CHAPTER I

INTRODUCTION

1.1 Background of the Study

Language is a tool to communicating with other people or we can say that language
used to help people to deliver and express their feeling, thought, and emotion in easier way.
People deliver and express their feeling, thought, and emotion by making literary work. We
can say that literary work is peoples’ reflection on their life and living. Literary work is the
combination between the power of imagination and creativity which supported by experience
and observation of the author. Studying literature is learning human life because of based on
authors’ reflection on their life and living.
Making literary works, people use various ways to expressing their life and living by
spoken and written language. Diction and imaginary are mostly used in creating meaning of
the language. People are usually not giving the real meaning in literary works. To knowing
what their real thought we must study about figurative language. Furthermore using
figurative language in literary works has an important role to creating plentiful meaning of
words. There are kind of figurative languages, such as metaphor, synecdoche, paradox,
personification, hyperbole, etc. Figurative language usually can be found in some literary
works such as poetry, song lyrics and fiction.
Listen a song not only to entertain our self but also a place that the writer to express
his/her emotion. Music can also affect the brain works, especially for the children who are
still not able to receive any more in their brain memory. And it is as expressed by Harnum
(2001) said that "The kids who take piano lessons showed improved general and spatial
cognitive development, music can also making may improve the brain's natural production of
regulatory hormones like melatonin”. Song becomes part of human life, everywhere we go
out, song or music must be company us. Song also can inspire the listener by the song lyrics.
Listener would imagine the writer emotion by listen and singing the song.
Song lyrics is one of kind literary works that using figurative language. The writer of
song lyrics is using figurative language to write down their main and expressing their
emotion by not expressing or talking much their emotions. In expressing their ideas, the
writer has their own styles and techniques to depict the meaning of words that they decay.

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The arrangement of visual words will not attract the listener to imagine and to reveal the
messages beneath of the songs, it is different when the writer use figurative language. Song
with figurative language will be beautiful and sound must be better. In song lyrics,
commonly found simile, metaphor, personification, hyperbole, metonymy and synecdoche.
When we learn figurative language, it means we are required to understand the meaning. It
must beyond the word, phrase, and sentence. It is difficult to comprehend and analyze the
meaning of figurative language used in song lyrics. We must have knowledge about
figurative language itself.
In this research, the researcher expects to find out the figurative language such as
simile, metaphor, metonymy, and synecdoche in the Avenged Sevenfold’s song lyrics.
Avenged Sevenfold is an American rock band from Huntington Beach, California, formed in
1999. The band itself has received much credit for their worldwide mainstream success and
was most notably proclaimed as one of the leaders and key bands in the New Wave of
American Heavy Metal and was featured as second place on Ultimate Guitar's Top Ten
Bands of the Decade. The band consists of vocalist Matthew Charles Sanders (M. Shadows),
lead guitarist Brian Elwin Haner Jr. (Synyster Gates), rhythm guitarist Zachary James Baker
(Zacky Vengeance) and bassist Jonathan Lewis Seward (Johnny Christ). The band continued
to explore new sounds with their self-titled release and enjoyed continued mainstream
success before their drummer, James Owen Sullivan or The Rev died of a drug overdose in
December 2009. Despite his death, the band continued on with help of then Dream Theater
drummer Mike Portnoy. A song is a composition that contains vocal parts (lyrics) that are
performed (sung), commonly accompanied by musical instruments, exception in the case of
acappela songs. The lyrics of songs are typically of a poetic, rhyming nature, although they
may be religious verses or free prose.
Learning figurative language in analyzing song lyric can help future teacher can get
benefit from this study, not only us but also for the students. Using figurative language as the
topic for students, teachers can make good plan to giving a lesson for their students.
Figurative language is kind of the lesson how to understanding the expression of words to get
the real meaning of those words. We can also say that figurative language is describing
something by comparing it to something else. This type of description brings writing to life.
Understanding various types of figurative language is a critical part of a student's education.

