, p. 39). We can begin to

apply New Criticism by asking such question as: What reality or experience does the

selection try to communicate? What methods or devices are used? Are they effective?

How well does the work succeed in communicating the experience? (Hogins, 1975, p.

889). In fact, New Criticism insists on textual evidence (Tyson, 2011, p. 40). Thus, an

effective way to deepen our appreciation of literature and improve our ability to

interpret it is by gaining a more thorough knowledge of how to analyze textual


13

evidence—of how to analyze the language of which a literary text is made (Tyson,

2011, p. 39).

Moreover, New Criticism has four basic concepts to support the literary

interpretation such as theme, formal elements, unity, and close reading and textual

evidence. New Criticism believes that a great literary work has a theme that

contributes to our understanding of what it means to be human (Tyson, 2011, p. 41).

Theme refers to the content of a literary work—what the work means, while form

refers to the literary devices and language, or formal elements, used to get that

meaning across (Tyson, 2011, p. 41). The literary devices are important to get the

understanding of how literary work communicates its theme (Tyson, 2011, p. 41).

Later on, Tyson (2011) states that some of the literary devices that can be found in a

literary text are tension, ambiguity, imagery, symbol, metaphor, and simile (pp. 41-

43).

New Criticism considered unity, or what they called organic unity, the most

important quality of literary text (Tyson, 2011, p. 43). A text has unity when its

theme and formal elements work together as an inseparable whole (Tyson, 2011, p.

41). Then, the last basic concept of New Criticism as mentioned by Tyson is close

reading and textual evidence. Close reading consists of careful attention to every

aspect of a literary work, including and especially to the text’s formal elements

(Tyson, 2011, p. 44). It is done to accurately and meaningfully interpret the text: to

determine the text’s theme, as we see it, and to show how all the characters, plot

events, settings, images, and other formal elements contribute to that theme (Tyson,


14

2011, p. 44). Moreover, close reading is how people provide thorough, detailed

textual evidence to support the interpretation of a literary text (Tyson, 2011, p. 44).

In the final analysis by applying New Criticism, people will have to learn to

make their own judgments. As Auden says:

The one thing I most emphatically do not ask of a critic is that he tell me what. I ought to approve of or condemn. I have no objection to his telling me what works and authors he likes and dislikes; indeed, it is useful to know this for, from his expressed preferences about works which I have read, I learn how likely I am to agree or disagree with his verdicts on works which I have not. But let him not dare to lay down the law to me. The responsibility for what I choose to read is mean, and nobody else on earth can do it for me (Hogins, 1975, p. 891).

C. Theoretical Framework

The focus of the study is to uncover personification, simile, and metaphors in

Smith's “Yonosa House”. Moreover, it helps to find the overall meaning of the poem

as the personification, simile, and metaphor found. In this section, the researcher

discusses the theories that have been mentioned previously and their contribution in

answering the research questions in the previous chapter. The first question concerns

on personification, metaphor and simile that presented in Smith’s “Yonosa House”.

The second question concerns on the poem’s overall meaning based on

personification, metaphor, and simile as presented in the poem. Moreover, the

researcher applies the theory of personification, metaphor, and simile to answer the

first research question.

The theory of personification used is taken from Lakoff and Johnson. The

theory of personification is required to determine which one of the expressions in the


15

poem that convey connotative meaning about nonhuman objects are described as if it

has human characteristics. Furthermore, the theory of metaphor used is also taken

from Lakoff and Johnson. The theory of metaphor is required to determine which one

of expressions in the poem that convey connotative meaning about the comparison

between two things. Meanwhile, the theory of simile used is taken from Jay. Simile

is part of metaphor. Thus, the theory of simile is almost similar with the theory of

metaphor. The theory of simile is required to determine which one of expressions in

the poem that convey connotative meaning about the comparison between two things

by using the word ‘like’ or ‘as’. New Criticism taken from Tyson is applied in finding

the all personification, metaphor, and simile in the poem.

After that, the researcher answers the second research question about the

poem’s overall meaning of Smith’s “Yonosa House”. The researcher applies the

theory of denotative and connotative meaning by Arp and Johnson to find the

meaning of the poem. The theories of denotative and connotative meaning are

required to find the actual meaning of the expressions in the poem.

The theoretical framework to study based on the review in the proceeding

sections is synthesized and displayed in the following figure:ons is synthesized


16

The theoretical framework to study based on the review in the proceeding

sections is synthesized and displayed in the following figure:ons is synthesized and

displayed in the following figure:

Figure 1. The Theoretical Framework

Types of figurative

language:

Personification

Metaphor

Simile

Theories from Lakoff and

Johnson (1980)

Theories from Jay (2003)

Poem

Smith’s

“Yonosa

House”

Denotative and

connotative meaning

Theories from Arp and

Johnson (2003)


17

CHAPTER III

METHODOLOGY

A. Object of the Study

Smith’s “Yonosa House” is the object of the present study. The poet, Smith,

wrote “Yonosa House” when he was in graduate school, on a wintry Saturday

evening in Boone, N. C., in 1975, before he rode his little Yamaha to sit in the sound

booth of the local theater and eat popcorn while talking about Chaucer with the

projectionist as a congregation of costumers watched the late night movie. It was

published shortly afterward by Sanskrit, the magazine at UNCC, where he had taken

his undergraduate degree in philosophy in 1969, little thinking of his Native

American lineage or of the fairly folksy ways he had adopted as near-feral child in

Griffin, Georgia. Joe Bruchac republished it in his anthology Songs from the Turtle’s

Back, and before long it had weaseled its way into Norton’s New Worlds of Literature

and then into their Literature of the American South.

