JELL (Journal of English Language and literatur.
STIBA IEC Jakarta Volume 10.
Issue 1.
March 2025 p-ISSN 2540-8216, e-ISSN 2654-3745 https://journal.
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php/jell An Analysis of Figurative Language Used in Beowulf Poem Translated by Burton Raffel Alexander Glen Gesa Winata 1 200350027@pertiwi.
English Literature Department.
Faculty of Tourism and Language Universitas Pertiwi Priyoto priyoto@pertiwi.
English Literature Department.
Faculty of Tourism and Language Universitas Pertiwi Noviana Lestari lestari@pertiwi.
English Literature Department.
Faculty of Tourism and Language Universitas Pertiwi Winata.
Priyoto & Lestari.
An Analysis of Figurative Language Used in Beowulf Poem Translated by Burton Raffel.
Journal of English Language and literature, 10.
, 69-74.
doi: 10.
37110/jell.
Received: 02-07-2024 Accepted: 25-07-2025 Published: 02-03-2025 Abstract: Purpose of this study is to find the figurative language in Beowulf poem translated by Burton Raffel.
The researcher read and studied Beowulf poem which were the subject of study.
The poem itself composed in Old English consisting of 3,182 lines.
Beowulf is an epic poem that consist seven six-line The researcher use descriptive-qualitative method to collect the data.
The language itself spoken in Anglo-Saxon England.
Beowulf poem doesnAot rhyme not the same as most modern poem this day that have rhyme.
But, to create unity and flow of language, poets like Beowulf instead used figurative language in their poetry.
According to Perrine .
n Arp, 2010: .
, figurative language refers to language that is not literary true but that is used to create truthful meaning and understanding.
From the result of the study, the researcher found kinds of figurative language in this poem include.
assonance, alliteration, kennings, similes, metaphors, imagery, caesura.
stock and allusion.
Keywords: Beowulf.
Figurative Language.
Poem Analysis.
Poem
INTRODUCTION
Laurence Perrine in An Introduction to the Poetry, (New York: Harcourt.
Brace Javavovich, 1.
, p.
590 says poem expresses the idea in line by using diction, figure of speech, imaginary, rhythm, and sound and meaning According to Paul Valery, poetry is an art based on language, but poetry has more general meaning that is difficult to define because it is less determine.
poetry also expresses a certain state of mind.
Frieda Hughes also state that poetry is the way of communicating a vast array of thoughts and feeling by concentrating them into minimal, or even single points which describe a whole.
Poetic diction is different from daily expression that have straight cleared meaning and literal According to Perrine in An Introduction to the Poetry, p.
figurative language is broadly defined as anyway of saying something other than ordinary way and it is more narrowly definable as a way of saying one thing and meaning another.
According to Jay Parini in the definition of poetry, 2006 p.
31 says AuThe epic is one of the major genres.
The term is rather, flexible, and it often refers loosely to works written on a grand Corresponding author Alexander Glen Gesa Winata.
Priyoto & Noviana Lestari An Analysis of Figurative Language Used in Beowulf Poem Translated by Burton Raffel scale with heroic dimensions,Ay.
An Epic is a long narrative poem that celebrates a heroAos The word AuepicAy comes from the ancient Greek term Auepos,Ay which means Austory, word.
Ay The earlies epic tales survived for centuries as oral traditions before they were finally written down.
They came into existence as spoken words and were retold by poet after poet from one generation to the next.
aesthetic value in poetic text.
one of the materials taught in English language teaching, especially for higher education level, is As we know, the literature applies in linguistics features including poem, poetry, prose, movie and novels.
In creating such of literature works, writers love to use figurative language in gain to attract the readers and Beowulf is an epic poem that tells the story of the hero.
Beowulf, who kills two horrible monsters before eventually becoming king and dying in one final battle with a third monster.
The main character of this poem is Beowulf According to Sapardi .
The characters created by the author in the poem the classics face their own destiny in various The ideas and fate of these characters depend on their social background.
The relationship between the ideas of the characters in literature and real society can be described through the character itself.