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 Based on explanation above, the researcher wants to analyse the song lyrics from the
song by Avenged Sevenfold. In the song lyrics there are any types of figurative language that
the song writer uses in every statement. The aims for this research are to figure out what
figurative language used in song lyrics. By the explanation, it is considered to be important to
create this thesis entitled “An Analysis of Figurative Language and the Implication of
Avenged Sevenfold’s Songs Lyric in Education”.
1.2 Research Questions
Based on the background of the study the researcher is like to write the following question of
this study:
1. What types of figurative language are found in Avenged Sevenfold’s songs?
2. What are the meanings of figurative language used in Avenged Sevenfold’s songs?
3. What is the contribution of figurative language in teaching for English?
1.3 Purpose of the Study
Based on the statement of problem, the purposes of research are.
1. To describe the types of figurative language in Avenged Sevenfold’s songs.
2. To explain meanings of figurative langauge used in Avenged Sevenfold’s songs.
3. To explain the contribution of figurative language in teaching for English.
1.4 Scope of the Study
1. The subject of research in Avenged Sevenfold’s song.
2. This research focus on figurative language. Those are hyperbole, imagery, metonymy,
synecdoche, and simile.
3. This research focus on what type of figurative language found. Those are words, phrases,
and sentences.
4. This research is also focus on contribution of figurative language in teaching for English.
1.5 Significant of the Study
Particularly, this study provides several significant contributions to the readers read that
can enjoyed the music. Especially the researcher wishes that this study can increase
knowledge about figurative language.

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 1.5.1 Practically
a. The English Teachers
The result of the study can be useful for additional information that can be applied by
teachers in teaching and practicing.
b. The Future Researcher
This result can be used as the rules and knowledge in analyzing of Figurative
Language.
1.5.2 Theoretically
This research will enrich the study of literature especially about figurative language. It
can give additional reference or further references for other researchers who interesting in
literature study on analysis of figurative language and its contributions for English
department students particularly in learning about language by using song lyrics. In this
case using Avenged Sevenfold’s songs lyric.
1.6 Definition of the Key Term
1.6.1 Figurative Language
According to Perrine (1977:61), figurative language is figure of speech a way of adding
extra dimensions to language. It is used by the poets because figurative language can say
the words what they want to say with interesting expressions meaning by implicit and
attractive rather than say it directly and flat.
1.6.2 Song
According to Hornby (2000: 1281) said that “Song is a short piece of music with words
that you sing”.
1.6.3 Lyric
Lyrics are a set of words that make up a song, usually consisting of verses and choruses.
The meaning of lyrics can either be explicit or implicit. Some lyrics are abstract, almost
unintelligible, and, in such cases, their explication emphasizes form, articulation, meter,
and symmetry of expression.

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 CHAPTER II

REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE

2.1 Previous Study

To prove the authenticity of this research, the researcher presents the previous
study that deals with especially figurative language in general. A final exam of student of
Mataram University, the titled is“An Analysis of Figurative Language of Zara Larsson’s
Selected Song” by Fahmi Asad. In his study, he found that there are eight of figurative
language used in Zara Larsson’s selected song lyrics, such as hyperbole, simile,
personification, metonymy, imagery, paradox, synecdoche and symbolism. Then the
meaning of each figurative language is presented clearly. But In uncover lyrics, found
five kinds of figurative language. There are Metonymy, hyperbole, simile, synecdoche,
and personification. The meaning of the song based on the background tells us someone’s
a secret relationship that can’t be public. The lyric is also only be used to express the
feeling of how the relationship can’t be exposed to other, no matter what event hardest
time in life, they will be there for each other and love each other forever. Even if no one
likes the fact that they are together, they would not care. This song is suitable for
someone’s run their relationship on the back street that their parent doesn’t want their son
make relationship.
The researcher is also reviewing a thesis of Qurrotul ‘Ain, entitled “An Analysis
of Figurative Language in the Song Lyrics by Maher Zain” which published by Syekh
Nurjati State Institute for Islamic Studies Cirebon. She analyses Maher Zain’s songs
which there is the most figurative language in his songs. She get five songs of Maher
Zain, there are Hold My Hand, Thank You Allah, Insya Allah, For the Rest of My Life,
and Palestine Will Be Free. According to the research, she found ten type of the
figurative language in those songs there are hyperbole, irony, Alliteration, personification
and litotes. And the most dominant figurative language which is used in the lyrics of five
songs is hyperbole with thirty-one (31) times found in five songs.
2.2 Figurative Language
Language is communication’s tool which is using to communicate with each
other. There are a lot of way to communicate not only directly delivery the meaning, also