Smith included “Yonosa House” in his initial volume, Waking Under Snow

which is basically his M. A. thesis from Appalachian State University, but he has also

included it in The Cardinal Heart (Livingston University, 1991) and Split the Lark:

Selected Poems (Salmon Publishing/ Ireland, 1999). Smith’s “Yonosa House” is a

poem about a grandmother called “Yonosa House” who teaches her grandchild,

phrases which represent or address what people enthusiastically call “the natural

world”, which owes not a little romantic constructions and literary projections, but


18

which still insists on thingness, on beings whose beauty, at least, is linked to their

capacity to surprise people. Yonosa, like so many of her survival skills (and naming

things correctly is not the least of these), resists absorption into a culture that would

declare her woodcraft obsolete. And yet the grandchild embraces the carving, the

litany, the seemingly secular communion. The grandchild accepts the premise that

“the mountain is holy”, perharps that is “holier” than the Baptist churchyard.

R. T. Smith was born in Washington, D. C., in 1947, and he was raised in

Georgia and North Carolina. He is the author of numerous poetry collections,

including In the Night Orchard: New and Selected Poems (Texas Review Press,

2014) and Outlaw Style (University of Arkansas Press, 2007) and Messenger

(Louisiana State University Press, 2001), which both received a Library of Virginia

Annual Literary Award. He is also the author of the short story collection Faith

(River City Publishing, 1995), and he co-edited Common Wealth: Contemporary

Poets of Virginia (University of Virginia Press, 2003) with Sarah Kennedy.

Smith has received fellowships and grants from Arts International, the

National Endowment for the Arts, and the Virginia Commission for the Arts, and in

2013 he received the Carole Weinstein Prize in Poetry from the Library of Virginia.

He has previously taught at Appalachian State University and Auburn University,

where he co-edited Southern Humanities Review. He currently serves as the writer-in-

residence at Washington and Lee University, where he edits Shenandoah.

In this research, the book where the poem “Yonosa House” compiled that the

researcher uses is R.T. Smith Greatest Hits: 1975—2001 written by R.T. Smith,


19

published in 2002. The researcher reason in choosing this book is because it is the

latest poetry collections written and compiled by Smith that republish “Yonosa

House”. The book consists of 37 pages. Moreover, the poem “Yonosa House” is in

the page 13. The poem consists of 30 lines of 5 stanzas.

B. Approach of the Study

In analyzing Smith’s “Yonosa House”, the researcher applies New Criticism

as the basis of the analysis. New Criticism is used to find the intrinsic elements of

literary work without any influence outside the literary work itself. This approach

leads to find the interpretation towards the intricacy of a literary work. The researcher

uses New Criticism to find out certain figurative languages presented in Smith’s

“Yonosa House” that later on it helps the researcher find the overall meaning of the

poem.

By using this approach, the researcher finds out how New Criticism becomes

the most suitable approach for the study, because New Criticism makes the researcher

focus only to the poem in order to make a detail analysis towards the poem. Thus,

New Criticism helps the development of the analysis reveal the unity of meaning of

Smith’s “Yonosa House” based on figurative languages presented in it.

C. Method of the Study

This study is based on library research for the sources of this study are books,

journals, and articles in the form either printed or not printed from library and


20

internet. The data is combined to help the analysis of the study that finally it is

written into an undergraduate thesis. The primary source of the study is the poem

Smith’s “Yonosa House” compiled in R.T. Smith Greatest Hits: 1975—2001 written

by R.T. Smith. Moreover, the secondary sources that become the most important

sources in this study are Lakoff and Johnson’s Methapors We Live By, Jay’s The

Psychology of Language, Arp and Johnson’s Literature Structure, Sound, and Sense,

Tyson’s Using Critical Theory, Guerin et al’s A Handbook of Critical Approaches to

Literature, and Parini’s An Invitation to Poetry.

Furthermore, there are some steps taken in the analysis. The first step was

close reading towards the poem of Smith’s “Yonosa House” as the primary object of

the study for several times to gain understanding about the poem and to find the main

data that related with the research. In analyzing the problem of the study, the

researcher focused in figurative languages presented in the poem. The second step,

the researcher formulated some questions based on the part that the writer interested

most. To help providing the answer of the problem formulation, the researcher used

some theories from several books after collecting the data from the primary source.