According to Werren and Martin .
n Amriani: 2.
thatAy Figure of Speech is a departure from ordinary form the expression or the ordinary course of idea in order to produce a greater effect Au.
Figurative language is used to describe an object, person, or situation by comparing it with something else.
Kennedy .
, states that many readers who have no trouble understanding and enjoying prose find poetry difficult.
The difficulty of poetry is sometimes it canAot be understood and enjoyed on first reading, because a poem has to be read slowly, carefully, attentively and more than one reading.
Wardaugh .
states that language is an arbitrary system of vocal symbols used for human interaction.
The main role of language is as the tool of communication.
By using language, we can share our feelings, intents, informationAos, and messages to others.
There are two kinds of language, first is literal language and second is figurative While literal language uses words straightforward, or conventionally accepted meanings or denotation.
The figurative language has the implied meaning or we can say that the meaning of the figurative language is based on the context.
The objective of this study is the poem aims to find and reveal the figurative language used in Beowulf poem translated by Burton Raffel.
Figurative language or also we can called figure of speech is one of the linguistics features.
Dancygier and Sweetser .
explains that figurative language is known to be one element of what a text offers, in a particular special According to Abrams .
9, p.
AuFigurative language is a conspicuous departure from what users of a language apprehend as the standard meaning of words, or else the standard order of words, in order to achieve some special meaning or effect.
Ay In stating ideas in fascinating way, resembling the look of people and things, and describing something nonliteral, people use the figurative languages.
Types of Figurative Language There are many classifications of types of figurative language based on different experts.
Rozakis .
mentions that there are 22 kinds of figurative language and divides it into allegory, ambiguity, apostrophe, conceit, connotation and denotation, contrast, metaphor, irony, hyperbole, irony, litotes, metonymy, onomatopoeia, oxymoron, personification, sarcasm, simile, symbolism, synecdoche.
Furthermore.
Siqueira.
Marques and Gibbs .
point out that metaphor, metonymy, idiom and proverb are types of 14 figurative Meanwhile, according to Abrams .
, figurative language consists of 17 types.
they are alliteration, allegory, allusion, ambiguity, antithesis, hyperbole, imagery, irony, metaphor, metonymy, onomatopoeia, synecdoche, and understatement.
Moreover, one of Indonesian man of letters.
Tengsoe Tjahyono, divides figurative language into four groups in Those are comparison, affirmation.
Specifically, comparison consists of personification.
JELL (Journal of English Language and literatur.
STIBA IEC Jakarta Volume 10.
Issue 1.
March 2025 metaphor, simile, metonymy, symbol, litotes, euphemism, hyperbole, synecdoche, allusion, periphrasis, antonomasia, allegory.
Meanwhile, in affirmation, there are pleonasm, parallelism, repetition, tautology, symmetry, climax, anticlimax, asyndeton, polysyndeton, inversion, rhetoric, correction, enumeration, ellipsis, interruption, exclamation.
Furthermore, contradiction consists of paradox, contradiction in terminis, antithesis, occupational, anachronism.
Lastly, in satire, there are irony, cynicism, and sarcasm.
This study is concerned with the types of figurative language proposed by Perrine .
They are simile, metaphor, synecdoche, personification, metonymy, allegory, overstatement .
, irony, symbol, paradox, apostrophe and understatement due to the needs and the focus of the study.
METHOD
The data in this research is analyzed by descriptively qualitative method.
There are two sources of data used in this study.
The main data of this research is the Beowulf Poem by Burton Raffel.
The data are in the form of dialogues from the poem.
The supporting data are taken from journal articles, books and thesis that are related with the theory used in this study.
According to Meldy et al.
, this type of research is Aua series of activities related to the method of collecting library data, reading, recording, and processing research materials,Ay among which are Auscientific journal, reference book, and literatureAy .
In doing the research, the researcher first, collecting various words and also underline it.
Second, the researcher takes some note from collecting the data that are taken as the data in the poem, which are then investigated further in terms of the types of linguistic features.
FINDINGS AND DISCUSION
p-ISSN 2540-8216, e-ISSN 2654-3745 https://journal.
