An Analysis of New Criticism Theory Focused on 8 Figuraive Elements Depicted in Forgiving My Father Poet by Lucille Clifton
K A Carito
30801300131
English Literature Departement
Sultan Agung Islamic University Semarang
2013
Introduction
Literature is human life wrote on paper. Literature and human could not distantly exist each other. Literary work also creates by human, wrote about human and consume for human. Literature is the reality does not simply to describe, it also enriches the neccessary competencies of daily life. And literary work itself has living up human life.
There are many kinds of literary work such as novel, shortstory, song, drama, poetry and etc. All of that wors definite human life by it own style. Poetry has the most interesting style in literary work. Because poet pay attention on rhyme, rhythm, and good diction and to build up the imagery and makes the language meaningful, moving and fascinating there are many intrinsict element of poetry; theme, contrast, irony, paradox, ambiguity, metaphor,simile, and tension.
To analyze what meaning of poetry there is a study New Criticism Theory. New Criticism is a movement in literary theory that focused on the text of the work of literarture.
New crticism is a name applied to a varid and extremely energetic effort among Anglo-American writers to focus critical attention of literature itself. Like Russian Formalism, following Boris Eikhenbaum and Victor Shklovskii, the new critics speculative position on techniques of reading that provide a vital complement to the literary and artistic emergence of modernism. (Searle Leroy, New Criticism, p. 1)
New crticism almost similar with Russian Formalism, which pay attention in the text of literary itself. Eikhenbaum as the Russian and Soviet literary scholar, and historian of Russian literature, He is also a representative of Russian formalism and Shklovskii as the Russian and Soviet literary theorist, critic, writer, and pamphleteer, state that New Criticism speculate on techniques of reading of vital complement to the literary.
This study also pay attention in language of literary works and the aesthetic of literary works or poetry becomes the one of interesting to learn. New criticism compatible to analyze poetry because poetry using a good dictions, idioms and aesthetic language to essential the text.
The new critics tended to be eclectic on matters theory, concentrating instead on what Blackmur called the critics ‘job of work’. For most of new critics that job was practicial criticism or ‘close reading’...In this general orientation the literary text as such was generally viewed as privileged site for shaping and disseminating cultural values held to be essential attribute of the aesthetic specificity of poetry. By careful attention to language, the text is presume to be a unique source of meaning and value, sharply distinguished from other texts or other uses of language. (Searle Leroy, New Criticism, p. 1)
Blackmur as the an American literary critic and poet state that new criticism called as job of work or close reading and it tended to eclictic on matters theory. The close reading itself is literary texts which focused on the languages of the text, the style of the text, aestheticity of the text, attention in good diction such as idioms that has unique meanings, and the text itself disseminating cultural values by the language meaning.
Poetry as the one of literary works that using aesthetic language, good diction, also unique meaning in that text. this paper will analyze poetry entittled Forgiving My Father by Lucille Clifton using New Criticism Theory. Lucille Clifton was an American poet, writer, and educator from Buffalo, she wrote Forgiving My father poem in New York, 1969. This poetry tells about a daughter’s painful memories. A daughter who abuse by his father, not only the daugther but also her mother abuse by his father through his own irresponsibility. Lucille describe a daughter who deeply hate her father by the berate words. Eventhough all of the words in this poem about berate her father but she actually forgive her father’s faults.
This paper will analyze about several of figurative languages of intrinsict elements such as, theme, contrast, irony, paradox, ambiguity, metaphor,simile, and tension ;
Theme is the central concept developed in a poem. It is the basic idea which the poet is trying to convey and which allows to direct the imagery. The Theme of Forgivig My Father Poem is about a daughter’s painful memories of her family especially her father, because her father has so many faults and hurt her daughter by abuse her and died by left debts to her. “you lie side by side in debtor’s boxes and no accounting will open them up.” (Clifton, line 23-24) it seems that her father disseminating the lies to the debtor’s and his debts never be settle.
Contrast shows the difference between two objects. The opposite meanings are obtained from the words stated. “all weeks you have stood in my dreams” (Clifton, line 3) from this statement, contrast has found, she said that all week a man stood in her dreams, it means that she not dreaming, a man stood and asking for more time to pay the debts. Because dreams never be repeat as often as she could and never be repeat as similar as happened with her.