The third step was answer the first problem formulation, what are

personification, metaphor, and simile presented in Smith’s “Yonosa House” by using

the theory of figurative language. Then, from the evidences of all data that the

researcher had to answer the first problem formulation, the researcher found the key

point to answer the last problem formulation. The researcher analyzed the overall

meaning of Smith’s “Yonosa House” based on figurative languages found in the


21

poem. The last step of the analysis, the researcher draw a conclusion based on the

result of the research from the chapter one until chapter four.


22

CHAPTER IV

ANALYSIS

Before analyzing the two questions in problem formulation, the researcher

provides the explication of the poem Smith’s “Yonosa House” in the first subchapter.

The explication consists of the text, summary, the form, and language used in the

poem in order to get insightful thought about the unity of the poem that later on it

helps to facilitate answering the two questions of problem formulation. In the second

subchapter, it is about the analysis of personification, metaphor, and simile found in

Smith’s “Yonosa House”. Then, in the third subchapter, it is about the analysis of the

overall meaning of Smith’s “Yonosa House” in relation with personification,

metaphor, and simile presented in the poem.

A. The Explication of Smith’s “Yonosa House”

This part is divided into four subparts. The first subpart aims to reveal the text

of the poem Smith’s “Yonosa House”. The poem consists of 5 stanzas. There are 6

lines in the first stanza, 10 lines in the second stanza, 4 lines in the third stanza, 8

lines in the forth stanza, and 2 lines in the fifth stanza. Overall, the poem has 30 lines

from the first stanza until the last stanza. The second subpart aims to summarize the

poem as a whole. The summary is useful to gain well-understanding about the matters

mentioned in the poem. The third subpart aims to reveal the form of the poem. Then,

the forth subpart aims to reveal the language of the poem.


23

1. The Text

Yonosa House

She stroked molten tones From the heart-carved dulcimer And sat like a stately sack of bones Withered within coarse skin, Rocking to corn chants, snake 5 Songs, the music of passing seasons.

Her old woman’s Tuscarora hair Hung like waxed flax ready to spin Till she wove and knotted it To lie like ropes on her shoulders. 10 Through my young mind she wove The myths of her race In fevered patterns, feather colors: Sound of snow, kiss of rock, The feel of bruised birch bark, 15 The call of the circling hawk.

Her knotted hands showing slow blue rivers Trembled through cornbread frying, Pressed fern patterns on butter pats, Brewed sassafras tea in the hearth. 20

They buried Yonosa in a deerskin skirt, Ribbons and braids, but featherless. I cut hearts in her coffin lid, Wind-slain maple like the dulcimer. The mountain was holy enough for her. 25 We kept our word and raised no stone. She sank like a root into Georgia clay. No Baptist chruchyard caught her bones.

I thank her hands when the maples turn. I hear her voice in the thrush’s song. 30


24

2. The Summary

The poem of Smith’s “Yonosa House” dramatizes the conflict between

appearance and reality, particularly as this conflict relates to what the speaker (I)

seems to say and what I really says. The speaker looks at his or her grandma named

Yonosa and explains that she is such an inspiring person. In the first stanza, the

speaker notes that Yonosa loves music, and then points to several specific objects

such as “tones, dulcimer, chants, songs, and music” (1-6). After describing one of

Yonosa’s favorite things, in the second stanza he asserts that Yonosa likes to share

the mythologies of the tribe who lives close to nature by mentioning several natural

objects like “feather, snow, rock, birch bark, and hawk” (13-16).

Moreover, in the third stanza, the speaker illustrates that Yonosa likes doing

activities in the kitchen, and he mentions several things in the kitchen such as

“cornbread frying, butter pats, and sassafras tea” (18-20). After describing of all

Yonosa does, that actually reveals the speaker’s deep feeling of loving his grandma,

in the forth stanza, the speaker notes the burial of Yonosa after her death. Finally, in

the fifth stanza, the speaker sends his gratitude for Yonosa at last for everything she

taught for the speaker during her lifetime. The speaker seems to say simply that

Yonosa houses anything the speaker needs for life, especially her lore and exemplary.

However, the poem begins with several oddities that suggest the speaker is

saying more than what he seems to say initially. For example, the poem has no rhyme

(free verse). Thus, Smith’s “Yonosa House” can be classified into modern poetry for

it does not follow the strict requirements of traditional meter and rhyme that makes


25

the poem has no regular or predictable rhyme. Usually, something that has regular

pattern is intentionally made to create balance or beauty. Meanwhile, something that

has irregular pattern is usually naturally formed. Thus, the irregularity emphasizes the

idea of nature. Hence, the irregular rhyme of the poem actually shows that it has

strong relation to nature. Meaning to say, the poem mostly illustrates about nature.

Besides, the odd syntax continues when the natural objects are personified such as

“sound of snow, kiss of rock, the feel of bruised birch bark, and the call of the

circling hawk” (14-16).

Then, the poem reveals such a farewell statement: “she sank like a root into

Georgia clay” (27). In this line, Yonosa is portrayed like a root after the burial. In this

way, it reinforces the conflict between the appearance of Yonosa and what such a

scene and the speaker’s words actually reveal.