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can using indirectly way to giving a sense of mysterious like giving symbols, and talk
with other word in way for refers to the real meaning. In this research, the research
focused on delivery meaning indirectly which is commonly applicate in poems, song
lyrics, short stories, novels, etc. And the object of this research is analyzing the real
meaning in song lyrics.
How to deliver the real meaning in language is usually using different style which
has the same meaning. Study about that is called figurative language. Figurative language
is the part of literature which is a literary device that used to create a special effect or
feeling by making some type of interesting or creative comparison. According to Abrams
(1999;96), he stated that figurative language consist of some figure of speech. It also state
by Nuriadi in his book that the terms sometime called as a figure of speech. It means
figurative language is a way of saying one thing but have another meaning.
Figurative language is also a set of literary devices that authors use to bring the
reader into the writing. The literary devices use language in such a way that what is being
said is different from the actual literal meaning of the words. Figurative language helps
the reader to get a clearer picture of what's happening, and they can also be used to
convince the reader of something, or they can be used to simply entertain the reader.
Figurative language has been widely examined by linguist in the study of
literature in recent years. It is because figurative language has the essence of style and
beauty. Figurative language often provides a more effective means of saying what we
mean than direct statement. In the specific sense, figurative language may take the form
of figures of speech. Figurative language is used in any form of communication, such as
in daily conversation, articles in newspaper, advertisements, novels, poems, etc.
There are two types of figurative language which have been overlooked for
consideration of linguistics importance, tropes and schemes. In linguistic tropes is a
rhetorical figure of speech which consists of playing of words. Those words are
considered having meaning more than normal form of literal. Tropes are the type of
figurative language which depends essential on paradigmatic relationship while schemes
depend on essential syntagmatic relationship. Other major category is scheme, which
involves changing the pattern of words in sentences. The paradigmatic itself is a
relationship between a worn and other related word which does not occurs, while

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syntagmatic relationship is a relationship between a word and other accompanying words.
(Huda, 2013;14).
There are many types of figurative language which is very interesting to learning.
Authors of figurative language make comparison between one thing and another.
Oftentimes, the comparisons are made between an inanimate object and life by pointing
out similarities between two. This type of language gives the reader a new way to look at
things in the world that are difficult to describe. Figurative language is language that is
not to be taken literally. It includes, to name a few, simile, metaphor, hyperbole,
personification, etc.
Using figurative language is an effective way of communicating an idea that is
not easily understood because of its abstract nature or complexity. Although figurative
language does not offer a literal explanation, it can be used to compare one idea to a
second idea to make the first idea easier to visualize. Figurative language also is used to
link two ideas with the goal of influencing an audience to see a connection even if one
does not actually exist. Writers of prose and poetry use figurative language to elicit
emotion, help readers form mental images and draw readers into the work.
Figure of speech serves a variety of purposes; they are used to clarify meaning or
word, to provide vivid example, to emphasize, to stimulate association and emotions, to
give, to inanimate objects, to amuse or to ornament, they have an essential aesthetic
purpose, widening and deepening the range of perception response to the world of objects
and ideas.
The purpose of figure of speech is more narrowly definable as a way of saying
one thing and meaning another, and we need with no more than a dozen. In seeing the
figures of speech used by the author, readers can recognize them from schemes of
construction in which the words are used in their meanings, but in which the sequences is
of a distinctive pattern; and also recognize them from the tropes in which the ordinary
relationships of meanings are altered. The examples from the schemes of construction are
such as parallelism, antithesis, inversion, parenthesis, omission or ellipsis, and repletion,
while the examples from the tropes are metaphor and simile, personification, hyperbole,
etc.

