POETRY ANALYSIS

ANAJAJA

Figurative Language Analysis: Metaphor and Personification in “Sleep'' by Annie Matheson

CHAPTER I

INTRODUCTION

1.1  Background of The Study

Poetry is one of literary works that convey the expression of thoughts and feelings from human language is bound by the rhythm, dimension, rhyme, the organization of lines and stanzas, as well as filled with meaning. “Morris Schreiber: UNDERSTANDING and APPRECIATION of POETRY” (1920:3) define a poem as the very image of life expressed in its eternal truth. However many people include the poets themselves have tried to define what poetry is or telleing what poetry means with trying to analyze the poetry by using some figurative languages which are mentioned in the poetry . The most important thing to analyze is do with your heart so that poetry can touch your feelings, and you will understand the meaning of the pooetry.

I.2   Purpose of the Study

The purposes on this study are:

1.    To understand the using of personification in the poetry.

2.    To understand the using of metaphor in the poetry.

3.    To understand the using of simile in the poetry

4.    To appreciate a work of literature.

I.3 Scope of The Study

The scope of this study is the analysis of figurative languages, personification, metaphore and simile in poetry entitled “Sleep” by Annie Matheson

CHAPTER II

THE POET, THE POEM, AND THE TRANSLATION

II.1         The Biography of Annie Matheson

Annie Matheson was born in Blackheath, London in 1853, moving to Nottingham at the age of three when her father became Minister of Friar Lane Chapel (he took over from Joseph Gilbert), where he stayed until his death in 1878. Annie was the oldest of 11 children. She wrote for publication from a young age, including hymns for children, several collections of poetry, essays and biographies of Florence Nightingale, Elizabeth Fry and Joan of Arc. She also wrote new prefaces to novels by George Eliot and Mrs Craik.

     Matheson's poetry reflects her concern for social issues, particularly those affecting women and children. Her poem, 'A Song for Women' about sweated labour, was issued as a leaflet by the Women's Protective and Provident League (the first trade union for women).

'In the 1880s the Matheson family moved back to London, Annie finally settling at Maybury Hill, Woking, where she is believed to have been involved as a non-combatant in the women's suffrage movement  Her collection of essays and poems, Leaves of Prose (1912) express her wide variety of interests, and can be found as a free read on the web.

     Annie died in London in 1924 and her ashes were returned to Nottingham to be buried with her parents and sister Mabel in the General Cemetery.

II.2      “Sleep” by Annie Matheson

      SLEEP 

SOFT silence of the summer night!

Alive with wistful murmurings,

Enfold me in thy quiet might:

Shake o'er my head thy slumb'rous wings,

So cool and light:

Let me forget all earthly things

In sleep to-night!

Tired roses, passionately sweet,

Are leaning on their cool green leaves,

The mignonette about my feet

A maze of tangled fragrance weaves,

Where dewdrops meet

Kind sleep the weary world bereaves

Of noise and heat.

White lilies, pure as falling snow,

And redolent of tenderness,

Are gently swaying to and fro,

Lulled by the breath of evening less

Than by the low

Music of sleepy winds, that bless

The buds that grow.

The air is like a mother's hand

Laid softly on a throbbing brow,

And o'er the darksome, dewy land

The peace of heaven is stealing now,

While, hand in hand,

Young angels tell the flowers how

Their lives are planned.

From yon deep sky the quiet stars

Look down with steadfast eloquence,

And God the prison-door unbars

That held the mute world's inmost sense

From all the wars

Of day's loud hurry and turbulence;

And nothing now the silence mars

Of love intense.

II.3         The Translation of “Sleep”

Tidur

keheningan yang lembut di malam musim panas

 Hidup dengan sungut sayu,

Mendekapku dalam kekuatan tenang Mu:

  Bergetar kepalaku sayap-sayapmu yang tak bergerak,

 Begitu sejuk dan ringan:

 Biarkan aku melupakan semua hal-hal duniawi

 Dalam tidur malam ini

mawar yang kelelahan, dengan gairah yang manis,

 Bersandar pada dedaunan hijau dingin nan sejuk,

Daun mignonette disekitar kakiku

 Sebuah labirin dari tenun yang  beraroma kusut,

 Dimana embun bertemu

Bagai tidur lenyapnya dunia lelah

 Dari Kebisingan dan panas.

lili putih, sesuci salju yang turun,

 dan beraroma kelembutan,

Apakah lembut bergoyang ke sana kemari,

  Terbuai oleh nafas malam yang singkat

 Di yang lebih rendah

 Musik angin mengalun, memberkati

 Tunas yang tumbuh.

 udara bagaikan tangan ibu

membelai lembut pada alis yang berdenyut,

Dan dikesuraman, tanah berembun

 Kedamaian surga sedang tercuri sekarang,

 Sementara, bergandengan tangan,

 Malaikat malikat muda memberitahu bunga bagaimana

 kehidupan mereka direncanakan.

