FIGURATIVE LANGUAGE AND THE ESSENCE OF HOPE IN SEE IT THROUGH BY EDGAR ALBERT GUEST AND HOPE IS THE THING WITH FEATHERS BY EMILY DICKINSON

Abstract

This research aims to analyze the use of figurative devices, particularly tropes, in the poems See It Through by Edgar Albert Guest and Hope is the Thing with Feathersby Emily Dickinson. It explores the meanings generated through these figurative elements and the similarities in how meaning is constructed in both poems. Figurative language involves descriptive expressions and sentences that convey implicit messages through an artistic blend of devices. The study examines the figurative devices that function as tropes, the process of meaning construction, and the thematic similarities in both poems using the Knickerbocker and Reninger theory of figurative language (1963). This theory categorizes figurative devices such as simile, metaphor, personification, synecdoche, metonymy, hyperbole, irony, paradox, dead metaphor, imagery, symbol, and allusion, which all contribute to conveying specific meanings. The research adopts a figurative analysis method, employing Leech and Short’s (2007) model to examine the selected poems. The analysis reveals the presence of various figurative devices, including similes, metaphors, personification, symbols, and imagery. The study concludes that both poems share a central theme: the importance of hope and courage in overcoming life’s challenges.