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php/jell symbolism, stock, simile, metaphors, and For alliteration, the researcher found there are 4: consonant AuwAy.
AubAy.
AunAy, and AuhAy.
For assonance, the researcher found there are 2:
vowel AuoAy and AuiAy.
In kennings, the researcher found there are 3 kennings.
For the imagery, the researcher found there are 3 imagery.
In caesura, the researchers found there are 4 caesura.
For symbolism, the researcher found there are 3 In stock epithets, there are 3 of For simile and metaphors, the researcher found there are 3 of them.
And last, for allusion the researcher found 2.
Discussion Alliteration In Beowulf poem line 30, the researcher found an alliteratively intense repetition of AuwAy sounds in every line, and often multiple times per line.
AuThen, when darkness had dropped.
Grendel went up to Herot.
Wondering what the warriors would do in that hall when their drinking was done.
Ay In Beowulf poem line 35, the researcher found there are alliteration of AubAy sounds.
AuUnknowing in their beds and ran out with their bodies.
The blood dripping, behind him.
Ay In Beowulf poem line 70, the researcher found there are alliteration of AunAy sounds.
AuNo truce, accepting no settlement, no price In gold or land, and paying the living For one crime only with another.
No one waited for reparation from his plundering claws.
Ay In Beowulf poem line 90, the researcher found there are alliteration of AuhAy sounds.
AuAnd sometimes they sacrificed to the old stone gods.
Made heathen vows, hoping for HellAos Findings This Chapter covers the research result of the analysis of figurative language used in Beowulf Poem Translated by Burton Raffel.
The researcher read and studied the poem itself and found there are 10 figurative languages in Beowulf Poem.
There are.
assonance, kennings, imagery, caesura.
Support, the DevilAos guidance in driving Their affection off.
That was their way.
And the heathenAos only hope.
Hell.
Ay Assonance Alexander Glen Gesa Winata.
Priyoto & Noviana Lestari An Analysis of Figurative Language Used in Beowulf Poem Translated by Burton Raffel The other figurative language is assonance.
(Baldick, 1996, p.
defines it as Authe repetition of identical or similar vowel sounds in the stressed syllables .
nd sometimes in the following unstressed syllable.
of neighboring wordsAy.
In Beowulf poem line 155, the researcher found there are sets alliteration, one with AuoAy sounds and one with AueAy sounds.
AuAll of that race from the earth.
I swam.
In Beowulf poem line 163.
AuSheltered of warriorsAy which means AuHrothgarAy Hrothgar is king itself.
Who ruled the He also help Beowulf development into maturity and has a same heroic code that rooted in his body.
In Beowulf poem 7.
AuThe AlmightyAy which means AuGodAy In the blackness of the night, hunting As the nordic mythology they served many Gods.
Like Zeus, the all-father.
Poseidon, etc.
Out of the ocean, and killing them one Imagery Is the general term covering the use of literary devices which encourage the reader to form a mental picture in their mind about the way something or someone looks, sounds, behaves, etc.
By one.
death was my errand and the fate They had earned.
Now Grendel and I are Ay In Beowulf poem line 175, the researcher found there are alliteration of AuiAy sounds.
AuAnd gorge his belly with our bodies.
If he If he can.
And I think, if my time will have to Ay In Beowulf poem line 176, the researcher found there are alliteration of AuoAy sounds.
AuThereAoll be nothing to mourn over, no corpse, to prepare For its grave: Grendel will carry our blood Flesh to the moors, crunch on our bones And smear torn scraps of our skin on the Of his den.
No.
I expect no Danes.
Ay Kennings A kenning is a metaphorical phrase or compound used to name a person, place, or thing The researcher found there are lines that indicate kennings:
In Beowulf poem line 1.
AuPowerful AuGrendelAy monsterAy In the poem Grendel as known as the powerful monster that haunt the kingdom, where the people lives.
No one has defeated Grendel before, until Beowulf came and kill the beast.
The researcher founds there are lines that indicate imagery:
In Beowulf poem line 8 Ae 13.