In short, the speaker notes about the memory about the grandma, Yonosa,

someone who inspires the speaker’s life. The speaker mentions several loving

activities as Yonosa does that shows the speaker’s deep feeling towards her. The

speaker sends gratitude to Yonosa for her lore and exemplary given. Moreover, as the

choice of words, the poem dramatizes the appearance of Yonosa beyond the reality.

3. The Form

In terms of form, Smith’s “Yonosa House” can be considered as a free verse

poem for it has no exact pattern of rhyme and the lines vary greatly in the number of

syllables, ranging from 5 (in the 1st line) to 11 (in the 21st line). The form contributes

to gain well understanding to the overall meaning because it reveals the meter and the


26

pattern of sound of the poem. As the meter is revealed, the speaker gets the image of

certain stressed pattern that leads to help the speaker to intonate the poem and avoid

misinterpretation. Then, the pattern of sound shows the artistic quality of the poem

through the rhyming words used. Furthermore, the next part will locate the meter and

the pattern of sound of Smith’s “Yonosa House”.

a. Meter

The meter pattern of Smith’s “Yonosa House” is trochee (one stressed

syllable is followed by one unstressed syllable). Some of lines have three feet

(trochee trimeter), four feet (trochee tetrameter), five feet (trochee pentameter), but

most of them do not have exact feet for they have odd number of syllables. In the

poem there are 5 lines of trochee trimeter, 8 lines of trochee tetrameter, 5 lines of

trochee pentameter, and 12 lines of no pattern. The meter of the poem can be seen as

follows.

She stroked molten tones

From the heart-carved dulcimer

And sat like a stately sack of bones

Withered within coarse skin,

Rocking to corn chants, snake 5

Songs, the music of passing seasons.

Her old woman’s Tuscarora hair

Hung like waxed flax ready to spin


27

Till she wove and knotted it

To lie like ropes on her shoulders. 10

Through my young mind she wove

The myths of her race

In fevered patterns, feather colors:

Sound of snow, kiss of rock,

The feel of bruised birch bark, 15

The call of the circling hawk.

Her knotted hands showing slow blue rivers

Trembled through cornbread frying,

Pressed fern patterns on butter pats,

Brewed sassafras tea in the hearth. 20

They buried Yonosa in a deerskin skirt,

Ribbons and braids, but featherless.

I cut hearts in her coffin lid,

Wind-slain maple like the dulcimer.

The mountain was holy enough for her. 25

We kept our word and raised no stone.


28

She sank like a root into Georgia clay.

No Baptist chruchyard caught her bones.

I thank her hands when the maples turn.

I hear her voice in the thrush’s song. 30

b. Pattern of Sound

In terms of pattern of sound, Smith’s “Yonosa House” applies aural repetition

such as alliteration, assonance, and consonance. The consonance dominates the

pattern of sound in the poem instead of the alliteration and assonance. Moreover, the

alliteration, assonance, and consonance are identified as in the tables below.

No. Word/ Phrase of Alliteration Stanza Line 1 She stroked… 1 1 2 And sat like a stately sack… 1 3 3 Withered within… 1 4 4 Songs…seasons 1 6 5 Her…hair 2 7 6 To lie like… 2 10 7 Through my young mind… 2 11 8 In fevered…, feather… 2 13 9 Sound of snow… 2 14 10 …bruised birch bark 2 15 11 Her knotted hands… 3 17 12 Trembled trough… 3 18 13 Pressed fern patterns on butter pats 3 19 14 …braids, but… 4 22


29

No. Word/ Phrase of Alliteration Stanza Line 15 I cut…coffin lid 4 23 16 …holy…her 4 25 17 She sank… 4 27 18 …her hands… 4 28 19 I hear her… 5 30 Table 1. List of Alliteration Presented in “Yonosa House”

Table 2. List of Assonance Presented in “Yonosa House”

No. Word/ Phrase of Assonance Stanza Line 1 molten—tones 1 1 2 heart—carved 1 2 3 withered—within—skin 1 4 4 music—passing 1 6 5 lie—like 2 10 6 her—shoulders 2 10 7 my—mind 2 11 8 fevered—feather 2 13 9 call—hawk 2 16 10 her—knotted 3 17 11 showing—rivers 3 17 12 trembled—cornbread 3 18 13 patterns—pats 3 19 14 sassafras—hearth 3 20 15 in—deerskin 4 21 16 ribbons—featherless 4 22 17 in—coffin—lid 4 23 18 the—her 4 25 19 no—stone 4 26 20 root—into 4 27


30

No. Word/ Phrase of Consonance Stanza Line 1 stroked—molten—tones 1 1 2 molten—tones 1 1 3 from—dulcimer 1 2 4 heart—carved 1 2 5 and—bones 1 3 6 like—sack 1 3 7 sat—stately 1 3 8 withered—within 1 4 9 within—skin 1 4