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2.3 Kinds of Figurative Language
Literally using of figurative language or figure of speech is to giving a different style
in writing. The most kinds of figurative language used in literary work are hyperbole,
simile, metaphor and personification. These are also the other kinds of figurative
language, as follow:
2.3.1 Alliteration
Alliteration is the repetition of an initial consonant sound. It is the
repetition of a single letter in the alphabet or a combination of letters. It's just
about the easiest form of repetition a poet can use. The repetition in this case can
be the same initial letter, sound, or group of sounds in a series of words.
Alliteration includes tongue twisters.
For example:
 Peter Piper picked a peck of pickle peppers
 She sells seashells by the seashore
2.3.2 Antithesis
Antithesis is a construction in which words are opposed but balanced in
opposition (McArthur: 1996: 72).
For example:
 Good and beast.
 Ignorance and reason.
 To err is human, to forgive, divine.
2.3.3 Euphemism
Euphemism is the substitution of an inoffensive term. It is the use of a
mild, comforting, or evasive expression that takes the place of one that is taboo,
negative, offensive, or too directs (McArthur: 1996: 387).
For example:
 Terminate, kill  He terminated her pregnancy.
 Pass water, urinate  Think he is passing water.
 passed away  Died

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2.3.4 Hyperbole
Hyperbole is exaggeration or overstatement. The exaggeration is so great
that others are not able to take the statement literally. Hyperbole is an
exaggeration or over statement, usually deliberate and not meant to be taken
literally. (Larson: 1998)
For example:
 She rushed out of the room in floods of tears crying a lot.
 Let’s have dinner, I am starving very hungry.
 When she was in Paris, she spent ton of money lot of money.
2.3.5 Irony
Irony comes from the Greek word for hypocrisy, deception and ignorance
and some form of negativity is involved. Ironic comment may be humorous or
mildly sarcastic. Irony takes place when the opposite of what a person intended to
do, or expected to happen, occurs instead. It is also an incongruity in expectation
and actuality. Irony can be dramatic (a play), verbal (a statement) or situational
(an event). McArthur (1996: 532) state that “Irony refers to words with an
implication opposite to their usual meaning”.
For example:
 At a difficult moment, an act of kindness makes things worse, and
someone says, “Well, that’s a lot better, isn’t it?”
 Someone says to his friend “you are very slim” whereas the fact is
that his friend is very fat.
2.3.6 Litotes
Litotes is a figure of speech consisting of an understatement in which an
affirmative is expressed by negating its opposite. We can said that litotes is a
figurative language which showing a sentence with sense of humble and careful.
For example:
 I just have bad home Whereas the home is very nice
2.3.7 Metaphor
The first sense identifies metaphor as a type of language: “A figure of
speech in which a name or descriptive word or phrase is transferred to an object

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 or action different from, but analogous to, that to which it is literally applicable;
an instance of this is a metaphorical expression.” The second sense identifies
metaphor as a form of conceptual representation: “A thing considered as
representative of some other (usually abstract) thing: A symbol” (Gluckberg:
2001: 4).
Metaphors directly compare two subjects. Metaphor is a figure of speech
which concisely compares two things by saying that the one is the other
(McArthur: 1996: 653).
For example:
 My lover is a treasure.
 My home is heaven.
 Business is a game.
 You are my guardian.
 This is a made house
2.3.8 Metonymy
Metonymy is a figure of speech in which one thing is used to stand for
itself. It is a word which is used for something related to that which it usually
refers to. As Turner (1987) points out, an expression may be used to refer to
anything that it is conventionally associated with (Glucksberg: 2001: 6). More
figurative, as when a part of something is used to refer to the whole, for example,
wheels to refer to automobiles, as in she’s really proud of her new wheels.
For example:
 It won’t happen while I still breathe  Breath is used figuratively
to mean live.
 The kettle is boiling The kettles used in a figurative sense to
mean water.
 He bought a Chevrolet  Chevrolet is used to mean a car.
2.3.9 Parallelism
Parallelism is the state of being parallel or of corresponding in some way,
and the use of successive verbal construction in poetry or prose that correspond in
grammatical structure, sound, meter, meaning, etc.

