CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION 1.1 Background of Study There are plenty ways to express our feeling through language such as writing a song. Song is one of a the media used to express feeling, and it seems interesting to be analyzed because the words used is the variety is various. Combinations of vocabulary and very unique. The languages used in a song usually has different meanings from the ordinary language because the language used in the song has a specific purpose. A song was made to amuse to listener. A song is also one of the best forms of entertainment. In a song we can get the knowledge by interpreting the languages in the song lyrics while we use listening and exploring the deepest meaning of those lyrics. There are variations of language that can be found in the song such as figurative language. This study analyzes the figurative language used in the song lyrics of Green Day composed by Billie Joe Armstrong who is the vocal leader as well as the front man of the band. The theme of the songs written by Billie Joe Armstrong mostly is about desperate, politics and socially conscious. In writing a song, Billie Joe Armstrong used 1
plenty of figurative language to express his feeling. What figurative language, it is important to start with a working definition of literal language. Literal language refers to a phrase or sentence that is to be taken at face value to mean exactly what it says. For example, if a sentence reads, "he went outside the box," that means the man was in a box and went outside of that area to another space. Figurative language means using words to imply another meaning or to evoke an emotion. Going back to the previous example, "he went outside the box," the sentence would have a whole different meaning if taken figuratively. By interpreting, "he went outside the box," figuratively, the sentence means that the person used his imagination and creativity to solve a problem. So, the same sentence can have completely different meanings when taken either literally or figuratively. This begs the question of how a person knows when to take a sentence to be literal or figurative. The key to understanding whether a phrase needs to be taken literally or figuratively is common sense. Connotation refers to how the words and sentences preceding or following the phrase in question help to place the phrase into the correct context. For example, in the example sentence, "he went outside the box," if the preceding sentences explained that a man was trapped inside of a box or perhaps referred to a baseball batter's box, the reader would take that into consideration and know that the sentence should be taken literally to mean that the man actually stepped outside of a box. If however, the sentences and words around the phrase talked about the man trying to solve a problem or using his creativity or imagination to some purpose, the phrase can and should be taken figuratively to mean that he solved a problem with unconventional means and thinking. Using a little common sense gained 2
from life experiences can help the reader to understand the difference between a literal meaning and a figurative one. Figurative language also includes terms like simile, metaphor, personification, and so on, but the root of the problem remains the same figuring out the meaning of the phrase through context and connotation. By using figurative language, writers can evoke emotion and imagery from their writing that literal language just cannot provide. By doing so, figurative language makes expressing meaning through writing easier and more relatable to the reader. The song was taken from the album entitled "Warning". Green Day is an American Punk Rock band with the current members are Billie Joe Armstrong, Make Dirnt, and Tre Cool. Green Day has sold over 65 million copies of their albums worldwide with 24.639 million in the U.S. Green Day has won five Grammy Awards: Best Alternative Album for Dcokie, Best Rock Album for American Idiot, Record of the Year for "Boulevard of Broken Dreams", Best Rock Album for the second time for 21st Century Breakdown and Best Musical Show Album for American Idiot: The Original Broadway Cast Recording. 1.2 Problem of Study From the explanation above there are problems that are discussed figurative language in the song lyric of green day album entitled Warning as follow: 1. What are types of figurative language found in the song lyric of Green Day s album Entitled Warning? 3
2. What is the meaning of each figurative language found in the song lyric of Green Day s album Entitled Warning? 1.3 Aims of Study are: This study aimed to analyze Green Day s album entitled Warning. The aimed 1. To identify figurative language the song lyric of Green Day s album entitled Warning. 2. To find types of figurative language and meaning the song lyric of Green Day s album entitled Warning. 1.4 Scope of Discussion Intrinsically, this study focus to discuss the figurative language and meaning used in the song lyric of Green Day band entitled Warning. 1.5 Research Method Research method is an important part in analyzing this subject because this method guides the writer from preparation until writing the report. There are three methods used in this paper, they are: Data source, Data Collection, and Data Analysis. The data based on the song lyric of Green Day s album entitled Warning. 4
1.5.1 Data Source Data source of this study used primary data because the data are directly taken from Green Day album entitled Warning. Warning is the sixth studio album by American punk rock band Green Day, released on October 3, 2000, by Reprise Records. Building upon its predecessor, Nimrod (1997), the album eschewed the band's trademark punk rock sound and incorporated acoustic elements and pop and folk styles. Despite mixed criticism towards the band's stylistic change, the album received mostly positive reviews from music critics, who praised vocalist/guitarist Billie Joe Armstrong's song writing. Most of Green Day songs are about politics, social life, and love. The songs are presented in special ways because it is used the special languages which are different from ordinary language. Therefore, the reason to choose this album as the primary data is because there are songs which have the same theme and contain with many figurative language to be analyzed. There are 12 songs taken from this album as the primary data. 1.5.2 Method and Technique of Collecting Data In composing this study, the methods applied in collecting data were the documentation method. The steps to collect data are, first, the data collected by doing choosing the song lyrics as the data source. Then read the lyric carefully, repeatedly, and intensively in order to understand the meaning and find the major theme of songs. Next step was taking note of the sentences which were considered as figurative 5
language, and then classifying the lyrics into the classification of figurative language, after that analyzed those figurative languages into their functions in the songs and find types of the meaning. 1.5.3 Method and Technique of Presenting the Analyzed Data The data analyzed qualitatively based on the theory of figurative language by K. L. Knickerbocker and H. Willard Reninger. The second theory is the theory proposed by Leech (1974). The song lyric clearly is considered the figurative language because the writer of the song wants to describe how the feeling of a person in the song. The expression used for obtaining the special effect such as : Making your mascara bleed What the writer means by the words mascara bleed as we know mascara is a cosmetic for darkening and thickening the eyelashes especially it s used by women. The meaning in this song tells a grief in a relationship when a long term relationship had to break up, and the meaning of the sentence above stating weeping of a woman. The sentence above seems to show the use of personification because the sentence it gives human characteristic to the life object from the word mascara bleed. The sentence above is a connotative meaning because it cannot be taken literally. It is inderminate and open in the same sense as our knowledge and believe about the universe that are opened-ended. It is because in the song lyric above the writer put a lot of connotative meaning to express his or her felling, therefore, the listener or the reader of song can imagine and interpret by themselves about the exact meaning of that connotative sentence. 6