AN ANALYSIS OF FIGURATIVE LANGUAGE AND ITS MEANING IN

ROBERT FROSTS POEMS: Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening and

The Road Not Taken

Melina Sari
melinasari30@gmail.com
University of Lampung

Abstract: This study investigated the use of figurative language and its meaning in
Robert Frosts poem Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening and The Road Not
Taken. Descriptive qualitative research was used in the current study to analyze
what figurative language found in those poems. The findings revealed that Robert
Frost used some figurative language in his poem, such as, metaphor, personification,
irony, hyperbole, symbol and many others. Figurative language would assist people
to understand some literary works in form of poetry, short story, novel, etc.

Keywords: figurative language, meaning, poem

INTRODUCTION
Semantics is one of the important branches of linguistics that deals with
interpretation and meaning of the words, sentence structure and symbols, while
determining the reading comprehension of the readers how they understand others
and their interpretations. In addition, semantics construct a relation between
adjoining words and clarifies the sense of a sentence whether the meanings of
words are literal or figurative. According to Ogunsiji (2000) cited in Yeibo
language may be said to work in two broad dimensions namely literal and
figurative dimensions. The literal dimension of language use deploys words in
their usual and obvious sense without any additional suggestions. On the other
hand, the figurative dimension deals with the suggestive or connotative use of
language (p.56). Ogbulogo (2005) cited in Yeibo states in semantics figurative
helps writers to extend the meaning of concepts or phenomena, resulting in
polysemy or transfer of senses. The scholar adds figurative language covers
different devices which are semantically or grammatically marked or unusual.
Balogun (1996) cited in Yeibo corroborates this view when he averred that, the
consequence of the poet imaginative approach to language is that in poetry
everyday words and expressions often acquire new meanings (p.349). Hence
Ogunsiji (2000) cited in Yeibo avers that, if one writes without using figurative
language, ones speech or writing will be dry (p.56). Figurative includes: simile,
metaphor, personification, alliteration, assonance, paradox, oxymoron, etc.
As we have earlier observed, figurative is a critical consideration or element to the
composition of poetry texts, in the sense that, it helps the poet to economize words
and, at the same time, make his works picturesque, concrete and adequate. Poetry
is a special type of English which is written in different ways. It deserves study as
much as they do, perhaps more, since poetry is the type of English which touches
our personal feelings most closely. Maley and Moulding (1985:1) cited in Diyah,
states that poetry can also help us assimilate the typical rhythms of a language.
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However, most people find difficulties when studying or reading poetry. Any
difficult vocabulary in the poems is either explained or given special attention.
Poetry is full of meaning and symbol. It is very important to understand about
poetry when someone reads poetry. In the current research, the writer chooses
Robert Frosts poems since his literary works are popular and most people have
read his poems. He was an American poet and he was born in San Francisco,
California on March 26, 1874 January 29, 1963. He is one of the great poets in
America. In fact, his poems deal with social human life and nature. Most of his
poems have deep meaning and the figurative language gives poetic sense to them.
When readers read poetry, they will find message and theme of poetry. To read a
poetry, it is important to know and find the figurative language used in the poetry.
Figurative language is not to make poetry confusing, but to make it clear.
Related to the description above, the writer intends to identify and describe some
kinds of figurative language which are found in Robert Frosts poems. She also
wants to analyse the meaning of figurative language used in the selected poem of
Robert Frost.

METHODS
This research used descriptive qualitative research to analyze Robert Frosts
selected poems. It attempt to provide answer of the research problems of the study
in analyzing the figurative language of the poems used and the meaning of the
figurative language in the poems. In line with the description above, the design
was categorized into semantic content analysis. Content analysis is research
technique for making inferences that can be replicated and valid data by
considering the context. Some form of classification in content analysis include:
pragmatic content analysis, semantic content analysis, and analysis tool sign
(Bungin, 2001: 172-176) cited in Diyah. According to Arikunto (2006: 129) cited
in Diyah, the source of data in the study is subjects from which the data can be
obtained. In this study, the writer used book as the sources of data. The data of
this study were collected from the selected poems of Robert Frost which contain
figurative language. The writer took two selected poems of Robert Frost, they are:
Stopping by Woods on A Snowy Evening and The Road Not Taken. The
writer collected the data from the book related to the kind of literary research to
support this data. The instrument of this study was the writer. The writer was as
the key or main instrument that spent time deal with reading and understanding
the selected poems of Robert Frost. In collecting data, the writer took the
following steps: 1) Reading and understanding the selected poems by Robert
Frost. 2) Identifying the expressions containing of figurative language. 3)
Understanding every stanza to each of poem dealing with the general meaning. To
answer the research problem, after the data had been collected, the writer analyzed
them systematically. Firstly, the writer read the whole poems to find some
figurative language then after identifying the figurative language used in the
poem, the writer categorized them into some kinds of figurative language.
Secondly, the writer interpret poems to find general meaning of figurative
language. Then the writer read every stanza of poems to understand the meaning
of figurative language in the poems.
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RESULTS