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 For example:
 We can’t hide we can’t deny can’t to running away from the
truthful.
2.3.10 Personification
Personification is a statement attributes human qualities to non-human
entities, such as objects or animals. People say the wind howls or opportunity
knocks, for instance. Neither the wind nor opportunity can do these things, but
these personifications vividly convey a particular idea. Keraf (2002) explained
that “Personification is the assigning of human characteristics to non-humans”.
For example:
 The moon smiles at us.
 The trees are waving to the tiger.
 The wind touched my skin.
2.3.11 Sarcasm
Sarcasm is another term for verbal irony. It is the act of ostensibly saying
one thing but another meaning. Sarcasm is a term in rhetoric and general use for
sneeringly ironical remarks (McArthur: 1996: 887).
For example:
 Oh yes, we know how clever you are.
 Well, Mr. Know-it-all, what is the answer this time?
 You are a son of a bitch.
2.3.12 Simile
Similes are "like" or "as" comparisons between two subjects. McArthur
(1996:935) said that simile is a figure of speech, in which a more or less fanciful
or unrealistic comparison is made, using like or as.
For examples:
 Rumors of his death spread like wildfire to become known to
more and more people very quickly).
 She is like a fish out of water She is uneasy in an unfamiliar
situation.

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 2.3.13 Synecdoche
Synecdoche uses a part of something to refer to the whole. As McArthur
(1996:1014) defined that synecdoche is a figure of speech concerned with parts
and wholes.
For example:
 His word can be trusted He is a person that can be trusted.
 I won’t let him come under my roof Won’t let him come to my
house.
 Lend you a hand You don't really just want his hand.
2.4 Song Lyric
Song is arranging by notes to create a beautiful melody. According to Meoeliono
in Sobar (2012), the song is a rhythm sound variety. Song is a work of art which
combining relationship of the art sound and language arts which involves a melodic
aound and timbre of singer. And variety of tone or rhythmic sound is also called the song.
Songs can be sung solo, both (duet), three (trio) or the rollicking (band). Words in the
song are usually shaped rhythmic poetry, but there is also a religious nature or free prose.
Songs can be categorized in many types, depending on the measure used.
Song is also a single work of music intended to be sung by the human voice with
distinct and fixed pitches and patterns using sound and silence and a variety of forms that
often include the repetition of sections. It has been an amusing companion for human
beings for as long as or even longer than we can speak. Songs are highly expressive.
Some convey love and emotions; some tell a memorable and moving story; some embody
one’s dreams and ideals; and some reminisce about the golden past. Songs are abundant
in themes and expressions which will echo in the learner’s heart.
Song purposes to entertain the listener by the lyric and the melody. Not only to
that, also purposed to sending or showing what the author want to share. It means that
composing a song can deliver what author thought and felt or the emotion.
Song without script or lyric is not a song but an instrumental. Song lyric is a
component of the song which there is a script to deliver the author’s feeling. Song lyric
are made by author to express their feeling or to show how they manage their life and tell