Irony states one thing in one tone of voice which is meant to express the opposite meaning: there is a contrast between what is stated and what is suggested to show disappoinment. “there is no more time for you. There will never be time enough daddy daddy old lecher old liar” (Clifton, line 8-9) the irony of the sentences above seen by the way she talks to her father, the way she berate her father the words “old lecher” “old liar” it also express her anger and hatred. She very anger irony and hatred with her father because she was sexually abuse by her father, seen by she berateher father lie that. “you we’re each other’s bad bargain, not mine” (Clifton, line 19) meant that her mother knew what her father was doing to her, sexual abuse, buther mother was terribly afraid of her husband that she couldn’t help her.
Paradox means contrary to expectations, existing belief of perceived opinion. It shows the different opinion of statement. The paradox of this poet shown “I wish you were rich so i could take it all and give the lady what she was due” (Clifton, line 10) it’s the reason why the daughter anger was so far because if her father had been rich she would had taken that money for her mother’s burial and to mae it much pleasant. Also shown in “You are the pocket that was going to open and come up empty any Friday” (Clifton, line 17-18) the opened pocket usually means the richness of a person, she wish that her father was the man who had payday but not paid the debts every weeks. The pocket here is not as her expectation, the pocket was going open but will empty anymore every Friday because of the debts. It isn’t like her expectation as much.
Ambiguity means that the words has ambiguous meanings. Ambigous itself meant more than one meaning. The word “paying” in “to paying the bills” (Clift, line 2) has ambiguous meaning. It could mean to pay a bill or to pay her father’s debts of money taht is owed. Lucille emphasize about a daughter in her father’s grave grieving because she wants to forgive her father for the bad treathment she and her mother received from him. The word “payday” in “but today is payday, payday oldman,” (Clifton, line 5) also has ambiguous meaning. Payday could mean payday of her father salary or payday of her father settle his debts. Because here her father describe as the father who not rich but he gave everything his daughter wants, also as a father who has left money debts to her daughter when he was died.
Metaphor is a comparison without the words “like” or “as”. Two different object are compared to create a certain perception. “daddy old pauper old prisoner, old dead man” (Clifton, line 20) “daddy” and “old pauper” and “old prisoner” or “old dead man” are equated. Daddy is one of a man who never hurt her daughter, a man who love her family and fight for everything to mae her family happy. But the old pauper is an old poor person who have not anything to proud, old prisoner is an old man who cage in a jail as an evil while old dead man is an old man who was died. They are not alike but they are interact each other, it meant that her daddy was old pauper, old prisoner and old dead man.
Simile it is a comparison between two different objects by using the words “like” , “as”, “than” or “seem”. This paper found the simile, the sentence “like a ghost, asking for more time” (Clifton, line 4) the simile seen in the words “like a ghost” actually it is not a ghost which scaring, has a big head, color black or red, but it is a man who avoid the debtor by asking for more time every weeks. It is often happened, and couldn’t be guess when he will appears and stood up, that’s way the daughter said “like a ghost.” there is no anyone knows when the ghost will appears.
Tension is tensile of the literary work, the tension in literature has been variously used and defined. Many tension tun through a poem, such “What am i doing here collecting? (Clifton line 21) there was many disillusion from her to her father, she deeply angry with her father and she asked something which can collect on what her father owes her. Because her father owes her peace of mind and finally he dead.
From this paper, can conclude that New criticism is the study which focus on the text or intrinsict elements itself. It isn’t force to analyze all of the intrinsict elements that exist in text but it could combine by review the style and language such as, rhyme, theme, and the figurative language. Every line and stanza in Forgiving My Father poem by Lucille Clifton has it own situation, has it own unique meanings, also has it own style of language.
Reference
Clifton, Lucille. Forgiving My Father Poet, 1969.
Wikipedia. The Free Encyclopedia: Lucille Clifton. 2016
Wall, Cheryl A. Sifting Legacies in Lucille Clifton’s “Generations” : Contemporary Literature. Vol. 40, No 4. University of Wisconsin Press, 1999. Pp. 552-574.
Searle, Leroy. New Criticism Journal.
Calhoun, Richard J. Essay: A Study f New Criticism. 1995.
P.S. *) Im the Amateur one. JUST SHARING WHAT I'VE DONE AND LEARNED. SEMOGA BERMANFAAT.
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