10 withered—coarse 1 4 11 coarse—skin 1 4 12 rocking—corn—snake 1 5 13 rocking—corn 1 5 14 to—chants 1 5 15 corn—chants—snake 1 5 16 songs—music—passing—seasons 1 6 17 songs—passing 1 6 18 her—Tuscarora—hair 2 7 19 woman’s—Tuscarora 2 7 20 waxed—flax 2 8 21 and—knotted 2 9 22 knotted—it 2 9 23 ropes—her—shoulders 2 10 24 ropes—shoulders 2 10 25 myths—race 2 12 26 her—race 2 12 27 in—patterns 2 13 28 fevered—patterns—feather—colors 2 13 29 patterns—colors 2 13 30 sound—snow 2 14 31 sound—snow—kiss 2 14 32 kiss—rock 2 14 33 bruised—birch—bark 2 15


31

No. Word/ Phrase of Consonance Stanza Line 34 call—circling—hawk 2 16 35 call—circling 2 16 36 her—rivers 3 17 37 knotted—hands 3 17 38 hands—rivers 3 17 39 trembled—cornbread 3 18 40 trembled—through—cornbread—frying 3 18 41 pressed—patterns—pats 3 19 42 fern—patterns—on 3 19 43 patterns—butter—pats 3 19 44 brewed—sassafras—hearth 3 20 45 buried—deerskin 4 21 46 buried—deerskin—skirt 4 21 47 Yonosa—in—deerskin 4 21 48 Yonosa—deerskin—skirt 4 21 49 ribbons—braids—featherless 4 22 50 ribbons—braids—but 4 22 51 ribbons—and 4 22 52 ribbons—braids—featherless 4 22 53 cut—hearts 4 23 54 hearts—her 4 23 55 in—coffin 4 23 56 wind—slain 4 24 57 slain—maple—like—dulcimer 4 24 58 slain—dulcimer 4 24 59 maple—dulcimer 4 24 60 wind—dulcimer 4 24 61 mountain—enough 4 25 62 enough—for 4 25 63 our—word—raised 4 26 64 and—no—stone 4 26 65 raised—stone 4 26 66 word—and—raised 4 26 67 sank—like—clay 4 27 68 like—clay 4 27


32

Table 3. List of Consonance Presented in “Yonosa House”

4. The Language

The language used in Smith’s “Yonosa House” is everyday choice of words.

Nevertheless, those words convey connotative meaning. It means that the poem tends

to apply figurative language. There are three types of figurative language used in the

poem, such as personification, metaphor, and simile. The personification dominates

the language in the poem instead of the metaphor and simile. The personification,

metaphor, and simile presented in the poem can be seen in the tables as follows.

No. Sentence/ Phrase of Personification Stanza Line 1 She stroked molten tones 1 1 2 Sound of snow 2 14 3 kiss of rock 2 14 4 the feel of bruised birch bark 2 15 5 the call of the circling hawk 2 16

No. Word/ Phrase of Consonance Stanza Line 69 root—Georgia 4 27 70 root—into 4 27 71 no—bones 4 28 72 Baptist—caught 4 28 73 churchyard—her 4 28 74 Baptist—bones 4 28 75 hands—when—turn 5 29 76 hands—maples 5 29 77 her—turn 5 29 78 hear—her—thrush’s 5 30 79 voice—thrush’s—song 5 30


33

No. Sentence/ Phrase of Personification Stanza Line 6 No Baptist churchyard caught her bones 4 28 7 the maples turn 5 29 8 the thrush's song 5 30

Table 4. List of Personification Presented in “Yonosa House”

Table 5. List of Metaphor Presented in “Yonosa House”

Table 6. List of Simile Presented in “Yonosa House”

Furthermore, those figurative languages are discussed critically and

elaborately in the analysis. Then, still related to the language used, Smith’s “Yonosa

House” applies imagery and symbols. The identification of it is explained as follows.

a. Imagery

The imagery presents in Smith’s “Yonosa House” are visual, auditory,

olfactory, tactile, and subjective imagery. In the poem, the visual imagery dominates

the language used. Furthermore, those imageries are identified as in the tables below.

No. Sentence/ Phrase of Metaphor Stanza Line 1 Her knotted hands showing slow blue rivers 3 17

No. Sentence/ Phrase of Simile Stanza Line 1 She…sat like a stately sack 1 1-3 2 Her…hair hung like waxed flax 2 7-8 3 She wove and knotted it…like ropes 2 9-10 4 I cut hearts…like the dulcimer 4 23-24 5 She sank like a root 5 27


34

Table 7. List of Visual Imagery Presented in “Yonosa House”

No. Sentence/ Phrase of Auditory Imagery Stanza Line 1 tones 1 1 2 chants 1 5 3 Songs 1 6 4 music 1 6 5 Sound of snow 2 14 6 The call of the circling hawk 2 16 7 I hear her voice 5 30

Table 8. List of Auditory Imagery Presented in “Yonosa House”

No. Sentence/ Phrase of Visual Imagery Stanza Line 1 She stroked molten tones 1 1 2 And sat like a stately sack of bones 1 3 3 Rocking to corn chants 1 5 4 Her old woman’s Tuscarora hair 2 7 5 In fevered patterns, feather colors 2 13 6 snow 2 14 7 rock 2 14 8 bruised birch bark 2 15 9 the circling hawk 2 16