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people in lyric which provided with music. From the lyric listeners will able to
understanding the singer’s emotion.
A lyric is a paper written by someone who has imagination in composing
beautiful words that have deep meaning. Lyrics and music combined would be a
wonderful song and pleasing to the ear. The writer of lyrics is a lyricist or lyrist.
According to Hornby (2000: 802), he stated that the lyrics is expressing a person's
personal feeling and thoughts, connected with singing and written for a lyric poem is the
words of a song.
Song lyric is one of example of the literary work that usually similar with a poem.
Meanwhile the different is only the way you show it. Song lyrics can appeal to emotions,
and they should also appeal to the ear. It can be assumed that different genres of songs
will exhibit different styles of lyrics. The verse of songs contains the details of the song:
the story, the events, images, and emotions that the writer wishes to express. Song is not
always composed of simple sentence structure or grammar. Lyrics are characterized by
the use of rhythms, conversational speech, and poetic expressions.
Written song lyric or the script of the song is usually not telling the real meaning.
Author of the song lyric create or produce the lyric to giving a deep sense of their
emotion. To giving a deep sense author using figurative language to make the script
beautiful and deep meaning. Figurative language is kind of style or way to communicate
or to show the real emotion in different way. Using figurative language will make song
lyric is prettier and minimize of telling more information. Or we can say that figurative
language is a style in writing to giving a depth meaning in one word, or different meaning
for one word.

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 CHAPTER III

RESEARCH METHODS

3.1 Research Design

A research design is a plan for collecting and analyzing data in order to answer
questions. Creswell (2012:3) states research designs are the specific procedures involved in
the research process: data collection, data analysis, and report writing. This research will
design as objective analyzing by the researcher which will support by many sources. The
design is a qualitative descriptive research. According to Moelong in Fahmi Asad’s final
work said that “qualitative method is used as research procedures that result descriptive
data containing of spoken and written words from the people and behaviours of people
which can be observed”.
This research use descriptive qualitative research design in order to describe the
figurative languages used in the songs. The writer used biography approach by the
considering that literary works cannot be separated from the owner. The object of this
research is a band from US called Avenged Sevenfold.
3.2 Source of Data
This research will focus on the fifth album of Avenged Sevenfold titled
Nightmare which released in July 27th2010. In this album there are ten songs that the
researcher will focus in four songs. The songs are So Far Away, Save Me, Danger Line, and
Tonight Will Never Die.
The data of this research is a raw that needs to produce the information. The data
will be song lyrics by Avenged Sevenfold containing figurative language. Song lyrics
include words, phrase, or sentences based on the whole lyric. Hence, the data in this
study belonged to qualitative data.
3.3 Method of Data Collection
Data collection method is the way of collecting data. The first thing is off course
browsing the song lyrics of Avenged Sevenfold as the object or focus on this research.
The songs those chosen by the researcher are Save Me, So Far Away, Danger Line, and
Tonight will Never Die. Those songs contained in album Nightmare which is the sixth
album of Avenged Sevenfold. The reason of the chosen this album is because of this
album that the researcher listened the most.

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 The second is reading and understanding the lyrics. In this step, the researcher read
the lyrics seriously, for the purpose of understanding deeply about the lyric of the songs. And
then, the researcher will identify all the words, phrase and sentence containing figurative
language. After reading and understanding the lyric of songs, the researcher identified or
found all words, sentences and phrases contained figurative language as the data. And then, it
will be written down the data classifying them. After doing the previous step, the researcher
classified the data based on the kinds of figurative language.
3.4 Method of Data Analysis
Data are analyzed in a way that permits the researcher to answer the research
questions. The data analysis in this research involved the following procedures:
1. Reading the whole song lyrics while listening to the song to find some figurative
language in the song lyrics.
2. Finding the figurative language in song lyrics by identifying the words, phrases,
and sentences that contained figurative language.
3. Classifying kinds of figurative language. In this step the researcher classified the
figurative languages that have been found in the lyrics by identifying the words,
phrases, and sentence.
4. Interpreting song lyrics to find the meanings of figurative language in the lyrics
and their messages. To make easier in identifying the meaning of the song lyrics,
the researcher read every sentence of the lyrics and found out the contextual
meaning of the lyrics based on the biography of the composer.
5. The last step is drawing conclusion based on the analyzed data. After the
researcher found the answer from the research problem, then the researcher makes
the conclusion from the analyzing data.

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