AuThese beautiful plains marked off by oceans, then proudly setting the sun and moon to glow across the land and light it- Au In these line, show us some imagery setting.
The author of this poetry want us to imagine some beautiful scenery that cover by sun and moon to shine the plains.
In Beowulf poem line 138 Ae 141.
AuStanding on that princeAos own hearth, helmeted, the silvery metal of his mail shirt gleaming with a smithAos high art, -Au The author of this poetry, want us to imagine the prince itself, cover with helmet and silvery mail shirt.
In Beowulf poem line 218 Ae 222.
AuAnd then, in the morning, this mead-hall glittering with new light would be drenched by blood-Au In these scene.
Grendel imagine that she will cover the mead-hall with people blood.
Caesura Is the pause in the middle of a poetry or a It can be used for dramatic effect.
The researcher found there are lines that indicate JELL (Journal of English Language and literatur.
STIBA IEC Jakarta Volume 10.
Issue 1.
March 2025 In Beowulf poem line 23.
p-ISSN 2540-8216, e-ISSN 2654-3745 https://journal.
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php/jell In Beowulf poem line 158.
AuHe knew the sea, would point the prowAy In Beowulf poem line 57.
AuDistance was safety.
the only survivorsAy In Beowulf poem line 59.
AuSo Grendel ruled, fought with righteousAy In Beowulf poem line 60.
AuOne against many, and won.
so HerotAy Symbolism Symbolism is the use of symbols to represent other ideas or object in a work of literature.
The researcher found there are lines that indicate In Beowulf poem line 19-23.
AuHe was spawned in that slime, conceives by a pair of those monsters born in Cain, murderous creatures banished by God, punished forever for the crime of AbelAos Ay In Beowulf poem line 44-49.
Au-knowing by its tracks that some demon had torn his followers apart.
He wept, fearing the beginning might not be the end.
Ay In Beowulf poem line 144-148.
Au-in the sky the sun had lit, light and life fleeing together.
Ay Stock Epithets Is a compound adjective to describe a specific The researcher found there are lines that indicate stock epithets:
AuHellAy in reference to Grendel AuLordAy in reference to Hrothgar AuGoldAy and AuSweetAy in reference to the mead Similes and Metaphors Similes and metaphors are used to create some connection between two ideas.
The researcher found there are lines that indicate similes and metaphors:
AuADeath was my errand.
Ay Allusion Allusion used in literature to reference a wellknown historical event or an event in another piece of literature.
The researcher found there are lines that indicate allusion:
In Beowulf poem line 20-21.
AuAmonster born / of Cain.
Ay In Beowulf poem line 418:
AuOf his last human supperAAy CONCLUSION Based on discussion above, nine types of figurative language are used in Beowulf poem:
alliteration, assonance, kennings, imagery, caesura, symbolism, stock epithets, similes and metaphors, and allusion.
The research aimed to identify the types of figurative language in Beowulf Poem.
Eventually, the researcher had got data and analyzed each form based the In conclusion, the researcher found four alliteration that used in Beowulf Poem, they are AuwAy.
AubAy.
AunAy, and AuhAy.
Also, we can see assonance in this poem, the researcher found two assonance, they are AuoAy and AuiAy.
Kennings, there are three kennings that found.
imagery, the researcher found there are three In caesura, there are four caesura that found in poem.
For symbolism.
The researcher found three symbolism in this poem.
For stock epithets, there are three line that indicates stock The researcher also found similes and metaphors, they are three of them that indicates similes and metaphors, and the last, for allusion, the researcher found two lines that indicates Suggestion for further research, the researcher has some limitations due to time and space constrains.
Among the poem itself composed in Old English consisting of 3,182 lines, the researcher can only investigate the half of the poem.
In Beowulf poem line 35.
AuThought were as quick as his greed or his clawsAy In Beowulf poem line 57.
AuDistance was safetyAAy Alexander Glen Gesa Winata.
Priyoto & Noviana Lestari An Analysis of Figurative Language Used in Beowulf Poem Translated by Burton Raffel
REFERENCES