Poem 1: Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening

Whose woods these are I think I know.
His house is in the village, though;
He will not see me stopping here
To watch his woods fill up with snow.
My little horse must think it queer
To stop without a farmhouse near
Between the woods and frozen lake
The darkest evening of the year.
He gives his harness bells a shake
To ask if there is some mistake.
The only other sounds the sweep
Of easy wind and downy flake.
The woods are lovely, dark, and deep,
But I have promise to keep,
And miles to go before I sleep,
And miles to go before I sleep.

Poem 2: The Road Not Taken

Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,
And sorry I could not travel both
And be one traveler, long I stood
And looked down one as far as I could
To where it bent in the undergrowth;
Then took the other, as just as fair,
And having perhaps the better claim,
Because it was grassy and wanted wear;
Though as for that the passing there
Had worn them really about the same,
And both that morning equally lay
In leaves no step had trodden black.
Oh, I marked the first for another day!
Yet knowing how way leads on to way,
I doubted if I should ever come back.
I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.

Table 1. Analysis of Poem 1

No. Sentence Figurative Language Meaning
1 Whose woods these are I Symbol The word woods in stanza
think I know. one emphasizes the figure of
things I cannot illustrate.
2 His house is in the village, Alliteration
though;
3 He will not see me stopping Alliteration
here
4 To watch his woods fill up Hyperbole, The word fill up with snow
with snow. Alliteration in stanza one emphasizes the
woods which full of snow
however the writer
expressed in overstatement.
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5 My little horse must think it Personification The word must think in

queer stanza two emphasizes the
horse wondered why they
stopped there.
6 To stop without a farmhouse
near
7 Between the woods and Symbol The word woods and frozen
frozen lake lake in stanza two
emphasizes the figure of
things I cannot illustrate.
8 The darkest evening of the
year.
9 He gives his harness bells a Metaphor, The word he gives his
shake Alliteration harness in stanza three
emphasizes the horse gives a
sign to his master.
10 To ask if there is some Metaphor The word to ask in stanza
mistake. three emphasizes the horse
still wondered why they
stopped there.
11 The only other sounds the Alliteration
sweep
12 Of easy wind and downy
flake.
13 The woods are lovely, dark, Symbol The word lovely, dark and
and deep, deep in stanza four
emphasizes the situation or
condition in the woods.
14 But I have promises to keep, Symbol The word promises in
stanza four emphasizes the
responsibility of the speaker
that he had to do.
15 And miles to go before I Symbol The word sleep in stanza
sleep, four emphasizes the death.
16 And miles to go before I Symbol, Repetition
sleep.