 Di langit sana ada bintang yang tenang

 Melihat ke bawah dengan kefasihan teguh,

Dan Tuhan membuka pintu penjara

 Ada rasa kebisuan dunia terdalam

 Dari semua perang

 Hari yang tegesa-gesa dan kerusuhan;

Sekarang tidak ada keheningan mars

 Dari kesungguhan cinta.

CHAPTER III

DISCUSSION

IV.1.         The Explanation of The Poem

Sleep by Annie Matheson tells a peaceful night where the speaker can relax and lighten his body plus forgot all about his trouble and worries.

Let me forget all earthly things

In sleep to-night!

In stanza 1 and stanza 2 ,The speaker is describing the beauty of nature and also want to have a good sleep ignore the tired world suffering from noise and heat and also describe the situation when time is about to sleep.

Let me forget all earthly things

In sleep to-night!

Tired roses, passionately sweet,

Are leaning on their cool green leaves,

The mignonette about my feet

A maze of tangled fragrance weaves,

Where dewdrops meet

Kind sleep the weary world bereaves

Of noise and heat.

In stanza 3, The speaker is describing the beauty of the environment that he sees with the flower. It shows the place is so nice and peaceful.

White lilies, pure as falling snow,

And redolent of tenderness,

Are gently swaying to and fro

 Stanza 4 The speaker is laying down on the flower field and gazing then stars on the sky. The speaker also describe the way that the air flows was so nice and soothing it as a mother’s hand which has many affections.

The air is like a mother's hand

Laid softly on a throbbing brow,

In stanza 5 ,This stanza is describing the sky in the in the atmosphere that the writer is in. The writer also describe how quite the atmosphere is.

That held the mute world's inmost sense

From all the wars

Of day's loud hurry and turbulence;

And nothing now the silence mars

Of love intense.

                   IV.2 Figurative Languange

                             The stanzas between the first and the last describe about the condition when we sleep and the situation of the world around us when the sleeping time comes, with some figurative languages that is used make this poem become beautiful. The most dominant parts of figurative language in the poetry by Annie Matheson, Sleep, are  personification, metaphor and simile.

IV.2.1 Personification

"soft silence of the summer night (stanza 1, line 1)

Annie Matheson uses a personification “soft silence of the summer night” to show the silence is very quiet without being disturbed by noise.the word”soft” means the night situation that makes sleepy.

Tired roses, passionately sweet,; (stanza 2, line 1)

Tired is human behavior and roses don't feel tired. This shows roses being passionately sweet; has meaning of the rose making it super swee ,after all day long it exposed to heat, this time for the roses to take rest and radiate their beauty because no one can disturb the roses

The peace of heaven is stealing now (stanza 4, line 4)

The peace that is shown in the world same as the peace in heaven, that’s why Annie Matheson uses stealing to emphazise the meaning of the pure peace.

IV.2.2 Metaphor

Shake o’er my head thy

slumb’rous wings(stanza 1 line 4)

nightfall is compared to something that flies, to show the freedom as the meaning of wings.

A maze of tangled fragrance weaves (stanza 2 line 4)

The meaning is multiple natural smell blended and tangled together, reflecting the distinctive the scent of a night always longs for souls weary.

Music of sleepy winds, that bless(stanza 3 line 6)

Music compares with sleepy winds to represent the effect when when we hear the music being quiet as a gentle breeze that makes you sleepy.

"With steadfast eloquence" (stanza 5 line 2)

Steadfast eloquence means great concentration. when we contemplate our fate and pray with concentration God will always open our hearts prison of crime then we will feel calm again.

IV.2.3 Simile

“White lilies, pure as falling snow”(stanza 3 line 1)

 The purity of lilies is compare to falling snow using the word "as." The image of white lilies same as the snow.

“The air is like a mother's hand”(stanza 4 line 1)

The simile of the air being like a mother’s hand; which means the air is comforting and warm as a soft mother;s hand.

CHAPTER IV

CONCLUSION

From the poetry “Sleep”, we can know that Annie Matheson The sleep is the most important thing for human beings, and become a vital necessity. from this poem we understand that  with sleeping we can forget all of the problems and become refreshed after our bodies rested. Annie also describes the state at night where it was time for the people to rest without disturbing noise. This poem tells the reader to enjoy the silence of the night and the time in which we can also be instropected yourself about possible mistakes we have done in this day.