10 Her knotted hands showing slow blue rivers 3 17 11 Trembled through cornbread frying 3 18 12 Pressed fern patterns on butter pats 3 19 13 Brewed sassafras tea in the hearth 3 20 14 They buried Yonosa in a deerskin skirt 4 21 15 I cut hearts in her coffin lid 4 23 16 She sank like a root into Georgia clay 4 27 17 No Baptist chruchyard caught her bones 4 28 18 when the maples turn 5 29


35

No. Sentence/ Phrase of Olfactory Imagery Stanza Line 1 Brewed sassafras tea in the hearth 3 20

Table 9. List of Olfactory Imagery Presented in “Yonosa House”

No. Sentence/ Phrase of Tactile Imagery Stanza Line 1 She stroked molten tones 1 1 2 Pressed fern patterns on butter pats 3 19 3 Brewed sassafras tea in the hearth 3 20 4 They buried Yonosa in a deerskin skirt 4 21 5 I cut hearts in her coffin lid 4 23

Table 10. List of Tactile Imagery Presented in “Yonosa House”

No. Sentence/ Phrase of Subjective Imagery Stanza Line 1 Through my young mind 2 11 2 The feel of bruised birch bark 2 15 3 The mountain was holy enough for her 4 25 4 We kept our word and raised no stone 4 26 5 I thank her hands when the maples turn. 5 29

Table 11. List of Subjective Imagery Presented in “Yonosa House”

b. Symbol

In terms of symbol, Smith’s “Yonosa House” uses some words that can be

considered as symbols. The symbols used are listed in the table below.

No. Word Stanza Line 1 house (in the title) - - 2 dulcimer 1, 2 2, 24 3 Tuscarora 2 7 4 snow 2 14 5 rock 2 14


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No. Word Stanza Line 6 birch 2 15 7 hawk 2 16 8 rivers 3 17 9 wind 4 24

10 mountain 4 25 11 stone 4 26 12 root 4 27 13 maples 5 29 14 thrush 5 30

Table 12. List of Symbols Presented in “Yonosa House”

Those symbols are mostly natural objects. Thus, it can be said that the poem

tends to use natural symbols. Furthermore, those symbols are discussed critically and

elaborately in the next subchapter along with the analysis of personification,

metaphor, and simile used in Smith’s “Yonosa House”.

B. Uncovering Personification, Metaphor, and Simile Presented in Smith’s

“Yonosa House”

This subchapter is divided into three parts. The first part aims to analyze

personification presented in Smith’s “Yonosa House” as well as find its implied

meaning. In the second part, it is about the analysis of metaphor found in the poem.

Then, the third part is about the analysis of simile presented in the poem.

1. Personification

As listed in the table 4.4, there are 8 personifications presented in Smith’s

“Yonosa House”. Each of them is analyzed as follows.


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a. She stroked molten tones

In the phrase ‘She stroked molten tones’, tones are personified. The tones

which are nonhuman entity and abstract thing defined as if it is alive and can be

stroked.

Literally, tone is a musical sound with reference to its pitch, quality, and

strength (Hasa, 2016, para. 1). In fact, tones cannot be touched, even caught. It is only

can be heard. In the poem, it is illustrated that Yonosa treats the tones as if she can

touch it for it is molten from her dulcimer. It can be considered that Yonosa has

strong relationship with the tones for the speaker notes she can interact with the tones

produces by the dulcimer. Due to the relation image between Yonosa and the tones, it

can be said that Yonosa really likes music. She enjoys playing her dulcimer until it

looks that the tones are molten from the dulcimer, then stroked by Yonosa, produces

beautiful ethnical music.

b. Sound of snow

In the phrase ‘sound of snow’, snow is personified. The snow which is

nonhuman entity (inanimate object) is defined as if it has human ability to produce

sounds. In fact, human can produce various sounds, for example in the act of

laughing, singing, yawning, whispering, screaming, and so on. Here, snow is

described that it sounds. The matter is that which of human’s sound that represents

the characteristic of snow is. Moreover, it can be related by finding the overtones

meaning of snow.


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Literally, snow is atmospheric water vapor frozen into ice crystals and falling

in light white flakes or lying on the ground as a bright white layer (Schantz, 2012, p.

224). Nevertheless, snow has overtones meaning instead of its literal meaning that

merely show the physical appearance. In literature, snow can be interpreted in both

optimistic and pessimistic manner (reference.com, 2019, para. 1-4). Optimistically,

snow is often compared to innocence, tranquility, and beauty for it looks so clean and

it has white color. From those comparisons, tranquility is the closest one in relation

with sound which is calm or silent. On the other hand, snow signifies winter and the

end of the growing season. Due to its relation to the end of growth in the natural

world, snow is often linked to death and hardships. Here, the death has the closer

relation with sound, that is silence (no sound). Evidently, in both optimistically and

pessimistically, snow represents calmness or silence.