Table 2. Analysis of Poem 2

No. Sentence Figurative Language Meaning
1 Two roads diverged in a Symbol, Assonance The word roads in stanza
yellow wood, one emphasizes the choice of
life.
2 And sorry I could not travel Antithesis The word I could not travel
both both in stanza one
emphasizes the speaker
could not walked in those
two roads however in stanza
two he said he had walked in
them.
3 And be one traveler, long I Assonance
stood
4 And looked down one as far Assonance
as I could
5 To where it bent in the Symbol The word undergrowth in
undergrowth; stanza one emphasizes the
possibility of danger or risk
in taking any decision of
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something as the
consequence.
6 Then took the other, as just
as fair,
7 And having perhaps the
better claim,
8 Because it was grassy and Personification, The word wanted wear in
wanted wear; Alliteration stanza two emphasizes that
the road hope the speaker to
walk in or pass this road.
9 Though as for that, the
passing there
10 Had worn them really about Antithesis The word had worn them in
the same, stanza two emphasizes the
speaker had walked in those
two road however in stanza
one he said he could not
walked in them.
11 And both that morning Metaphor The word morning equally
equally lay lay in stanza three
emphasizes morning as a
nature which present the
situation or condition in the
roads.
12 In leaves no step had Metaphor The word leaves and step
trodden black. in stanza three emphasizes
those two things as a nature
which present the situation or
condition in the roads.
13 Oh, I kept the first for Alliteration
another day!
14 Yet knowing how way leads
on to way,
15 I doubted if I should ever
come back.
16 I shall be telling this with a Onomatopoeia The word sigh in stanza
sigh four emphasizes the poets
depression/sadness/happiness
for the consequence of the
decision he made.
17 Somewhere ages and ages Repetition
hence:
18 Two roads diverged in a Symbol The word roads in stanza
wood, and I four emphasizes the choice
of life.
19 I took the one less traveled Irony The word I took the one in
by, stanza four emphasizes the
speaker walk in one road
only however in stanza two
he said he had walked in
those two roads.
20 And that has made all the Irony The word made all the
difference. difference in stanza four
emphasizes whatever the
road (choice) is taken has
had a shaping influence on
life however in stanza two
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the speaker said that both the

roads are equally fair and
worn.

DISCUSSIONS
Regarding to the findings above, the writer had found some figurative languages
in Robert Frost poem: Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening and The Road
Not Taken. The findings of current research coincide with the previous studies
which reveal the use of figurative language in poetry (Aqeel, Sajid, Shakir et.al,
2015, Batool, Khan, Iqbal et.al, 2014 and Yeibo, 2012). The role played by
figurative language in encoding the meaning of a literary text cannot be over
emphasized. Specifically, it serves both functional and artistic purposes. This
infers that, figurative language acts as semantic signifiers in texts and also helps
the literary artist in achieving beauty in form (Yeibo, 2012). The critical fact that
emerges from the foregoing is that, figurative language constitutes the cornerstone
of the literariness or ornamental nature of literary language, as it enables the
writer to exploit and manipulate the latent potentials of language, in sundry ways,
for specific stylistic effects. Importantly, this pattern of language use is more
predominant in poetry than other genres of literature (i.e. drama and prose).
Balogun (1996) cited in Yeibo avers that, what distinguishes poetry from the other
two major genres is the emphasis it places on the imaginative use of
language it is the common practice of the poet to use words figuratively and
hence the proliferation of figures of speech, collectively called imagery, in poetry
(p.349-350). Ogunsiji (2000) cited in Yeibo adds that, figurative language is ... a
form of picture language (p.56). The implication of this viewpoint is that,
figurations do not only decorate poems and endow them with aesthetic value, they
also convey connotative meanings and produce certain special effects, which
enrich the texts and make their meanings more precise and concrete. According to
Balogun (1996) cited in Yeibo, this fact explains why, in poetry, we
predominantly look beyond the ordinary denotative meaning of the language to its
connotative or implied meaning (p.349).

CONCLUSION
By analyzing figurative language and its meaning, it can be useful for people in
order to comprehend some kind of literary work, such as, poetry, novel, short
story and many others. Besides that, it also can enrich their vocabulary and
knowledge since they will find several new term in different type of figurative
language. In language teaching, teacher may provide some material about
figurative language in form of poetry or short story to make teaching learning
process more interesting. In addition, since the current study had analyzed Robert
Frosts poem, the further research can conduct research in other popular poet, for
example, Emily Dickinson, Langston Hughes, William Shakespeare and many
others.
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REFERENCES
Aqeel, Sajid, Shakir et.al, 2015. Stylistic Analysis of Robert Frosts Poem
Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening. International Journal of English
and Education, Vol. 4, Issue 1, pp. 504-512, January 2015.

Batool, Khan, Iqbal et.al. 2014. Stylistic Analysis of Robert Frosts Poem: The
Road Not Taken. Journal of ELT and Applied Linguistics (JELTAL), Vol.
2, Issue4, pp. 52-54, December, 2014.

Diyah, N. 2011. An Analysis of Robert Frosts Selected Poems. State College of

Islamic Studies (STAIN) Tulungagung.

Yeibo, E. 2012. Figurative Language and Stylistic Function in J. P. Clark-

Bekederemo's Poetry. Journal of Language Teaching and Research, Vol.
3, No. 1, pp. 180-187, January 2012.