Figurative Language

Figurative
Language
Figurative language atau jika pada bahasa
Indonesia disebut dengan majas/bahasa kiasan
yang berarti gaya bahasa yang dipakai oleh
sang penulis dalam menyampaikan sebuah
pesan secara imajinatif dan kias yang bertujuan
untuk membuat para pembaca mendapatkan
efek tertentu melalui gaya bahasa yang
digunakan tersebut.
 Figurative Language
Secara sederhana, figurative language adalah penggunaan kata-
kata untuk menghasilkan bunyi yang artistik, biasanya memang
digunakan dalam karya2 sastra dengan tujuan memberikan sentuhan
yang lebih dalam menyampaikan makna kalimat atau cerita.

Lawan makna dari figurative language adalah literal language. Literal

language adalah kata-kata yang menggunakan arti yang sebenarnya
tanpa imajinasi atau makna yang berlebihan. Dalam bahasa
Indonesia, kita mengenalnya sebagai “harfiah/harafiah”.
 Figurative Language
Perbedaan keduanya dalam contoh berikut:
The athlete is on fire.

Bila menggunakan figurative language, maka kalimat di atas

bermakna “Sang atlet sedang bersemangat”. Namun, jika
menggunakan literal language, maka maknanya menjadi “Sang
atlet terbakar.”
 Figurative Language in the bible
Saat Yesus berkata, "Akulah pintu", apakah Dia benar-benar bermaksud seperti itu?
Tidak. Tentu saja Dia tidak bermaksud bahwa Dia punya gagang dan [Link],
Dia benar-benar bermaksud kalau Dia adalah pintu menuju Allah.
Allah tidak berada di satu tempat sehingga kita tidak dapat berharap ada sebuah pintu
fisik yang akan menuntun kepada-Nya. Namun, seperti kita juga membutuhkan pintu-
pintu untuk masuk ke berbagai ruangan, dan perlu tahu di mana mereka serta pintu
mana yang benar, Yesus memberi tahu kita bahwa Dialah pintu menuju Allah.
Ketika seorang penulis atau pembicara merujuk ke sesuatu yang tidak bisa dirasakan
secara langsung oleh pancaindra, penulis akan memakai majas (figurative language).
Kitab-kitab Puisi dan Hikmat (Ayub, Amsal, Pengkhotbah, Mazmur dan Kidung Agung)
banyak menggunakan Figurative Language dalam bahasanya.
Figurative Language in the bible
- Yesaya 53:6 (AYT)
"Kita semua seperti domba yang tersesat, setiap orang mengambil jalan mereka sendiri. Akan tetapi,
TUHAN telah membebankan ke atasnya seluruh kejahatan kita."
- Lukas 13:34 (AYT)
"Yerusalem, Yerusalem! Kamu membunuh para nabi dan merajam orang yang diutus kepadamu! Berulang
kali Aku rindu mengumpulkan anak-anakmu, sama seperti induk ayam yang mengumpulkan anak-
anaknya di bawah sayapnya. Akan tetapi, kamu tidak mau."
- Yeremia 23:29 (AYT)
"Bukankah firman-Ku seperti api?" firman TUHAN, "dan seperti palu yang menghancurkan batu
berkeping-keping?"
- Wahyu 1:14-15 (AYT)
"Kepala dan rambut-Nya putih seperti bulu domba, seputih salju; dan mata-Nya seperti nyala api. Kaki-
Nya mengilap seperti tembaga yang membara dalam perapian dan suara-Nya seperti gemuruh air bah."
- Mazmur 42:1 (AYT)
"Seperti rusa yang rindu akan aliran-aliran sungai, begitu juga jiwaku terhadap Engkau, ya Allah.
Figurative Language
Simile Personification
metaphor ALLITERATION
hyperbolE ALLEGORY
Simile
A comparison of two things
using the words like or as
>> Perbandingan dua jenis
benda yang tidak sama
menggunakan kata like atau as

She was as sharp as a cactus.

SIMILE (MORE EXAMPLES)
(1) As brave as a lion
While fighting the war, the soldier was as brave as a lion.
(2) As cold as ice
The expression on her face was as cold as ice.
(3) As white as snow
The clothes she wore were as white as snow.
(4) Straight like an arrow
You can trust him, he is straight like an arrow.
(5) Clear like crystal
Look! The water is clear like crystal.
Metaphor
A comparison of two things using
the words is and are or a DIRECT
comparison.
>> Metafora ialah pernyataan
yang membandingkan dua hal
yang tidak sama secara langsung

His banjo music is medicine

for the soul.
Metaphor (more examples)
My mom has a heart of gold.
My friend, Sharon, is a night owl.
Your mind is an ocean.
She was an autumn leaf.
He is a cheetah when he runs.
Phoebe is a nightingale. Everyone loves the way she sings.
She is such a firecracker.
Hyperbole
An extremely exaggerated
meaning
>> adalah pernyataan berlebihan
yang dibuat untuk menekankan
suatu hal, saking berlebihannya
tidak ada yang percaya bahwa itu
benar.

The horseshoe attracted

all the luck in the world.
Hyperbole (more examples)
1. I’m so hungry I could eat a horse.
2. She’s as old as the hills.
3. I walked a million miles to get here.
4. I died of embarrassment.
5. He’s as skinny as a toothpick.
6. His brain is the size of a pea.
7. New York is the city that never sleeps.
8. That runner’s faster than the speed of lightning.
9. My parents are going to kill me when they find out.
10. That was the easiest quiz in the world.
11. I’m dying of starvation.
12. Our car cost us an arm and a leg.
Personification
Gives human traits to animals,
plants, objects, and other non-
human things.
The arms of the cactus
reached out to hug passersby.
Personification (more examples)
The blanket held me close.
The computer suffered.
Lightning danced across the sky.
The wind howled in the night.
Rita heard the last piece of pie calling her name.
The moon played hide and seek with the clouds.
The moon smiled at the stars in the sky.
The leaves waved as we passed by.
Time flies when you are having fun.
Alliteration
A phrase that starts with the
same sounds

Sam's sheriff star

shone in the moonlight.
Alliteration (more examples)
Alliterative names Alliterative brands
Mickey Mouse Dunkin Donuts
Donald Duck Coca Cola
Kim Kardashian Krispy Kreme
Peter Parker Blenger Burger
Peppa Pig

Alliteration in everyday speech

Quick question
Pizza party
Big business
ALLEGORY
Where characters, images, and/or
events act as symbols. The
symbolism in an allegory can be
interpreted to have a deeper
meaning. An author may use allegory
to illustrate a moral or spiritual truth,
or political or historical situation.
The Tortoise and the Hare: we learn that
the strong and steady win the race.
The allegory is more challenging to use in
writing than a metaphor because you must
weave it through your entire piece.
 Two well-known allegories in the New Testament are found in the
gospel of John: John 10 (the Good Shepherd) and John 15 (the Vine).

John 10:1-18 records the allegory of the Good

Shepherd, where Jesus makes several points
of comparison. Jesus is the door and the
shepherd. He is the Way, the Provider, and the
Protector of His sheep. His people for whom
He purchased salvation are the sheep – they
know Him and He knows them. There is
intimacy and assurance between the
Shepherd and the sheep.
 John 15:1-11 records the allegory of the vine and the branches.
Jesus states truths about Himself and others to His disciples.
Several main points are made: Jesus is the vine such that “Apart
from Me, you (plural) can do nothing.” Jesus is referring to true
fruit production. As the physical vine was expected to bear fruit,
so, too are God’s disciples (branches). It points out that outside of
Christ one can’t produce good fruit. Growth in Christlikeness
comes because one is already in Christ.