Furthermore, if ‘sound of snow’ is referred to the three lines before, regarding

to Yonosa’s tribe tradition, it can be interpreted that Yonosa’s tribe prefers to live in

calmness, keep the harmony with nature. Besides, they also live in silence. Meaning

to say, they keep away from the crowd of modern living with its advanced

technology.

c. Kiss of rock

In the phrase ‘kiss of rock’, rock is personified. The rock which is nonhuman

entity (inanimate object) is defined as if it has human ability to kiss someone or

something. Kiss itself is the act of touching somebody or something with the lips to

show love, affection, respect, or as a greeting (Hornby, 2017, p. 652). In fact, rock


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has no lips but the speaker portrays that it can give a kiss. Furthermore, the meaning

of the rock’s kiss can be found by relating the actual and the implied meaning of

rock. Literally, rock is a natural substance made from the solid combination of one or

more minerals (softschool.com, 2019, para. 2). It is the Earth’s outer solid layer.

Then, in literature rock is often associated with eternity for it is naturally powerful

and long last (Kraus, 2012, para. 5). Due to the predicate of ‘eternity’, rock is

considered that it can keep the relation between humans and their ancestors. Thus,

rock in this poem represents the existence of the ancestors.

Moreover, if ‘kiss of rock’ is referred to the three lines before, regarding to

Yonosa’s tribe tradition, it can be interpreted that Yonosa’s tribe always keeps in

touch with the ancestors. Death is not a barrier between the living and the spirit of

the ancestors to communicate. The living can do certain rite to call the ancestors.

They believe that the ancestors have a prominent role in guiding the tribe

everlastingly.

d. The feel of bruised birch bark

In the phrase ‘the feel of bruised birch bark’, birch is personified. The birch

which is nonhuman entity (inanimate object) is defined as if it has human ability to

feel something. Human, indeed, can express various feelings such as happy, sad,

exhausted, furious, shy, disgusted, surprised, depressed, and so on. Here, birch is

described that it has feelings. The matter is that which of human’s feeling that

represents the characteristic of birch is. Moreover, it can be related by finding the

overtones meaning of birch.


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Literally, birch is a kind of tree. A birch has smooth, resinous, white bark

(Britannica.com, 2019, para. 2). The bark is marked by horizontal pores (lenticels).

Therefore, the phrase ‘bruised birch bark’ is applied in the poem due to the physical

appearance of the birch tree. In the poem, the birch tree is illustrated that it has

bruises. Actually, it is not because the tree got injured, but it is because the pattern of

the bark’s pores that looks like bruises. Nevertheless, birch has overtones meaning

instead of its literal meaning that merely show the physical appearance. In literature,

birch is interpreted as a new beginning and protection (sweep away negative energy)

(Venefica, 2008, para. 1-4). It is called as a new beginning because a tree, naturally,

grows continuously from its tiny-sized become maximum-sized. The growth process

from the start represents a new beginning. Related to the feeling, a new beginning

shows passionate, enthusiasm, and excitement. Then, birch is also called as

protection because one of its innate functions is to prevent natural disasters such as

flood and landslide. Related to the feeling, protection shows alertness of negative or

bad things.

Furthermore, if ‘the feel of bruised birch bark’ is referred to the three lines

before, regarding to Yonosa’s tribe tradition, it can be interpreted that Yonosa’s tribe

always does anything good for the tribe with full of passion, enthusiasm, and

excitement. On the other hand, they keep the people of the tribe from bad things with

their alertness.


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e. The call of the circling hawk

In the phrase ‘the call of the circling hawk’, hawk is personified. The hawk

which is nonhuman entity is defined as if it has human ability to call someone. Call

itself can be defined as an act of crying out to summon or to attract someone’s

attention (Hornby, 2017, p. 158). Here, hawk is described that it calls. Actually,

hawk has no ability to speak, even make a call like human does, but the speaker

portrays that it can call. Furthermore, the meaning of the hawk’s call can be found by

relating the actual and the implied meaning of hawk.

Literally, hawk is a strong fast bird of prey (softschools.com, 2019, para. 1-3).

Hawk has sharp talon, large-curved bill, and muscular legs. It also has excellent

eyesight to ease the hunt. Then, in literature hawk is often associated with aura of

power and leadership (Venefica, 2007, para. 3). Due to the predicate of ‘having aura

of power and leadership’, hawk is considered that it gives example for human to

have leadership spirit. The leadership spirit, indeed, is owned by the leader of a

group or tribe. Thus, hawk in this poem represents the existence of the leader of the

tribe.

Furthermore, the hawk is described that it is circling. Hawk flies in circle

pattern to stay aloft in the air while looking for prey or just look around the land. If

this act is addressed to the leader of the tribe, it means that the leader should be a

watchful person. He or she should not be lazy on the throne, but it is an obligation

for a leader to look around the tribe, convincing that people of the tribe in an


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adequate life. If there is problem in the tribe, the leader is expected to solve it fast

before the problem become bigger.

Then, by relating the implied meaning of hawk, the hawk’s call means that it

is the call from the leader of the tribe. In any occasion in the tribe, the leader

summons the people of the tribe to gather in one place, for example, in traditional

ceremonies or even just giving announcement. This call cannot be neglected by the

people for they should honor their leader. Thus, the leader’s call is a prominent thing

for the people of the tribe that they should conform.

