Ujian Akhir Semester Pengkajian Puisi Inggris 2008

Masih dari semester 3. Ini adalah semester yang paling mengesankan sejauh ini saya kuliah di semester 5. Ujian Akhir semester Mata Kuliah Pengkajian Puisi Inggris tahun 2008. Saya dapat nilai A untuk ini, untuk kemudian menjadi salah satu dari tiga nilai A saya di semester 3. So lovely.. one more time, thanks to mom Grace

Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening

By Robert Frost (1874 – 1963)

Whose woods these are I think I know.
His house is in the village though;
He sill not see me stopping here
To watch his woods fill up with snow.

My little horse might think it queer
To stop without a farmhouse near
Between the lake and frozen lake
The darkest evening of the year.

He gives his harness bell a shake
To ask if there is some mistake.
The only other sound’s the sweep
Of easy wind and downy flake.

The woods are lovely, dark and deep,
But I have promises to keep,
And miles to go before I sleep,
And miles to go before I sleep.

1. What is the rhyme scheme of the poem? (10 points)
A-A-B-A B-B-C-B C-C-D-C D-D-D-D

2. Retell what is happening to the speaker in each stanza. (20 points)
First stanza is tell about speaker who escape from the civilization. Actually, He leaves in the village, it means the place where is civilization occur. However, the speaker is tempted to stay at the beautiful woods. But he knows, that he can not stop there till he die which is described by “The wood that filled up with snow” Although at the beginning show is beautiful, but when it becomes thicker and thicker, it will be very cold and can kill whoever inside. In addition, the speaker also confuse want to stay at that woods or get out from there soon.

Second stanza tells us that the speaker should not stop there. His horse think that it queer. It is just unusual habit that the speaker do not stop near the farmhouse. Commonly, when the rider stop at certain place, he must find the farmhouse for his house. At that place, the rider can take a rest in properly, and his horse will get the proper feed as well. The horse worry about it. If they just stop at that place, where there’s nothing food, the horse will be dead in freezing condition. From the line “The darkness evening of the year”, we know at that time is winter solstice. The moment when evening become so dark, cold, and silent.

Third stanza tells us how he enjoy that place. His horse try to ask the rider by give a shake at the harness bell, remind him if there is some mistake. In the fact, the reader enjoy the place much. According the first stanza, the speaker want to escape from the civilation, the confuse of daily life, and all pursuit from society. He just want stay at the silent, in peace, and stand on his principle. The silent and piece of the place can be described from the line
“The only other sound’s the sweep
Of easy wind and downy flake.”
When we can hear the sound of wind and the snow when it falls, it means that the place is so silent and peaceful.

The last stanza tells us when the speaker realize about himself and want to continue his journey. He should not escape from the civilation. As a human, we must have a civilization and social interact with the other. The promise can be understood as the meaning or the life destination. People must have a destination in their life, be useful, for anyone and their selves especially. At the result, from the line
“And miles to go before I sleep,”,
It means speaker still have a long journey in his life. Still a lot of thing that he can do. And sleep it the metaphor for Death. Therefore, he can not escape from the life, cause there is still a lot of thing to do in order to be useful.

3. This poem has a symbolic meaning. Explain its symbolic meaning. Make sure you explain what ‘the woods’, ‘the horse’, ‘promises’ and ‘sleep’ symbolize? (20 points)

- The woods is the symbol of dream place where is very silent and peaceful that speaker want. The place that speaker can escape from the crowded of civilization and daily life.
- The horse can be a symbol for valuable time and opportunity that be his vehicle in cruising the life. If he just stays and watches the wood withoug do anothing else, his horse can be dead and he loose his opportunity to continue the life.
- The promis can be a symbol ofr the meaning or destiny of life. Everyone must know what for they live in this world. They have to be meaning and useful for anyone. So when the speaker say “promise to keep”, it means he want to continue his journey to the destiny of him.
- The sleep is a symbol for death or the eand of his time. When someone sleeps, it means he has been tired and already finished all his work at the day.

- Richard Cory
Edwin Arlington Robinson (1869 – 1935)

Whenever Richard Cory went down town,
We people on the pavement looked at him:
He was a gentleman from sole to crown,
Clean favored and imperially slim.

And he was always quietly arrayed,
And he was always human when he talked;
But still he fluttered pulses when he said,
“Good-morning,” and he glittered when he walked.

And he was rich – yes, richer than a king –
And admirably schooled in every grace:
In fine, we thought that he was everything
To make us wish that we were in his place.

So on we worked, and waited for the light,
And went without the meat, and cursed the bread;
And Richard Cory, one calm summer night,
Went home and put a bullet through his head.

4. Give a detailed description of Richard Cory and his life based on the information you get in the poem. (20 points)

Richard Cory is a man from the upper class family. He has all the physical appearances that should be had by people from that class. His body is also good-treated. A think that lower and middle clas people do not have.
“He was a gentleman from sole to crown,
Clean favored and imperially slim.”

Richard cory also a famous person. Wherever he is, he always be the center of interest by people. Everyone looks at him when he walk at the street.
“Whenever Richard Cory went down town,
We people on the pavement looked at him:”

At the second stanza, describe Richard cory is a friendly person. Although he is very famous, he still want to greet anyone with “good morning”. From line “And he was always human when he talked;” it tells us that Richard Cory very friendly. He talk to everyone as a same human being. Unlike that usual upper class member, they do not have any interested in talking with from lower or middle class. In addition, “He glittered when he walked” describes how special and wonderful Richard cory is. Furthermore, when he talk to anyone or just greet “good morning”, it flutter pulses to people. Like a fans when facing their idol.

In second stanza, speaker tells that Richard Cory is a very rich man even more than a king. Because of his grace, people admire to him. He has everything. Therefore, many people imagine to be a star like him.

5. Who are “we people on the pavement”? What do you know about them? (20 points)

The “people on the pavement” are the pople from lower or working class society. In the era when the poem is created, which is in early 20s century, the feodalism was still occur. People separate their selve in a certain classes. The aristocrats, by all their richness, make their selve in top level in the society. The lower or working class people, only can imagine if they were a rich people. They admire people from the upper class for all their completeness. At the first line, “Whenever Richard Cory went down town, we people on the pavement looked at him” It means when people looked Richard cory, they are in down town, and down town is the common place where lower or working class leave.

From line “So on we worked, and waited for the light,” it tell us that “we”, always work when the light comes. They start to work at early morning, and it just happen in lower or working class.

Finally, from the line “And went without the meat, and cursed the bread;” it describe who poor “we” at that poem. They do not have meet to be eaten, and “curse the bread” perhaps the bread is already dish or in improper condition.

6. The dominant figure of speech in this poem is irony. What type of irony is it ( verbal, dramatic or irony of situation)? Explain the use of irony in this poem. (10 points)

The figure of speech that is used ath the pem is Dramatic Irony. At the beginning and most of the poem describe how rich and perfect Richard Cory is. He has everything and he must be very happy with his life. In contrary, at the two last lines
“And Richard Cory, one calm summer night,
Went home and put a bullet through his head.”

It is just an suprising event. He commited suicide. The life that everyone thinks that is very happy and perfect, can not secure that Richard Cory is feeling the same thing. Perhaps in his perfect life, he can not find something that is really important in life. It is very ironic. Richard cory commited suicide in life that everyone feels it is perfect.

UAS Poetry 2008

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