Moreover, if ‘the call of the circling hawk’ is referred to the three lines before,

regarding to Yonosa’s tribe tradition, it can be interpreted that Yonosa’s leader of

tribe always protects every member of the tribe. Her or his summons is guidance for

the people of Yonosa’s tribe in doing any tribal occasions. It means that Yonosa’s

tribe believes in the power of their leader to lead them in a good way of life and

protect them from enemy or any bad things.

f. No Baptist churchyard caught her bones

In the phrase ‘No Baptist churchyard caught her bones’, Baptist churchyard is

personified. The Baptist churchyard which is nonhuman entity (inanimate object) is

defined as if it has human ability to hold something which is thrown, propelled, or

dropped. A Baptist churchyard is an area of land that immediately adjacent to the

Baptist church and it is open to the sky (merriam-webster.com, 2019, para. 1).

Usually, it is a grassy area and surrounded by a fence. In some Baptist churches, its


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yards are used for cemeteries. Thus, Baptist churchyard here means cemetery for

Christians. Then, it is mentioned that not any Baptist churchyard—a Christians’

cemetery—caught Yonosa’s bones. Here, caught means being the place for Yonosa’s

bones. The speaker uses ‘bones’ instead of ‘body’ in order to emphasize that Yonosa

is already dead in her old age. Furthermore, from the phrase ‘No Baptist churchyard

caught her bones’, it implicitly infers that Yonosa is a Christian but she is not buried

in the cemetery of Baptist church.

Moreover, if the phrase ‘No Baptist churchyard caught her bones’ is related to

the some lines before, in line 25 and 26 of stanza 4, it is clearly mentioned that

Yonosa is buried in a mountain and there is no any mark of her burial ground. It is

Yonosa’s own will to be buried in that way. By this, her grandchild and her tribe

honor her last will and they do not bury her dead body in the cemetery of Baptist

church. Since she is buried in the mountain without any mark, it shows that Yonosa

wants to unite with the nature.

It is also can be said that Yonosa considers death is not the end of everything.

If she prefers to be buried in the Baptist churchyard, it means that she will be

remembered that she is really gone from this mortal world. Yonosa does not want to

be remembered that way and she refuses to surrender that easy to death. She believes

that death is not the end of everything, yet it is the new beginning for her another

journey. Life and death are like in the same circle. Life is ended by death, but death

starts another life. By her will, Yonosa hopes that after her death, she will still alive

by uniting with nature.


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g. The maples turn

In the phrase ‘the maples turn’, maple is personified. The maple which is

nonhuman entity (inanimate object) is defined as if it has human ability to turn.

Literally, maple is a kind of tree that is known for its vibrant leaf (fiery red, electric

orange, and calming yellow) in autumn (treecanada.ca, 2019, para. 2). Maple in

literature is considered that it represents strength and endurance because maple tree

is a strong tree that able to survive in any seasons (urnabios.com, 2014, para.2).

Related to a person told in the poem, maple can be considered as the manifestation of

Yonosa. This manifestation illustrates that Yonosa owns characteristics of strength

and endurance.

Moreover, in fact, a tree cannot make a movement like human does. Here, it is

mentioned that the maple can turn. Thus, the phrase ‘the maples turn’ has meaning

that Yonosa makes a turn, leaving the life and facing the death. Due to her death,

physically she leaves her family and her tribe.

h. The thrush's song

In the phrase ‘the thrush's song’, thrush is personified. The thrush which is

nonhuman entity is defined as if it has human ability to sing a song. Literally, thrush

is a kind of bird that can produce beautiful chirps (wildlifetrusts.org, 2019, para. 4).

Due to the beautiful chirps, the bird is illustrated that actually it sings like human

does. Thrush in literature is considered that it conveys spiritual symbolism. This bird

symbolizes a good companion in times of loneliness. It has the ability to absorb

sorrow and heal sad person (auntyflo.com, 2018, para. 12).


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Moreover, if ‘the thrush's song’ is referred to its full line ’I hear her voice in

the thrush’s song’, it can be interpreted that the speaker hears Yonosa’s voice

through the thrush’s chirps. It can be said that Yonosa’s spirit still exists even though

she has already passed away. Her spirit changes into a thrush bird. Then, she tries to

communicate with the speaker to make him realize that she is not really leaving far

away. She wants the speaker know that it is no need of sorrow for her absence.

Instead, he has to believe that death is not the end of a journey. Death is a path

heading another life.

2. Metaphor

There is only one metaphor presented in Smith’s “Yonosa House”. It is in the

line ‘Her knotted hands showing slow blue rivers’ (stanza 3, line 17). In this line,

Yonosa is mentioned that she has knotted hands. Knotted hands (fingers) has

meaning that it is twisted because of old age or too much work (Hamedso, 2017, para.

2). By this, it implies that even though Yonosa is an old woman, a grandmother, she

still does many activities, one of them is house chores. It is explained clearer in the

next lines (stanza 3, line 18-20) that Yonosa cooks cornbread, cookies, and she

a new criticism study on personification metaphor, … · 2019. 5. 17. · poetry. poetry is the...

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